Let us suppose that 50% of the soccer coaching drills have focused on perfecting the trapping skills of their players. You would probably dismiss it as a fancy. But No! Research shows that trapping along with passing and dribbling skills alone decide whether your team is capable of winning matches or not.
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 the players don’t know how to trap the ball, the primary skill, they would fail to have control over the game. 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. In kids soccer drills, the kids must be particularly trained on using the inside of their foot. The fact that the inside area of the foot is large makes it easy for the players to hold the ball.
During soccer coaching drills, the high ranking and senior players should be educated on the use of foot, its crown, and instep of the foot plus the whole foot. 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: A thigh is very useful in controlling the fast and bouncy approaching ball. Instruct the players to get in front of the ball, stand on one feet and rise the other thigh to stop the ball. Most importantly, practice dropping your knee once it connects with the ball for the ball to drop down and stay with you rather than getting away.
Continue repeating this exercise till the time you learn it by heart i.e. stopping the ball with your thigh and then tumbling the thigh down so the ball stays somewhere close to you.
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. Make the players stand in front of the ball and then ask them to take their chests out as if to confront the ball. As a result the ball will loose its tempo almost immediately and will fall down at once.
However, in the soccer training drills, it is important to realize that young players should not be exposed a lot to this technique. It is natural for them to use their hands in dealing with the ball while attempting to use their chest. It could be troublesome because the kids might get accustomed to using their hands to catch the ball.
These soccer coaching drills should be then acted upon instantly. Ensure that the players increasingly practice these. If you wish to learn a great deal of such tips and tricks, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community.
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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