I can’t say if you’ll agree with me on this but in youth soccer drills, defense is the foundation on which the game depends. When the score in a game is 0-0, it denotes defense played flawlessly by both the sides.
But, in kids soccer drills, there are two phases to winning a game. First is when an exceptional defense is demonstrated. And the second is by having a great offense that has the capacity to overcome the other team’s defense.
Your player’s won’t be able to score if they can’t get the ball. There are a few coaches who tend to teach their players either of the two; offense or defense. But, complete training of players requires them to play defense when the ball is with the other team and offense when they themselves have the ball.
In youth soccer practice, players who lose the custody of the ball must immediately go after the ball. This is very important and makes sense because the one who loses the ball is nearest to the ball. So, it’s necessary that this player puts pressure upon the other player who has the custody of the ball now.
This is to say that he should attempt to get the ball back into his custody again. This will also provide enough time to other players in the team to return to their form and get into the defensive positions. This will restrict the opponent player’s movement in the field with the ball in his custody.
Players can be made to learn these skills by following the given techniques;
Immediate chase: When this is effectively done in youth soccer drills, it puts pressure on the opponent from all the sides. And eventually this has the effect of them losing the possession of the ball or executing a wrong pass.
Fall back and delay: This requires the remaining team members to fall back, and challenge the opponent with the ball and delay him or her from getting into their team’s goal area.
As the most risky places on the field is the center, you must instruct your players to make the opponent run towards the touchline. This has the effect of the player losing the mobility to make a pass and also move in different directions.
Arc of Concentration: When it comes to scoring, the most dangerous area is the arc of concentration. Most of the goals are scored by the players in the arc of concentration. So it’s critical to teach the players in youth soccer coaching to focus on taking the ball outside this area.
This arc is adjacent to the goal. It originates from one corner post of the goal crossing through the corner of the goal box and moving on to the touchline. The chances of a goal being scored are high when the ball is in this area.
The above methods are the easiest and most effective in teaching players effective game strategies and youth soccer drills.
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Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com.
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