Soccer soccer soccer, every where you go is either one uniform or another of a diffrent clubs, indeed soccer is now one of the most entertaining sport all over the globe, Europe, Africa, Asia etc every body love the game soccer.
But the big question on my mind is that, is the game suppose to be for physical exercise or just for entertainment... ??????
soccer is a real intresting game more especially when it come to people showing their skills and scoring goals.
To play the game, players must communicate with eachother. To play the game, the player with the ball passes to a player. Before the receiving player receives the pass, they must yell the name of the player they are going to pass to. Upon the next player receiving the ball, they must yell the name of the player they are going to pas to.
This is designed to make the players think a step ahead of the play. Make sure that each player has at least 2 touches on the ball; one touch to receive the pass, and the other touch to make the pass.
Encourage players not to make a pass back to the player they received the pass from, and to pass to different people each time.
This is designed to make the players think a step ahead of the play. Make sure that each player has at least 2 touches on the ball; one touch to receive the pass, and the other touch to make the pass.
Encourage players not to make a pass back to the player they received the pass from, and to pass to different people each time.
First on the list is a soccer ball for every player. I encourage players to each bring a ball, but I also have a supply of 5-8 balls that I always bring to my training sessions just incase.
Second item on the list is a ball pump as it is impossible to play soccer with flat balls.
A supply of disk cones. I generally keep a supply of 30-40 with me at all times. You never know when you need to build a large grid or sidelines to a game. I use disk cones at almost every training session at least once.
Next, a small supply of tall cones. I usually keep 6-8 tall cones handy when I need a small goal or window to stand out from the disk cones.
Practice vests are a must. Small sided games and drills are important to the development of youth players and players must know who's who. Colored practice vests are crucial to successful small sided games.
Practice Sticks or corner flags. Both of these items are great for visual boundaries, goals, and fitness training. These are very versatile and are an important part of some of the trainings on SoccerXpert.
A Small fold away goal or Pugg goal are great for small sided games. It takes the guessing out of whether or not the goal was scored and reduces player confrontation. With small fold away goals it's either in or it's out. This is a must have for all age groups.
For older kids (U-12 and above) you should have access to a full size goal or own a portable full size goal. These are not cheap, so find a sponsor or have the team pitch in to buy this item.
Another "item" necessary for a successful practice is for the coach to be EARLY to set up the practice. The coach should plan on arriving 15-20 minutes before the team arrives in order to set up the practice field. Being organized is very important for a successful practice and this helps by setting the field early.
Probably the most important "item" is A GOOD PLAN. Have a written plan of your practice and write down coaching points and highlights to talk to the players about. Don't be scared to refer to your plan if you forget a drill or talking point. This help you stay organized and the players get the full benefit of your coaching abilities.
Last but definitely not least, you need players. Make sure your team arrives to practices early ready to go when practice starts. As you can see there are many important items necessary for a successful training practice, but now that you know the secret, you're on your way to making every practice a successful soccer practice. I've made a cleaner list of the items below:
Ball for Every Player
Ball pump
Disk Cones
Tall Cones
Practice vests
Practice sticks or corner flags
Small fold away goal or Pugg goal
Portable full-size goal, younger kids pugg goal will do
Coach to show up early to set practice
A good practice plan!
Players to arrive on time.
Second item on the list is a ball pump as it is impossible to play soccer with flat balls.
A supply of disk cones. I generally keep a supply of 30-40 with me at all times. You never know when you need to build a large grid or sidelines to a game. I use disk cones at almost every training session at least once.
Next, a small supply of tall cones. I usually keep 6-8 tall cones handy when I need a small goal or window to stand out from the disk cones.
Practice vests are a must. Small sided games and drills are important to the development of youth players and players must know who's who. Colored practice vests are crucial to successful small sided games.
Practice Sticks or corner flags. Both of these items are great for visual boundaries, goals, and fitness training. These are very versatile and are an important part of some of the trainings on SoccerXpert.
A Small fold away goal or Pugg goal are great for small sided games. It takes the guessing out of whether or not the goal was scored and reduces player confrontation. With small fold away goals it's either in or it's out. This is a must have for all age groups.
For older kids (U-12 and above) you should have access to a full size goal or own a portable full size goal. These are not cheap, so find a sponsor or have the team pitch in to buy this item.
Another "item" necessary for a successful practice is for the coach to be EARLY to set up the practice. The coach should plan on arriving 15-20 minutes before the team arrives in order to set up the practice field. Being organized is very important for a successful practice and this helps by setting the field early.
Probably the most important "item" is A GOOD PLAN. Have a written plan of your practice and write down coaching points and highlights to talk to the players about. Don't be scared to refer to your plan if you forget a drill or talking point. This help you stay organized and the players get the full benefit of your coaching abilities.
