Youth Soccer Drills:3 Simple Steps To Heading
Forwarding the ball by using the head while the ball is still in the air is an effective method and most of us have never thought about it. Doing this skill in youth soccer drills is particularly safe when it is carried out with care and caution.
You should deflate the ball in case of teaching this skill to your players for the first time. It requires you to shrink the ball’s size by letting some air out of it, thus making it supple. Before I get down to the details of kids soccer drills on heading, let me share with you the basics of this skill that players need to be taught first.
When the ball is in air, teach the players to move along with it so that their body is directly in front of it when they face the ball. They should keep their eyes on the ball all the way in, and continue watching it as it strikes their forehead.
Let the kids understand the significance of keeping an eye on the ball and watch it coming to them and going 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. Two of these have been discussed for your benefit and are as follows;
Sitting and Knees: Performing this drill in youth soccer coaching requires two players and one ball. One player should sit on the ground with the legs spread out in the front. The second player should stand right in front of the second guy and pass the ball very low towards the other player. The idea is to throw the ball short so that the one heading it has to move forward to strike the ball.
Repeat this activity with one player positioned with both knees on the ground. Now, the player will have to move forward to actually shoot the ball. This drill has the effect of teaching the players to use their head in directing the ball.
Head out of Hands: This drill requires cones and one ball for each player. It needs the players to hold the ball with their hands and then throw it out by heading it. They should learn to alternatively move their head to the ball and then bring the ball to their head.
The cones can help the players learn heading to a particular location. The players learn the techniques to head the ball accurately and using their head.
So this is it; using these youth soccer drills, your players will get confident in heading the ball and competing without getting hurt. There is a huge amount of resources in our youth soccer coaching community and you can benefit from it all by subscribing to it.
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 coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Practice.
