To develop your players’ soccer skills, you don’t have to run the same soccer routine during every practice. You can make their entire soccer training session very interesting by focusing all the activity you plan for them towards building their skills.
For example, even the warm up session can be something that helps them to improve a skill like touches on the ball, passing receiving, agility, etc.
- A Warm Up Drill That Helps Passing/Receiving Skills
Mark off an area that is 20 x 20 meters. Group your players with one group of players inside this area and the other group outside. The players outside the area each have a ball and pass it to the players inside the area, who receive the ball from the player and then immediately pass it back.
This happens rapidly for a few minutes and the groups exchange positions, with the outside players going into the area and the inside players taking their place outside.
The variations you can introduce here are instructing the players to return the ball with a single touch, and then move on to two touches. Specify that they must receive the ball with a particular part of the foot – inside, outside, then the right or left foot.
Another variation is to receive the balls off the air and pass it back. You can have them receive the ball change direction and pass it to another player.
Here's an important soccer coaching tip: the observations you need to make include the way the players perform the first touch. They must be alert and be ready to receive the ball. The players must aim at the ball and be in its path.
They must be dexterous with their swift change in direction and pace. Offer your players the tip that instead of sprinting across the person serving the ball, they must do it at an angle since it will enable them turn back and view them.
- A Game Like Warm Up Drill
This warm up drill develops speed, and ball-trapping soccer skills and is like a real game. You place four players inside a circle whose radius is about 7- 8 meters. All the other players are outside this circle. Four players outside the circle have a ball, which they pass to the players inside. The players in the circle must keep moving around and be ready to receive the ball, and pass it back to the same player. You can introduce variations to these soccer drills and soccer moves.
