Coaching Soccer Drills: Who Else Want To Learn Kicking
I’m not sure if you know this but young players have real trouble in kicking the ball by using a straight leg? Both coach and the kids feel that this is by far the greatest trouble in way of coaching soccer drills. The player has to be in total balance and the leg used for kicking the ball is bent at the knee. Both poise and power to kick the ball comes from below the knee.
This is the starting point for almost all styles of kicks in soccer practice. The rushing of the foot from below the knee creates an immense impact on the ball. This gives players the power to execute a variety of kicks. Nevertheless, it depends upon the type of contact that the ball has with the foot which concludes the kick’s style.
For example; it could be thumped very high, driven low, turn sharply to the left, or move to the right.
There are three basic passes in soccer namely, a side foot pass, the outside of the foot pass, and the instep drive. Let’s talk about them further.
The side foot pass: In teaching soccer, the simplest and the most commonly used pass is this. Normally, it is used to make short distance passes. Despite the fact that this is somewhat slow and predictable, it’s easy to learn and simple to execute. The contact with the ball is made on the inside of the ankle and the foot with the foot turned outwards.
In coaching soccer drills, players should know that their body need not be tense during the movement with the ball. When it comes to different kicking actions, this rule is the truly indispensable. Players should strengthen the ankle and the foot only at the time of making contact with the ball.
Once the players become confident, their overall action should seem relaxed, smooth and effortless.
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. The ball makes a contact between the laces and the outside edge of the foot, when the foot is extended and turned inward. By using the foot, the pass is converted into a quick toss for short distances.
Throughout the coaching drills session, the posture of the players should be relaxed.
The Instep Drive: Both the versions of instep drive i.e. the low driven version and the lofted version are brought into play 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”. 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 makes a contact with the laces and inside of the foot, which should be firm and extended.
So, go ahead and teach your players these basic kicking techniques with variations to make the ball do slightly different things.
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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.