Posts Tagged ‘football’

Free Soccer Drills:Dribbling Secrets Revealed

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

I can’t say about you but for sure there are many coaches who still struggle a lot to find effective Free soccer drills for their players. What it conveys is that coaches actually look for drills that the kids can perform all alone.

Using soccer drills that don’t need any equipment are a great way to kick start the training sessions. Apart from that , these soccer exercises are designed to suit the player’s age, learning potential, and the role he plays for the team.

The one drill that must be taught to all the players is to dribble the ball and at the same time be aware of what is going on around. This drill has been successfully used by many coaches, and I can guarantee that it is so much superior than getting your players to dribble through cones.

Sure that that this drill demands more involvement from players but it makes sure of it in soccer practice.

I’ll definitely guide you through this.

To begin with, mark a square of about 20 yards by 20 yards. The size of this square will vary depending on the number of players, and their age.

One should position the players evenly alongside the square. All the players should face inwards and every player should have a ball of their own.

Free soccer drills

When the whistle is blown, each player should dribble the ball to the opposite side and stop on it. Of all the free soccer drills, this drill coaches the players to dribble across the square with their heads up and and do not interfere in each others’ path and thats why this is effective.

This drill adds more fun when the players are asked to dribble across the square and back again making them to turn 180 degrees with the ball. Keep varying the number of times players have to dribble across the square. This drill is a progression of many such runs and a player is eliminated for every run and this is continued until only one player is left.

Also, as the number of players decrease, feel free to introduce the concept of running with the ball rather than dribbling the ball.

Coaching the kids of the vital techniques of ball dribbling is truly a great fun. Some tough and light drills are added in the soccer training programs to make the event interesting. And it is okay if some are not directly related to soccer and are only meant to have fun.

It is important in soccer coaching that kids shouldn’t do too much of anything.

Trust me when I say this, When you start applying these free soccer drills in your training programs , you will see for yourself how quickly the kids can learn the essentials of the game.

Also, our youth soccer coaching community is full of such knowledge in the form of articles, newsletters, videos etc. Become a member today and get the leading edge.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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 training fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Drills For Kids

The Way My Family Prepare For Penn State Football Games

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Being a boastful Penn State alumni, avid Penn State sports fan, and regular football game attendee in Happy Valley, I have the actual Nittany Lion football game day routine right down to pretty much a science. We tried it so often that I can virtually let you know minute by minute the actual preparation and routine We go through with my family. Everything leads up to my favorite occasions of the year: Penn State football games.

You will find seven days annually that i absolutely love. Those are the seven home games that Penn State plays football at State College, Pennsylvania. I’ve been going to these games since I was in college, and its just been a routine for me and my family for several years. We try not to skip a game if at all possible.

Going to a game in Happy Valley is actually special. The environment is as fine as it gets in college football. State College, Pennsylvania is actually right in the center of the state of Pennsylvania, and as you descend into the city, it feels like everybody in the state is actually arriving next to you. You believe way when you appear in the car parking lots and see the actual RVs and tailgaters as far as the eye is able to see.

My routine commences early on in the morning as I get myself and my family dressed in Penn State clothing. Personally, I never go to PSU football games without wearing my lucky Penn State football jersey. Since I like to sit down in or close to the college student area, and they have a tradition associated with wearing white for the Penn State “White Out” effect, I have a white Penn State football jersey. My spouse has a Penn State ladies jersey and my kids have Penn State youth jerseys.

Though the equipment doesn’t stop with jerseys, as there’s a lot more. If it is cold, we might layer up with a Penn State sweatshirt too. A fleece one is ideal if it is a cold late in the season game. White, blue, or grey Penn State sweatshirts tend to be fine too, I’ve got all of them in my wardrobe. My family and I also have PSU caps, t-shirts, and overcoats, so whatever Penn State equipment is required for that day’s condition, we have.

Next, all of us stock up the vehicle with tailgating equipment. The most important products are the fundamental: chairs, grill, coolers, meals, and beverages. I have a Penn State Chair that I’ve had forever that i bring to every game, and I personally use it extensive prior to and after games. We now have about a 2 hr drive to State College, so all of us generally depart about 6-7 hours prior to kick-off.

We have experienced exactly the same car parking spot in State College for several years, and it’s where all of us tail gate with our fellow Penn State enthusiasts. We prefer to get there early to set up the actual grill, tables, chairs, and some games (we love to play corn hole). Fortunately, we have fellow tailgaters having a portable satellite dish and Televisions so that we can view all the morning college football action (especially Big 10 games) while preparing for the large game.

The most important part of tailgating is actually mingling with close friends, but meals preparation and consumption is important too. We turn up the actual grill early and ensure that it stays going all day. Usually multiple types of meats get tossed on, personally I like any type of red meat to go with my personal adult drink during tailgating. Remember to have plenty of ice and mixers.

Tailgating is actually enjoyable, but I usually remind everybody that the key reason we’re there is for the game. I like to be in Beaver Stadium twenty minutes prior to kick-off. This enables me to soak in all the pre-game festivities, such as the teams running out on the field, Joe Paterno’s entry, and the actual incredible sound associated with 100,000 fans yelling “Let’s Go….Penn State”.

These are my favorite seven days of the year.

Need some Penn State tailgate gear or clothing? Go to www.PennStateCentral.com where you can find the best choice of Penn State Jersey or Penn State T-Shirt styles, or shop for everything you could ever want for a Penn State tailgate.

Free Soccer Drills:Winning Tactics In Heading

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Controlling the ball either to shoot or to pass through head is not very difficult to achieve with Free soccer drills. Execution of this skill isn’t just possible without a variety of soccer exercises.

The player should apply the force to what part of the ball? Which part of the head should be used to apply force and how much force should other parts generate? These are the questions the answers to which depend upon the intended direction or pathway of the ball.

For instance, to hit the ball to the ground, players will strike the ball with the downward motion of the forehead. The distance the ball travels after contact and the force that is applied when hit are directly proportional.

In Soccer Practice, the position of the ball with respect the player decides the heading technique. The defense players head the ball high and wide, away from the goal, for instance.

On the other hand, midfield players head the ball more precisely to the attacking players.

Players must lose the fear of being hit by the ball in the face, before they can head the ball. It is therefore necessary that while teaching heading skills, free soccer drills using a sponge type ball should be performed to address this concern.

To reduce fear, some cases mandate to use a slightly larger and lighter ball like a beach ball. Soccer Coaches teach the heading skills by positioning the players on their knees to ensure proper balance of the lower body. Gaining balance from the lower part of the body helps the players to concentrate on the action of the upper body.

Drills Soccer

When the players are comfortable striking the ball with their heads, they can move to a standing position. This is the stage in soccer coaching where they will begin to learn about the contributions the lower body makes to heading.

For the next step in the progression, partners toss the ball to each other while remaining stationery and then while in motion. Let the players to jump and head the ball with the help of a one-foot take off, when they are more confident. The players can also be challenged with heading drills in a game-like defensive pressurized environment.

Refining the heading skills will add more structure to the game and will develop intentional play.

Do you know why one should incorporate free soccer drills because it doesn’t use the ball initially? And this helps young players to gain confidence in their moving skills without having to control the ball. Once they demonstrate competence with movement, add the ball to increase the challenge.

Our youth soccer coaching community has got articles, newsletters, and videos which you can subscribe to increase your knowledge on coaching soccer to the kids.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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 Coaching