How To Kick a Soccer Ball - Youth Soccer Coaching and Training

Soccer Technical Skills

2009-05-25T10:56:00.003-04:00

What You Put in Your Child’s Soccer Tool Bag is Long Term

Many parents struggle with their child’s development in youth soccer. They constantly worry about what to teach them, what team they should play on, what camp should they go to, or should they age up? I hope that this article will put many minds at ease and clears up some true objectives for parents, players and coaches.

The child’s tool bag…
I just finished reading “The Italian Job” written by Gianluca Vialli and was really struck by a few comments made by both him and some of the greatest coaches in Europe. I think they make a point that I will try and drive home. Vialli was a tremendous player and as a manager for Chelsea won more trophies in two and half years than any other manager in club’s history. He knows soccer and what it takes to make a player “whole”.

He quotes Sir Alex, Manchester United Manager, and his thoughts on youth development. I think this quote is vital for all to learn.
“To some degree we can list the attributes of a successful footballer: technical, tactical, athletic and temperamental. The trick is to identify a child’s potential and help him reach it. Clubs are trying to create foundation through basic technical skills and practice. You have to have that first. It’s like if someone gives you a bag of tools and there are only a few tools in it. Even if you are a trained electrician or plumber, but you only have one hammer and a few screws in your tool bag, there isn’t much you can do. What we at United believe in is getting kids who have the full bag of tools before they come to us at sixteen. Then it’s up to the coaches to put the football (soccer) part into it, the tactics and all that.”

He also quotes Juventus boss Fabio Capello who was in charge of Milan’s youth set-up for six years.
“At 8 or even 12, you should be focusing on two things: having fun and improving your technique. The other aspects can come later. What’s the point of trying to build up fitness of a ten year old if his body is still growing? And what’s the point of cluttering his mind with tactical notions and formations? All you’re doing is stifling his ability to express himself.”

Both of these quotes instill what I have preached for years. Many players are good soccer “players” but often lack the full range of “tools” needed to continue that level of play at the higher levels. The genesis of our SoccerU series started with the realization that most developing players simply can’t get everything they need from just attending “organized soccer”. There are over 100 technical skills to learn and little time to work on them.
Why does this happen? Let’s take a quick look.

Lack of training time…
Compare your youth soccer training schedule to those around the world and in upper level training academies. Most US youth players practice twice a week for one to one and half hours. This is done during a season that lasts around 12 weeks. Play spring and fall and your total training time might be as little as 48 hours a year.
Compare this to some development programs where young players might receive over 700 hours a year. A simple reinforcement of the fact that much of the technical training a youth player needs must come from outside organized soccer.

Focus on winning…
Many of our current US systems are set up on the “here and now”. We watch results, look at standings, and recruit guest players for tournaments to improve standings for the team and the club. This is done as young as the U10 level in some areas. In true development academies most players are allowed to participate in one match per week. The rest of the time is spent on developing the player’s growth, overall athletic ability and technique. Very rarely if ever will you see any tournament play.
If you’ve ever been to a U13 match and watched the coach and parents screaming on the sidelines you’ll understand what I mean. “Winning” is often giving top priority in our systems. Players are not seen as a “final product” traveling down a path of development, but instead what they can contribute now, to my team. A sad statement when you are talking about 9 – 12 year olds.
If I’m watching a soccer match and someone asks me the score, I can never tell them. I really could care less about the “results”, but instead focus on each players “bag of tools”. Many coaches try and develop / use player’s strong points and strengths; I want to work on their weaknesses.

Many players have strengths, but they all have weaknesses…
Years ago I quit “coaching” and decided to only focus on technical development, studies and training. It has been a blessing. I have worked with all levels of players; from 8 year olds, to division one college players, to professional players from all over the world. The one thing I see in common is that they ALL have their weaknesses.
I believe this is emphasized by our own system and coaches to some degree. There are many well respected camps that promote “positional camps” for players as young as 10. Not a good thing for creating the overall player. Players between the ages of 8 and 14 should not be “locked in” to positional play. They need constant exposure to all aspects and positions.
The top players in the world are well rounded even though they have their strengths. Instead of working on their strengths they have focused on their weaknesses, or at least have had well rounded training and exposure. This should be the goal of everyone that is involved in youth player development. Making sure they have a “full bag of tools”.

Causing Panic…
One of my favorite things to do is to work with a “top level team” and cause panic / provoke thought.
I will let the coach know the first thing I want to do is to see the team scrimmage for a while. I let the coach and players set themselves up.
Right before the whistle blows I stop the match. I take to the field and cause panic. I put the top strikers in goal. I move the left backs to right forwards. I put players in positions they haven’t played for years. They all look at me like I’m crazy, but when the game starts it’s pretty ugly. That midfielder, that normally sends beautiful balls over the top and long, is miss-hitting every pass with their weak foot. The new “defender” is getting beaten every time. You get the drift. They are trying to use tools that are NOT in their bag. I let them know that very quickly that if they want to be GREAT players, there is a lot of work to be done. It is fine to have a strong right foot, but every once in a while they need to have the left available as well.

