Soccer Drills (Coordination Drills)
Of course, your team wants to win, right? And, of course,
this will take more than just a few minutes of practice before game time to make
sure that you go home (or out for pizza) with the victory.
Practicing coordination drills is a great way to make sure
that you know how to move the ball at game time, but practicing these same
drills at home or in your free time will make you even more of a soccer star. By
including these drills into your daily soccer routine, you’ll be a better player
in no time.
Here are some drills you may want to try:
For ball warming, just to get you warmed up before practice
or a game, the Ball Roll, or rolling the ball from side to side and front to
back with the bottom or your foot. Also, try juggling, or bouncing the ball off
your knee as many times in a row as you can, as well as the Tick Tock, which is
passing the ball from the bottom of one foot to the other.
If you’re practicing your coordination drills with friends,
you may want to try exercises like the Toss and Control, where you and your
other soccer teammates try to control the ball before it lands on the ground
with different body parts. Have a member of your team throw the ball at
different heights and in different directions so that you can improve hand/eye
coordination. You may also want to try the Snake Dribble, where three or four
players try to follow the ‘head of the snake’. The middle player is given the
ball, but the player behind him must follow the first player in the line. Then
the middle player stops the ball and goes to the beginning of the line, changing
the position of the other two players. This will help you to coordinate your
plays while you’re on the field.
If you’re not participating in a whole lot drills during
practice, suggest more coordination drills to your coach, and be sure to
practice on your own.
Remember that coordination between your senses is not
usually recognized as much as it should be, but you will soon realize just how
important it is when playing soccer
You’ll love the way it pays off on the field during a game!
