Soccer Exercises - Fitness First!

Whatever kind of soccer exercises your working on, the fitness of your players is the key to success. By simply participating in training, players' physical condition will improve but aside from ball skills and tactics, it's well-worth paying special attention to activities designed to improve soccer fitness.

Soccer exercises focus on one of the following aspects of fitness:

• Endurance
• Strength
• Flexibility

If you want to improve endurance or stamina, you need to work on aerobic exercises that strengthen the cardiovascular system and increase the heart rate, speed up breathing and raise body temperature. The most obvious aerobic activity is jogging, which is an excellent choice as a warm-up in any soccer training programme. However, players should also be encouraged to do other stamina-increasing sports, such as swimming, cycling, horse riding or even yoga.

Another characteristic of soccer is that it involves anaerobic activity, which is when energy is expended in short bursts. Fast acceleration and sprinting speed is definitely required of a soccer player, and can be practiced through short sprint activities or by simply incorporating sprint-trot sections into a team jog.

Anaerobic soccer exercises also help to develop strength and can be worked on in the gym or in circuit training. As soccer is an inevitably physical sport, the stronger your players are, the less likely they are to get hurt. For this reason, it's important to work on upper body strength along with specific exercises that focus on the leg strength needed to kick a ball effectively. Working out with weights and step exercises, for example, will both improve stamina and develop strength.

Finally, flexibility is important for a soccer player not only in order to beat the opponent but also because one of the best ways to avoid injury is to get out of the way before any damage is done. Consequently, soccer exercises that involve stretching, moving to music or are inspired by yoga should also be part of any integrated training schedule.

Whilst not suggesting that ball skills and tactics or attitude and motivation are unimportant, the fact remains that a fit player is likely to be both highly-motivated and capable of playing above his or her skill level.

Simon Harris is a University Teacher, Writer and Internet Marketer, who writes on Spanish Football for both Soccer Fans and Aficionados of Spain.
Soccer Exercises
Soccer And Fitness

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3 Tips To Becoming a Better Soccer Coach

As a coach you need to consistently evaluate your players and the game during the soccer workouts. But that perhaps is not the most valuable thing you could do. One of the most important things you could do as a coach is to evaluate yourself and your game. It is easy to focus on the players and the technique and forget that you are equally an important part of the equation. There are several things you can do to evaluate your approach and improve your game. The following are some of the most important ones.

Know Your Players

The first thing you need to do is to get to know your players. This may sound obvious but it is very important. You need to understand their weaknesses and strength and know what approach you will apply to each of them to get the best results. You need to understand them on many different levels including mental and psychological. Observing the players is an art by itself. Understanding your players will take a considerable period of time since you cannot understand each of them in a day. Therefore, do not be too quick to make conclusions on any of the players.

The other thing is to have a clear strategy. If you find yourself moving from one thing to another then you are not focused. If you are going to work on the soccer finishing drills don’t move to other types of exercises.

Have a Strategy

Having a strategy will help you make progress faster and a good strategy will result in good day to day planning, which will help the players understand your approach and you will be in a better position to track their progress. You may repeat the same soccer training ball exercises as much as you’re comfortable with it as long as it does not become monotonous. Even though some people think this is bad, it has actually proven to be a good technique used by top soccer players. Repetition helps to develop rhythm which helps to develop speed and coordination.

Be in Charge

You need to ensure you coaching every player as much as possible. Do not let the players get into the practice sessions by themselves. Direct how the sessions will be and give the players tips as the play. You also need to know when to balance being in charge and being too domineering. Remember to give compliments an incentives where they are due. A system that gives incentives is far more effective than one that constantly punishes and disciplines.

Always try to make the game fun and interesting. There are several ways you can do this one is to allow time for the players to be on their own for sometime preferably before you finish the sessions. Change the soccer workouts from time to time to avoid monotony.

 by Electric Soccer

About the Author

You can find here more information about soccer training ball and soccer finishing drills. Please visit our website http://electricsoccer.com/.

Key Components of a Successful Defender in Soccer Training

When involved in soccer training, it is critical to know the cornerstone components of being a booming defender. The primary element of defending consists of making sure that the opposing team does not have possession of the ball. Some defending moves all your team to gain possession of the ball, where other defending moves allow you to simply make sure that the opposing team does not have possession of the soccer ball. Here, I will let you know of the key components of a booming defender in soccer training.

