Discipline and rigor are essential when it comes to soccer. Both young and old will face various obstacles on the field, but don’t worry, even the most talented have been there ! If your child plans to train regularly, they must first know the most common mistakes that can hinder their progress.
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Discover the detailed guide on mistakes to avoid to improve in soccer, as well as expert tips to help your child enhance:
- Their physical training
- Their striking technique
- Their tactics
- Their mental training
Improving in Soccer: Attending a Soccer Camp
Soccer camps are usually organized by professional soccer clubs, soccer schools, or local sports associations. Here are some benefits of attending a soccer camp:
- Improve Your Skills: Soccer camps help players improve their soccer skills, including technique, tactics, physical fitness, and mental strength. You can work on aspects of your game that need improvement.
- Learn New Concepts: Learn new game concepts, tactics, and strategies, which can help you better understand the sport and become a more complete player.
- Meet Other Players: Soccer camps are the perfect opportunity to meet other passionate soccer players and share your love for the sport. You can also make new friends and learn to play as a team.
- Access to Qualified Coaches: Soccer camps are led by qualified professional coaches who can give you tips and tricks to improve your game. Benefit from superior teaching compared to playing alone.
- Focus on Soccer: Fully concentrate on soccer for several days or weeks. This allows you to immerse yourself completely in the sport and focus on your progress.
Looking For Soccer offers the best soccer camps near you to help you progress quickly and elevate your game!
Soccer: Physical Training
Strength, endurance, speed, and agility are all essential qualities for a professional soccer player, but not only! Your child, regardless of their current level, can also work on these foundations.
Indeed, poor technique or overly intense training could backfire and risk injury. Here are some expert tips to encourage your young soccer player to improve their physical training.
Warm-Up
As with any sporting activity, it is necessary to prepare the body and warm up the muscles before the session. Encourage your child to start with an effective warm-up consisting of:
- Running
- Dynamic stretching exercises, such as jumps or lunges
- Passing, shooting, and dribbling exercises
- Lateral movement and direction-changing exercises for better agility on the field
- Static stretching exercises, focusing on the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, adductors, and shoulders
This type of warm-up is suitable for all levels; your child can manage the intensity of the exercises. This way, your child won’t play cold and won’t get injured in the first few minutes.
Examples of Static Stretches
While training always seems more fun, it can sometimes be difficult for a child to remember the stretching phase. There are dozens of possible exercises; here are the main ones:
- For the Quadriceps: Ask your child to stand and bend one leg backwards, grabbing the ankle with their hand. If they hold this position for about 30 seconds and repeat on the other side, the stretch is successful!
- For the Hamstrings: Your young soccer player should sit on the floor with legs extended. Help them slowly lean forward, keeping their back straight, to reach (or try to reach) their toes with their hands.
- For the Calves: Stand facing a wall and place your hands flat against the wall. Bend one leg and keep the other leg straight. Gently push the heel of the straight leg towards the floor while keeping your feet flat.
- For the Shoulders: Cross your arms in front of your chest and try to grab the opposite shoulders. Alternatively, for a shoulder stretch with rotation, place your hands on your shoulders and twist your torso to the right while keeping your head to the left. Hold this position for about 15 seconds, then release and repeat on the other side.
Caution: No stretch should be painful. The static stretching phase can be done both before and after training. The child should listen to their body and not force their joints.
Improving in Soccer During Training: Endurance – Speed – Muscular Strength
Since a match lasts an average of 90 minutes, young players must be able to maintain unparalleled concentration and intensity of play. Good endurance is thus necessary to last the duration and avoid mistakes.
Moreover, a good player is distinguished from a bad one by their ability to seize opportunities on the field and create scoring chances. Whether in defence, midfield, or attack, the professional knows how to demonstrate flawless agility and speed.
Finally, keeping the ball and maintaining position on the field requires developing great muscular strength. Indeed, players possess great striking power and an excellent ability to jump high for heading techniques. Strengthening physical strength is therefore crucial to resist opponents and also helps reduce the risk of injuries.
