June 12th, 2010 3:16 am
Soccer practice games are immensely important especially in comparison to drills and it’s not hard for someone like me to understand this. Firstly, it’s imperative that kids are more focused on acquiring the skills and working upon them to better their movement with the ball. But there are certain points that you must check when they advance in their soccer training.
We’ve already discussed it previously that kids enjoy the game more and also get a chance to work upon their individual style of play when divided into groups. Initially, restrict the size of the groups to very few players which will give them enough freedom to make decisions out of their free will.
Such an arrangement also ensures that the kids have more space to move about in the field, get more touches on the ball and become more accountable for their choices since there are very few players in the group.
However, as players get accustomed to smaller groups and their skills improve, it is time to make some variations. Bring in progressions in soccer practice games at this point in time. This means that more players should be added, game rules should become stricter, and make the kids practice in larger fields. It’s time when team’s overall objectives should also be catered to together with player’s individual development by bringing in a more elaborate strategy.
There is something here that needs special mention. Most coaches make the mistake of rushing on things so that kids become match-ready ahead of time. Realize that there are no shortcuts to success. You just cannot mechanize the process like in soccer drills. It must progress in a natural way slowly.
The objectives may not be met if you rush with things, make a lot of rules, and expose kids to a lot of knowledge soon enough. This leads to a block in their ability to learn.
When kids progress from smaller groups to larger ones, they should inculcate team spirit and understand the objectives behind the games. It is an important transition from concentrating on your own skills to thinking about how your skills will help the team win.
At this stage, along with games, it also becomes important to hold regular discussions and team meetings. Remember that the players now understand soccer and various techniques and positions. Therefore, it is not right to underestimate their skills in soccer exercises.
Involving them in decision making and encouraging them to come out with their thoughts will go a long way in inculcating a sense of responsibility in them.
The games should now challenge their thoughts about how to win matches. If they put their team above themselves, you have done well as a coach.
Now you must use this knowledge in your plan. Soccer practice games are an integral part of training routines and you just device them intelligently to help the kids make natural progress in their learning. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that has tremendous resources on youth soccer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 training fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer practice games
Tags: soccer drills, soccer exercises, Soccer practice games, soccer training, training for soccer