Expert Soccer Coach

Would you answer this 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. Do you fall in the same category?

Set some definite goals for your team before you plan your next training session. Determine in advance what you wish to achieve form this program and do whatever it takes to accomplish that.

Introduce new, fun, and innovative soccer drills in your training sessions to add variety. This will give the players a break from the dullness of performing repetitive drills day in and day out. You’ll notice a positive change in your kid’s performance once they begin to enjoy their training sessions.

Regardless of the level at which they play and their age, your players need to learn to listen to you and give due respect. Respecting each other feelings promotes a friendly atmosphere for both the kids as well as the coach.

Soccer Training

Soccer players can greatly benefit from having a high level of flexibility. There are 3 types of flexibility.

Dynamic flexibility: It refers to a player’s capability to perform fast movements within the full range of motion in the joint, like 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. For example; hold one leg as high as possible in front of you. Here, your hamstrings are stretched when your quadriceps and hip flexors hold your leg up.

Static passive: This kind of flexibility allows a player to make use of his body weight or some external force to hold a stretch. For example; you can hold your leg out in front of you and then rest it on a chair.

Let’s now move on to the next step in following 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. When designing this training program, keep the following factors in mind.

Player’s age: Decrease in the flexibility of soft tissue with aging is directly related to the reduced range of movement as one grows older, irrespective of the gender. But, if we remain active, the flexibility will always remain.

Gender: Girls are more flexible regardless of their age.

Movement: In demonstrating soccer skills, active kids show a better range of movement that the inactive kids.

Injury: Injuries also get in the way the range of motion in a joint.

Pain: Flexibility decreases as pain increases, resulting in muscle spasms. However, strength training does not hamper flexibility unless you don’t do the exercises correctly and not in full range of motion.

Genetics: The amount of flexibility that a player possesses also depends upon his genetics.

So, there should be no reason why you should not include soccer training tips into your training program for better productivity. You can develop your coaching skills by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has loads of articles, newsletters, and significant videos.

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 Drills For Kids.

Does it sound familiar when I say that stretching forms an integral part of soccer training tips and is widely recommended and practiced by almost all sportspersons? Soccer is a sport which is continuously growing and developing in its intricacy.

In kid’s training for soccer, there are two types of stretching, dynamic and static stretching that are integrated.

In static stretching, players stretch their muscles to a certain point of resistance and then hold for some period of time. When it comes to dynamic stretching, recurring motions, rhythmic bouncing, and rebounding is what the player does. It is generally considered as more dangerous and less effective than static stretching.

This article shares some of the benefits that stretching provides in helping average players become champions.

Soccer Training

Stretching reduces injuries: Constant stretching by players during the day and continuing it over a period of time helps the growth of their muscles, thus diminishing the risk of injury. Stretching also provides a way of improving the size and strength of muscles.

Stretching influences flexibility: Stretching puts off the loss of flexibility. However, the support is more convincing for a long-term stretching line up than for shorter periods of time.

Performing stretching for a few minutes before starting any playing activity is likely to enhance flexibility. When it comes to soccer training tips, the best bet is to distribute a stretching program over a predetermined length of time to continuously increase the range of motion.

Stretching enhances performance: Player’s performance improves when stretching exercises are designed to be soccer specific.

Make stretching fun for the kids: You can do this by including a variety of soccer drills into your training regimen. Keep changing the warm up activities that are performed before stretching. Try to include games such as the tag game, ball tag, and keep away.

Focus mentally on stretching exercises, feel and recognize each stretch, whilst checking for body soreness.

For almost all players, one single 15-30 minute stretch for each muscle group is sufficient but some may need longer stretches and more repetitions.

The reason is that when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, tension decreases and extensibility increases. Kids who hope to retain or boost their flexibility can somewhat reach this goal by stretching. When their body temperature is higher as against normal, it makes it safer and more productive to stretch.

That’s why some experienced coaches recommend stretching after a workout also. If your kids stretch for 5-10 minutes after performing soccer skills, their muscles will not tighten too fast.

In general, players who do an active warm-up before stretching get an improved range of motion than kids who only stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

When feeling stiff or inflexible, the most important soccer training tips is to allow kids to warm up sufficiently, as doing stretches would not help them become flexible, and will become boring and futile. Join our youth soccer coaching community and enhance your knowledge about soccer through loads of articles, videos, and podcasts available there.

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 coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Youth Soccer Drills.

If you also share similar thoughts as I do, you’d know that soccer training tips for goalkeepers have a great importance as he/she is the only player that has the freedom to touch the ball with hands and arms both.

For this reason, the soccer skills of a goalie give him an advantage over all the other players on the field. But this makes a soccer coach’s job quite challenging when it comes to coaching goalkeepers.

Goalkeepers in soccer are more often than not, the first line of offence and the last line of defense, based on the playing skill. They’re always ready to employ their body to stop the ball from entering the goal or to block it. They are ready to dive in any direction to catch hold of the ball.

When it comes to a goalkeeper’s training for soccer, on various requirements specific to their role and their level of play can be very trying. It simultaneously calls for you to consider his mental state while training him on different skills and techniques.

Soccer Training

In terms of comparison, only a striker can match the skills and enthusiasm of a goalkeeper. Almost all goalies have essentially played as goal hungry strikers at one point or the other in their soccer careers. You’ll frequently encounter a one on one battle at various levels of competition between goalies and forwards.

One of the most important soccer training tips for a goalkeeper is to stay balanced and know the center of gravity of the body. This will benefit a game setting by enhancing the activity of a goalkeeper and the promptness of other players.

While a majority of goalkeepers are tall with big hands and long arms but even if it is not the case, they simply compensate for the lack of their physical attributes with good vertical and lateral mobility.

A coach must always remember that though goalkeepers have a good sense of self-worth but even then they need constant motivation. Goalkeepers should perform soccer drills that improve upon their skills specific to their role in the game once they have finished doing regular warm up exercises with the team.

Goalkeepers act as the leaders of the team as they have a personality that is both dominating and controlling. When goalkeepers are supported by their teammates and are put in a demonstrative capacity, they are able to achieve the desired results.

The goalie can handle the ball only in the 18 yard box. When the ball gets touched by the arm of any player other than the goalie, the opponent team gets a free kick. It’s a penalty shoot from “the spot” in case of a goalkeepers’ team member.

Your next step? To take what you’ve just learned and apply the above soccer training tips as goalkeepers are definitely leaders in the 18 yard box, and should get due respect from their team. Join our youth soccer coaching community that has loads of relevant articles, videos, and newsletters to update your knowledge on the subject.

Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.