Tips on improving?

[ForumParent]

Say you have a 10-11 year old, and you'd like to help her improve her skills from a solid Flight 2 player to a Flight 1 player. What do you find is most effective as far as training or drills or other?

With our practice schedule likely going down to 1x a week soon, what are some good things to help her take things up a notch that we can do on our own? Preferably something she can do on her own. She goes to a trainer 1x/week on the side.

Promise I'm not a crazy sideline parent. She does dance, so we don't really pick up an offseason sport.

 

[LASTMAN14]

Say you have a 10-11 year old, and you'd like to help her improve her skills from a solid Flight 2 player to a Flight 1 player. What do you find is most effective as far as training or drills or other?

With our practice schedule likely going down to 1x a week soon, what are some good things to help her take things up a notch that we can do on our own? Preferably something she can do on her own. She goes to a trainer 1x/week on the side.

Promise I'm not a crazy sideline parent. She does dance, so we don't really pick up an offseason sport.

Footwork in small spaces. The more comfortable a player is with the ball at their feet at a younger age translates into the future.

 

[LASTMAN14]

Footwork in small spaces. The more comfortable a player is with the ball at their feet at a younger age translates into the future.

When looking for ideas in the past I came across this link. He has 90 days of different sessions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxrttGewxpU&t=17s

 

[timbuck]

Beast mode soccer has some great stuff out there. Need 4-8 cones. 10 square feet. And a player that wants it. (The last item probably being the most important)

 

[TangoCity]

By herself juggling (include as many different body parts as possible). If dad wants to help then punt her some balls (start easy) and have her settle the ball as best she can. If dad is a player too, then try some tandem juggling.

#FirstTouch

 

[ForumParent]

Thanks everyone! This is all really very helpful, and I will check out all the things mentioned.

 

[timbuck]

For most kids (my 10 year old is this way), it has to be some sort of fun or competition associated with it. "Go outside and juggle for 20 minutes" is only going to work for the most dedicated player. And you probably won't need to tell them to do this...they'll already be outside doing it.
"If you can get 300 touches in the next 3 minutes, then I'll give you a point."
"If you are able to trap the ball I throw at you 10 out of 15 times with your left foot, I'll give you a point."
"If you are able to hit the upper corner on a volley/half volley at least 5 out of 10 times, I'll give you a point. I'll double the point if you can do it with your weaker foot. If you completely miss the goal, I'll take away a point."
Then for every 10-15 points she gets in a session, reward her with something. Or just track the points and make it a fun game each time you go out. You don't always need to buy her an ice cream or a new pony for success.

My 10 year old daughter has been really into playing catch with a football lately. We went out the other day and tossed the ball around for about 30 minutes. She was dropping quite a few that she usually catches. When I made it into a game with points, she caught 95% of what I threw to her.

Any touches on the ball away from practice is better than no touches at all. But to try and make it quality with good effort is where you'll see a difference.

 

[Deadpoolscores!]

Have her try to be creative in making her own combination moves base off the moves she already knows. Play against her to see how effective her new moves are. Creativity is something too many young players lack because it's not encouraged enough.

 

[coachrefparent]

If dad wants to help then punt her some balls (start easy) and have her settle the ball as best she can.

Yes. Watch premier league games and compare to lower levels. All levels have fast players, with great speed, good first touch, excellent dribbling, awareness off the ball. What you only see at the highest levels is that every player on every team can receive any type of ball (punted, bullet pass, bouncing, in the air, etc) and stop it within a yard of their body. Receiving/settling the ball is one of the most difficult and useful skills in soccer.

 

[Josep]

I’m taking a different approach.

Let her ask for what she needs. The problem as I see it is all of the joystick parenting out there and lectured conversations after the game in the car about how it could have been better.

If she wants to watch it, let her watch it. If she wants privates, and it is within budget, ask around. If she wants to be on the ball in her spare time, allow her to make that decision.

While I firmly believe that a kid has to be one sport focused to succeed, I also know that 99% aren’t going anywhere. Enjoyment has to be the first element of the equation here.

Ultimately you can’t teach or pay for heart. If she has it, her potential is endless regardless of what club’s kit she wears today or what flight she’s playing.

 

[46n2]

By herself juggling (include as many different body parts as possible). If dad wants to help then punt her some balls (start easy) and have her settle the ball as best she can. If dad is a player too, then try some tandem juggling.

#FirstTouch

Exactly!
We do alot of extra training and it works , some we pay for and other times the Kid(s) go to a park and work on it with me. I need and like the exercise .......
Its all about time on the ball, I know in so cal its tougher now due to the time change and darkness at 5pm, BUT when the Spring forward comes back and its sunny till 7-8pm, go to the park with LIL ricky bobby/peggy sue and kick the ball. You know what your kid needs, and thats a first touch , I dont care what anyone says , you cant get enough practice of that.
Simple drill is to sit in goal and feed balls to your child , some high , others with baby bounces, have the kid trap , place and shoot in three touches over and over....
If your child cant get that first touch down, every thing doesn't matter. My DD has amazing touch control and it came from repetition, it wasnt taught by her coach or trainer , its was all HER practicing on the ball because she wanted it, I'm just a extra body to help, thats it....

 

[mirage]

.....the best things she can do is just go outside and juggle for 20 minutes a day (at least a few times a week). If she has a wall (or rebounder) she can also work on her passing/first touch......

Completely true statement, and most effective.

If she has a teammate or friend willing, work together. Wall ball, where you goto the outdoor racquet ball court (found at most high schools and middle schools), and kick the ball against it to work on the first touch at various angles and speed is by far one the best thing to do (both settling the ball as well as placing it against an opponent - if playing a game just use racquet ball rules with soccer ball and legs).

Just need two key ingredients - desire to improve and repetition. No privates required for this.