Soccer Starts at Home: 2nd Installment
When looking at the latest generation of global football superstars—Neymar, Messi, Mbappe, Ronaldo, Vinicius Jr.—there is a common theme in all of their development. From an early age, playing soccer was encouraged at home. There are countless studies in the field of child development explaining how and why playing with both parents and peers is key to building thriving brains, bodies, and social bonds―all especially important in today's world.
Creating a positive and supportive learning environment is crucial for the development and enjoyment of young soccer players. Rusty Arronson, father of Brendan & Paxten Aaronson, who both play for the US Men’s National Team, said the tenants of their soccer development and success were keeping it fun and playful in the house, exposing them to high quality soccer (TV & in person), and never pushing them but allowing them to have a love for the sport. If we are to take on the task of becoming our children’s first coach, we must first create an atmosphere where our children can thrive. Here are 5 strategies to foster such an atmosphere:
Encouragement and Positive Reinforcement:
Offer praise for effort, improvement, and positive behavior.
Highlight specific achievements to boost confidence.
Avoid excessive criticism and focus on constructive feedback.
Set Realistic Expectations:
Establish achievable goals based on each player's skill level.
Celebrate small successes and progress, acknowledging that learning takes time.
Fun and Engaging Activities:
Design drills and exercises that are enjoyable and age-appropriate.
Incorporate games and challenges to keep the sessions interesting.
Increase or decrease the difficulty of games and activities depending on current skill levels.
Create a Safe and Inclusive Environment:
Ensure that all players feel safe, respected, and included.
Address any instances of bullying or exclusion promptly, especially with siblings.
Celebrate Effort, Not Just Results:
Recognize and appreciate the effort players put into their training.
Foster a growth mindset by highlighting the value of perseverance and hard work.
By implementing these strategies, you can contribute to a positive and supportive learning environment where your young soccer player can thrive, enjoy the sport, and develop both their skills and love for the game.
Now that we’ve established the environment in which children learn, we can focus on the foundational skills that will make them successful soccer players. At soccer shots, we always start with the most important skills, Ball Manipulation & Dribbling, more commonly known as Control & Tick Tocks. Below we’ll go over the importance of these skills, as well as simple drills, and ways to turn them into games:
Control | Toe Taps
Objective: Improve ball control and touch using the bottom of the foot. This skill helps improve gross motor skills, coordination, and balance.
Basic Toe Taps:
Place the ball on the ground.
Have the player use the bottom of one foot to gently tap the top of the ball repeatedly.
Encourage quick, controlled touches.
Alternating Toe Taps:
Instruct the player to alternate between the bottom of the left and right foot.
Emphasize balance and coordination.
Toe Tap Progression:
Start with slow toe taps and gradually increase the speed as the player becomes more comfortable.
Challenge them to maintain control while increasing the tempo.
Toe Tap Obstacle Course:
Set up cones or balls in a zigzag pattern.
Instruct the player to perform toe taps as they navigate through the course.
Tick Tocks | Dribbling | Ball Rolls
Objective: Develop dribbling skills, including close ball control and multi directional ball movement. This skill helps build confidence in moving the ball, keeping it away, and creating space.
Dribbling Types:
Inside Foot: Have children move around utilizing the inside of their feet. A simple cue can be to tell children to walk around like a penguin or Tick Tocks.
Outside Foot: Have children gently push the ball with the outside of their foot or pinky toes. The goal isn’t to kick the ball away but rather move it aside. If the ball starts moving away too fast, remind them to use control before pushing again.
Ball Rolls: Have children move the ball around the room using only the bottom of their feet. Children are allowed to move in any direction as long as they roll the ball. The simple cue to get started is “Roll, Step, Control.”
Cone Dribbling:
Arrange cones in a straight line or zigzag pattern.
Have the player dribble the ball through the cones using quick, controlled touches.
Create an obstacle course by scattering several cones across the training area.
Outside Foot Lateral Movements: Arrange two cones in a straight line. Have children go back and forth using the just outside of their foot. When they reach a cone, have them control the ball before using their other foot to go toward the other cone.
Top of foot touches: Arrange two cones in a straight line. Have children use the top of their foot to go back and forth emphasizing acceleration and stopping as close to the cone as possible.
Stationary Tick Tocks: Create a small boundary with cones around children. Have children speed up and down while doing Tick Tocks inside the boundary.
Figure 8s: Arrange two cones in a straight line. Have children go back and forth making the shape of the number 8. Have the children use the combinations of inside/outside/ball rolls to go around the cones.
Remember to tailor the difficulty of these drills based on the age and skill level of the players. Additionally, we keep it fun by turning the skills into games (i.e. Can you do 5? How many can you do in 10 seconds? Can you do more than me?). Lastly, these drills should be treated as mini games to play with children throughout the day, no more than 5 minutes to start. You can gradually increase the time depending on children's interests. Remember, as long as they’re having fun they’ll want to keep playing.
Thank you for reading this month’s post! We’re thinking that it might be helpful to create short videos to post on our social media to demonstrate the games and skills mentioned above. Let us know if that’s something you're interested in!