Basic Soccer Training for Kids

Training Preparation

• The children should run a short distance at the beginning of the practice to warm up and loosen their leg muscles a bit. It's also important for them to run backward and side to side, which are common motions in a game. Running with a ball at their feet, once they are able to keep it under control, is an important drill. Players should follow a stretching routine where their lower back, quads, hamstrings, calf muscles and ankles are loosened up early in the practice.

Passing and Trapping

• The young players should have hundreds of touches on the ball every practice. It's advised to have them pass the ball with a partner while they are waiting for the rest of the players to show up for practice. The inside blade of the foot, between the ball of the foot and the heel, is used for passing. It's also used for trapping a ground pass, though the player brings his foot back instead of forward to stop the ball. It is important to have the kids practice passing and trapping with both feet. They should also practice running in directions as they pass and trap, instead of always drilling in a stationary position.

Shooting and Long Balls

• The passing part of the foot can be used for for accurate placement in the opponent's goal if the attacking player is shooting from a very short range, but for the most part shooting is performed with the instep (laces) of the foot. Shooting is a different motion than passing. Kids must learn to quickly look at the area they are aiming for first, but their head should be down and their knee over the ball when shooting. As with passing, it's important to drill with both feet. Players use a similar motion as shooting to clear the ball, but they can lean back instead of forward to get the ball higher off the ground and send it farther. Long balls should only be used as a desperate defensive tactic, or in direct kicks or corner kicks.

Dribbling

• The key to effective dribbling is to keep the ball as close as possible to the player while having the ability to elude defenders and change direction and pace. Players can acquire this skill by moving the ball in every direction, with both feet and with various parts of the foot. They should drill rolling the ball with the ball of their feet. Dribbling around cones is a great way to become more comfortable with ball handling techniques and skills. After a while, the young players should practice looking at other players (and not looking down) while moving with the ball at their feet.

Defending

• Defending comes naturally to kids because they probably always want the ball. But as players learn dribbling skills and moves to elude defenders, they also need to familiarize themselves with defensive positioning. Good defenders don't just charge at players with the ball. They close down the space between themselves and the player with the ball quickly, but remain on their toes so they can change direction as fast as the attacker. The trickiest part of defending is getting a sense of timing for when to dispossess the attacker of the ball by kicking it away from them.

Positioning

• Beginning players also have a tendency to swarm after the ball. It can take more than one season for them to understand the concept of a position. Allowing them to try different positions (including goalie) in both practices and games is a good first step. It is also wise to have them watch older kids who have learned to move the ball effectively by spacing apart from each other. When a kid receives a pass and/or scores a goal because he or she is wide open, that's when young players will see that it doesn't pay to follow the herd. According to Playsportstv, kids will be less likely to swarm around the ball if they play on a very small field with only a few players. As they touch the ball often, and get a feel for the field's boundaries, spreading out a bit may come natural to them.