Youth Soccer Drills:3 Simple Steps To Heading
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? Doing this skill in Youth soccer drills is particularly safe when it is carried out with care and caution.
In case your players have not performed this skill of heading before, start teaching them by using a deflated ball. It requires you to shrink the ball’s size by letting some air out of it, thus making it supple. In kids soccer drills, I’ll be happy to tell you the fundamental rules of heading before getting down to the major points.
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. The players must keep their eyes fixed the ball all the way through, till the time it comes into contact with their forehead.
Make the players aware of the fact that it is of utmost importance for them to keep their eyes open and on the ball when it comes to or goes 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.
Most of the youth soccer drills highlight the movement required to head the ball properly. Following are the two drills that have been explained for you:
Sitting and Knees: Performing this drill in youth soccer coaching requires two players and one ball. One player will sit on the ground with their feet straight out in front of him or her. The second player will stand directly in front of the first one and throw the ball really low 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.
This activity should go on with a player positioned with both knees on the ground. Now, the player will have to move forward to actually shoot 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. It requires the player to hold the ball with his hands and then knock the ball out of their hands 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 acquire the skill of heading the ball in a particular direction using their head.
So there you have it; youth soccer drills to develop the skill of heading amongst the players and enable them to compete in the game without the fear of getting hurt. Our youth soccer coaching community has tons of valuable information on youth soccer and you can take advantage of it by enrolling for it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 training fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Practice