Coaches of young soccer players have a golden window of opportunity to teach critical skills, those central to success as a player. "From a developmental standpoint, the young ages are the best ones for learning skills," notes US Youth Soccer's publication "Best Practices for Coaching Soccer in the United States," designed to make American soccer more competitive internationally. By age 17, players' capacity to pick up new motor skills begins to diminish, while the ability to understand tactics and strategy increases.
Dribbling
Even though coaches may encourage kids to look to pass the ball first if they are part of organized soccer, dribbling is a critical skill that needs to be developed. Young players who learn to play pickup or street soccer naturally acquire a dribble-first mentality that allows them to master ball control. "Best Practices" actually recommends that coaches make dribbling the first option for young players, perhaps going so far as to require two touches on the ball before they look to pass in scrimmages. With experience, youth players also become better at dribbling in traffic.
Passing and Receiving
Young players gradually evolve from being only able to dribble the ball at around age 6 to understanding passing and receiving by age 10. David and Kay Huddleston, who publish the online site Youth Soccer Drills, note the importance of broadening the young player's concepts so it is not assumed that passing is always to another player's feet. A critical skill in receiving the ball is knowing how to move to the ball in any direction so the ball doesn't get past you. Few recreational youth players know how to deliver a perfect pass when under pressure, so their teammates must focus on ways to turn an iffy pass into a competent trap, running to the ball rather than waiting.
Positioning
Young players begin by bunching around the ball, moving like a school of fish without a strong concept of spacing and using the whole field. Creating space is a critical skill, writes Denis Ford in "Coaching Youth Soccer." Youth players need to learn to position themselves to receive the ball from a teammate. To improve their game, use drills that encourage them to learn the give-and-go or have three players operate as a triangle, passing around a defensive player. Older youth players can begin to learn defensive positioning concepts such as pushing opponents wide by denying them passes or a dribbling lane to the center of the field.
Mental Skills
Awareness also becomes a critical skill, Ford observes. Young players over time need to develop the ability to be aware of what is going on around them while maintaining possession of the ball, he writes. They grasp how to look up to survey the field, to decide whether to pass, dribble or shoot. Their decision on how to get the ball down the field is based on a scan of the positions of teammates and defenders.
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