What if I told you that young players find it really hard to kick a soccer ball using a straight leg? In coaching soccer drills, it’d not just the players but also the coaches who have a problem here. 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 posture and strength to kick the ball comes out from below the knee.
In soccer practice, this is the starting position for almost all types of kicks. The acceleration of the foot from below the knee creates a powerful impact on the ball. This gives players the power to execute a variety of kicks. However, what type of a kick would it be is determined by the precise contact of the foot on the ball.
For example; it could be knocked very high, driven low, turn left, or sway to the right.
The three essential passes in soccer are a side foot pass, instep drive, and the outside of the foot pass. We’ll now chat about them further.
The side foot pass: In teaching soccer, the simplest and the most commonly used pass is this. This is usually employed to make short distance passes. While this pass can be easily predicted and is a little slow, it is extremely simple to learn and easy to carry out. The ball touches the inside of the foot and the ankle with the foot turned outwards.
In coaching soccer drills, the players should be trained to keep their bodies relaxed all through the action. This is the most basic rule with all types of kicking actions. Teach the players to stiffen their ankle and the foot only when they need to get into contact with the ball.
The moment players feel confident about carrying out this task well; their action should seem relaxed, simple, as well as smooth.
Outside of the foot pass: This pass is a little complex to teach and learn but it must be learnt well as it’s the quickest, most accurate, and unpredictable pass. A contact is made with the ball between the laces and outside edge of the foot with the foot extended and turned inward. The pass is then transformed into a quick throw for short distances by using the foot.
In the course of these coaching drills, players should keep their stance 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”. Since 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 ball then comes into contact with the laces and inside of the foot which must be hard and extended.
So now coach your kids the various techniques of kicking the ball and with variations to let them do different things with the ball.
If you would like to enhance your knowledge on coaching soccer drills for kids, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that has a huge amount of information in form of articles, newsletters and 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 Training Drills.
Tags: coaching drills, coaching soccer drills, Soccer practice, teaching soccer