Soccer Trainer

Let me tell you that stretching is an vital part of soccer training tips and professional coaches highly recommend it along with almost every player in every sport practicing it daily? Talking about soccer, it is constantly growing and developing in its difficulty.

There are two types of stretching that can be incorporated in kid’s training for soccer; static and dynamic stretching.

In static stretching, players stretch their muscles to a certain point of resistance and then hold for some period of time. When it comes to dynamic stretching, recurring motions, rhythmic bouncing, and rebounding is what the player does. It is generally considered as more dangerous and less effective than static stretching.

This article discusses some benefits of stretching that go a long way in making a good player great.

Soccer Training

Stretching reduces injuries: When players do stretching every day and keep doing it for a long time, it promotes their muscle growth that reduces the risk of injury. Stretching also provides a way of improving the size and strength of muscles.

Stretching shapes flexibility: Stretching puts a stop to any loss of flexibility. But, stretching is more beneficial in the long run when performed continuously rather than during the shorter periods of time.

Stretching a few minutes prior to any event is likely to increase flexibility. But the best of all soccer training tips is to spread a stretching program over a period of months, leading to a constant increase in range of motion.

Stretching enhances performance: Player’s performance improves when stretching exercises are designed to be soccer specific.

Stretching can be a lot of fun: For this, you need to add variety in your soccer drills and focus a lot on performing them. Keep changing the warm up activities that are performed before stretching. Try various activities like tag games, ball tag, and keep away.

Focus mentally on stretching exercises, feel and recognize each stretch, whilst checking for body soreness.

One 15-30-second stretch for each muscle group is sufficient for most players, but some kids require longer stretches and more repetitions as well.

This is because when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, tightness decreases and extensibility increases. Those players who wish to sustain or increase their flexibility can partially attain this goal by stretching. When their body temperature is higher as against normal, it makes it safer and more productive to stretch.

This is why some coaches tend to make their kids perform stretching exercises after a workout as well. If your kids stretch for 5-10 minutes after performing soccer skills, their muscles will not tighten too fast.

In general, players who do an active warm-up before stretching get an improved range of motion than kids who only stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

When feeling stiff or inflexible, the most important soccer training tips is to allow kids to warm up sufficiently, as doing stretches would not help them become flexible, and will become boring and futile. Join to our youth soccer coaching community and you can get access to numerous articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.

Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn  how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Youth Soccer Drills.

When you are a soccer coach, it’s necessary for you to be aware of the important soccer training tips to teach the game to your players. As a result of it, you can conveniently include in your soccer drills practice sessions, these tips to be executed 4 to 5 times every week according to your game’s standard.

By teaching your players some important tips and techniques, you can help them better their performance. They are in the following paragraphs;

Train your players to continuously move the ball with one or two touches: In a team setting, this is called inter-passing. They should play the ball with speed and make crisp solid passes, whether it is a 3-meter or 20 meter pass.

Play the ball and move about: Playing and moving envelops the basic idea behind making runs. But what is important here is to see that these movements are effective enough to create spaces for team mates and goal scoring opportunities.

Soccer Training

Soccer skills are primarily aimed at developing kid’s ability to create goal scoring options. Here, you must set up your defender. Guide your players almost to move in towards the defender, as if he or she is going to be able to capture the ball, then give it and go, accelerate into the open space to receive or return the pass.

When dribbling, guide players to change their pace after making a move to beat the opponent. They should quickly attack and try to keep the ball moving as fast as possible. Whenever they get the opportunity to break, they should get even with a couple of accurate passes.

Train players to keep the ball close to their feet when controlling the ball: One of the soccer training tips is to keep the head up and watch the field as everybody is moving. They should make sure to touch the ball at every step while dribbling the ball. This has the effect of having close control over the ball and improving a player’s ability to take away the ball from defenders.

Get the cross in: In the first part of the game, carefully observe the goalkeeper while you take shots on the goal. If you know that you are going to make runs into the open space, let your team-mates know this. This type of communication is critical for the development of great players.

When it comes to training for soccer, guide the players to seek into the area amid the 6 and 18 yard boxes. This will make the goalkeeper come out in an attempt to collect the ball. This will have the effect of making the open and unguarded.

Keep an eye on the ball: Keep an eye on every player’s movement on the field at all times. Coach your players in such a way that they strictly follow the team’s approach and strategy for the day.

So now, start making use of these soccer training tips in your regular training sessions so that they come instinctively to the players when on field. You can get more such tips and tactics by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has several relevant articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Soccer training tips.

