As a parent with limited knowledge of player development, I would appreciate any thoughts on specific training ideas for 11 or 12 year old players. I have looked at books, websites, and spoken to my son's coach, but I would like some outside thoughts if possible. For example, for the last 5 years, he has focused very hard on technique -- ball mastery drills and standard dribbling, shooting, passing, volleying drills etc. For a very good 11 year old, what skills come next? I was thinking things like curving the ball with outside of each foot, chipping the ball with both feet with laces, maybe curving the ball from outside in? When do kids practice diving headers and jumping up and doing scissors kicks? Should he do those things or other things or just keep dribbling through cones, one v one, volleying, etc.? I'm not so much looking for tactical development (he has a good tactical level coach), but things he can practice on his own to continue to improve his technique. Also, is there much long term benefit to physical training -- sprints, plyometrics, or should that come later? Thanks.
Hey @AJSW You've raised some great questions about your sons player development. When I was his age I was the worst player on my team. My father took me to a soccer trainer out of south plainfield new Jersey named Tom Turnball. The next season i scored more goals then the whole team combined, went on to be selected for NJ Select 2011, NJ ODP 2013, and play soccer at the D1 level. In my humble opinion, He should try to get on a team where he is one of the worst players, a team that challenges his skill, size, physicality, speed of play, everything. During this time he should continue to improve his ball skills. Ball skills mastery never ends, if he is not improving, he is not getting better. I've put together some dribbling sequences that will allow him to dribble around any opponent on the field. The 1st is called outside outside inside outside inside. The 2nd is called inside inside outside inside. Have your son focus on getting his head up with the ball at the ball at the bottom of his vision. He should also focus on smooth transitions between his left foot and his right foot. This exercise should be done at slower speeds over exaggerating each tough diagonal left/diagonal right. Encourage him to "Feel" the ball beneath his feet. ------ Here are a few goals for your son if he is looking to pursue soccer at a college level and beyond Goal 1: Juggle to 25 with his right foot, left foot, right thigh, left thigh. Goal 2: Juggle for an hour straight without dropping the ball. Goal 3: Juggle a ball with no spin/forward spin 50 times in a row with both right foot and left. Goal 4: Master a 1 on 1 move (scissor, snake, or chop). Goal 5: Juggle with ball at speed with just the right foot from endline to half. -then just left foot. -then alternating both feet. -then just right thigh. -Then just left thigh. -Then both thighs alternating. (I stress juggling so much because juggling replicates the unique games situation, replicates dribbling at speed, as well as shooting.) Goal 6: 50 pushups with perfect form, 100 sittups with perfect form, 20 pullups with perfect form. (soccer is extremely physical) Goal 7: Place a Cone a few paces in front of a wall, Have him pass the ball against the wall with the right foot and slide to the left of the cone and pass it with his left foot to the wall and again with the right and again with the left each time moving laterally to the left and the right of the cone to play the ball with each respective foot. Goal 8: Have your son volley the ball against a large wall with his right foot and then after it bounces off the wall volley it with his left foot and then right foot volley. Goal 9: Chest the ball from goal kicks during games and and volley them back on goal after he has popped it up with his thigh. Goal 10: Encourage work on his flexibility like his life depended on it. As far as diving headers/ scissor kicks, the world is his oyster. Encourage creativity on and off the ball. I would also look into wearing vibram 5 fingers shoes to strengthen his feet/body. If he wears them ( make sure he wears them on grass or sand at first) Gymnastics will allow his body to move efficiently. Notice how the best NFL/MLS/MLB athletes can do backflips, foward flips, hand spring cartwheels. If you have money, and take vacations, I would recommend trips to argentina, germany, spain, france, and let him play with the locals/ clubs.
Hope this helps, Sincerely Andy P.S. Make sure he avoids Heavy weight lifiting. No squats. Only functional movement activities: agility ladders, body weight work, band training, balance and proprioceptive exercises.
