Emotions, determination, effort, highs, and lows – that’s football. Millions of children grab a football, lace up their boots, and head to training every day. The goal is primarily to have fun, but also to learn new skills and overcome their weaknesses. What activities work best for children and young people?
What Does a Successful Football Training Session Look Like for Children?
The strength of the team is not only based on technical skills but also on mental attitude and team atmosphere. Every team leader should observe their players and listen carefully. It’s important to appreciate their commitment, approach, and efforts. The team is as strong as its weakest link, so mutual support and encouragement are crucial. Conflicts will always arise, but they must be resolved so the team can continue working towards common success.
A successful training session is one where both the coach and the players are satisfied with its course and results. Ideally, the team should enjoy the training and not associate it with a boring obligation. Therefore, especially among youth, it’s essential that the training session combines sport with fun and positive emotions.
Example Exercises Used by Football Coaches
The foundation of every training session is a warm-up. For footballers aged 6-15, this is a great time to prepare for intense effort. A good warm-up is primarily the key to injury prevention.
Exercises should be adapted to the age and skills of the children. Experienced coaches often recommend:
- Ladder Drills
These are ideal for introducing exercises that develop movement technique. The repetition can be finished with a shot at a goal set a few meters behind the ladder. The child jumps with both feet or alternates between rungs and then runs with the ball towards the goal and shoots with the inside of the foot.
- Obstacle Courses
Obstacle courses are one of the most engaging warm-up activities for young players. They combine elements of physical work while also allowing for the improvement of football skills, such as shooting accuracy. The creativity of the coach plays a key role in this, as they can adjust the difficulty level of the obstacles to suit the specific needs and abilities of their group.
- Dribbling Through Cones
This is a popular type of activity. The coach sets up cones on the field, and the children dribble the ball through them, navigating the course in a slalom pattern.
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Players are divided into two teams of 2v2 or 3v3. The exercises are conducted at high intensity. This method effectively improves football skills, focusing on situations that are integral to real gameplay.
It is a good practice to include purely football-specific situations in the warm-up. Activation exercises, such as lunges, can start or end with a pass using the inside of the foot or a simple instep pass. Additional exercises, like passing the ball while standing on one leg, improve balance and coordination.
Accessories Useful for Football Training
In practically every sport, various types of equipment can be used to enhance training. Many of these tools significantly improve motor coordination, footwork speed, agility, and reaction time. During a training session, it’s worth using items like rings, which are effective in running drills and accelerate results.
Cones and Training Hurdles
Cones are a common sight on the training field. Besides being used as field markers, they are excellent for speed and agility training for young players. Football hurdles are typically used in the jumping section of the training but can also be incorporated into the early stages of warm-ups as part of an obstacle course.
Bands and Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are popular among coaches. They allow for the activation of muscle groups that will be involved in the main part of the training session and are used to improve physical weaknesses in the player. This makes them a common choice among professional footballers and athletes from other sports.
Football Rebounder
A portable rebounder aids in practicing ground passes, volleys, half-volleys, and also helps in improving the technique of ball control and shooting on the first touch.
FOOTBALL MAT
The FOOTBALL MAT, a football mat with special markings and accompanying video materials on the training channel on YouTube, is effective both in group training and in individual sessions. It’s used during the preparation period, for solo training, and as part of the warm-up on match day.
This tool expands the players’ skill sets, especially in areas like ball control, playing with the weaker foot, coordination, and endurance. FOOTBALL MAT is an optimal solution for children of all ages and provides a solid dose of football practice.
A key element of a great coaching approach to football is the ability to choose the right training and an individualized approach to the player. The coach, playing a crucial role in the development of players, must select methods and exercises that effectively enhance football skills.
This is vital for improving the technique, strength, endurance, and tactics of players. Coaching expertise involves focusing on the individual needs of players to provide them with optimal development conditions.