The reason kids quit soccer…
Read any youth coaching manual or information packet on youth sports. Right away they will tell you the number one reason kids quit soccer is that it “wasn’t fun anymore”. I believe this to be true, but I believe that the basic “cause” of this reason is misunderstood and often misstated.
I have seen many youth players “play the game” of soccer for years. They play spring and fall and go the normal route most do. They are coached by “good” coaches but often their technical skills (bag of tools) is not filled properly. Many players will only learn one to three NEW skills per season, simply not enough. Many will never “revisit” older skills and work repetitively to improve them. As they get older the “skills” are put aside and tactical training is the primary focus.
What happens to many of these kids is that the “game”, which was once easy and fun, now becomes more difficult. They are often criticized by fellow players, coaches and parents when they can’t perform the SKILLS needed to help the team win. I have watched player after player, especially in rec leagues, win game after game, championship after championship, only to end up being a poor to moderate player. The GAME has become too difficult, their skills were not refined, and their “bag of tools” was very limited.
On the other hand, I have seen young players that don’t have a single “trophy” in their room, but have the most incredible touch and skill for their age. They are the product of good “foundation training”.

What should be our focus…
The “tool bag” will go everywhere that the player goes for the rest of their life. Add as many tools as you can. They will play for many different coaches and learn many different and ever changing “tactical” aspects. They will at some point take a few months off and get “out of shape”. Both of these things can be fixed or changed quickly. However the technical skills that are now instinctive to them take years and years to develop. They are long term and must be developed early.

We must help players grow and provide a path that leads to improvement, creativity and learning.
Playing the game is very important and when ever possible, kids should participate in “semi-organized” / pick-up matches. They have a tendency not to focus on “I can’t make a mistake or fail” but rather “can I try this and make it work”. Often they fail, everyone laughs and the game goes on. In a “real match” they would be criticized for trying and failing.

Watching the game is also important. In Europe many kids will watch 3 – 5 professional matches a week. In the US, many kids might watch one per year. I think watching the game on its highest level is critical for learning. It’s amazing when a 10 year old shouts at the TV, “good idea”, even though the pass was not received well by the striker.

The tool bag is portable…
Make sure you don’t focus on the “here and now”. Don’t worry about results but rather the strengths and weaknesses. The “tool bag” of raw technical skills can be taken anywhere the child goes. Keep filling the bag, enjoy the game and let time take its natural course.

Soccer Parents Training at Home

2009-03-28T08:08:00.005-04:00

Soccer Champions Grow In Your Backyard

Have you ever watched youth soccer games and noticed a few players who really stood out as talented? Did you watch with amazement as they dribbled through the crowd of defenders and then finished with that perfect shot? The fact is that all sports, not just soccer, have certain athletes that just seem to amaze us. We as parents want out kids to develop as well, but how do we start? How do we get them to improve? The answer may be right outside your window in your backyard.

The common thread among great soccer players….

First, let’s take a look at Tiger Woods. Wait a minute, why a golf player? Because his name is known world wide and we can all relate to his story. For most of his developing life who was his coach and trainer? Who was his only putting coach as he progressed into the Pro years? The answer to both was his dad, Earl.
Was Earl Woods a professional golfer? Not at all, he was a career Army man that had a passion for the sport. He loved golf and he loved his son. He was able to blend time spent together and building a passion for the game, with learning and improving. Much of this time was right in their backyard “messing around”, having fun and exposing a child to new skills and thoughts. There were hours and hours of performing repetitive skills in the form of games and challenges. The same applies for so many great soccer players of our time and we as parents can learn from this example.

Parents are the key…

Ask any great soccer player who played a major role in their soccer growth and 90% of the time the answer will be “Mom or Dad”. When we developed the SoccerU series we specifically had this in mind. Whether it was the level of support or the time at night and weekends spent in the back yard just “messing around”, parents are often the engine behind developing talent, not the coach.
Each night I drive by our local public fields and sure enough there is a parent and child on the field working on skills or just “messing around” together. These small little sessions play such a major role in a youth player’s development, I can’t stress them enough. Last year I worked with several former Division One college players and the same was true. Their “parents” were the reason they were able to achieve such success. None of these parents were “pro soccer players” so how did they help that struggling child? I will explain.

Watch your next few soccer practices…

Let’s say that a young soccer player, over their development cycle, needs to learn and master 75 core skills. These will include everything from learning the difference between an offensive header and defensive header to receiving a pass under pressure and proper first touch. Whether the skill is basic like dribbling or advanced like performing a volley kick, each of these individual skills must be shown, taught and practiced repeatedly. However, you’ll notice that over the course of a soccer season players may only learn one to four new skills. Often after learning them, they seldom return to practice them in a repetitive session. At that pace they will hit the “competitive level” without ever really refining all the core skills.

Now, don’t go blaming the coach…

The first thing you realize when you become a soccer coach is that you are missing one thing, TIME. Working in the “group” means that all the players must be trained together. All their levels of skills, behavior and learning must be viewed as a whole, and one on one / individual training is almost never done. One to three hours a week for few weeks in the spring and fall is simply not enough time. You are also supposed to get this “motley crew” to play together as a team and hopefully win at least one game.
You will quickly see how many youth soccer players can hit the middle school and even high school level with very few refined technical skills. As players get older the focus switches to “competing”. We often see less and less time spent on core technical training which is a huge mistake.

1000’s of touches and hours of repetition…

Charlie Cook, the director of Coerver Training US, emailed me last year. He was reflecting on watching the national team and a player that received a long air pass. The player, with out any effort, gently touched the ball once and killed it into his path. “An amazing sight to see.” However he quickly pointed out that this was not a god given talent. This player was not born with this touch nor did he learn it by just “playing the game”. He learned it by practicing it over and over. Thousands of touches and repetition until this skill was a part of his nature, “instinctive”. His point was clearly made. To have a skill become “natural or instinctive” it must be repeated over and over until we no longer have to “think about it”. It becomes a habit that the player performs without thought.