The first component of successful defending in soccer training is because you need to keep a strong focus on the soccer ball all through the game. By knowing where the ball is, and what systems that you are able to use to acquire the ball faraway from the opposing team, you can scan for opportunities to defend. This is performed by looking at the location of the ball, and settling on what strategy that the opposing team is employing. It is essential to speedily identify this strategy and develop a way that places you in front of the moves of the opposite team.

The second component of a prosperous defender in soccer training is to be certain that you are happy with various skills and techniques. The more that you are aware of, the better you will be at defending. It is essential to learn different dribbling and passing methods. You main objective in defending is to keep the ball out of the control of the opposite team. As soon as you have ensured that the other team does not have possession of the ball from now on, you can start developing a strategic plan to maintain control of the soccer ball and score your next goal.

When defending, it is essential to know many unusual technical systems. You should ensured that you are mentally and physically capable of performing these systems. Playing soccer is a physically difficult sport, and it remains true even during soccer training. It is essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout soccer training to be certain that you are up to the job. You will need to make sure that you are eating wholesome foods - especially raw foods - and drinking loads of water every day. This is an important step in profiting from your soccer training and being on surface your game when it concerns defending.

In order to be a prosperous defender during soccer training, it is significant that you perform numerous drills. These drills can be as somebody or as part of a group. A fine mixture of both kinds of drills is ideal. This will help train your body to successfully carry out numerous motions. These drills will help you to carry out numerous tactical maneuvers without any difficulty. Once you are intimate with the tactical application of numerous drills and defending methods, your soccer training will improve.

There are many things that you can do to be a booming defender in soccer training. It is important to ensured that you are mixing a wholesome lifestyle with other key components to maximize your possible for success.

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5 Tips on How To Pick the Right Soccer Drill

There are many reasons why coaches may choose a certain type of exercise. Some coaches will choose what they have seen on the internet or read from a book, others will choose something they learned a long time ago from another coach, yet others will simply toss a coin and pick one for the sake of it. These are just some of the reasons some coaches will choose a particular drill. It begs the question how should one go about choosing soccer conditioning drills? The following are some tips that can help you.

Establish Strength and Weaknesses

The first thing you need to do as a coach is to understand your players. Every good coach must take time to understand the players in his team. If you are just starting out with a new team, then you need to wait for sometime before you plan your strategy. Observe your players and learn their history. Interact with them and learn their strength and weaknesses.

It is from these strengths and weaknesses that you should develop the workouts. Each workout can be designed so that some players get to do more depending on their strength or weaknesses. Identify specific dills that will deal with each of the weaknesses. If the passing is poor you may devise Soccer Passing Drills.

If you identify two weaknesses such as defending and finishing, then you may begin a combination of exercises that will help develop both skills. How you pick the type of exercise will determine how successful you become as a coach.

How Players Interact

A good workout should be clear on how each of the players interacts with the other during soccer conditioning drills. The level of participation of each player in the workout should be recorded. This could be determined by the number of times the player comes into contact with the ball. The coach may devise his ways of measuring the participation of each player during the work out. This is very important, because it allow you to devise ways for the weaker players to participate more than their stronger friends.

Another thing you need to consider is formation. This is part of coming up with a strategy. You need to know whether you will have more midfielders or strikers in your formation. Each position requires different skills. Strikers need to be fast and accurate, while midfielders need to be strong and have great mobility around the field. Once you have a clear strategy the kind of workouts you have will be easy to formulate.

The fun element should not be ignored by any coach. If the workouts are getting boring and monotonous, try and find new workouts that will be more involving and exciting. Good soccer training DVDs can give you great ideas.


 by Electric Soccer

About the Author

Find here more information about Soccer Passing Drills and soccer training DVDs. Please visit our website http://electricsoccer.com/.

What to Know About Applying for a Soccer Scholarship in America

Since David Beckham and other big name soccer players have played in America, soccer has been getting ever more popular as each season passes by.

This means that if you have always tried to have a career as a professional soccer player but so far have not succeeded, the next best option, especially in the long run, is to do a soccer scholarship in America.

The Americans take their education extremely seriously, with the universities playing a huge role. That being said it can work out fairly expensive depending from university to university. But there are ways to keep the price down, for existence if your a talented soccer player and the university really wants you, you can majority of the time get an amazing better offer and in some cases even a 100% free ride.

