How to improve soccer skills and drills in seven year olds- 7 simple steps

At seven (7 years) that’s when kids develop a keen interest in sports. Depending on their exposure to soccer, it is at this age that they can play organized games and they can easily follow set pieces.

Now as a parent or a coach, this is just about the right time to improve kids soccer skills and drills. Whether the kids are new to soccer or they want to excel in soccer, this article will give an insight of how you can improve soccer skills and drills.

Remember that soccer has different player positions. As such, it is imperative to have a bigger picture of what the kids are good at because some will be goal keepers, other will be playing in the field as defenders, mid fielders and strikers.

Let’s dive into steps to improve skills and drills in seven year old.

Physical fitness

Soccer is no doubt a physical sport. Kids cannot make it in this game when they are not physically fit. So before giving kids a role to play in the soccer field look at the following strength;

Speed- give kids laps to run around the field. The running can be timed to see if they can finish certain distances in record time. The fast ones are generally would play as strikers and mid fielders

Endurance- soccer is a timed sport. A soccer match is 90 minutes so kids must be assessed to see if they can be running around the field for the required time. At first, they can be playing shortened time matches and gradually increase the time until they can play the required time.

Body Mass Index- be always on the look out at the kids `s body mass index. For average boy aged 7 the BMI should be around 13.8-16.8 for them to be fit enough to do soccer and drills.

Body reflexes- these skills is very necessary to kids when you want to access those who can play as goal keepers.

Practice basic skills.

Start training with basic soccer maneuvers, By these we mean, shooting, ball control, dribbling, passing, throwing of the ball and head to goal. Goal keeping moves like diving at the ball and others will be discussed in brief under this topic.

Passing the ball can be done easily throwing the ball and asking the kids to pass the ball in the required direction, Kids can even practice this on their own provided there is a wall or fence or any surface that can bounce the ball back to them.

Shooting is also easily trained by creating small gates and one kid as a keeper and on as a striker. The striker is given the ball from different angles and should be able to shoot the ball to the back of the net. By continuously simulating passes from the center or sides or corner kicks, the striker will greatly improve shooting skills.

Throwing in of the ball is a must for kids to learn. When , the ball does out of play it must come back into the field of play by throwing in. This must be done the right way. The legs must be firm to the ground when the ball is being thrown.

Goal keepers should be able to good at diving for the ball. Their grip on the ball must be firm. They must also be good at blocking and punching the ball away from their nets.

Use of age appropriate equipment

Make sure the youngsters have access to comfortable playthings, smaller ball they can control and kick. Use pop-up football nets to work on your goalkeeping and shooting techniques.

Agility ladder usage is also recommended. These ladders support children’s acceleration, balance, change of direction, and speed. Additionally, they naturally provide a strong aerobic workout and aid in calorie burning.

Cones can also be used to help kids with their footwork. Football cones enhance a player’s capacity for quick positional changes, acceleration, and deceleration.

Make gloves available to goalkeepers and teach them how to tighten their grasp on the ball.

Being aware of teamwork

Football is a team sport, therefore it’s important to encourage kids to cooperate with one another. They will learn how to play together and improve their communication skills as a result. The youngsters will discover the benefits of collaboration while playing together as a team.

Attend soccer coaching clinics

It is also worthwhile to enroll kids to soccer coaching clinics or camps to learn from experienced coaches and players. This can help kids to develop new skills, drills and learn new techniques.

Some clinics are owned by the best clubs in the world will teach kids technical skills. They can easily get them noticed by professional scouts during these clinics.

Attend professional soccer matches

There are professional soccer matches all over the world. Take kids to matches like Premier leagues, Continental Soccer competition and even Fifa World cup qualifiers and finals. It is at this stage where they will meet their soccer icons and see them in action. At that very age kids will definitely be interested and imitating moves from great world players.

Keep the training fun

At age seven boys and girls must have fun playing soccer. Ensure that the skills and drill are fun and engaging to maintain kids interest.

More exposure at school

Allow kids to play soccer at school. Most schools say in a district can compete in soccer competition. In my country, schools compete at district, them provincial level and at national level. It will be great if your kid can compete at this level. That will be a lot of exposure that can give confidence to boys and girls aged seven.

Take away

There are many ways to improve soccer skill s and drill in seven year old but the above seven steps are only basic to start with.

Always remember to give positive feedback to the kids to create confidence. Cheer for them when playing and keep on encouraging the even when their team is struggling. Teach kids to always stay positive even when they make mistakes.

Happy coaching and training.

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