Homework
Children in the 21st century do not have the luxury of time that their parents had growing up.
Multiple sports, computers, TV, video games, iPods and increased educational demands are just a few things that reduce the amount of leisure time that they have. Few can afford to spend three hours a day five days a week and ten more hours on the weekend in any single activity. Indeed most children spend only three to six hours a week at a soccer activity. This decrease cannot be made up at practices alone.
If a player is serious about soccer she will need to dedicate a significant amount of time to it outside of the "team" time.
This time can be viewed as homework time. If a player sees soccer as important, she values the game and will gladly work to improve her individual technique. If she doesn't value the game, she won't do the extra work. The amount and level of homework that a player voluntarily does is a good indicator of their motivation.
Homework is essential to mastering the game. But even here it is important to practice the right things and in the right way. Juggling is important as part of a first touch exercise, but to aimlessly juggle the ball for an hour is less productive than 20 minutes of the following exercises:
Slam
No single game can improve kicking skills faster then slam. It is simply the enjoyment level that makes this game so successful. Here two players have put a small goal in front of a wall. Each player has three lives. The blue player plays the ball into the goal so that it rebounds out. The orange player must play the ball back into the goal before it stops and then the blue player does the same. They play until one misses the goal, lets the ball stop, can't play it first time or gets hit by his own rebound. That player loses a life. They play until one is out of lives. Variations, add a second touch, must use both feet or a different surface of the same foot, change the size or height of the goal, allow the ball to stop for young players, play three at a time in a rotation.
Technique. All kicking skills.
Insight. Each player must be aware of the position of the opponent. If he is far back, gently pass the ball so that he cannot get to it it time. If he is close to the goal slam it and make him chase. Read the angle that the ball will come out of the goal, get in position early.
Communication. In this game there is so much contact with the ball in a time restricted situation that the players will have to focus on concentrating and reading the opponents intentions.
Slam is not soccer. There is competition, offense and defense, soccer problems that have to be solved with TIC, a lot of repetitions with different angles, speeds and distances.
Small Goal Passing Game
In this game the TIC of passing is emphasized.
The rules:
Serve starts 10 yards from the small goal. Each player has one touch and must touch the ball once. The ball must pass through the small goal on the ground. Once the ball goes through the goal the opponents must play the ball back through the goal on the ground. Each player gets one touch and must touch the ball.
Scoring:
A team scores when their opponent misses the goal, they play the ball back directly, a player uses two touches or the ball stops in their opponents half of the field. Both teams must stay in their own half.
There are several soccer problems that the players have to solve. What angle and distance should the second player be at to receive the first pass? Where should the defending team play in anticipating the ball? What is the best through pass when the opponents are deep? Close? The soccer problems are elementary, passing, receiving, communicating and reading simple situations.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Dave Waters
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