Has it ever occurred to you that head can be very effectively used in passing on the ball when it is still in the air? This does not hurt the player in any way if is it practiced correctly in the youth soccer drills.
Before you begin with training the players in the skill of heading, deflate the ball a bit especially when they are doing it the first time. It requires you to shrink the ball’s size by letting some air out of it, thus making it supple. Including heading skill in the kids soccer drills requires you to first teach them the basics of this skill before starting with the practice.
When the ball is still in the air, the players should move along the ball for the reason that their body should directly in front of the ball when they face it. They should keep their eyes on the ball all the way in, and continue watching it as it strikes their forehead.
Let the kids understand the significance of keeping an eye on the ball and watch it coming to them and going away from them. If their eyes are closed, they can be hurt. In youth soccer practice, players should be taught to strike the ball with the top-front area of the forehead instead of the temples or crown of the head.
A large number of youth soccer drills call attention to the movement involved in correctly handling the ball. Two of these have been discussed for your benefit and are as follows;
Sitting and Knees: When it comes to youth soccer coaching, this drill uses 2 players and 1 ball. One player should sit on the ground with the legs spread out in the front. The other player should stand directly in front of the 1st and throw the ball at a very low level towards him or her. The idea is to throw the ball short so that the one heading it has to move forward to strike the ball.
Keep doing this activity with a player positioned with both knees on the ground. Now, the player will have to move forward to actually shoot the ball. Using this drill, the players learn to use their head to steer the ball.
Head out of Hands: In this drill, one requires cones and a ball for each player. The players need to hold the ball with their hands and then knock it off by heading it. They should learn the art of moving their head to the ball and vice-versa.
The cones can help the players learn heading to a particular location. The players learn the techniques to head the ball accurately and using their head.
So now you know, using youth soccer drills, the players will learn to safely head the ball in a game without hurting themselves. Our youth soccer coaching community has tons of valuable information on youth soccer and you can take advantage of it by enrolling for it.
Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Practice.
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