Have you ever imagined how the use of the head can be an effective way of redirecting 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.
In case your players have not performed this skill of heading before, start teaching them by using a deflated ball. Let some air out of the ball so that it becomes soft and easy to handle. When it comes to kids soccer drills, like always, begin with the basics of heading, some of which I’ll be happy to share with you.
The players should learn to move along the ball while it is still in air because they need to be in front of the ball when making a contact with it. Teach the players to continue watching the ball all the way through and until that time when 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. It they don’t know which way the ball is going or coming from, they risk getting hurt. Teach them in youth soccer practice to use the top-front part of their forehead to strike the ball and not with the temples or top of the head.
Majority of the youth soccer drills lay stress on the value of movement necessary to head the ball accurately. Out of many, here are two drills that your players can perform.
Sitting and Knees: Performing this drill in youth soccer coaching requires two players and one ball. One player should sit on the ground with the legs spread out in the front. The second player should stand in front of the 1st one and throw the ball at a very low level towards him or her. The objective behind this is that because the ball is thrown short, the person will have to come forward to hit it.
Keep doing this activity with a player positioned with both knees on the ground. Then, the player will have to attack forward to hit the ball. This drill teaches the technique of using the head to direct the ball.
Head out of Hands: To work with this drill, you need to have cones and a ball for each player. This drill requires the players to hold the ball with their hands and the throw it off by heading it. They should be taught to move their head to the ball and not move the ball to their head.
When the cones are used, the kids learn to head the ball 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. There is a wealth of information and resources on youth soccer available in our youth soccer coaching community and you too can take advantage of it by registering 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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