This is where the back yard begins…

We, as parents must become teachers. We must be able to identify skills in their raw form and learn how to perform them correctly ourselves. We then must be able to tell and show a child visually how to properly perform the skill. After many short repetitive sessions it will eventually allow them to feel it and let it become part of their nature. Until we do this, it will never become an instinctive habit.
Parents however, sometimes feel “lost” and don’t know where to begin, how to progress or even how to teach these skills. You do not have to become a “professional soccer player”. You simply must learn to teach what your child will not be taught during the “normal development cycle” of their soccer career. Hence the 10 hours of skills breakdown on SoccerU.

Watch out for the frustration…

A simple warning for parents is to be aware that younger players often become frustrated easily. Our goal is to keep it fun and make sure the child feels like these are THEIR sessions and not forced on them. Keep them short and mix them in with what the child wants to do. Maybe they want to be goal keeper, maybe they want to take penalty shots on mom or dad. Whatever it is, keep the training divided in half. Half learning and repetition and half fun and games. Create challenges and even have fun goals to achieve. There is nothing better than a challenge between the child and parent.

There always is a parent…

In the US pickup games and free play soccer has almost become extinct. The extra hours of needed play and skill work now has to come from the parent. Parents often search for the “perfect soccer camp” spending hundreds even thousands of dollars on camps that might only last 2 – 5 days. These are great for social development but offer little improvement in what the players need.
When I meet a talented young soccer player I always ask them, “Who taught you how to play?” Every single player over the past two years has responded the same way, “My Mom / Dad.”
Make sure you realize the importance of “off program” training and make sure you understand the importance of the backyard. Cherish this time as not only soccer training, but bonding as well. Always remember that they are KIDS first, not soccer players, and nothing says “good work” like a stop for ice cream on the way home.

President Obama Can’t Save Youth Soccer

2009-01-08T15:12:00.002-05:00

Economy Takes Toll on All Youth Sports
Mike Whitmore
Youth Soccer News

If you’re the new President of the United States, you might be just “tad” busy right now. Hundreds, if not thousands, of issues on your plate and trust me, saving youth soccer is not one of them. Youth soccer clubs from all around the world will soon start to feel the pinch of an ever tightening economy.

For the first time in many years some youth soccer clubs are predicting, if not already seeing, a drop in numbers rather than the steady incline they have seen for many years. Everyone from recreational leagues to advanced academy programs everywhere are starting to see a “bump in the road” and it is affecting the numbers.

A family with two children can easily spend in excess of $2000 a season by the time you add up club fees, equipment and travel costs. The only bright side of the picture right now is that fuel costs are nearly half of what they a short time ago. In times where everything seems to be having budget cuts, the family’s dollars for “sports activities” is dwindling as well.

Dave Meyers, a club manager in Texas said, “We always operate on a tight budget, but if numbers start to decline, we are facing some tough decisions. We are an academy program that pays our coaches but we may have to ask them to reduce their income. We are also looking at other sources of revenue.” This trend seems to be spreading throughout the US, and not just in certain regions. The CT, Watertown Youth Soccer Association registration peaked at nearly 700 youngsters in the fall of 2006 and has since dropped to around 520 this fall. While they are not positive the economy is main factor, it certainly contributes to the decline.

Many clubs have tried approaching local businesses but that door seems to shutting quickly as well. Just trying to meet the payroll is tough enough, charity to local clubs will have to wait it seems. Steve Whitmore, who helps run a local academy soccer club, said “We stopped knocking on local business doors last year because it just wasn’t effective. We now use our website to help. We started using fund raising programs like SoccerU last year. They helped us generate very good money for our club and the parents and kids received quality training.”
We don’t see youth soccer getting in line for the government bailouts just yet, but who knows. With tax payers shelling out millions to companies that support professional teams and athletes it might just make sense.

The Golden Years of Youth Soccer Technical Training

2009-01-05T10:25:00.001-05:00

One might think this information is for the “little kids” or “inexperienced coaches”, but I hope to drive home a point that all will learn from, soccer technical training often ends too early.

Let me start by going to the “top” so I don’t lose many of you that think technical training doesn’t apply to advanced players. I will start with two examples, one with a professional player and the second a college bound player.

It goes all the way to the top.
Last year, while working on Blast The Ball and SoccerU, I was fortunate enough to spend time working with several professional players from all over the world. I will use Mac as an example. Mac is now a professional player with the MLS. I spent a couple of afternoons with him and we covered several topics, mainly striking and kicking a soccer ball. Mac played in college, went to the USL and now is playing in the MLS. I read a recent interview with him and it was a breath of fresh air. He was humble and grateful for his opportunities. When asked about his transition from the USL to the MLS he stated that play at the USL level was more physical and the MLS was more technical. He was thrilled to be around great teachers and coaches that could work with him to refine many of his skills.
My point? There are many creative, aggressive and physical soccer players, but when you take a look at the very best in the world, you will see very refined technical skills combined with all their other attributes. Only those that continually refine, develop and learn technical skills continue to progress.

The high school and college soccer player.
This past year I worked with many college players and older high school players. Many of the college players played at Division 1 schools and some even had a stint with some pro teams. They were mixed of male and female players. One of the high school players I worked with for over 30 hours had a great comment about the technical training we covered. “If I had this training 4 years ago, I would be going to a different (better) school right now.” Amazingly this kid was a fantastic player; fast, tall, great creativity, top goal scorer, and more. However, he was humble enough to realize that he has so much more to learn or at least refine.
The same applied to many of the college players. When taken through some of the technical skills many admitted that they never received a “true” technical training session on many skills, even the basics. They simply had to figure it out on their own. Once I showed them the true form and took them back to the basic steps and learning, they all had the same reaction. “I wish I had this training years ago.”
Unfortunately once we get to the higher competitive levels players are focused on conditioning, physical play and tactical work. Failing to constantly return to basic core technical training is a problem that many upper level players have to deal with.