To train effectively, your child will need to work on three essential aspects of their physical condition:
- Their endurance
- Their speed
- Their muscular strength
Keys to Improving Your Soccer Game for a Performing Team
On an individual level, improving in soccer and enhancing your game necessarily involves good striking ability, both powerful and precise. On a collective level, a performing team consists of players who know their game tactics and can communicate with each other. Discover how to improve your shots and perfect your team’s game tactics.
How to Become a Striking Expert in Soccer?
The difference between a goal and failure lies in the striking technique; it is therefore an essential element of a budding soccer player’s training! And since it’s easy to make shooting mistakes, here are some tips to progress quickly:
- The foot must be correctly positioned, and the body well-balanced before striking
- The player must observe the target and remain confident despite the pressure
- The soccer player must repeat the gesture, again and again
How to Become a Tactics Expert in Soccer?
A lack of communication, and in an instant, your child can lose the ball. To avoid tactical errors, here are some key points to follow:
- Work on Communication: It is essential on the field. Each player must understand their role and responsibilities. The team must stay on the same page. This will avoid any misunderstandings during the match.
- Vary Tactics: The opposing team can quickly figure out how your game works. Varying tactics allows the team to create more scoring opportunities.
Similarly, it will be necessary for your child and their teammates to observe the opponent’s movements to anticipate and counter them.
Finally, analysing performances allows a team to distinguish good from bad strategies to adopt. Reviewing past matches is the best way to learn from mistakes.
Improving in Soccer: Continuing to Progress Even After Training
If your young prodigy is about to play professionally, the intensity of physical training may demand a lot of energy. To stay motivated and focused during matches, they will need to learn to recover and take care of their mental health.
Recovery After Physical Exertion
The priority for good mental health when you are a great athlete, even at a young age, is recovery. The time dedicated to recovery after a match or simple training, even if it was easy, should not be neglected. Good recovery consists of four steps:
- Hydration: Hydrate as much as possible after physical exertion! Dehydration exposes the body to injuries, fatigue, and painful muscle soreness.
- Stretching: To relieve muscle tension and prevent pain, gentle and recuperative stretches are best.
- Nutrition: In general, and especially if they are young, children do not need to follow a strict diet down to the last drop of food. However, after training, it can be interesting to eat protein and carbohydrate-rich foods that the body needs to recover from all that physical effort.
- Rest: We can’t say it enough, but sleep is the best medicine for recovery! If your child dozes off on the way back, don’t wake them up; their body needs it.
Mental Resilience
Sometimes, you might come out of a match disappointed due to a defeat. Frustration is normal, as long as it doesn’t discourage your child in the long run. Working on mental resilience means knowing how to face the challenges and setbacks that a soccer match presents without losing motivation. Moreover, if your child can overcome failures in soccer, they will become resilient in all aspects of their life.
Becoming resilient also involves introspection, especially in soccer where players must perform under pressure. Indeed, managing highs and lows is an integral part of the life of all great athletes, across all disciplines.
Finally, a resilient mindset will be particularly beneficial in the event of an injury. After a fall, the athlete must be able to get back up and motivate themselves to improve their performance even when things don’t go as planned.
Improving in Soccer – FAQ
Q: What are the most common mistakes children make in soccer practice?
A: Adopting physical and mental rigor from a young age is not always easy, and that’s understandable! The most common mistakes we see in our young soccer players are a lack of regularity in training and neglecting stretches and basic exercises.
Q: How can a child stay motivated for training?
A: To keep your child motivated, avoid imposing overly intense training sessions and overwhelming them with mental pressure. It is important that your young soccer player sets realistic goals and integrates into a cohesive team with a good atmosphere.
Q: How can I help my child avoid injuries during training?
A: To avoid injuries, warm-up is fundamental. Also, ensure your child wears quality equipment and does regular stretches. Moreover, encourage them to listen to their body and set their mental and physical limits.