Just run through the article once and you’ll be assured of the fact that in Soccer practice, more than soccer drills, it is the games that play a key role in developing skills.
Games are more energizing than drills and they require an equal amount of stamina as in the actual game.
In relation to soccer training, games command passion, is a source of great fun, and in the process of learning it, kids benefit from various phases of the game.
A few guidelines must be taken into account prior to initiating games into training sessions.
1. Each player must have the ball and play with it regularly.
2. Its vital that each player has an equal participation in the game.
Ensure that the weak players also get a chance to play with the ball and not be deprived of it.
3. The strategy of reward and reprimand should be done away with.
The games are not meant for that.
4. To build soccer skills should be the only focal point of the games.
5. Preferably, you should abstain from enforcing any laws or limits in a game.
6. The games should be simple to understand and play.
Difficulty in understanding the games results in wastage of time.
7. Last but not the least, it is important to increase the challenge in a game once the kids have passed a certain level.
In a soccer practice session, 200-300 times is the least that every player participating should touch the ball.
This has the effect of ensuring each player’s progress in improving soccer skills.
Here’s a list of few soccer coaching games that are not only interesting, accepted, and useful, but also help players hone their skills.
1. Shoot the coach: Here, the kids try to put the ball into the goal by moving in a crowd and keeping their head held high.
It helps improve dribbling and also concentration ability of the player.
It always helps to make the kids play the game by starting with 3 kids and regularly introducing more players.
2. Freeze Tag: It accounts for great warm up rounds and helps kids in learning to keep the ball away from the defender.
This game requires each player excluding one to have a ball and the one without the ball is supposed to touch the ball and not kick it.
When this happens, the player with the ball is frozen and must act as a goal post.
Only when the other player has hit the ball between frozen player’s legs can that player be de-frozen.
Keep playing till all the players are frozen.
3. Red light, green light: In this game, the kids stand in a line.
What the coach does is shout green light and turns his back to the kids, who should then move forward with their balls quickly before the coach again shouts red light and faces the kids.
If a player does not come forward, he is asked to go back.
This is a nice game that builds quickness and focus.
Here you go!
If you would like insight on more such soccer practice games, join our youth soccer coaching community that has tons of similar resources on youth soccer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Training Tips