The positives of a soccer scholarship in America out weigh the negatives. Yes you will be away from friends and family but you will be trained to a very high level by top coaches, with top class facilities, playing in front of high crowds in big stadiums. But forgetting all that for the time being, the most important fact is that you will be coming out with a top quality degree in a subject that you love.

Not everyone though will be able to apply for a soccer scholarship in America. Unfortunately if you have ever signed a professional contract with a club then your not able to do a scholarship. The same if you have a bad criminal record such as violence of drugs.

But if you have never signed a pro contract and have no criminal record then you will be bale to apply. If you have previously played at a high standard such as at an academy or youth team level for a professional club or even playing at a good standard with a semi professional club, then the process will take a lot quicker than normal.

You need to be aged between 17 - 23 years old with some school qualifications, such as GCSE's or of equivalence. Unfortunately with out any education, then you will not be able to apply for any university scholarships no matter how good a soccer player you might be.

So if your a soccer player who has played at a half decent standard, with GCSE qualifications and would like to experience the university life, while being trained to a very high standard and to also benefit from having an extremely high degree qualification, which means you will have a head start in your chosen career, then a soccer scholarship in America is the right mover for you.

by David

 About the Author
Plan B Football is a website to help released football players in the UK. If you want to find out more on soccer scholarships in America then check out the website.
http://www.planbfootball.com

Planning Youth Soccer Practices

Just a few more months before Spring soccer practices begin. Or maybe you are fortunate enough to have an indoor facility to use over the winter months. Either way, have you seriously considered the purpose and goals of your practice sessions? Where do you begin? While standard drills are an important part of a team's practice schedule, young players may become complacent or lose focus if not presented with new challenges.

Each successful soccer coach is challenged to make their practices productive and fun. Soccer players gain the most benefit from practices that are challenging and fun and activity oriented. They benefit from constant movement, ball touches and scoring exercises. Soccer Practice Games by Joe Luxbacher will help you plan these types of practices. The book is broken into six sections:

¨      Warm-up and Conditioning
¨      Passing and Receiving
¨      Dribbling, Shielding and Tackling
¨      Heading and Shooting
¨      Tactical Training
¨      Goalkeeper Training

The six different sections contain a total of 125 game-simulated activities that youth soccer coaches can adapt to create a favorable practice environment. All of the games teach fundamentals and focus on skills and tactics. Coaches that use these proven training methods seek to create controlled competitive situations providing players an opportunity to succeed.

Let's face it--soccer is a running game!!! So isn't it sound coaching to incorporate physical fitness into every skill development exercise? Sure it is. The important thing for coaches to realize is they do not have to recreate the wheel to accomplish this. This is why Joe Luxbacher wrote Soccer Practice Games [http://www.esoccergear.com/soccer-drills-and-skills/] - for recreational soccer coaches like us.

For more information on coaching youth soccer, please visit [http://www.eSoccerGear.com]

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The Golden Years of Youth Soccer Technical Training

One might think this information is for the "little kids" or "inexperienced coaches", but I hope to drive home a point that all will learn from, soccer technical training often ends too early.

Let me start by going to the "top" so I don't lose many of you that think technical training doesn't apply to advanced players. I will start with two examples, one with a professional player and the second a college bound player.

It goes all the way to the top.

Last year, while working on Blast The Ball and SoccerU, I was fortunate enough to spend time working with several professional players from all over the world. I will use Mac as an example. Mac is now a professional player with the MLS. I spent a couple of afternoons with him and we covered several topics, mainly striking and kicking a soccer ball.

Mac played in college, went to the USL and now is playing in the MLS. I read a recent interview with him and it was a breath of fresh air. He was humble and grateful for his opportunities. When asked about his transition from the USL to the MLS he stated that play at the USL level was more physical and the MLS was more technical. He was thrilled to be around great teachers and coaches that could work with him to refine many of his skills.

My point? There are many creative, aggressive and physical soccer players, but when you take a look at the very best in the world, you will see very refined technical skills combined with all their other attributes. Only those that continually refine, develop and learn technical skills continue to progress.

The high school and college soccer player.