The importance of soccer training tips for goalkeepers can be easily made out from the fact that a goalkeeper is the only player on the field who can touch the ball with both arms and hands.

Therefore, it’s the soccer skills of a goalie that set him apart in a better position, in comparison to others. But this also makes training goalkeepers for soccer not only unique but challenging.

Goalkeepers in soccer are more often than not, the first line of offence and the last line of defense, based on the playing skill. They’re always ready to employ their body to stop the ball from entering the goal or to block it. They are ready to dive in any direction to catch hold of the ball.

Goalkeepers training for soccer on various techniques specific to their role and the level of their play can be extremely demanding. This also requires you to take into consideration his mental state and train him on various skills accordingly.

Soccer Training

In terms of comparison, only a striker can match the skills and enthusiasm of a goalkeeper. Actually some of the best goalies have already been great strikers at some point in their career. You’ll observe that very often, it’s the goalies and forwards that get into a direct battle on the field, no matter what the level of competition.

When it comes to soccer training tips, staying balanced and knowing the center of gravity of the body is of the essence to the goalkeeper. This will improve the activity of the goalie and the state of readiness of the player to make remarkable gains in a game setting.

While a majority of goalkeepers are tall with big hands and long arms but even if it is not the case, they simply compensate for the lack of their physical attributes with good vertical and lateral mobility.

It is important for a coach to realize that goalies have a great sense of worth but still need to be motivated on a regular basis. Goalkeepers should perform soccer drills that improve upon their skills specific to their role in the game once they have finished doing regular warm up exercises with the team.

Because goalkeepers have a dominant personality and a sense of control, they are leaders of the team. When goalkeepers are supported by their teammates and are put in a demonstrative capacity, they are able to achieve the desired results.

The ball can only be handled by the goalie in the 18 yard box. Anyone other that a goalie who fatefully gets to touch the ball with an arm, ends up winning the opponent a free kick. If it is a goalie’s teammate, it’s a penalty shoot from “the spot”.

Your next step? To take what you’ve just learned and apply the above soccer training tips as goalkeepers are definitely leaders in the 18 yard box, and should get due respect from their team. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that has tons of articles, newsletters, and related videos to improve your coaching skills.

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: Soccer Drills.

I’d like to ask you something. Many soccer coaches design their player’s training programs without considering the soccer training tips only to go through the motions and make up the numbers. Are you guilty of this?

Set some definite goals for your team before you plan your next training session. Determine in advance what you wish to achieve form this program and do whatever it takes to accomplish that.

Introduce new, fun, and innovative soccer drills in your training sessions to add variety. It will break the monotony of doing the same drills day in and day out. You’ll see a noticeable improvement in your team’s performance once they start enjoying the training sessions.

Regardless of the level at which they play and their age, your players need to learn to listen to you and give due respect. Appreciating each other’s feelings creates an environment that is pleasant for both the coach and the kids.

Soccer Training

Soccer players always have an advantage of the level of flexibility is high. It has been divided into 3 categories.

Dynamic flexibility: It is the ability to perform energetic movements within the full range of motion in the joint, for example; twisting side to side.

Static active flexibility: This is the aptitude of a player to stretch a hard muscle by using the tension from within that muscle. Holding one leg out in front of you as high as possible is an example of this. Here, your hamstrings are stretched when your quadriceps and hip flexors hold your leg up.

Static passive: It’s the skill of using the body weight or some external force to hold a stretch. For example; you can hold your leg out in front of you and then rest it on a chair.

Now let’s go to the next in line of soccer training tips. It requires you to check that kids are wearing an appropriate gear, depending on the weather conditions.

Training for soccer should be complemented by a fitness program that is designed to identify and improve upon the weak areas. When designing this training program, keep the following factors in mind.

Kid’s age: There is a direct connection between decrease in the flexibility of soft tissues and the reduced range of movement, as one grows older, notwithstanding the gender. But, if we remain active, the flexibility will always remain.

Gender: Girls are more flexible regardless of their age.

Motion: It is natural for kids with an active lifestyle to showcase better soccer skills and a greater range of movement that the ones not so active on field.

Injury: Injuries also get in the way the range of motion in a joint.

Pain: As the pain increases, flexibility decreases and results in muscle spasms. Nonetheless, flexibility in kids is not hampered by strength training unless the exercises are done correctly and in full range of motion.

Genetics: A player’s genetics also decide the amount of flexibility that his or her body has.

So make sure you incorporate these soccer training tips into your training programs with a view to improve their effectiveness and productivity. You can improve your coaching skills by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has tons of articles, newsletters, and relevant videos.

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 Drills For Kids.