How To Play Soccer- The Basics

Whether you are a novice soccer coach or parent, or a seasoned soccer player just starting to learn how to play soccer, it is always in your best interest to keep up with teaching soccer techniques, soccer drills and soccer moves so that your game will be top notch.

There are some basic steps you should focus on:

Step 1 - How To Bounce, Bend, and Curve a Soccer Ball
To bend and curve a soccer ball are incredible soccer techniques because they allow you to get the ball around defenders in order to maintain possession and take shots on goal that are concealed from the goalkeeper.

It is also useful for corner kicks and crosses into the box.

When bending the ball, you will either use the inside or outside of the foot, depending on which foot you are kicking with and which direction in which you want the ball to go.

If you are using your right foot, then to bend the ball to the left you want to use the inside of your foot to make contact with the right side of the ball. You can swivel slightly on your support foot to get a better kick.

If you want to curve the ball to the right, then you need to bring the outside of your foot in contact with the left side of the ball.

Step 2 - How To Pass a Soccer Ball
On learning how to play soccer, passing is crucial to keeping possession of the ball during a game. While any kick that ends with the ball in the possession of a team-mate is passing, there are proper techniques to use to pass effectively and accurately.

Short passes are most effectively executed by using the inside of the foot because of the large surface available for accurately aiming the ball.

If you are passing long, then the instep is the most effective kick to use. If you need to pass behind, your heel is the used.

Don't ever forget that passing involves communication between the passer and the receiver.

Yours in soccer,

Andre Botelho
http://www.soccerdrillstips.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of footwork soccer and coaching. His web site, www.soccerdrillstips.com provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on how to improve soccer skills and make training more fun and interesting.#BREAK#

Youth Soccer Coaching - How to Prevent Injuries

Injury prevention is a very important component in youth soccer coaching. The coaches must understand the famous saying as it goes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

How To Prevent Injuries

The coaches have to use every possible way to prevent injuries. For this, they must take certain steps. For example, they must have their focus on proper skill development. What is more, before you start the training session, you must inspect the entire field in order to make sure that there are no holes, sprinkler heads, etc.

Plan It Safe

It is very important for the coaches to have a well thought out plan regarding how they have to deal with the injuries. There must also be a written response plan for emergencies that include the following points.

? Make sure that a first aid kit is available.

? Do not forget to collect the medical consent forms from all the players.

? Have emergency contacts all the times.

? You must have access to phone.

? It is always a great idea to have an assistant that is knowledgeable regarding the first aid.

Reducing The Injury Risks

Well, you cannot prevent injuries completely from occurring. It is not in your hand, but there are certain steps that you can take in order to reduce the injury risks. Incorporate the following things with the training session and it will possibly keep your players away from injuries.

? Make sure that you incorporate a conditioning program with every training session. The conditioning program should focus on building muscle strength for the young players.

? Stretching exercises are also very important. Therefore, you must have your players do some stretching exercises on a daily basis.

? You must instruct your players that all of them have to wear properly fitting shoes.

? Suggest a well-balanced diet to the young players, which could nourish their muscles.

? Whether it is a practice session or a game, you must have your players go for a warm up session.

Always remember that your task as an expert coach also includes recognizing an injury when it happens, stabilizing the same as best you can, and summoning medical assistance if required. When it comes to youth soccer coaching, it is very crucial for the coaches be well prepared beforehand for any emergencies as and when it appears.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of youth soccer coaching. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.

Soccer Coaching Drills: Throw Ins

Throw-ins play an important role in soccer coaching drills. It is the duty of an expert coach to train his team for perfect throw ins. Following are some of the ideas to consider about taking throw-ins.

Possession Should Not Be Immediately Lost

Teach the players to keep possession of the ball. This is the first and the most important thing that the players need to learn while considering throw ins.

The first priority of the players must be to keep possession of the ball. It is very important to understand that it is simply useless if the players throw the ball down the line if possession will immediately be lost.

Choosing The Right Player

What makes the huge difference is whether the right player is being used or not. It is important for the players to keep in mind that in the defending third, if the opponents press, they are very much likely to lose the possession. Therefore, the wise player should leave the defenders free to mark and cover space.

Using Simple Plays

The coach must train their players to use simple approaches. When it comes to taking a throw-in, there are three simple approaches that coaches need to have their teams rehearse regularly.

The first approach is throw the ball back, away from pressure, and switch it to the other side of the field. As per the second approach, the players should make runs to create space and beat marking.

What is more, they should throw the ball to an open player. The third approach is to throw the ball to a back-to-goal player who drops the ball for the thrower.

Throwing To Feet

Another important thing regarding the throw ins is that the players must be trained to throw the ball to feet with perfection. An expert coach knows that the players at all levels of ability are capable to do better when they receive a throw-in to feet.

The interesting thing is that when it comes to Soccer coaching drills, if the players are in pressure, they can perform much better when they receive a throw-in to feet.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of soccer coaching drills. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.