What if I told you that young players find it really hard to kick a soccer ball using a straight leg? In coaching soccer drills, it’d not just the players but also the coaches who have a problem here. The player keeps overall balance and the leg to be used to kick the ball is bent at the knee. Both posture and strength to kick the ball comes out from below the knee.
In soccer practice, this is the opening pose for just about all types of kicks. The increase of rate of the foot from below the knee puts together a powerful blow on the ball. This gives players the power to execute a variety of kicks. Nevertheless, it depends upon the type of contact that the ball has with the foot which concludes the kick’s style.
For example; it could be hit very high, driven low, swung over left, or lean towards right.
There are three vital passes in soccer i.e. a side foot pass, the outside of the foot pass, and the instep drive. Let’s talk about them further.
The side foot pass: In teaching soccer, the simplest and the most commonly used pass is this. It is generally used for making short distance passes. Despite the fact that this is somewhat slow and predictable, it’s easy to learn and simple to execute. The contact with the ball is made on the inside of the ankle and the foot with the foot turned outwards.
When you are in the midst of coaching soccer drills, teach the players to be at ease with respect to their body. This is the most basic rule with all types of kicking actions. Players should strengthen the ankle and the foot only at the time of making contact with the ball.
After the players are confident in it’s execution, their action should appear comfortable, smooth, and natural.
Outside of the foot pass: This is a little difficult to learn but is extremely important to master because it is accurate, quick, and cannot be predicted. The ball gets into contact between the outside edge of the foot and the laces with the foot turned inward and extended. With the help of the foot, the pass is modified into a quick flick for short distances.
In coaching drills, it’s imperative that the players maintain a comfortable posture.
The Instep Drive: Both the versions of instep drive i.e. the low driven version and the lofted version are brought into play to pass the ball over longer distances. Once the players are confident in executing it, make a “chip pass” or an “in swinging pass” by introducing some changes in it. Because the approach of the instep drive is angled to some extent, the non kicking foot is positioned about 12 inches toward the side of and behind the ball.
The ball then comes into contact with the laces and inside of the foot which must be hard and extended.
So, go ahead and teach your players these basic kicking techniques with variations to make the ball do slightly different things.
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Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Training Drills.
Tags: coaching drills, coaching soccer drills, Soccer practice, teaching soccer