Technical training should be the core of youth soccer development.
Unfortunately, especially in the US, we start “playing for the team” or trying to “achieve results” too early. Nothing like the coach of a 10 year old team pacing on the sidelines screaming at his players that they “stink and are playing like a bunch of losers”. (Yes, an actual quote I heard last year.) This coach had one problem. He wanted to win like we all do, but he placed that trait of human nature above the needs of his players.
These kids desperately needed general ball handling, dribbling and passing skills work, but you just know that the coach was spending all the practice time on conditioning, set plays and tactical work. I guess his next intended step was to coach with the “premiere leagues”.
Understanding that we are developing “future competitors” is the first step in youth development. The best training development clubs in the world strictly limit competitive matches and focus on the player’s overall development. It is pretty widely accepted that once a player hits the age of 16, it is hard to return and teach the skills.

There are two key factors in developing youth players.
First, is a love for the game. Street soccer, pick up games and non-adult structured soccer games help kids be creative and develop a love for the game. This environment unfortunately no longer exists in the US. We have to keep in mind that ending all “work sessions” with fun small sided games is critical to kids walking away from all practices thinking, “I want to come back next week.”
This also applies to older players. Just because a player is “advanced” you have to remember that they really are still just a “kid at heart”. 17 year olds love to “play” and have fun too.

Second, is constantly returning to repetitive exposure of all the core skills. Instead of running laps and conditioning for 20 minutes to begin our practices, we should have players touching the ball with basic skills. Dribbling, passing, moves, chesting, heading and all the skills they actually use in a game.
I can’t tell you the number of advancing soccer players I see that struggle to perform basic moves such as pull backs, cuts and feints. They learned them a long time ago, but never practice them. Start EVERY practice the same way. Core movement drills, repeating the basic and essential ball control skills. End every practice the same way; fun, small sided games where the coach is not controlling every move.

Our teachers (coaches) are often not players.
One critical point to training young soccer players is first making sure the “teacher” understands how to teach. When you combine recreational soccer in with the academy programs the number of coaches that never really played competitive soccer is very high. Some of our surveys had the number at 70%. (Dad got involved because his son decided to play and the club or program needed “volunteers”.) However, I will tell you that some of the best youth coaches I have met were not “great players”. They became great coaches because they focused on youth development and core technical training. Their focus was on “what is best for my players” and not “how do I become winning and successful coach”. It is critical that coaches not only learn how to be a better coach, but also how to teach each individual technical skill the RIGHT way. Forget about the “winning” and focus on the “development”.

Understand the difference between Immediate and Residual training.
Immediate training includes things that we can control rather quickly but often do not last a long time. For example, at any time a soccer player can get in condition. Working out for about 4 – 6 weeks will get us into playing shape. However, once that stops or the season ends, the conditioning level goes away and we have to return to build it back up.
Technical skills however, are slowly built and refined over several years. Once they are learned, they will continue to stay with us.
A great quote from former U.S. Men’s National Team captain Claudio Reyna, “It’s possible at any time during a player’s career to get into top physical shape or to try to win every game! But you can’t teach skills to an old player. Youth coaches should keep in mind that individual skills need to be nurtured at an early age. Players who haven’t mastered the fundamental skills become frustrated because the game gets too difficult for them as they move into higher levels.”

The golden years of soccer development only happen once. This is why the SoccerU training series was developed. Focus these years on development and make sure your player(s) are being trained for the long term with skills, not conditioned for the short term to win.

Youth Soccer Training Video Released

2008-12-29T13:41:00.001-05:00

New Ultimate Youth Soccer Training Series Released

The new SoccerU® training series was finally released this month and many who previewed it have called it, “The best to ever hit the market.”
The SoccerU® series is a soccer technical skill training series that contains a total of five disks and over 10 hours of soccer skill training. It has 4 SoccerU® disks and also includes the now worldwide renowned Blast The Ball DVD, making it the most extensive series ever released.
Blast The Ball is a two hour instructional DVD that focuses solely on the soccer kick and ball flight. It takes the coach, parent and player all the way through the evolution of the soccer kick, then through full step by step training all the way up to very advanced.
The SoccerU® series is said to be more of a “field work” series that takes the trainer or player through all the essential skills needed to become an advanced and skilled soccer player.
The nice thing about this series is the broad range of topics. Instead of buying a “soccer moves” instructional video, you simply go to disk 3, chapters 4,5 and 6 and there is over an hour of soccer moves training. With over 70 chapters in the 5 disk series, there is little that is NOT covered.
They are also offering an affiliate / soccer club fundraising program which has been a huge success for Blast The Ball affiliates and soccer clubs around the world.
The package special is being offered for a limited time at their website www.SoccerU.com and they are also offering free world wide shipping. The series is available in DVD only and ships worldwide.

Economy Taking Toll on Youth Soccer and Pro Soccer

2008-11-19T15:31:00.002-05:00

Is it ironic that the first world cup was played in 1930, the same year that the great depression was hitting the US hard? Most people don’t know that the first world cup was played in Uruguay in 1930, but they are aware that 1930 was the year that the great depression started to take hold of the US.

Now with the US facing its greatest financial crisis since that time, youth soccer and soccer in general in the US are starting to feel some pain.

