In comparison to drills, anyone who has the same bent of mind as mine will understand the importance of soccer practice games. Initially, the games must focus on helping the kids acquire the skills and improving their movement with the ball. But there are certain points that you must check when they advance in their soccer training.
As has already been talked about earlier, kids get an opportunity to develop their own special playing style with having fun when divided into groups. First and foremost, the kids must get the freedom to decide on various issues concerning them and this is possible only when the size of the group is small.
Subsequently the kids will fell free to move about in the large and open field, get a feel of the ball more often, and feel liable for the decisions that they make since the players in their group are significantly less.
On the other hand, make sure you initiate changes as soon as the players get comfortable playing in small groups and are improving. Now is the time to launch progressions in soccer practice games. What this means is you tend to make the rules of the game a little more stringent, play games in larger fields, and increase the size of the group. You should also introduce more complex strategies that focus on not just player’s skills but also the larger team objectives.
There is something here that needs special mention. Most coaches make the mistake of rushing on things so that kids become match-ready ahead of time. You need to understand that it may prove dangerous in the long run. Just like soccer drills, you cannot mechanize the process. It must be a natural growth with time.
The objectives may not be met if you rush with things, make a lot of rules, and expose kids to a lot of knowledge soon enough. This obstructs their process of learning and growth.
When the players move from one level of training to another, they should develop team spirit and realize the goals behind the games. It is vital to understand this change from developing your own skills to using these skills to make the team win.
At this stage, along with games, it also becomes important to hold regular discussions and team meetings. Keep in mind that the players now understand the game and its techniques. So it would be a capital mistake to undermine their assessment skills in soccer exercises.
Involving them in decision making and encouraging them to come out with their thoughts will go a long way in inculcating a sense of responsibility in them.
The games should now concentrate on making the kids think proactively about winning matches. When they start thinking like team players while playing games, you would have done your job well.
Now you must take this knowledge and incorporate it in your plan. Soccer practice games are the best tools to make the kids learn soccer and so you must choose them creatively. sEnroll for our youth soccer coaching community that has a number of games and strategies to make training sessions fun and educational.
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 practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Practice.
