What if I told you that 50% of soccer coaching drills should focus on enhancing the trapping skills of your players? You will not be convinced with the statement. But interestingly, researchers say that trapping, besides dribbling and passing is mainly responsible for consistently winning matches.
Trapping is the ability of the players to intercept the ball and then keep it near their body. Such soccer exercises allow players to use thighs, feet and chest in doing so.
Players must be familiar with the job of trapping the ball. If they can’t trap the ball, they are sure to lose their grip over the match because this is very basic. There are a few practices that will prove helpful in improving the trapping skills of players.
Use your feet: As a coach, you must teach the basic lesson of using the feet to maneuver the ball. Especially with younger players in kids soccer drills, it is important to make them use the inside of their foot. This is because the inside area of the foot id wide and very useful in engaging with the ball.
In soccer coaching drills, players can be taught to use the instep or crown of the foot along with entire foot when the players are senior and established. When the ball is hopping too much, tell them to employ the most favorable trick of using their shin or ankle.
Thigh Movement: To control high-speed and bouncy ball, thigh can be used very efficiently. Players should be taught to face of the ball, use one thigh to catch the ball and the other to stand on the ground. Practice the skill of retaining the ball with you after it meets your thigh by learning to bring down your knee so the will plunge and settle close to you.
This activity has to be practiced regularly in order to become an expert at it by first using the knee to catch the ball and then bringing the knee down to prevent it from getting away.
Use the Chest: Trapping a ball flying high in the air with the use of your chest is also equally useful, like the use of thighs. Players should be positioned in front of the ball to face it but using the energy through their chest to stop it. This will have the effect of breaking the ball’s speed and tumbling it down immediately.
However, in the soccer training drills, it is important to realize that young players should not be exposed a lot to this technique. It is natural for them to use their hands in dealing with the ball while attempting to use their chest. This can become a serious issue if they tend to become habitual of tackling the ball with hands.
Now its time to start putting these soccer coaching drills into action. Encourage the players to practice these to a great extent. By subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community, keep yourself updated on the latest in the field.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 training fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Youth Soccer Training Drills.
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