Soccer Field Diagram

Does it sound familiar when I say that stretching forms an integral part of soccer training tips and is widely recommended and practiced by almost all sportspersons? Talking about soccer, it is constantly growing and developing in its difficulty.

When it comes to kid’s training for soccer, two types of stretching i.e. static and dynamic stretching are included in it.

Static stretching requires the kids to extend their muscles as far as they can and hold for a given duration of time. Recurring motions, rebounding, and rhythmic bouncing are performed by the players while doing dynamic stretching. In general, it is not considered as effective as static stretching and more dangerous than static stretching.

This article discusses some benefits of stretching that go a long way in making a good player great.

Soccer Training

Stretching reduces injuries: Continuous stretching during the day and performed over a period of time may promote muscle growth that, consecutively, could reduce the risk of injury. Stretching also provides a way of increasing the muscle size and strength.

Stretching affects flexibility: Stretching prevents loss of flexibility. Still, the effects of stretching are way better when it is done for a long period of time than for a shorter duration.

Stretching increases flexibility when it is performed for a few minutes before any soccer activity. But, of all the soccer training tips, the best is where stretching program is extended over a longer period of time that constantly improves the player’s range of motion.

Stretching enhances performance: Player’s performance improves when stretching exercises are designed to be soccer specific.

Stretching can be great fun for the kids: If you include a lot of different types of soccer drills in your practice sessions, it can be a lot of fun. Keep changing the warm up activities that are performed before stretching. Try various activities like tag games, ball tag, and keep away.

Contemplate on the stretching, sense and know each stretch, along with checking for stiffness in the body.

For a majority of kids, one stretch of15-30 minutes is sufficient for each muscle group but some kids may take longer stretches or more repetitions.

This is because when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, tightness decreases and extensibility increases. Players who want to maintain or increase their flexibility can partly achieve this goal by stretching. When their body temperature is higher as against normal, it makes it safer and more productive to stretch.

This is the reason why some coaches make kids stretch even after a workout. To prevent muscles for tightening too fast, make your players do some stretching after they’ve practiced soccer skills.

Normally, players who perform an active warm-up previous to stretching get an enhanced range of motion than the ones who simply stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

I again reiterate that the most important of all soccer training tips is to remember that hurried stretching does not help kids become flexible, gets monotonous and pointless, so let them take their own time to warm up before stretching. You can subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community and get your way to innumerable articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.

Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn  how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Youth Soccer Drills.

If you also share similar thoughts as I do, you’d know that soccer training tips for goalkeepers have a great importance as he/she is the only player that has the freedom to touch the ball with hands and arms both.

Therefore, it’s the soccer skills of a goalie that set him apart in a better position, in comparison to others. But this makes the job of training goalkeepers for soccer even more difficult.

Based on the method of play in soccer, goalkeepers are the first line of offense and last line of defense. These players don’t think twice before putting their body in harms way to stop or block the ball from getting into the goalpost. They are always geared up to go along any direction to capture the ball.

Goalkeepers training for soccer on various techniques specific to their role and the level of their play can be extremely demanding. At the same time, his or her mental state should be kept in mind while teaching him various skills.

Soccer Training

Only one player in the team can be compared to a goalkeeper and that is the goal hungry striker. In fact, some of the best goalies have also been great strikers at one point or the other. You’ll be able to encounter frequent one on one battle between the goalie and the forwards at different levels of competition.

In soccer training tips, it’s necessary for a goalkeeper to stay balanced and know the center for gravity of the body. In a game setting, this will benefit by improving the goalkeeper’s activity and the inclination of the other player.

While a majority of goalkeepers are tall with big hands and long arms but even if it is not the case, they simply compensate for the lack of their physical attributes with good vertical and lateral mobility.

Goalkeepers need unvarying motivation even though they have a good sense of self-worth and the coaches should never forget this. Goalkeepers should perform soccer drills that improve upon their skills specific to their role in the game once they have finished doing regular warm up exercises with the team.

Because goalkeepers have a dominant personality and a sense of control, they are leaders of the team. Therefore, they need to be constantly supported by all their teammates in successfully doing their job by being in a representative capacity.

The goalie is allowed to handle the ball only in the 18 yard box. Anyone other that a goalie who fatefully gets to touch the ball with an arm, ends up winning the opponent a free kick. In the case of the goalie’s team mate, it is a penalty shoot from “the spot”.

Your next step? To take what you’ve just learned and apply the above soccer training tips as goalkeepers are definitely leaders in the 18 yard box, and should get due respect from their team. For more such training tips and coaching skills, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community and get access to thousands of videos.

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 practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.

A coach need to the essential soccer training tips in order to be able to train the kids properly especially, when he or she is playing the role of a coach while playing the game. As a result of it, you can conveniently include in your soccer drills practice sessions, these tips to be executed 4 to 5 times every week according to your game’s standard.

You can improve their performance by instructing your players about the essential tips and techniques. They are as follows;

Educate your kids to keep moving the ball with one or two touches: This is known as inter passing in a team setting. Tell them to play with speed and make crunchy solid passes, whether it’s a 3 meter or 20 meter pass.

Play the ball and move about: Playing and moving envelops the basic idea behind making runs. But the important thing to keep in mind is to make these runs dangerous leading to goal scoring opportunities or opening up space for a team-mate.

Soccer Training

The basis of all soccer skills is the ability to pass accurately in order to create opportunities. The key here is setting up your defender. Instruct your players to draw near towards the defender, assuming that he or she is going to be able to get the ball, then give it and go, speed up into the open space to receive or return the pass.

Tell the players to keep changing their pace after moving about to beat the opponent. They should attack fast and make sure they keep moving the ball as fast as possible. Whenever they get the opportunity to break, they should get even with a couple of accurate passes.

Coach your players to keep the ball close to their feet when maneuvering the ball: One of the important soccer training tips requires kids to keep their head up and remain watchful of others movements in the field. They should make sure to touch the ball at every step while dribbling the ball. This has the effect of having close control over the ball and improving a player’s ability to take away the ball from defenders.

Get the cross in: During the first half of the game, take shots on the goal and observe the goalkeeper throughout. The player should ensure that the other team members are informed about his/ her intentions to make runs into open spaces. This type of communication is critical for the development of great players.

When training for soccer, teach players to aim for the area between the 6 and 18 yard boxes. This will make the goalkeeper come out in an attempt to collect the ball. Due to this, the goals will remain open and unprotected.

Keep looking at the ball: Keep a constant watch on the player’s movement on the field. You should train your players in a way that they unfailingly follow the team’s line of attack for the day.

You must now include these soccer training tips in your training regimen to allow players to become experts in dealing with situations when on field. You can subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community and get your way to innumerable articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Soccer training tips.