If you just have been handed the coach's whistle for a kids' soccer team, you will need to figure out a way to provide structured training that manages to keep the sport fun. Plan ahead before every training session to determine a focus or theme, be it passing, defending, running into space, dribbling moves or positioning, recommends Deborah Crisfield in "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Soccer." And find much to praise in the kids' play.
Time Frame
Begin with a gentle jog for 5 to 10 minutes, followed by stretching of the calves, hamstrings and quads. Follow with drills designed to advance your theme and then a scrimmage, asking the players to put their drills to use in game-like conditions. A cool-down for 3 minutes can line the players in rows, showing them how to stretch arms, the back and again the legs. Total time for the training can last about an hour.
Considerations
Ask the players to come to practice with light and dark shirts, shin guards to protect against kicks and hard-hit balls, a filled water bottle and their own ball, marked with their name. Equip yourself with two sets of pinneys to create teams and a string bag containing team balls, also marked with the team name. Use disks or cones to create grids 10 yards square for drills to help players focus on close-quarters work that mimics a tough defense in a real game.
Types
Begin training with a focus on dribbling, recommends Joe Provey in "The Confident Coach's Guide to Teaching Youth Soccer." Demonstrate the preferred touches with the inside, outside or top of the foot or even the sole of the shoe; note that toe balls are to be avoided. Pair off players so that one player dribbles against a defender, working on keeping her eyes up, the ball close to her feet and shielding the ball by blocking it with her body. In a 10-by-10-yard grid, conduct the "bomb ball" drill recommended by Provey. Have the players dribble and ask them to watch out for a ball you will gently toss into the air to land in the grid. This will help them work on keeping their eyes off the ground while dribbling.
Features
Work on simple passes using the instep, asking the kids to pair off and pass to each other while standing still. Work up to having paired players jog from one sideline of the field to the other, passing to each other so the ball lands in a bit in front of each, so it can be collected and returned in stride. Teach your players that a good short pass need to be accurate --- sent to the exact space where the teammate is standing or where he is running, Provey notes. Ask the players to use correct pace --- not too slow or too fast --- and roll the ball smoothly along the ground. Finally, have the kids move to a different position after the pass, always thinking ahead to where they can best be available for a return pass.
Expert Insight
Although the goal of soccer at its simplest is to put the ball in the net and deny your opponent the same, tactics help figure out how to do this. Even young players can begin to learn tactical thinking as well as skills, Provey notes. To take a simple example, a young player might defend by running beside an attacking player without a clear idea of what to do next. Teach your defenders to "channel" attackers away from the goal and toward the sideline by blocking their way to the middle of the field, combining their body position, sideways shuffle running and pressure to force a turnover.
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