Let us suppose that 50% of the soccer coaching drills have focused on perfecting the trapping skills of their players. You would probably dismiss it as a fancy. But make no mistake here. It’s trapping other than passing and dribbling which enhances your team’s ability to become a champion as per an investigation.
Trapping is the ability of the players to intercept the ball and then keep it near their body. In such soccer exercises, they can use their feet, chest, and thighs to do so.
You must acquaint your players with this skill of trapping the ball. Failing to do so would mean that they can never be in command of the game since this is imperative. There are a few practices that will prove helpful in improving the trapping skills of players.
Use your feet: As a coach, you must teach the basic lesson of using the feet to maneuver the ball. Especially with younger players in kids soccer drills, it is important to make them use the inside of their foot. The biggest reason for this is that the inside area of the foot is broad and is most helpful in tackling the ball.
During soccer coaching drills, the high ranking and senior players should be educated on the use of foot, its crown, and instep of the foot plus the whole foot. When the ball is hopping too much, tell them to employ the most favorable trick of using their shin or ankle.
Thigh Movement: A thigh is very useful in controlling the fast and bouncy approaching ball. Instruct the players to get in front of the ball, stand on one feet and rise the other thigh to stop the ball. While doing this, remember that the knee should some down when it comes in contact with the ball so that the ball remains within the player’s range.
Continue repeating this exercise till the time you learn it by heart i.e. stopping the ball with your thigh and then tumbling the thigh down so the ball stays somewhere close to you.
Use the Chest: Just like the thigh, chest too has a vital role to play in trapping the ball flying high in the air. Make the players stand in front of the ball and then ask them to take their chests out as if to confront the ball. The ball will therefore loose its pace immediately and drop down right away to the feet.
But keep in mind that in soccer training drills, young players are given only a few modest lessons on this technique. When they try to tackle the ball using the chest, it is their normal tendency to use their hands. This can become a serious issue if they tend to become habitual of tackling the ball with hands.
It’s time now to execute these soccer coaching drills. Advice players to practice more progressively. By subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community, keep yourself updated on the latest in the field.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make training fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Youth Soccer Training Drills.