Imagine a scenario where 50% of the soccer coaching drills should adopt development of trapping skills as their focal point. You would probably dismiss it as a fancy. But interestingly, researchers say that trapping, besides dribbling and passing is mainly responsible for consistently winning matches.
Trapping is the skill which enables a player to catch the ball and keep it close to himself. Soccer exercises like these let the players use their feet, chest and thighs for this.
You must acquaint your players with this skill of trapping the ball. If not, they will never really be in control of the game because everything else comes after trapping the ball. There are a few practices that will prove helpful in improving the trapping skills of players.
Engaging the feet: Firstly, train your players in using their feet to deal with the ball which is a basic skill. Especially with younger players in kids soccer drills, it is important to make them use the inside of their foot. This is because the inside area of the foot id wide and very useful in engaging with the ball.
In soccer coaching drills, players can be taught to use the instep or crown of the foot along with entire foot when the players are senior and established. Guide the players to use their shin or ankle as the best bet to hold the ball if the ball is leaping too much.
Thigh Movement: To control high-speed and bouncy ball, thigh can be used very efficiently. Guide the players to come in front of the ball, take one thigh up to capture the ball and other thigh to stay grounded. While doing this, remember that the knee should some down when it comes in contact with the ball so that the ball remains within the player’s range.
This exercise of dropping the knee needs to be done repetitively so that the players master the art of first stopping the ball using the knee and then drop it so that the ball trickles down the feet.
Use the Chest: Similar to the role of a thigh, the chest also plays an important part in trapping the ball that is high up in the air. Train the players to confront the ball head on by taking their chest out in full force in order to control the ball. When they do so, the ball will instantly loose its speed and easily get down to the feet.
But keep in mind that in soccer training drills, young players are given only a few modest lessons on this technique. It is natural for them to use their hands in dealing with the ball while attempting to use their chest. This can become a serious issue if they tend to become habitual of tackling the ball with hands.
It’s time now to execute these soccer coaching drills. Make the players practice these more and more. By subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community, keep yourself updated on the latest in the field.
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 training fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Youth Soccer Training Drills.
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