Youth Soccer Training and Tips SoccerU

Teaching Youth Soccer Technical Skills

26 Jul 2009 01:11:54 GMT

When Youth Soccer Players Stop Thinking Does this sound like a bad thing? The title might lead you to think so, but in fact it is a good thing when youth soccer players can actually stop thinking. Follow along and what you will grasp is the key aspect many developing players, parents and coaches are missing. Teaching players technical skills for the long term development is not that hard, it just takes time READ MORE...

Soccer Defending - Concepts for Younger Players

13 Jan 2009 02:02:51 GMT

When teaching defending to developing soccer players we should keep two things in mind. There is the “concept of defending” and the “skills of defending”. We will take a brief look at some of the concepts and thoughts.

While we don’t want to start teaching 9 year olds about the thirds of the field, it does help expose them to the theory that we act or behave differently in these areas. A simple explanation about the field being three parts is good enough for any age. READ MORE

President Obama Can’t Save Youth Soccer

8 Jan 2009 22:25:16 GMT

Economy Takes Toll on All Youth Sports News If you’re the new President of the United States, you might be just “tad” busy right now. Hundreds, if not thousands, of issues on your plate and trust me, saving youth soccer is not one of them. Youth soccer clubs from all around the world will soon start to feel the pinch of an ever tightening economy. For the first time in many years some youth soccer clubs are predicting, if not already seeing, a drop in numbers rather than the steady incline they have seen for many years. Everyone from recreational leagues to advanced academy programs everywhere are starting to see a “bump in the road” and it is affecting the numbers. READ MORE...

The Golden Years of Youth Soccer Technical Training

8 Jan 2009 02:00:08 GMT

One might think this information is for the “little kids” or “inexperienced coaches”, but I hope to drive home a point that all will learn from, soccer technical training often ends too early. Let me start by going to the “top” so I don’t lose many of you that think technical training doesn’t apply to advanced players. I will start with two examples, one with a professional player and the second a college bound player. It goes all the way to the top. Last year, while working on Blast The Ball and SoccerU, I was fortunate enough to spend time working with several professional players from all over the world. I will use Mac as an example. Mac is now a professional player with the MLS. I spent a couple of afternoons with him and we covered several topics, mainly striking and kicking a soccer ball. READ MORE...

Soccer ACL Injuries- Females and Hormones

8 Jan 2009 01:55:37 GMT

I think we all fear the worst in soccer. Our young player after all those years of hard work goes to ground with a knee injury. First we need to know that ACL injuries are much more prevelant in females than males. Though males and females have the same musculoskeletal structures, there are some unique differences that actually make female athletes more prone to injury. In regard to skeletal differences, males usually have wide shoulders and narrow hips, whereas a female generally has a wide pelvis in relation to the width of her shoulders. READ MORE...

Chocolate Milk For Youth Soccer Players?

8 Jan 2009 01:53:01 GMT

Dump the after game snacks and hand out the CHOCOLATE MILK. Yes, you heard me right. Believe it or not I was finally right about a “theory” I have had for several years. When you take a look sports drinks they have very similar attributes to those of chocolate milk. My assumption was that there would be little difference between children drinking chocolate milk after a soccer game vs. a sports drink. Guess what? It looks like I was right. READ MORE...

Kick with the Laces - Curing the Toe Poke

8 Jan 2009 01:34:00 GMT

How many times have we heard it shouted from both the coaches and the parents? "Kick with your laces, not your toe.” Sounds like an easy request, but you must understand you are trying to change the evolution of a child. This is why so many struggle with this seemingly simply task. While many think this is a problem for very young soccer players, 5 – 9 years old, we have seen this problem frequently in the 13 – 16 year olds as well. One of the benefits of our research while creating Blast The Ball; is we were able to work with players at all levels from all over the world. The "not so shocking” findings to us may surprise you. There are soccer players at the most advanced levels of play that can’t perform all the different types of kicks correctly. If they can, they often can’t perform them with both feet. Understanding the EXACT and correct form is essential for the development of advancing players. READ MORE...

Adding Power to Your Soccer Kick

8 Jan 2009 01:27:01 GMT

I don’t care if you are 8 or 38 years old, a funny thing happens when we place a soccer ball on the grass in front of a goal. Something in our mind seems to ‘snap’ and we try and strike the ball as hard as we can. Most of us however don’t realize this actually slows down the soccer ball’s speed. While creating Blast The Ball and Soccer U we had the pleasure of capturing literally hundreds of hours of soccer players and thousands of soccer kicks. This research showed some interesting results. Trying to kick a soccer ball ‘harder’ often slowed down the speed of the ball. Why you ask? Well let’s start with another sport that will help us understand. READ MORE