Soccer may look like a simple game. But like any other sport, there are techniques and skills that are necessary to develop in order to play soccer well. The techniques and skills can be developed by practice. Young players do not have to start with natural skills. These skills can be developed, and for parents or coaches who want to teach kids how to play well, there are tips for both learning how to play soccer and for developing soccer skills.
Dribbling Tips
Many beginners choose to move the ball down the field by kicking the ball ahead of them and then running to catch up. This technique provides for little control and can make it easy for opponents to steal the ball. One skill all soccer players should learn is dribbling the ball. Try having the kids run, slowly at first, and use different parts of their feet to keep the ball just ahead of them. Teach the kids to stop the ball on a spot by gently tapping down onto the top of the ball as they are dribbling down the field to set the ball up for a pass. Maintaining control of the ball is the first step in becoming a more skilled soccer player.
Passing Tips
Help players learn how to pass the ball to a teammate by first kicking the ball to a stationary teammate. Remind players to use the side of the foot for better control. The receiver should learn how to receive a pass by allowing the ball to gently strike the foot. Learning these basic ball control techniques is necessary before players can move on to more advanced ball control techniques.
Once players have mastered the stationary pass, have them practice learning to pass the ball to a running teammate by practicing the pass over and over. Have the teammate run at different speeds so the passing player can learn to anticipate how far ahead of the teammate they will need to pass the ball.
Finally, have players practice passing the ball to a teammate while both are running down the field. Players should use the side of their foot to make this type of pass. When players in motion are passing the ball, it keeps the defense guessing about where the ball is and leads to more scoring opportunities.
Shooting Tips
Another way for kids to learn soccer techniques is to have them practice shooting at the corners of the goal from different stationary spots in front of the goal, one spot in front and one at each side. Once players have mastered shooting while standing still, have them practice shooting at the corners while running down the field at different speeds. Shooting for the corners will maximize scoring opportunities because those are the spots that the goalie will have the most trouble defending.
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