Last but definitely not least, you need players. Make sure your team arrives to practices early ready to go when practice starts. As you can see there are many important items necessary for a successful training practice, but now that you know the secret, you're on your way to making every practice a successful soccer practice. I've made a cleaner list of the items below:
Ball for Every Player
Ball pump
Disk Cones
Tall Cones
Practice vests
Practice sticks or corner flags
Small fold away goal or Pugg goal
Portable full-size goal, younger kids pugg goal will do
Coach to show up early to set practice
A good practice plan!
Players to arrive on time.
WHAT PLAYERS SHOULD EAT
I don’t have to tell you that coaching a youth soccer team while traveling in tournaments is a difficult task. One of the hardest responsibilities as a soccer coach while on the road is monitoring your players’ food intake. As their soccer coach, it is important for you as their coach to give the players a list of foods that will help their bodies recover quickly and give them the most energy for the following games.
First of all, some of the tournaments I have coached in often play games with only a brief time between games. This is often not enough time to leave the complex to eat. In this situation, instruct your players to bring energy snacks that are easy and are an excellent energy source. These snacks are easy to carry and won’t spoil.
SOCCER SNACK FOODS
Apples
Bananas
Dried Banana Chips
Apricots
Raisins
Fig Newton’s
Graham Crackers
Bagels
English Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Oatmeal-raisin cookies
Granola bars
Hard Pretzels
Bread Sticks
Popcorn
Cold Cereal
Corn Flakes
Juice in a box
Raw Vegetables
Fruit snack
Fruit Sauce
Here is a list of foods that are high in carbohydrates:
FRUITS:
Apples
Bananas
Peaches
Apricots
Raisins
Oranges
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Pineapple
Plums
Dates
BREADS/CEREALS
Bagels
English Muffins
Granola Bars
Rice
Blueberry Muffins
Toast
French toast
Dry Cereal
Pancakes
Waffles
Oatmeal
Pasta
VEGETABLES
Corn
Broccoli
Potatoes
Carrots
Peas
Beans
Cabbage
Yams
Cauliflower
Turnips
Green Peppers
DAIRY FOODS
Milk
Yogurt
Soccer coaches, make sure your team has this list next time they travel on an out of town tournament.
First of all, some of the tournaments I have coached in often play games with only a brief time between games. This is often not enough time to leave the complex to eat. In this situation, instruct your players to bring energy snacks that are easy and are an excellent energy source. These snacks are easy to carry and won’t spoil.
SOCCER SNACK FOODS
Apples
Bananas
Dried Banana Chips
Apricots
Raisins
Fig Newton’s
Graham Crackers
Bagels
English Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Oatmeal-raisin cookies
Granola bars
Hard Pretzels
Bread Sticks
Popcorn
Cold Cereal
Corn Flakes
Juice in a box
Raw Vegetables
Fruit snack
Fruit Sauce
Here is a list of foods that are high in carbohydrates:
FRUITS:
Apples
Bananas
Peaches
Apricots
Raisins
Oranges
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Pineapple
Plums
Dates
BREADS/CEREALS
Bagels
English Muffins
Granola Bars
Rice
Blueberry Muffins
Toast
French toast
Dry Cereal
Pancakes
Waffles
Oatmeal
Pasta
VEGETABLES
Corn
Broccoli
Potatoes
Carrots
Peas
Beans
Cabbage
Yams
Cauliflower
Turnips
Green Peppers
DAIRY FOODS
Milk
Yogurt
Soccer coaches, make sure your team has this list next time they travel on an out of town tournament.
Teaching Young Soccer Players Good Defensive Body Posture
Also see this link Soccer Defense Tactics: Teaching 1v1 Defending, it points out key elements for the individual defender. If you are teaching young soccer players how to defend, a good defensive body posture is a key element to good individual defending. Often times the players defensive stance determines the success or failure of a defender.
For the purpose of focusing on good soccer defensive body posture, let’s start by defining the role of the closest defensive player to the ball (1st Defender). In general, the 1st Defender must put immediate pressure on the ball carrier to slow the attack and turn the ball carrier away from danger areas on the pitch. This sounds easy; however, only players with good defensive posture and mobility will be successful at defending.
I have put together a series of soccer defending exercises that will help you teach young soccer players good soccer defensive body posture.
Exercise 1
Have players match up in groups of 2’s. The player’s objective is to slap their opponent’s knees. Each time the knee is slapped, the payer slapping gets a point. The first player to 10 wins and the coach should have the players switch partners after each game. The coach should make sure this exercise does not get out of control and should focus on the player’s body movements such as: their stance should be staggered with knees bent on the balls of their feet; chest leaning over toes, low center of gravity; ability to shuffle quickly; and reaction to the other players movements. The players can use their hands to deflect any knee slapping attempts.
