Coaching Soccer For Dummies

by Greg Bach

  In this chapter, we start from square one, with the basic soccer skills that every player needs to acquire and work on. These skills can start out very simply and progress to more advanced stages. Here, we go over the first steps of teaching elementary soccer skills, including shooting, ball handling, passing, receiving, heading, goaltending, and defending. We discuss these skills largely in the context of teaching the youngest of budding soccer stars, but the fundamentals are applicable to players of any age.

  Focusing on the First-Timers

  When children are learning how to read, you don’t throw The Grapes of Wrath or Moby Dick at them. You don’t even mention nouns, verbs, and adjectives. You start them out with basic sounds and words, slowly work up to simple sentences, and build from there. If you think about it, you should apply the same approach to coaching soccer.

  Soccer is a complex sport that requires a broad range of skills, and your job is helping your players develop them. But that doesn’t mean you have to churn out an army of miniature supertalents who are destined to earn college soccer scholarships. When children have never played the sport before, you need to stick to the basics, regardless of their age. This season may be their introduction to soccer, and overwhelming them with long-winded instructions, complex drills, and intricate plays isn’t the route to helping them foster an interest in or love of the sport.

  Be realistic: You’re going to be with your team only a couple of hours a week. Typically, with younger children, you have one practice and one game each week. So if you can provide them a strong foundation on a few basic skills — and put a smile on their faces while doing so — you deserve a pat on the back for a job well done. And when you see the kids returning to play in the league next season or, better, when they request to play on your team again, you’ll know you truly made a difference in their lives.

  Soccer has a language all its own, and using lingo and terminology that confuses the kids is just silly. Even seemingly simple terms like shooting and ball handling can be perplexing to a child who hasn’t learned yet that he can’t touch the ball with his hands. (For more on soccer basics, see Chapter 3.)

  Use only phrases or terms that you’ve taken the time to clearly explain and that you confidently can say all the kids on the team have a firm grasp of. Clear instructions in terms everyone understands make your practices more effective and enjoyable.

  Shooting: Teaching the Instep Kick

  Children who are beginning in the sport need to be introduced to the basic element of correctly kicking a soccer ball at a target. Doing so allows them to achieve success and, in the process, build confidence. And you won’t find a better target than an empty net.

  Start the team off with no goalies, no defenders, and no pressure: Just line the players up, and have them kick the stationary ball into the empty net. As children learn and gain confidence in performing this skill, make slight alterations to increase the difficulty and provide challenges to enhance their development. The next logical step is adding motion to the drill. You can accomplish this motion in a few ways:

  Roll the ball to players, and have them kick it toward the goal to help them get used to dealing with a moving ball

  Have the players run toward a stationary ball and kick it.

  After youngsters gain proficiency in these areas of the game, you can bump up the challenge even further by adding a defender or goalie to the drill (for more information on adding these wrinkles, see Chapter 14).

  Children have a natural tendency to kick the soccer ball with their toes, but that isn’t the most effective area of the foot to use. Teaching youngsters to use their instep (the area on top of the foot where the shoelaces are located) is much more beneficial. Kicking the ball more accurately and longer distances is easier with that area of the foot than it is with the toes. (They can also use the instep — and the inside of the foot — for delivering passes, which we discuss later in this chapter.) Check out Figure 9-1 for correct and incorrect contact points when performing the instep kick.

  Before teaching children the art of the instep kick, let them know where their instep is located. Most youngsters can quickly point out where their sole and inside and outside of the foot are, but the instep may be new to them.

  Figure 9-1: Show your players the right way to kick a soccer ball.

  To teach the instep kick (which you can see in Figure 9-2), have the player:

  1. Pick out a target.

  Children need to look up from the ball to pick out their target. The target should be something large, such as the goal. Or it can be a teammate stationed a short distance away.

  2. Look back at the ball.

  It’s the ol’ Keep Your Eye on the Ball rule. After locating their target, beginners need to look back at the ball when they’re ready to deliver the kick. If they’re not looking at the ball, they’re probably not going to be able to make an accurate kick.

  3. Plant the nonkicking foot alongside the ball, pointed toward the target.

  Figure 9-2: A child lines up, takes his shot, and follows through on his instep kick.

  One of the most important factors in determining the success of a kick is the placement of the supportive, or nonkicking, foot. Youngsters generate greater ball velocity when they approach kicking the ball at an angle (as you can see in Figure 9-2a) because of the increased hip rotation. In other words, the ball goes faster and harder when you plant your foot alongside the ball (see Figure 9-2b) and kick. Kids who plant their foot directly behind the ball are more likely to kick with their toes.