The Pro Leagues
Professional soccer in the US has faced a struggle from the beginning. Now with cash strapped fans and sponsors watching every dollar, the future is quite uncertain. One example is the Atlanta Silverbacks. We just received an email from them letting us know that they would be “sitting out” the 2009 season. They stated, “Due to the state of the economy and the potential of an MLS team coming to town, the men's pro team has decided to sit the year out while the Silverbacks assess the landscape.”

"This was an extremely difficult decision that was prompted by the dynamic events in our economy and the soccer community. We would like to thank all of our fans and partners who have supported the team over the years and hope they continue to come out to the Women's games," said Atlanta Silverbacks General Manager, Michael Oki.

All professional sports will feel some pain but it is real concern when you are fighting an uphill battle from the beginning. We wish the best to the Silverbacks as we are HUGE fans.

Youth Soccer Leagues
For the first time in many years this past season was not a good one for many youth soccer programs. Many programs saw numbers decline and most are blaming the higher gas prices and tightening economy.
Most clubs we spoke with said they felt it was a temporary issue but it didn’t help programs that often operate in the “red” or close to it.

Phillip Whitehead, a youth program coordinator for a county recreation program said, “This is the first year we have seen an actual drop in our numbers. Our program has grown strongly each year but this season numbers dropped for the first time in over 10 years. I think it is simply a temporary thing and will correct itself as the economy gets back on its feet.”

Dealing with Budget Shortfalls
Some youth soccer clubs are taking action to help battle the tightening budgets. Many have turned to web based solutions such as soccer club fundraisers or affiliate programs. Using these programs is simply a matter of placing ads on their websites and they receive a percentage of the sales.

We found several using the www.BlastTheBall.com affiliate program and talked to two clubs that were getting ready to use the new www.SoccerU.com program. They all agreed that programs like these not only help their soccer players learn the game, but also help raise much need income for clubs. They offer training DVDs and in return the clubs earn a percentage of the sales.

Several clubs found that approaching local retailers and businesses to be sponsors was just not working due to tightening budgets everywhere. Tim Myers, a board member for a youth program in Florida, added, “It’s hard for many of these businesses to justify spending money on sponsorships when they are facing laying off employees. We simply got tired of approaching them hearing the same story even though we understand. We have turned to online fundraising vs. raising our fees for the upcoming season.”

Some of the great saviors in this “time of need” are the volunteers that often go unnoticed. Volunteer parents that coach and help with team management donate huge numbers of hours of their time. Without them the system would surely collapse.

While soccer in the US has had a tough time, it has come a long way. The MLS seems to becoming a real dominant force and youth programs, while struggling this year seem to growing strong for the long run.

Youth Soccer Skills One by One

2008-11-14T13:27:00.002-05:00

A funny thing seems to happen in youth soccer. At some point we forget about basic development and start focusing on being competitive. Unfortunately this often happens too early and the results are irreversible and often permanent.

I get many emails and questions from people about the Blast The Ball and SoccerU series. A great of them are from parents and coaches wanting to make sure that the training shown is appropriate for their age groups. It’s funny, because you can tell that many of them have ordered soccer training videos before, but were disappointed because they were too basic or not appropriate for their soccer players.

While different ages of youth soccer players learn differently, they all must be taught individual skills starting at the same place. It is a stepping process that must be done the same way, regardless of age. Will they understand the skill at a different rate? Yes. Will they be able to master the skill and take it to the field at a different rate? Yes. But remember something very important. If a soccer player has never been taught a skill the need to start at square one, regardless of age.

The stepping or learning process for soccer technical skills is simple, but must be followed. Here is an example of the building blocks.

Step One: The Raw Basic Skill

This includes the actual skill broken down to its finest points. Not just receiving a soccer ball, but what does our body do during this process? What position is our foot and leg in? Are we receiving with pressure or without pressure? Is that pressure in front of us or behind us? A simple skill like receiving a soccer ball correctly has many deep aspects that must be examined, demonstrated and performed.

Step Two: Performing the Skill Repetitively

Now that we have learned the skill, we must perform the skills over and over until our body and mind understand it as a natural and instinctive movement. No pressure, nothing to think about except the skill and how we do it perfectly.

Step Three: Adding Pressure

Now that we have mastered the soccer skill, we must now add pressure. This stage is often called “lights out” for younger players. Up until this point we had nothing to think about except for the skill. Now our mind and body must perform with a defensive player putting mild pressure on us. Now when we receive that pass, there is an incoming defender closing in on us. Can we still perform it perfectly? We repeat the skill with moderate pressure over and over. Most of the time the assisting player is told NOT to touch the soccer ball, only to let their presence be known.

Step Four: Performing the skill in a game-like setting.

Now we move the skill to a small sided game or grid with small goals. This is the “failure allowed” area. We ask the players to use the new skills in a small game and they are told that most of their attempts will probably fail. That is fine. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE FAILURE. Remember the old saying of, “It is better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all.” If developing soccer players are placed in a “real game like” area or setting, they will revert back to their old habits. They DO NOT want to fail in soccer game so they are hesitant to try something new that might fail. This is a VITAL step in developing skilled players.

Step Five: Praising it in a real soccer match.

During the next soccer match, stop shouting at the referee and your players. Simply be quiet and watch for a new skill used on the field. It will happen. Watch closely for a player that now receives the soccer ball with that new “away touch”. When you see it happen, shout out his name and loudly praise him. Do it so all the other players can hear. Even if it didn’t go perfectly, praise him for the effort in trying. He will GLOW as bright as sun for the next 3 minutes.

The real problem that exists in youth development is that we start to skip these phases as the soccer players get older. Is it because of pressure? Do we think the players will think we are babying them? We must fight the urge to simply run drills. Having soccer players run through drill after drill simply reinforces the “incorrect way” they now perform the skill. Regardless of the age we must start every player at the basic skill level and follow this plan.

