One of the most thrilling aspects of any soccer game is performing free soccer drills, I am sure you would agree with me in this regard. One of the basic faults that players make when dribbling a soccer ball is that they focus more on the ball and don’t know what is happening around them.
The drill to dribble a soccer ball I am teaching in soccer practice is a lot of fun which has been used over a long period of time. The players are taught how to seek out for space and utilize it to the maximum.
The players should learn to be aware of their surrounding while having the ball at their feet; this is a major challenge for most soccer coaches.
The most often used drill to teach the young players to keep their heads up while dribbling is also a lot of fun apart from teaching valuable skills.
Apart from making the player to dribble the ball, this drill is much better to other soccer exercises since it allows the player to get a feel of the ball and the space around him which can be used.
1.Start by marking a square of say 20 yards by 20 yards (the size is directly proportional to the number and age of players).
2.Divide the players into two halves and make players stand on one side of the square with the ball. The one half of the players are called as attackers.
3.The other half of the players should spread out and cover the square. To distinguish this half of the players from the other half, they are called as Crab.
4.Crabs use their hands to protect themselves after sitting down. These players can’t use any other means to walk around other than hands and feet only.
You can have good fun in free soccer drills like this and teach a great number of important facets of dribbling with the ball.
On hearing the whistle from the coach, every player dribbles the ball across to the opposite side and stops the ball on the line opposed to them. The attackers are renamed as Crabs, when the original crab attacks the attackers. When all the crabs are eliminated and only one attacker is left, he is declared as the winner and the game is concluded.
The Crab learns the importance of teamwork by refusing space to the attackers and tries to take the ball away from them; it’s really a win-win situation in soccer coaching.
To make the young players learn the way to dribble the ball with their heads up and to yet to cross the defenders without bumping into each other, this is one of the best ways.
In summary, every player has the ability to be more alert, to react quickly and to run faster. The free soccer drills will make the players achieve better acceleration and to take decision making faster.
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About the author
Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.