  4. Make contact with the instep — not the toes.

  Kicking the ball with the toes reduces the shot’s accuracy. When kids approach the ball at an angle and kick with their instep (see Figures 9-1 and 9-2), their shots have just as much speed and go where they aimed.

  5. Kick the middle of the ball.

  Kicks that miss the center of the ball either rise or roll along the ground. As children progress, you can teach them how to work the ball in various ways, but mastering the ability to connect with the center of the ball (see Figure 9-2c) is vital before venturing on to other kicking skills.

  6. Follow through toward the target.

  Many youngsters have a habit of stopping their foot as soon as it makes contact with the ball, which results in a big loss of power. Teach them to kick through the ball, finishing with their leg pointing at the target, to achieve maximum force on each shot (see Figure 9-2d).

  Youngsters, in their excitement to score a goal, understandably forget some of the basic kicking fundamentals from time to time. When that happens, they often don’t make direct contact with the ball. If their plant foot is too far away from the ball when they go through the kicking motion, they’re going to contact only the top half of the ball, which results in a shot that dribbles along the ground. Adjust their spacing so that their plant foot is nearer the ball, and they may see a big difference in both the power and accuracy of their shots.

  Ball Handling

  Ball control, ball control, ball control. It’s the key to success in soccer. The more often your team has possession of the ball, the greater the likelihood that good things are going to happen. Maintaining possession of the ball means fewer scoring opportunities for the opposing team and additional offensive chances for your team, and that’s the name of the game.

  Dribbling do’s and don’ts

  Ball handling, often referred to as dribbling, consists of moving and maintaining possession of the ball. It’s needed to move the ball down the field to create scoring opportunities, as well as to keep the ball away from the opposing team while you’re backed up in the shadows of your own goal.

  Dribbling is one of those skills that can be a little tricky to teach children, who typically are more interested in kicking the ball as hard as they can. To get them started, have them walk while bumping the ball forward with their instep, keeping it on the ground roughly a foot ahead of them as they go. After they’re comfortable with this skill, introduce o
ther surfaces of the foot, like the inside and outside of the foot, that can be used for dribbling too.

  When they’re comfortable doing this drill, encourage them to walk as quickly as they can while controlling the ball. Eventually, they progress to jogging and then running at full speed with the ball. Ultimately, your goal is to have your players become comfortable enough that they can move with the ball without having to constantly look down to see where it is (see Figure 9-3).

  Some coaching pointers to keep in mind:

  The player’s head should be up at all times to scan the field for open teammates and protect the ball from approaching defenders.

  To help maintain possession of the ball, the closer an opposing player is, the closer the offensive player should keep the ball to her body.

  Players should never run faster than the ball can be controlled.

  Figure 9-3: Dribble with the head up, scanning the field, not looking down at the ball.

  Deciphering dribbling problems

  You may have players who are great during practice at dribbling the ball, but when game time arrives, they turn into different players. The nervousness of playing in front of family and friends or having unfamiliar kids charging at them trying to swipe the ball are common culprits behind this change.

  The most common dribbling problem that kids have is a tendency to stare down at the ball. During practice, have the kids work on controlling the ball without glancing down at it. They can walk alongside you and carry on a conversation without looking at the ball. Or get parents involved in the practice, and have them walk next to their children to see whether the kids can look at them the entire time they’re working their way down the field.

  Passing

  Passing the ball is often about as much fun as homework and early bedtimes. After all, the attention — and cheers — are usually piled on the players who score rather than the ones who deliver the pass that results in the goal. So getting kids to understand that assists are just as important as goals takes a concentrated effort on your part. The effort, however, is worthwhile when you see your team working as a cohesive unit.

  Delivering two types of passes

  The inside-of-the-foot push pass is the most commonly used technique for delivering a ball to a teammate, particularly for beginning soccer players. It’s termed a push pass because players use a long follow-through as they push the ball along the ground toward their target (see Figure 9-4).

  In order to deliver a push pass:

  1. The ball should be directly between the player and her intended target.

  2. The player’s nonkicking, or plant, foot (a right-hander’s plant foot is her left foot) should be approximately 3–6 inches from the ball and pointing toward the target.

  The planted leg should be slightly bent.

  3. The kicking leg should be slightly bent, and the player should make a short backswing.

  4. The child makes contact with the center of the ball below her ankle.

  The player’s ankle should be locked and her toe pointed up as she makes contact in the middle of the ball with the inside of the foot at the arch. While making contact with the ball, the youngster raises her knee. This technique helps deliver topspin on the ball, which gives it added pace and moves it along.

  5. The player follows through, with her leg toward the target.

  The inside of the foot ends up facing the intended target of the pass.