How to Kick a Soccer Ball Harder

2008-08-27T21:48:00.004-04:00

How to Kick a Soccer Ball Harder
By Coach V
Blast The Ball

I don’t care if you are 8 or 38 years old, a funny thing happens when we place a soccer ball on the grass in front of a goal. Something in our mind seems to ‘snap’ and we try and strike the ball as hard as we can. Most of us however don’t realize this actually slows down the soccer ball’s speed.

While creating Blast The Ball and Soccer U we had the pleasure of capturing literally hundreds of hours of soccer players and thousands of soccer kicks. This research showed some interesting results. Trying to kick a soccer ball ‘harder’ often slowed down the speed of the ball. Why you ask? Well let’s start with another sport that will help us understand.

Talk to the “long drive golf champs” and you will find a common thought among them. Swing at 80% of your top force. Now, why would a golf ball go farther at 80% vs. 100%? It comes down to the “speed of the club head” which is the last part of several body parts involved. Swinging, or “kicking”, at 100% of force often causes us to TENSE UP many of the muscles involved in the full “multifunction process” of the swinging / kicking motion. Think us this as a “whipping” motion. Staying slightly “loose” during the kick allows our foot to be at the end of an accelerating chain of events. Tighten up any of those events and you slow it down. Try throwing a baseball with a totally STIFF arm. The ball travels about half the speed. Keeping a loose arm with a whipping motion increases the speed greatly. The same applies to the soccer kick.

A couple of key points to a stronger, longer and faster soccer kick.

1)Relax.
Allow your entire body to go limp. Shake it out. Let your head, neck legs and every part of your body relax.
The only part of your body that will have tension is your ankle.

2)Large last stride / loading.
Make your last stride a long “forward hopping” load. Your heel should come close to your behind.

3)Allow your knee to come through first.
This is known as “storing the load”. Your lower leg will form a V shape. Keep that V shape as long as possible and at the last minute let it extent in a WHIPPING motion.

4)Kick with the big toe knuckle.
Approach the ball from a slight angle. The largest bone in your foot is the first metatarsal which is just above the big toe knuckle. This translates into FORCE or energy at impact.

5)Break the pane.
Pretend that the ball is sitting in front of a large pane of glass. You want to break the pane with your body, not just your leg or foot. This means that your forward momentum should continue through the shot. This will also cause you to land on your SHOOTING foot, not your plant foot.

6)Watch your foot contact the ball.
If you can see your foot strike the ball you are kicking properly. Doing this also keeps your body in a slightly “bent over” position. Straitening up will kill some of the power release.

To prove this point to younger players you should have them start VERY close to the goal. Have them move back little by little WITHOUT changing their kicking effort. When you see them “forcing” their shot, have them move back very close and feel the loose shot again a few times. Then have them move back out to a far point and use the same “close kick”. Both of you will be amazed.

On a final note I suggest you video tape the player kicking. You can even use a digital camera that yes a video recorder. Try and set the “frames per second” as high as you can. This will allow you to slow the kick down to a frame by frame view. When we shot Blast The Ball, many of the cameras were set on 3000 frames per second. This allowed us to see EVERY detail of the kick. Younger players will be amazed at the footage and trust me, if you tell them they are doing something wrong they will disagree. Show them threw video and they will understand.

Soccer Coaching Get Rid of the Laps

2008-08-21T10:42:00.001-04:00

If you can understand why running laps in youth soccer is huge waste of time you will not only be a better coach, but a better all around youth soccer trainer.

Last year I watched a youth soccer practice and by the time I got home I was still in shock. Most of my thoughts were simply of renaming the coach to “old school” and I was also a bit angry. I wasn’t angry at the coach. He was doing what he thought was right and what had been taught to him. I was angry at the director of coaching for this soccer club for not watching his coaches, correcting them and bringing them up to speed on the best practices / methods for youth soccer player development.

Running “laps” in youth soccer is common and done for many reasons. Some coaches use laps thinking it will condition their players. Others use laps for warm ups, while others often use them as punitive exercises for players that are misbehaving. Unfortunately all of these reasons are wrong and slightly misguided.

First look at conditioning.
Youth soccer players and even competitive players don’t run laps the entire soccer match. Most of their conditioning needs should be geared towards how they play. Short to medium bursts of extreme speed followed by a slow jog or walk is what they do in a game. This is what we should condition them for. High intensity 1 v 1 or 2 v 2 “wave games” are the best for conditioning players and combine soccer skills with conditioning. If you want to have them do sprints, put a soccer ball on their feet. The players should have a ball on their feet with every form of exercise. You can increase the number of touches by over 300 each practice simply by adding a soccer ball. Do this over 20 practices and you have increased the number of touches a season by over 6000 per season. By the way, that is more touches than most collegiate players will get during games their entire playing careers.

Warm ups:
With such little time available to train youth soccer players, EVERY minute of your practice should involve some form of SOCCER training. Being prepared really helps with proper warm ups. The warm up section of your practice should include not only ball touches, but player movement as well. Have a series of drill stations set up that keep all players moving and not waiting in line. Focus on dribbling, moves and passing. Instead of your players standing in a circle passing the ball, make them move. Have them touch the ball to the middle of the circle, pass and replace the player they just passed to. Then instead of just one ball, add two or three balls so that it becomes “mayhem” in the circle. Eyes will be watching every direction and players can’t stand still for more than 5 seconds. After 5 – 10 minutes all will be breathing hard and be tired. Now is the time for a good stretch.