Exercise 2
With the players still split up into groups of 2, instruct each group to get a ball. With each player facing each other, instruct the player with the ball to be the attacker and the other player will be the defender. Instruct the defender to space themselves approximately 3 yards from the attacker. The attacker will slowly jog forward with the ball in a straight line. It is up to the defender to keep adequate space (approx. 3 yards) between themselves and the attacker. Have the players switch roles. Since they are moving backwards, they should position themselves low to the ground with their knees bent and slightly leaning forward over their toes. The defensive players should focus on their movement and should NOT attempt to win the ball from the attacker.
Exercise 3
This exercise is simply a slight variation of Exercise 2. This exercise is structured exactly as the previous exercise; however, instruct the attacker to slowly dribble the ball in a zigzag pattern. As the ball is taken from one side to the other, have the defensive player stagger their stance as to force the attacker in the opposite direction. In this exercise we will focus on the defenders lateral movement while jogging backwards. It will be important for the defender to have a low center of gravity for quick change of direction along with quick feet movements. Again the player should keep approximately 3 yards between themselves and the attacker.
Exercise 4
Play a game of 1v1. Set up a 15 X 15 yard grid and split the team into 4 groups with 1 group on each corner of the grid. Two groups next to each other (Group A and B) will have the supply of balls. The first player of group A will play a ball to the first player in group C who is on the diagonal corner. Player C becomes the attacker who attempts to attack the cone in which player A came from. Player A becomes the defender and attempts to deny player C from getting to his cone. Play is considered dead when the ball is out of the grid, or the defending player wins possession. Group B will then play to Group D and repeat. Watch for proper defending posture as they step up to pressure the attacker. Remind the defender to keep the attacker away from the goal and force them to take the long route by staying between the offensive player and the goal.
As I said earlier young players must be taught how to position their body low to the ground with knees bent while moving backwards. It’s difficult and awkward to some, but with time their ability to get low to the ground and move backwards with the advancing attacker will help them to stand up to any attacker and deny them space.
For the purpose of focusing on good soccer defensive body posture, let’s start by defining the role of the closest defensive player to the ball (1st Defender). In general, the 1st Defender must put immediate pressure on the ball carrier to slow the attack and turn the ball carrier away from danger areas on the pitch. This sounds easy; however, only players with good defensive posture and mobility will be successful at defending.
I have put together a series of soccer defending exercises that will help you teach young soccer players good soccer defensive body posture.
Exercise 1
Have players match up in groups of 2’s. The player’s objective is to slap their opponent’s knees. Each time the knee is slapped, the payer slapping gets a point. The first player to 10 wins and the coach should have the players switch partners after each game. The coach should make sure this exercise does not get out of control and should focus on the player’s body movements such as: their stance should be staggered with knees bent on the balls of their feet; chest leaning over toes, low center of gravity; ability to shuffle quickly; and reaction to the other players movements. The players can use their hands to deflect any knee slapping attempts.
Exercise 2
With the players still split up into groups of 2, instruct each group to get a ball. With each player facing each other, instruct the player with the ball to be the attacker and the other player will be the defender. Instruct the defender to space themselves approximately 3 yards from the attacker. The attacker will slowly jog forward with the ball in a straight line. It is up to the defender to keep adequate space (approx. 3 yards) between themselves and the attacker. Have the players switch roles. Since they are moving backwards, they should position themselves low to the ground with their knees bent and slightly leaning forward over their toes. The defensive players should focus on their movement and should NOT attempt to win the ball from the attacker.
Exercise 3
This exercise is simply a slight variation of Exercise 2. This exercise is structured exactly as the previous exercise; however, instruct the attacker to slowly dribble the ball in a zigzag pattern. As the ball is taken from one side to the other, have the defensive player stagger their stance as to force the attacker in the opposite direction. In this exercise we will focus on the defenders lateral movement while jogging backwards. It will be important for the defender to have a low center of gravity for quick change of direction along with quick feet movements. Again the player should keep approximately 3 yards between themselves and the attacker.
Exercise 4
Play a game of 1v1. Set up a 15 X 15 yard grid and split the team into 4 groups with 1 group on each corner of the grid. Two groups next to each other (Group A and B) will have the supply of balls. The first player of group A will play a ball to the first player in group C who is on the diagonal corner. Player C becomes the attacker who attempts to attack the cone in which player A came from. Player A becomes the defender and attempts to deny player C from getting to his cone. Play is considered dead when the ball is out of the grid, or the defending player wins possession. Group B will then play to Group D and repeat. Watch for proper defending posture as they step up to pressure the attacker. Remind the defender to keep the attacker away from the goal and force them to take the long route by staying between the offensive player and the goal.
As I said earlier young players must be taught how to position their body low to the ground with knees bent while moving backwards. It’s difficult and awkward to some, but with time their ability to get low to the ground and move backwards with the advancing attacker will help them to stand up to any attacker and deny them space.