  As players progress, they can use their instep to make longer passes that travel greater distances through the air. These longer passes are lofted in the air so that defenders between the player with the ball and the intended recipient of the pass are unable to make a play on the ball.

  Figure 9-4: A short push pass using the inside of the foot.

  A successful long pass requires the following steps:

  1. The child plants the nonkicking foot slightly behind and to the side of the ball (see Figure 9-5).

  2. The kicking foot contacts the bottom half of the ball — kicking underneath the ball lifts it off the ground.

  The toes of the kicking foot are pointed down, and contact with the ball is made with the shoelaces.

  Figure 9-5: For longer passes, the youngster kicks the ball with her instep.

  Diagnosing what went wrong

  Becoming an accurate passer takes time and lots of practice. Early in children’s development, they experience their share of frustration when their passes don’t hit the intended targets. Here are some common problems:

  The ball misses to the left or right of the target: Youngsters often stop their kicks as soon as they make contact with the ball, which cripples the accuracy of their passes. Have the children concentrate on following through at their targets, and their passes will start finding their marks with much more regularity. A useful explanation that children relate to is telling them their belly button should be pointing toward their target.

  The kids have trouble keeping the ball on the ground with push passes: If a player’s plant foot is too close to the ball, the ball pops up in the air. Have the players move their plant feet back a few inches, which provides greater control and accuracy.

  Receiving

  Naturally, goal scorers must be good at kicking. They also must be exceptional at receiving passes. Otherwise, their goal-scoring opportunities are greatly diminished. Not only is pass receiving integral for producing offensive opportunities, but it’s also vital to escaping defensive pressure when your team is backed up in front of its own net.

  Just about every part of the body can be used when receiving — everything, in fact, except the hands. The essence of receiving is gaining control of the ball — whether it’s bouncing, rolling, or airborne — and keeping it near the body by using the feet, the thighs, or the chest.

  Cushioning at impact

  The art of receiving involves cushioning the soccer ball as it makes contact with the player’s body. An effective approach for introducing children to this concept is to have them visualize a water balloon or egg coming at them that they must keep from breaking.

  Foot

  When using the foot to trap an incoming ball, a player must

  1. Position himself in front of the incoming ball.

  2. Extend his leg and foot out before the ball arrives.

  The pass receiver’s foot should be about 4 inches off the ground, or about halfway up the ball, when it gets to him (see Figure 9-6).

  3. Pull his leg back as the ball makes contact with his foot to help soften or cushion the ball to keep it in his possession.

  The pass should be controlled with the side of the foot, toward the ankle (see Figure 9-6). If the ball takes an unexpected hop, the leg helps control the pass, because the ball is being played closer to the ankle.

  The foot should be relaxed, which helps control the pass, particularly when it comes at the player quickly.

  Figure 9-6: Receiving a pass with your foot is an important step in the game of soccer.

  Although you can use all parts of the foot for receiving, keep the focus on the inside of the foot for younger players, because it’s the easiest to learn.

  Thigh

  The thigh is an extremely effective area of the body to use for receiving because of the large size of the contact area. A player using his thigh must

  1. Be positioned in front of the incoming ball.

  2. Stand on one foot.

  Raise the other knee and thigh to meet the ball (see Figure 9-7).

  3. Cushion the impact as the ball makes contact with the thigh by lowering his knee until the ball drops down to his feet.

  If the child’s thigh isn’t parallel to the ground, or the ball isn’t received halfway between the knee and the hip, the ball will probably bounce out of control.

  Figure 9-7: Here, we show the right and wrong way to receive a ball with the thigh.

  Chest

  The chest is typically the most difficult area of the body to teach youngsters to receive with, because it brings the
ir hands into the picture, which often results in illegal touching. To successfully trap the ball with their chest, players must

  1. Be in front of, and square to, the approaching ball.

  2. Puff out their chests when meeting the ball.

  3. Quickly pull the ball back as it contacts the chest to cushion the impact and allow the ball to fall to their feet.

  Arching the back too much usually causes the ball to bounce over a shoulder and is difficult to control. See Figure 9-8 for the right and wrong ways to receive a ball with the chest.

  Troubleshooting receiving

  Your players may have the following problems when receiving the ball:

  The ball bounces off the player’s body and can’t be controlled: In this case, the foot, leg, or thigh is too firm on contact. The ball caroming out of control is the most common problem associated with receiving for a youngster. When using her foot to trap, the ball ricochets off her legs if she holds them out stiffly. The leg should be bent and relaxed, and pulled back toward the body as soon as the player makes contact. The same goes for the thigh. The longer a player can keep the ball in contact with her thigh, the more control she’s going to have.

  Figure 9-8: Receiving the ball with the chest is tricky, because kids may be tempted to use their hands.