5 essentials of great technical soccer training

When my wife and I moved back to Texas from California in November of 2008, we were expecting our first child and overwhelmed with life in general. The wife was working full time for the hospital in Dallas, part time teaching for a University, and working full time on her doctoral work. Although we had started the company in California, the differences in soccer culture there made things easier in some ways. No matter where I lived, I knew I was going to own a technical soccer training company.

Youth soccer nationwide

When we moved back to Texas there was so much we did not know about starting a business here. Although we’re both native Texans, making accommodations for the weather, the club structures, the freedom of coaches to dictate schedule changes – It was all pretty different from living on the West Coast where things are way more laid back [and abroad for that matter]. In North Texas most of the clubs try to control you and keep your from outside club training. So everyone who moves in from any other state in America is like “It’s another level here in every way”.

A growing 10 year soccer business

However, NO ONE was doing what Global Fútbol Training was doing. As a matter of fact, almost everything I heard from coaches and trainers here was that I could never make it work, unless I also coach teams. Fast forward to now – not only has GFT been blessed to grow but we continue to expand the things we offer, the way we innovate. From the online courses to my full time private soccer training and blog being ranked top 20 soccer blogs in the world we continue to grow.

What to look for in a trainer

There are times when a family we’ve trained for a long time has to move due to job or family situations. They will often ask me what they should use to evaluate their next trainer in their new city. The number one thing I tell them is character. There are tons of people who played high school or college soccer that are good players. But is this someone you trust to spend 1 hour each week with your kid? On the skills side, you want someone who promotes building technique & form. Experience is one of the main things that you want to look for in a skills trainer, because they should know what drills to work on for each age and level. Good relationships are essential to our training business. And that is what I encourage parents to consider when evaluating a new trainer.

5 considerations parents and players should make when looking for great technical soccer training:

The best soccer skill drills

Does the trainer know what drills are best for the position, players, and improving on weaknesses and sharpening strengths? Just a few basic examples of this include controlling the ball on the ground and in the air, turning or striking the ball the right way. Makes a difference when connecting on the right part of your foot and the ball. Don’t worry about freestyle tricks, that is a waste of time. Honestly there are not too many professional players who can do those tricks. Pro’s spent time working on the important skills. If you want the right drills then click here. You will be amazed of the high quality video and teaching. In just a few months you will become so smooth on the ball and wished you had this sooner. Enjoy it!

Form / Mechanics

The exact position of the toes in shots, how to open up the upper or lower body and when, why it is important to have proper mechanics [in other words – provides the education piece as well]. Check out this popular blog post on soccer mechanics. You can work harder than anyone, but what if you are not kicking the ball or dribbling the ball as well as you can be? Making sure the toe is up or down when it needs to be or bending your knee’s just a bit will make a big difference.

Teaching

If ball is coming from a particular direction, which foot should your child use and why? Which is the quickest way to get off a pass? How does one make the transition smoothest, instead of wasting the movements to reposition myself to shoot with my ‘dominant’ foot? Which part of the foot should I trap with? How should you move forward with it to put you in better situation to move forward with trapping the ball? Davy Arnaud one of best examples of this particular skill by the way.

Communication is big

If you have ever taken private lessons of any sort in your life, then you know that schedule [communication] is a game changer. I think that most trainers who either are young or don’t have kids of their own, just don’t understand that time is valuable. So changing days and times or cancelling same day are bad. Or what about not showing up? This is one reason my online ball control courses are doing so well, is because players can purchase soccer skills lessons that work 100% over a trainer who is not consistent or experienced.

Progress

Is the training set progressing? Determining progress is important but the progress should not be held captive to repetition of the basics. There comes a time when the players can do basics independently at home and the professional trainer should challenge them to progress. So working on things that they can’t do at home. There are over 20 ways to pass the ball and most youth players at the highest club levels only know 3 or 4. Learning is something that should always be happening no matter what. It could be technical or mental.

Soccer trainer who brings good energy

Is the energy high with the trainer? If the trainer is routine in a bad way, is negative, berates the player or is not receptive to your feedback, then begin asking other parents about recommendations for a new trainer. The personality issues with a trainer are not to be taken lightly as this person will spend countless hours as an authority figure with your child. Even a negative attitude is enough to damage the passion of some of the youngest players. So finding someone who is encouraging and puts courage into you!

Great trainers will be able to do these things and more. They will inspire confidence from and in your child and you will see this reflected in your child’s emotional energy on the pitch as well as in their physical skill set.