Imagine a scenario where 50% of the soccer coaching drills should adopt development of trapping skills as their focal point. You would probably dismiss it as a fancy. But interestingly, researchers say that trapping, besides dribbling and passing is mainly responsible for consistently winning matches.
Trapping is the ability of the players to intercept the ball and then keep it near their body. Soccer exercises like these let the players use their feet, chest and thighs for this.
It is imperative that your players know how to trap the ball. If not, they will never really be in control of the game because everything else comes after trapping the ball. Trapping skills of the players can be enhanced by following the ways mentioned here.
Involve the Feet: Primarily, the coach must teach the players to use their feet in tackling the ball. Particularly in kids soccer drills, teach the kids to use inside of their foot. This is because the inside area of the foot id wide and very useful in engaging with the ball.
In soccer coaching drills, players can be taught to use the instep or crown of the foot along with entire foot when the players are senior and established. In cases where the ball bounces a lot, it is best to make them use their shin or ankle to tackle the ball.
Thigh Movement: Using your thigh to control rapid and bouncy ball is an excellent approach. Train the players to stop the ball with one thigh, get stable using the other, after getting in front of the ball. It is important to learn that as soon as the ball meets the thigh, the knee should be dropped so that the ball drops right there and does not move away from the player.
This activity has to be practiced regularly in order to become an expert at it by first using the knee to catch the ball and then bringing the knee down to prevent it from getting away.
Use the Chest: Just like the thigh, chest too has a vital role to play in trapping the ball flying high in the air. Teach your players to tackle the ball using their chest by getting in front of the ball and take their chest out. This will have the effect of breaking the ball’s speed and tumbling it down immediately.
But make sure that in soccer training drills, this technique should not be rigorously taught to the young players. It is very typical of them to use their hands while trying to stop the ball with the chest. It could be troublesome because the kids might get accustomed to using their hands to catch the ball.
Now its time to start putting these soccer coaching drills into action. Ensure that the players increasingly practice these. By subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community, keep yourself updated on the latest in the field.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make training fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Youth Soccer Training Drills.
