When compared to soccer drills, games have a bigger contribution in developing kids talent in Soccer practice, of which you’ll be sure once you get to the end of this.

Games require the same amount of energy like in a live match but are more refreshing than drills.

When it comes to soccer training, games demand intensity, are more fun and the kids appreciate the enjoyable aspect of the game while mastering its skills.

It’s important for you to consider the following guidelines when to you launch games in the training sessions.

1. Ensure that each player has the ball and gets to play with it frequently.

2. Each player’s participation in the game should be equal.

It shouldn’t be a case where the weak players do not get to touch the ball or get knocked out.

3. Do not adopt the practice of reward or punishment.

The games are not meant for that.

4. Make soccer skill building the heart of your games.

Soccer practice

5. If you can, it’s better not to implement any rules or restrictions in a game.

6. It is always beneficial if the games are easy to identify with and play.

Complex games take time to be understood and therefore waste time.

7. Finally, increase the level of difficulty in the game after the kids have managed to pass a given level.

In a soccer practice session, 200-300 times is the least that every player participating should touch the ball.

This activity will guarantee that kids are making progress in building their soccer skills.

Following are a few popular, interesting, and effective soccer coaching games that help in improving the skills of the players.

1. Shoot the coach: This game requires the kids to travel in a crowd while maintaining their head up and attempt to strike the ball into the goal.

It helps improve dribbling and also concentration ability of the player.

The best way to make the kids play it is start with 3 players and then increasing the number slowly.

2. Freeze Tag: It’s best for doing the warm up sessions and making the kids learn the art of keeping the ball away from the defender.

This game requires each player excluding one to have a ball and the one without the ball is supposed to touch the ball and not kick it.

When this happens, the player with the ball is frozen and must act as a goal post.

He can be de-frozen only upon the other player hitting the ball through the other player’s legs.

Keep playing till all the players are frozen.

3. Red light, green light: In this game, the kids make a queue.

The coach will shout green light and turn his back to the players who will then move forward along with their balls within the time that the coach again shouts red light and faces the players.

If any kid has not moved forward, he is sent back to the starting line.

This is a great game for building agility and focus.

Here you go!

If you would like insight on more such soccer practice games, join our youth soccer coaching community that has tons of similar resources on youth soccer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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 practice

Tags: practice soccer, soccer coaching, soccer drills, Soccer practice, soccer training

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 11:12 am and is filed under 24. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.