You may notice your youngest players have difficulty passing.  It is not just a coordination issue – it’s a physiology issue.  They can’t lock their ankles yet, making it difficult to keep the ball going where they want it to, and also more susceptible to injuries.  Passing is an integral part of soccer, but kids soccer drills should focus on the skill in brief intervals rather than a constant 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

Do you stop a real soccer game to have all the players run laps?  Don’t do it in practice either.  Your practices should implement the real skills needed to learn the real sport.  Your players will build up stamina during the course of learning passing, dribbling and defense.  Developmentally appropriate activities should focus on what will get the child as ready as he or she can be now to play the game.

Know the mental age of your team.  Kids soccer drills should take into account their social development as well as physical stages.  Young children don’t spend their time playing in groups of 20 or 30.  They play alone, beside others but to themselves, or in small groups of two or three.  You can delay many tussles and scuffles on the field by breaking your practice drills up into teams of three or four.  Mix the groups around so you don’t have the same children playing together all the time, but limit the amount of practice as a whole team.

Finally, let them have fun.  They don’t have to hold a soccer ball every minute they are on the field.  In fact, they might learn faster if the first part of practice is spent on developing listening skills and following directions.  Once they warm up to answering the coach’s whistle and doing what is asked of them, then they can focus on listening, following instructions and handling the ball all at the same time.  Take your clues from the kids and be informed on what you can reasonably expect from each age group both physically and behaviorally.

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An across-field warm up improves agility, stamina, first touch and passing. Line up two groups of players with one group on the touch line and the second facing them about five yards away. The second group starts with the ball and jogs backward, tossing the ball to the player facing them. The first group players practice catching the ball in the air and returning it to the other team. When the second group reaches the opposite touch line, roles reverse and play starts in the other direction. Depending on the age of the players, the drill can last up to 20 minutes with added dribbling skills.

Your plan should also include soccer practice drills for your goalkeeper. To develop the fast paced reactions needed, start by collecting several balls about seven yards in front of and to the one side of the goal. Taking one ball in hand, the coach has the player run out and touch the ball then run backward toward the goal. As the goalie starts back, the coach lobs the ball in the air so that the player must catch it or jump to save. As soon as that ball is touched, the coach throws another at one goal post, and then throws at the other post as that ball is touched. After the goalie has saved several balls, the coach then moves to other side and starts again. The practice should be fast paced and require the goalkeeper to move a lot.

Vary your practices a bit each time so the players will look forward to showing up and enjoy the game. With a little research and planning and the hundreds of soccer practice drills available, skill-building can be challenging, rewarding and fun.

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