Punitive exercise:
Youth players should NEVER be told to run laps or perform physical exercises for misbehaving or breaking rules. This is the time for a CALM, non-embarrassing talk about the behavior. We should let the player know that their behavior is taking away from other players’ training and it should be corrected. If the behavior continues after the talk then players should sit out on more fun activities like scrimmages and small sided games. Let the player know you’re not angry, but the bad behavior needs to have some repercussions. Teaching a soccer player that running is a “negative” is a huge mistake.

Last month I worked with 2 former division one soccer players. I had them run through what I call the “Play and Puke” 1 v 1 session. A high intensity 1 v 1 session, it is extremely taxing on the players but is a TON of fun for them. After the session I asked them a simple question. “What is easier, running laps or playing this game?” The answer was unanimous, “Running laps is a piece of cake compared to that game.” Then I asked another question. “Which is better SOCCER training?” Again they all agreed that they used GAME skills in the game while at the same time working muscles they seldom used.

My point is simple. Running laps shows lack of creativity and understanding in a soccer coach. This is not just my theory but also promoted throughout the world of youth soccer. We often hear the phrase, “Remove the three L’s from your practices, Lines, Lectures and Laps.” Very good advice.

While creating Blast The Ball and Soccer U we tried to get this point across to coaches, parents and players. Conditioning only lasts a few weeks after it stops. Once it stops it is gone forever. Technical training and skill training gets ingrained into the soccer player’s mind and body and becomes a part of them. It will stay there forever.

How to set up the game:
Field size will vary but should be around 40 yards long and 20 yards wide.
Small goals or two cones are placed on each end.
Players are NOT allowed to shoot until they are within 5 yards of the goal.
3 to 4 players stand ready with a ball on their feet on EACH end. They MUST be ready with a ball on their feet.
The first player receives a pass from an opponent at the other end of a small field. They play 1 v 1 challenge until the ball crosses the end line, whether the ball goes in the goal or not. When the ball crosses the end line the player that kicked the ball across the line must now recover quickly as another player waiting with a ball on the same end is taking off trying to score. The former shooter is now the new defender and must recover quickly. That 1 v 1 match ends with a player shooting and then the next player, waiting with a ball, charges off trying to score. Again the player that shot the ball must recover to defend.

This training can now be done with in a 2 v 2 format as well. Encourage overlapping and diagonal runs when working this game in a 2 v 2 or 3 v 3 setting. Help offensive players understand that having them both “following the ball” doesn’t open up space or create fast breaking attacks.

High intensity “soccer training” creates well conditioned and skilled soccer players. Laps create good runners. Make sure you know who you’re training.

Chocolate Milk For Youth Soccer Players?

2008-04-26T19:36:00.001-04:00

Dump the after game snacks and hand out the CHOCOLATE MILK.

Full Article HERE

Yes, you heard me right. Believe it or not I was finally right about a “theory” I have had for several years.
When you take a look sports drinks they have very similar attributes to those of chocolate milk. My assumption was that there would be little difference between a children drinking chocolate milk after a soccer game vs. a sports drink. Guess what? It looks like I was right.
Indiana University conducted a study in conjunction with a grant from the dairy council. They wanted to put “my” theory to the test. The results were just as I thought they would be. “As compared to the commercial products tested, (sports recovery drinks), chocolate milk is an effective recovery aid following exhausting exercise.”
Why is chocolate milk good for youth soccer players after a game?
The study found that athletes who drank chocolate milk after an intense bout of exercise were able to workout longer and with more power during a second workout compared to athletes who drank commercial sports beverages.
I have also been a fan of drinks that incorporate protein in their carbohydrate formula. (Such as Accelerade.) Researchers stated, "Chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous exercise and can enable athletes to exercise at a high intensity during subsequent workouts."
Some common sense points…

1) Kids don’t drink to “re-hydrate” like athletes. They drink only when they are thirsty or when something tastes good. Tricking them into drinking more because something tastes great makes sense for any one who has dealt with young athletes.
2) The addition of protein is good for muscle recovery, growth and refueling.
3) Milk is naturally high in Potassium. My kids don’t like bananas.

Confirming these results was a study by Dr. Janet Walberg-Rankin and co-workers at Virginia Tech. This study compared body composition and muscle function responses to resistance training in males who consumed a carb drink (Gatorade) or chocolate milk following each training session. Chocolate milk consumption immediately after each workout tended to increase lean body mass and bodyweight compared to supplementation with carbs. This study clearly shows that carbs-only post-exercise beverages don’t cut it.

The one thing you want to keep however is that you want to select a non-fat or skim chocolate milk. Forty-eight percent of the calories in whole milk come from fat; 33 percent of the calories in 2% milk come from fat; 20 percent of the calories in 1% milk come from fat, and 0 percent of the calories from skim milk come from fat. So, when reaching for chocolate milk as your post-workout recovery drink of choice, choose the non-fat version.

How To Kick a Soccer Ball

2007-10-18T07:12:00.000-04:00

How To Kick a Soccer Ball

Tip of the week - Natural Swing Path

2007-10-10T10:12:00.000-04:00

This Soccer Kick Tip of the Week is about plant foot positioning .
Most people however, think about the plant foot position in terms of "front to back". (Also covered on Blast The Ball.) in this tip we cover "side to side" or how much space is between the ball and your foot.

Feel free to see the other soccer videos, previews and tips at Blast The Ball, how to kick a soccer ball.

"If just repeating an athletic motion over and over helped us improve, we wouldn't see a bunch of 60 year old golfers slicing a ball for over 20 years. The same applies to the soccer kick. Re-training / re-programming the soccer player is a must. Just kicking and kicking will not help them improve. There is a process that must be applied to soccer players at all levels and ages."

