By the time you finish reading this, you would be convinced that in Soccer practice , games play a more pivotal role in skill building than soccer drills. 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. Every player should have the ball and play with it as much as possible.
2. Each player’s participation in the game should be equal. In no case should it happen that weak players don’t get the opportunity to play with the ball.
3. Do away with the idea of rewarding or punishing the kids. The games are not meant for that.
4. Games should only concentrate on building soccer skills.
5. If you can, it’s better not to implement any rules or restrictions in a game.
6. The games should be simple to understand and play. If games are complex in nature, they lead to wastage of time and energy.
7. Finally, increase the level of difficulty in the game after the kids have managed to pass a given level.
Each session should include minimum 200-300 touches of the ball for every player in soccer practice. This is to make sure that each player is improving with every passing day. 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: In this game, the kids move about in a crowd while keeping their head up and trying to shoot the ball to the goal. This leads to a player’s dribbling ability and concentration power getting better. The most effective way to play the game is by introducing 3 kids initially and slowly adding on the number.
2. Freeze Tag: This game is great for warm ups as well as teaching the kids 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. He can be de-frozen only when another player hits the ball through the frozen player’s legs. Continue playing till the time all players are in a frozen state.
3. Red light, green light: In this game, the kids make a queue. The coach will shout green light and turn his back to the players who will then move forward along with their balls within the time that the coach again shouts red light and faces the players. If a player fails to come forward, he must return and start again. This is a perfect game for building stamina and concentration.
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.
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: Youth Soccer Drills.
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