Let us suppose that 50% of the soccer coaching drills have focused on perfecting the trapping skills of their players. You would probably dismiss it as a fancy. But No! Research shows that trapping along with passing and dribbling skills alone decide whether your team is capable of winning matches or not.
The ability to capture the ball and retain it for a considerable time is called trapping. Soccer exercises like these let the players use their feet, chest and thighs for this.
Players must be familiar with the job of trapping the ball. If not, they will never really be in control of the game because everything else comes after trapping the ball. Some of the following techniques help in enhancing the trapping skills of the players.
Involve the Feet: Primarily, the coach must teach the players to use their feet in tackling the ball. In kids soccer drills, the kids must be particularly trained on using the inside of their foot. This is because the inside area of the foot id wide and very useful in engaging with the ball.
If the players are advanced and mature, teach them to use the instep or top of the foot as well as the whole foot in trapping the ball during the soccer coaching drills. In cases where the ball bounces a lot, it is best to make them use their shin or ankle to tackle the ball.
Thigh Movement: To control high-speed and bouncy ball, thigh can be used very efficiently. Train the players to stop the ball with one thigh, get stable using the other, after getting in front of the ball. Most importantly, practice dropping your knee once it connects with the ball for the ball to drop down and stay with you rather than getting away.
This exercise of dropping the knee needs to be done repetitively so that the players master the art of first stopping the ball using the knee and then drop it so that the ball trickles down the feet.
Use the Chest: You can also use your chest to trap the ball that is high up in the air, just like your thigh. Make the players stand in front of the ball and then ask them to take their chests out as if to confront the ball. When they do so, the ball will instantly loose its speed and easily get down to the feet.
However, in the soccer training drills, it is important to realize that young players should not be exposed a lot to this technique. It is natural for them to use their hands in dealing with the ball while attempting to use their chest. It could be troublesome because the kids might get accustomed to using their hands to catch the ball.
Now its time to start putting these soccer coaching drills into action. Encourage the players to practice these to a great extent. By subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community, keep yourself updated on the latest in the field.
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://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Youth Soccer Training Drills.