Coaching Soccer Drills: Who Else Want To Learn Kicking
I’m not sure if you know this but young players have real trouble in kicking the ball by using a straight leg? Both coach and the kids feel that this is by far the greatest trouble in way of Coaching soccer drills. The player is required to maintain absolute balance and the leg with which ball is to be kicked at is bent at the knee. Both position and control to kick the ball appears from below the knee.
In soccer practice, this is the opening pose for just about all types of kicks. The acceleration of the foot from below the knee creates a powerful impact on the ball. The players get immense power from this to perform several styles of kicks. Yet, it is the kind of contact of the ball with the foot that decides what type of kick would originate.
For example; it could be knocked very high, driven low, turn left, or sway to the right.
In soccer, the three critical passes are the instep drive, a side foot pass, and the outside of the foot pass. We’ll now chat about them further.
The side foot pass: In teaching soccer, this pass is considered as the most extensively used and the simplest. Normally, it is used to make short distance passes. Although this pass is slightly slow and almost predictable, it’s very simple to teach the kids and perform accurately. The ball touches the inside of the foot and the ankle with the foot turned outwards.
When you are in the midst of coaching soccer drills, teach the players to be at ease with respect to their body. This is by far the most critical rule applicable to all types of kicking actions. The ankle and the foot need to be stiffened only at the time when the players is about to get in contact with the ball.
After the players are confident in it’s execution, their action should appear comfortable, smooth, and natural.
Outside of the foot pass: This is a little difficult to learn but is extremely important to master because it is accurate, quick, and cannot be predicted. The ball gets in touch between the outside edge of the foot and the laces with the foot extended and turned inwards. By using the foot, the pass is converted into a quick toss for short distances.
During all these coaching drills, the body posture should be relaxed.
The Instep Drive: Both the lofted version and the low driven version of the instep drive are used to pass the ball over longer distances. After the players have learnt it, variations can be brought in to make a “chip pass” or an “in swinging pass”. The approach of the instep drive is slightly angled and the non kicking foot is placed about 12 inches to the side of and behind the ball.
The contact with the ball is made between the laces and the inside of the foot and it should be stiff and extended.
So, go ahead and teach your players these basic kicking techniques with variations to make the ball do slightly different things.
You can also get your hand on loads of relevant information pertaining to coaching soccer drills in form of newsletters, articles, and videos by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community.
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 Practice Tips
Tags: coaching drills, Coaching soccer drills, soccer coach, Soccer practice, teaching soccer