Coach V

Soccer Kicking Basics - Curing the Toe Kick

2007-10-09T06:35:00.000-04:00

How to Kick a Soccer Ball - Getting Rid of the Toe Kick.

By Coach V, Blast The Ball

How many times have you heard it yelled from the sidelines? “Kick with you laces, not your toe!”

Well it really isn’t the fault of the player if you understand the evolution of the soccer kick. The problem is that most parents and many coaches don’t realize this is impossible to change without a “process”. When we created www.BlastTheBall.com we studied this problem in our research which lasted over two years. This one came pretty quickly. Video taping the player makes it easy to understand.

A child doesn’t change anything about their natural walking or running stride when they first start to kick a soccer ball. It is almost like the soccer ball just happens to get in the way of their natural stride. As we walk or run as humans our toe naturally points forward as it moves forward. Keeping the toe down would cause us to walk or run looking like a Clydesdale horse. Also, when we bring our leg forward there is VERY little clearance between the bottom of the foot and the ground. Pointing the toe down will cause it to hit the ground, often causing serious injury.

Many coaches and parents make the big mistake of taking a child straight to the form of a traditional straight kick at full force. Every time this is done the child “stubs” their toe and strains the top of their foot. This thought remains in the child’s mind and they remember that kicking this way hurts. Not a good thought process.

A child should first learn to kick with an angle kick.

An angle kick allows the toe to be pointed slightly outward and away from our body. Doing this reduces the need for so much “clearance”. This kick motion starts with the leg behind our torso. Then the leg swings slightly outward and finishes by coming back around the front of our body.

Also, the child must realize that in order to create clearance, they must “shorten the length of their leg”. Not easy for an 8 year to understand. However, as shown in Blast The Ball, there are two simple methods to help.

1) Learn the V swing. The V swing is performed by all advanced players in all their kicks. They just don’t realize it. Keeping the knee slightly bent as it swings through, “shortens the leg”.

2) Also, raising the up slightly by lifting at the hip will give good clearance. Leaving the shooting foot flat on the ground, we want the player to point their toe to the ground. However, they must accomplish this by raising their HIP not the leg or knee.

Trying to picture this training in writing is difficult. However, once you see it in action you’ll be amazed at how something so simple can change a soccer player for life.

One of the key points of Blast The Ball is to not let the player start in full motion. They must feel this motion through slow motion exaggerated kicks. This also prevents injuries as well.

The soccer kick. How to kick a soccer ball.

2007-10-08T11:19:00.000-04:00

Proper Soccer Ball Kicking
Why “Kick with your laces” can get confusing.

By Coach V – BlastTheBall.com

In previous articles I have discussed how difficult it is to make the transition from the soccer Toe Kick to striking the ball with the Laces or the Sweet Spot. Without a visual explanation / demonstration it is a hard process to teach. What I want to address today is the confusion of just what we mean by the “LACES”.

Every soccer player in the world started out kicking a soccer ball with their toe. If you watch The Evolution of a Soccer Kick on Blast The Ball ™, you will understand why this is our natural striking point. Curing the “bad soccer kick” takes a step by step process. Let’s assume we have moved passed this section and now let’s address what we mean by the “LACES”.

When people talk about the laces they really are referring to two different kinds of kicks. Keep in mind that these kicks are completely different.

The first is the angle / sweet spot kick.

The sweet spot is located just above the big toe. It is the largest bone in your foot and can deliver a FIRM striking point. To kick the soccer ball with the Sweet Spot our foot must approach the ball at a slight angle. To help visualize this consider that your toe / foot is approaching the ball at the 4 O’clock position. This means that as your foot passes through the soccer ball it will be pointed slightly outward and down. This kick is easiest to perform if we are approaching the soccer ball from a slight angle.

The “Angle Kick” or sweet spot kick is probably the most often used kick in soccer. When a player is near mid field and they want to feed in a high ball to a striker or forward, they use an angle / sweet spot kick. It is almost always used on corner kicks.

Next is the straight kick. (Can be seen at Blast The Ball )

It is very hard for players to learn the straight kick if they have been using an angle kick most of their lives. A large percentage of US players can not perform a straight kick with proper form.

Stand upright and place your foot on the ground in front of you. Then hold a soccer ball over your foot. Let it fall and watch where it strikes your foot. It will hit the very top of your foot. This is where you strike the ball with a straight kick.

You strike the soccer ball with the “LACES” in full. Not a PART of them. The laces travel directly towards your target and the foot is not tilted or angled in any way. During the straight kick the leg travels straight back and straight forward. It does not come from behind you or wrap around you in the front after the kick.

To perform the straight soccer kick properly we must allow the knee and thigh continue through the shot. It will often appear as though the knee is going to touch the chest once the kick is completed

The straight kick and striking with the laces / top of your foot is also how we perform a straight volley kick. It is by far the LEAST TAUGHT but most essential kick for any advancing player. It allows for shots to taken in full stride without hesitation and allows a ball that is traveling straight towards you to be kicked quickly and low.

An important aspect of either kick is to maintain a slight “V” angle in your leg through the entire shot and into the follow through.

As you can tell, trying to visualize these kicks can be difficult and hence the creation of Blast The Ball ™ soccer kick video. It is so much easier to train any level of player when they are first SHOWN a visual reference that guides them step by step.

When working on these two kicks it is important to remember we are trying to achieve a complete “reprogramming” of muscle memory and not a light exposure. This means the proper form must be done slowly and over and over.

The two main soccer kicks and the confusion.