What to Focus on in Soccer Training

There are three main areas of ability to focus on when training for soccer: speed, agility, and strength. It is obvious why speed is important in soccer: soccer is a fast-paced game. The more ability you have to keep up with the ball and outrun other players, the more likely you are to achieve big plays for your team. In soccer, you should develop your speed in both sprints and endurance runs. Agility is also important in soccer. This will help you dodge other players, protect the goal, and make contact with the ball. Though often overlooked, strength training is an area that will help you out-power your opponents. It also gives you the energy and endurance you need to outlast other players on the field. As you work on training exercises to develop these three athletic traits, you will notice that your abilities and your statistics on the field will increase substantially.

Benefits of Holding Scrimmages

As in all sports, scrimmage is a valuable practice in soccer. No matter how many drills, passes, and patterns you run, nothing can truly match a good scrimmage. When playing a scrimmage with your soccer team, make sure that you rotate your players between teams so as to avoid rivalries within your own team. Another benefit to the team as a whole is that scrimmages are great times to let players try and understand other soccer positions. Many players gain confidence as they perform skills like shooting and defending without the pressure of a real game. The greatest advantage to a scrimmage is seeing your team's strengths and weaknesses play out. Coaches can even pause a scrimmage game, alert the team to a problem, and let them work on it for the duration of the game. Scrimmage is also a great form of exercise for your team.

Developing Strength for Soccer

There are many exercises you can utilize to develop strength for soccer play. You do not have to reinvent the wheel; many typical strength training exercises used for any sport will help your soccer game. Weight lifting, sit-ups and push-ups, and in particular all strength exercises for your leg muscles will benefit you in soccer. Additionally, there are other tools you can use to focus on specific soccer skills. With the amount of running required in a soccer game, it is a good idea to build up your stamina. Try using resistance tools, such as running sleds or parachutes, as you run. Also, strength is critical in many aspects of ball handling, such as throw-ins. You can use a specialized, weighted ball for many exercises that will develop strength (though you should not use these balls for heading or kicking).

Flexibility

Flexibility is crucial for soccer players, both in terms of performing well and preventing injuries. Overextension can happen at any time during practice or during a game. Daily stretches are important for soccer players, as for any athlete. Coaches need to educate themselves in proper stretching techniques and then pass that information on to their players. A good stretching session should last about 15 minutes. Stretching should take place before practice, and cool-down exercises should take place afterwards. Most stretches are pretty straight-forward, but others can easily be done improperly. When trying a new stretch, players should always know what muscle groups they are supposed to be focusing on. In order to really be flexible, players should stretch often and stretch well.