Soccer is soccer, right? The game is the same no matter if the players are 5 or 15. But you can’t coach a 5 year old the way you do a teen. Kids have to reach their developmental stages both physically and mentally. Kids soccer drills should be designed to fit the average stage for the age group.
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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