This past year I worked with many college players and older high school players. Many of the college players played at Division 1 schools and some even had a stint with some pro teams. They were mixed of male and female players. One of the high school players I worked with for over 30 hours had a great comment about the technical training we covered. "If I had this training 4 years ago, I would be going to a different (better) school right now." Amazingly this kid was a fantastic player; fast, tall, great creativity, top goal scorer, and more. However, he was humble enough to realize that he has so much more to learn or at least refine.

The same applied to many of the college players. When taken through some of the technical skills many admitted that they never received a "true" technical training session on many skills, even the basics. They simply had to figure it out on their own. Once I showed them the true form and took them back to the basic steps and learning, they all had the same reaction. "I wish I had this training years ago."

Unfortunately once we get to the higher competitive levels players are focused on conditioning, physical play and tactical work. Failing to constantly return to basic core technical training is a problem that many upper level players have to deal with.

Technical training should be the core of youth soccer development.

Unfortunately, especially in the US, we start "playing for the team" or trying to "achieve results" too early. Nothing like the coach of a 10 year old team pacing on the sidelines screaming at his players that they "stink and are playing like a bunch of losers". (Yes, an actual quote I heard last year.) This coach had one problem. He wanted to win like we all do, but he placed that trait of human nature above the needs of his players.

These kids desperately needed general ball handling, dribbling and passing skills work, but you just know that the coach was spending all the practice time on conditioning, set plays and tactical work. I guess his next intended step was to coach with the "premiere leagues".

Understanding that we are developing "future competitors" is the first step in youth development. The best training development clubs in the world strictly limit competitive matches and focus on the player's overall development. It is pretty widely accepted that once a player hits the age of 16, it is hard to return and teach the skills.

There are two key factors in developing youth players.

First, is a love for the game. Street soccer, pick up games and non-adult structured soccer games help kids be creative and develop a love for the game. This environment unfortunately no longer exists in the US. We have to keep in mind that ending all "work sessions" with fun small sided games is critical to kids walking away from all practices thinking, "I want to come back next week."
This also applies to older players. Just because a player is "advanced" you have to remember that they really are still just a "kid at heart". 17 year olds love to "play" and have fun too.

Second, is constantly returning to repetitive exposure of all the core skills. Instead of running laps and conditioning for 20 minutes to begin our practices, we should have players touching the ball with basic skills. Dribbling, passing, moves, chesting, heading and all the skills they actually use in a game.

I can't tell you the number of advancing soccer players I see that struggle to perform basic moves such as pull backs, cuts and feints. They learned them a long time ago, but never practice them. Start EVERY practice the same way. Core movement drills, repeating the basic and essential ball control skills. End every practice the same way; fun, small sided games where the coach is not controlling every move.

Our teachers (coaches) are often not players.

One critical point to training young soccer players is first making sure the "teacher" understands how to teach. When you combine recreational soccer in with the academy programs the number of coaches that never really played competitive soccer is very high. Some of our surveys had the number at 70%. (Dad got involved because his son decided to play and the club or program needed "volunteers".) However, I will tell you that some of the best youth coaches I have met were not "great players."

They became great coaches because they focused on youth development and core technical training. Their focus was on "what is best for my players" and not "how do I become winning and successful coach". It is critical that coaches not only learn how to be a better coach, but also how to teach each individual technical skill the RIGHT way. Forget about the "winning" and focus on the "development".

Understand the difference between Immediate and Residual training.

Immediate training includes things that we can control rather quickly but often do not last a long time. For example, at any time a soccer player can get in condition. Working out for about 4 - 6 weeks will get us into playing shape. However, once that stops or the season ends, the conditioning level goes away and we have to return to build it back up.

Technical skills however, are slowly built and refined over several years. Once they are learned, they will continue to stay with us.

A great quote from former U.S. Men's National Team captain Claudio Reyna, "It's possible at any time during a player's career to get into top physical shape or to try to win every game! But you can't teach skills to an old player. Youth coaches should keep in mind that individual skills need to be nurtured at an early age. Players who haven't mastered the fundamental skills become frustrated because the game gets too difficult for them as they move into higher levels."

The golden years of soccer development only happen once. This is why the SoccerU training series was developed. Focus these years on development and make sure your player(s) are being trained for the long term with skills, not conditioned for the short term to win.

Coach Primer is a national development training youth coach and staff member of http://www.SoccerU.com

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