Soccer Training Drills

Soccer training drills are important to keep the interest
of the players at a high level.
It is great to be able to just play the game continually
as in scrimmages and mini games or even pick up games.
Although these are great in that the players are having fun
and learning from each other. This however doesn't
compensate for the knowledge that a good experienced
coaching staff can introduce and share with the players.

Soccer training drills help to identify areas of technical
skills that a player can improve on.
Drills need to be well organzied as to ensure maximum
participation from all of those involved.
Also to ensure that there is also a real game like situation.
This means that the soccer training drill needs to have
game situation related.

Good soccer training drills will encourage all the players
to try something new or improve their technique.
This is either through the love of competition with
others in the group, or the need to become better
individuals.

A drill will have a specific technical or tactical component
to it. It must be well organzied so that all the players can
benenfit from the experience. These players must also
be able to relate to the drill and find use for it during a
game.
There should be a direct corelation between the drill and
the need for those specific skills on the field.

Soccer training drills are performed in close quarters or
a certain part of the field but not necessarily without use of
the entire field.
These areas are usualy marked out well with cones as to
limit the area of play thus encouraging better ball
handling and control.
The players will learn to work in specialty areas of the field.
 
Although drills aren't game like it is the responsibility of
the coach to keep the players moving as often as possible
just as they do during a game. This means that the players
can also enjoy physical conditioning which is a very
important component of this sport.

The need for specific soccer training drills can be identified
through a variety of analytical tools.
A skills report is one of these whereby areas of overal
weakness of the team are isolated through evaluation,
tabulation and comparison.

General observation from the coaches can and should
also be carried out.
For example;
If the team has made the same technical mistakes in
trapping a ball, and as a result, has lost possession to
the other team, then the next practice could be devoted
to examining and improving this technique and its
variations.
If passes are not straight, or to a targeted area and player,
then a drill on passing can be your next major project.

It is hard to teach tactical skills of inter-passing if the
team does not possess the basic technical skills of
receiving or passing a ball accurately. With this in mind 
soccer training drills should be progressive starting with
the most basic of drills and building into a more game like
situation.

In short, identify problems one by one and work on
them to improve the overal standard of the team by
improving the individuals on it.

If a soccer training drill is not working, then go back to the
basics. After the drill has been completed then after the
practice re-examine the problems. Be as self critical as you
can. Was the soccer training drill too complex and was the explanation not adequate or too intricate.
Were there too many words and not enough actions?
These are questions that will help you determine the successes
of the next soccer training drills sessions.

Steve September of On The Ball Soccer Training has been involved in soccer for over forty years and on three continents. As a player, player coach and high performance coach Steve wants to share the knowledge and experiences with all levels of people involved in the soccer scene. Delve into more of the philosophy and information at; http://www.soccertrainingskills.com/Soccertraining.html