Youth Soccer Drills:Heading Secrets Revealed
by on Jul.03, 2010, under Uncategorized
Ever wondered the effectiveness of using the head to readdress the ball while it is still in the air? Doing this skill in youth soccer drills is particularly safe when it is carried out with care and caution.
You should deflate the ball in case of teaching this skill to your players for the first time. Let some air out of the ball so that it becomes soft and easy to handle. Including heading skill in the kids soccer drills requires you to first teach them the basics of this skill before starting with the practice.
When the ball is still in the air, the players should move along the ball for the reason that their body should directly in front of the ball when they face it. Players should learn to maintain a clear view of the ball all the way in until it thumps their forehead.
Your players must recognize the importance of continuously looking at the ball whether it coming to them to going away from them. If their eyes are closed, they can be hurt. Players in youth soccer practice should learn to strike the ball by using the top-front portion of their forehead rather than using their temples or top of the head.
A large number of youth soccer drills call attention to the movement involved in correctly handling the ball. Following are the two drills that have been explained for you:
Sitting and Knees: This youth soccer coaching drill involves just 2 players and a ball. One player will sit on the ground with their feet straight out in front of him or her. The second player should stand in front of the 1st one and throw the ball at a very low level towards him or her. The concept is that the ball will be thrown short so that the person towards whom it travels has to come forward to hit it.
Repeat this activity with one player positioned with both knees on the ground. Then, the player will have to attack forward to hit the ball. This drill has the effect of teaching the players to use their head in directing the ball.
Head out of Hands: In this drill, one requires cones and a ball for each player. It needs the players to hold the ball with their hands and then throw it out by heading it. They should learn the art of moving their head to the ball and vice-versa.
Using the cones has the advantage of teaching the players to head the ball to a specific location. The players learn the techniques to head the ball in a direction using their head.
So this is it; using these youth soccer drills, your players will get confident in heading the ball and competing without getting hurt. There is a huge amount of resources in our youth soccer coaching community and you can benefit from it all by subscribing to it.
Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Practice.