If you are like me, you will probably have no difficulty in understanding the significance of Soccer practice games as compared to drills. It’s important that the kids first pay attention to acquiring the skills and polishing them so as to improve the movement along with the ball. However, as they progress with their soccer training, there are a few things that you must observe.
As has been discussed earlier, it is a great idea to divide the players into groups so that they can enjoy the game as well as develop their own styles. Initially, restrict the size of the groups to very few players which will give them enough freedom to make decisions out of their free will.
Subsequently the kids will fell free to move about in the large and open field, get a feel of the ball more often, and feel liable for the decisions that they make since the players in their group are significantly less.
On the contrary, when the kids adapt to playing in groups with few players and also improve on their skills, introduce some variants. Now is the time to launch progressions in soccer practice games. What this means is you tend to make the rules of the game a little more stringent, play games in larger fields, and increase the size of the group. It’s time when team’s overall objectives should also be catered to together with player’s individual development by bringing in a more elaborate strategy.
Here, I’d like to mention something that needs particular attention. Almost all coaches take the wrong path of teaching everything in a very short time span in the hope of having trained players ahead of time. You need to understand that it may prove dangerous in the long run. Similar to soccer drills, there is no scope of mechanizing the process here. It has to be a natural progression that takes time.
The objectives may not be met if you rush with things, make a lot of rules, and expose kids to a lot of knowledge soon enough. This leads to a block in their ability to learn.
As the kids make a transition from small groups to large ones, they should instill in themselves a sense of camaraderie. It is crucial to understand the difference between focusing on your own skills at one time and then using those skills to win the games for your team.
At this stage, along with games, it also becomes important to hold regular discussions and team meetings. Remember that the players now understand soccer and various techniques and positions. As a result, it is a blunder to ignore their skills in soccer exercises.
Involving them in decision making and encouraging them to come out with their thoughts will go a long way in inculcating a sense of responsibility in them.
The games should now make them think out of the box to win matches. When the players think themselves as a team and not as individual players, you have succeeded in your job as a coach.
Now you must use this knowledge in your plan. Soccer practice games are the best tools to make the kids learn soccer and so you must choose them creatively. Join our youth soccer coaching community to gain more knowledge on such games and strategies.
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://soccerdrillstips.com
