Let’s say that at least 50% of soccer coaching drills must concentrate on improving player’s trapping skills. 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 ability of the players to intercept the ball and then keep it near their body. Soccer exercises like these let the players use their feet, chest and thighs for this.
Players must be familiar with the job of trapping the ball. Failing to do so would mean that they can never be in command of the game since this is imperative. Some of the following techniques help in enhancing the trapping skills of the players.
Make use of your feet: Make your players learn the primary skill of involving their feet in holding the ball. 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.
Older and well-established players in soccer coaching drills should be trained to use their full foot, just the top, or instep. When the ball is hopping too much, tell them to employ the most favorable trick of using their shin or ankle.
Thigh Movement: Using your thigh to control rapid and bouncy ball is an excellent approach. Train the players to stop the ball with one thigh, get stable using the other, after getting in front of 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: Trapping a ball flying high in the air with the use of your chest is also equally useful, like the use of thighs. Train the players to confront the ball head on by taking their chest out in full force in order to control the ball. The ball will therefore loose its pace immediately and drop down right away to the feet.
But keep in mind that in soccer training drills, young players are given only a few modest lessons on this technique. While using their chest to tackle the ball, it is common for them to use their hands. This can prove to be dangerous as the kids might develop a habit of using their hands while tackling the ball.
It’s time now to execute these soccer coaching drills. Encourage the players to practice these to a great extent. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community and get a good deal of such guidelines and tricks.
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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