by Andre Botelho

Created on: February 25, 2010   Last Updated: February 28, 2010

Practice makes a man perfect is something that each of us is aware of. I’m not sure about others, but it’s certainly true for soccer practice sessions. The kids enter the ground everyday with a hope to try something exciting and new. However, remember that the kids must be made to practice old techniques in soccer training regularly that have been taught by you.

So here the difficult part for you is to ensure that kids don’t get bored practicing the same drills day in and day out. The following are a few tips that’ll help you perform practice sessions in an exciting, controlled, and an accepted manner.

1. Does this need more emphasis? Kids emulate you so you need to behave in a way that’s expected of them. Get to the filed on time, expose them to your talent, let everyone take part in drills, and arrange the sessions properly. This will help you win the players respect and trust.

2. Instruct the kids to bring their own ball to the field everyday. It’s compulsory for each kid to have a soccer ball. Keep some extra balls handy in case any of the kids fails to get his.

3. A number of soccer moves are such that call for daily practice sincerely. Kicking, passing, dribbling, throw-ins are the essential elements of soccer practice. It is imperative that kids practice these on a daily basis. Ensure that everyone participates in it even though some may show lack of enthusiasm initially.

4. Introduce more games than soccer drills in practice sessions. This is mainly because comparatively more resilience and skill is required in games than drills. Also, with games, you can experiment and innovate while keeping the focus on soccer.

5. Discipline is the key to success for any team. With young players, it is no big deal to have mistakes. You must curb all instances of indiscipline no matter how small or big. But do it prudently and with the fact in mind that kids need special counseling.

6. Amidst the action, you will observe that some players do not take active part in the game. Make certain that this does not take place. All the young players should involve themselves in the game. Talk to the players about their respective positions and teach them to be responsible in those positions.

7. Do not allow a lot of scrimmage. If the players spend 15 to 20 minutes towards the end, it will do. And a goalie is not required in scrimmaging. This will make the team good at defense.

8. Keep looking for new methodologies and games. There is no better way to keep the kids engaged in training.

Now, implement these tips in your soccer practice sessions. These tips are sure to help the kids improve their skills in a short time. There is a mass of such youth soccer resources in our youth soccer coaching community. Register today and see your team’s performances get better with every training session.

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