Soccer Training Tips: 5 Things You Must Know
† Sunday, September 19th, 2010Let me ask you a simple question. Not following the Soccer training tips, most soccer coaches blindly design training programs for their players just to make up the numbers and simply go through the motions. Are you guilty of this?
Before planning your next training session, set some goals for the team. Establish what you wish to achieve from the training program and take the necessary steps to achieve your target.
With a view to add variety in your training program, add new and innovative soccer drills that are fun to perform. This will give the players a break from the dullness of performing repetitive drills day in and day out. You’ll see a noticeable improvement in your team’s performance once they start enjoying the training sessions.
Make your players understand the value of respecting and listening to you, their coach, no matter what their age or level at which they play. Valuing each other’s opinions and feelings creates a healthy environment for both players and the coach.
Soccer players get an edge over others when they are highly flexible. There are 3 types of flexibility.
Dynamic flexibility: This is known as the capacity of a player to perform quick movements within the full range motion in the joint, for instance; twisting from 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. Doing this your hamstring is stretched and as the hip flexors and quadriceps grip your leg up.
Static passive: It is the ability to hold a stretch using your body weight or some other external force. For example; imagine holding your leg out in front of you and resting it on a chair.
Now let’s advance towards the next stage in the line of soccer training tips. Here, you need to check if the kids are clad in appropriate clothes that suit the weather conditions.
Training for soccer should be followed by a fitness program that focuses only on those areas that need maximum help. Following are the factors that must be kept in mind when designing a training program like this.
Age of the player: With age, there is a decrease in the flexibility of soft tissues in the body that is directly related to the reduced range of movement, no matter what the gender. However, decrease in flexibility can be significantly slowed down if we keep active.
Gender: Girls show greater movement, no matter what 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 hinder the range of motion in a joint.
Pain: As the pain increases, flexibility decreases and results in muscle spasms. On the other hand, strength training does not affect flexibility if you are doing the exercises correctly and in full range of motion.
Heredity: How flexible is a player’s body depends upon a player’s genetics also.
What’s stopping you from incorporating these soccer training tips into your training program and make it more effective and productive? You can develop your coaching skills by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has loads of articles, newsletters, and significant videos.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 training tips