Would you be surprised if I let you know that it’s really tricky for the young players to kick the ball with a straight leg? In coaching soccer drills, it’d not just the players but also the coaches who have a problem here. The player keeps overall balance and the leg to be used to kick the ball is bent at the knee. Both posture and strength to kick the ball comes out from below the knee.
This is the preliminary position in soccer practice for almost all kinds of kicks. The increase of rate of the foot from below the knee puts together a powerful blow on the ball. This gives players the power to execute a variety of kicks. Nevertheless, it depends upon the type of contact that the ball has with the foot which concludes the kick’s style.
For example; it could be thumped very high, driven low, turn sharply to the left, or move to the right.
In soccer, the three critical passes are the instep drive, a side foot pass, and the outside of the foot pass. Let’s now discuss them some more.
The side foot pass: In teaching soccer, this is the most widely used and the simplest pass. This is by and large applied to make short distance passes. Despite the fact that this is somewhat slow and predictable, it’s easy to learn and simple to execute. The ball touches the inside of the foot and the ankle with the foot turned outwards.
In coaching soccer drills, guide the players to keep their bodies totally relaxed throughout the entire movement. The most essential rule pertaining to various kicking action is this. Teach the players to stiffen their ankle and the foot only when they need to get into contact with the ball.
Once the players become confident, their overall action should seem relaxed, smooth and effortless.
Outside of the foot pass: This is a little difficult to learn but is extremely important to master because it is accurate, quick, and cannot be predicted. The ball makes a contact between the laces and the outside edge of the foot, when the foot is extended and turned inward. The pass is then transformed into a quick throw for short distances by using the foot.
In coaching drills, it’s imperative that the players maintain a comfortable posture.
The Instep Drive: Both the versions of instep drive i.e. the low driven version and the lofted version are brought into play to pass the ball over longer distances. There is also an option to adapt this style to make a “chip pass” or an “in swinging pass”. Since the approach of the instep drive is slightly angled and the non kicking foot is placed about 12 inches to the side of and behind the ball.
The ball makes a contact with the laces and inside of the foot, which should be firm and extended.
So, go forward and make the kids try different things with the ball by teaching them the basic kicking techniques as well its variations.
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Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Training Drills.
Tags: coaching drills, coaching soccer drills, Soccer practice, teaching soccer