Ddeu I was thinking things like curving the ball with outside of each foot, chipping the ball with both feet with laces, maybe curving the ball from outside in? When do kids practice diving headers and jumping up and doing scissors kicks? Should he do those things or other things or just keep dribbling through cones, one v one, volleying, He never did diving headers on his own surprised to hear that. Kids do it because they are fun to do. In Germany a lot of German coaches want their players to try and finish ever thing with your head. Scissor kick also know as a bicycle kick same thing players try to do them on their own because they are fun to do. You said he learned how to volley he does not try them in games? Here is a little skill that seems to be a lost art now. Back in the day not ever receiver put themselves in a good positio to receive a ball from the dribbler. Sometimes the defender was between the receiver and the dribbler. So the dribbler just gave the ball eyes. He passed out side of the opponent in the air with a lot of spin on it. Then when the ball land the spin on the ball with kick in and the ball would curve right to his receiver like the ball had eyes. It's a fun skill to have especially if his receivers are lazy . Also works when finding the goal when the keeper thinks he has the far post covered. Pass the ball past the keeper with a lot of spin moving toward the goal. When the ball hits the pitch the spin kicks in and the ball finds the goal just like it had eyes
Thank you, Andy, for your time and thoughts. There is a lot to digest. I can definitely incorporate most of your ideas into the two or three sessions a week that I currently practice with my 11 year old and his younger brother. This is what I was looking for. I really like the comment re dribbling and keeping his head up in an open area. I'll show him the videos. I think a specific drill with keeping his head up such as the ones you provided is great to add. Re juggling, he juggles a lot for fun. Lots of tricks. Normally, he does not like repetitions beyond 100 as it gets boring but repetitions in the context of moving down a field, etc will be new and challenging. Good ideas. Thanks. I completely see the value of using a wall for the passing, volleying, first touch, shooting. When you read about Rooney (happened to read something on him) or other pro players, there always seems to be a wall involved somewhere in their development. However, we have no usable wall -- maybe I am the only one without a wall that is useful for this practice. Also, for pros, there also seem to be about ten kids on their street who played soccer non-stop but that is another issue ... I like the basic physical exercises and the emphasis on form. Pushups, situps, pull-ups. These can be added to a practice session easily. You mentioned flexibility. It seemed v important. Do you know of one or two drills that would be useful? Basically, I'm trying to figure out what to add to the one hour sessions I do with him and his brother. Currently, I do this with them, but it is getting old. 1. Dribbling. Mostly through cones. Different patterns. Always in sets of both feet, right only, left only. Sometimes figure eights (both feet), rollovers (both feet). Practice one v one against each other. 20 minutes or so. 2. Volleying. Lots of volleying. Both feet, head, thighs, chest, combinations of all types. 10 minutes. 3. Juggling. 10 minutes. Sometimes reps. Usually whatever they want to do. 4. Receiving, turns. 10. 5. Kicking back and forth. Both feet. Inside, outside, etc. 6. Ball mastery stuff. Five minutes. I listed this stuff in part because someone showed me this basic program that now works for my kids. Maybe there are other parents who are setting up a routine for their own kids. Andy, I will incorporate the dribbling with head up for sure. Juggling also. Also, the pushups, situp -- maybe at home for them on those. The kids want to play -- and practice is still play for them. I just need to now what to put in front of them. Thank you again.
Thank you Nicklaino. You are correct that it is odd/surprising that he does not do the diving headers, bicycle kicks on his own. Based on my own observations I strongly believe that there is a dichotomy in youth soccer development between ethnic city kids (in my region Mexican-American mostly) who learn by messing around (diving headers/bicycles) in their backyards and parks with brothers, cousins, friends and who obtain skills through constant pick-up games and the more rural, suburban players (my situation) where we use cones, drills, nobody to play with. Ideally, both methods of learning would be used. As my son is playing with better teams in a wider playing pool, I have noticed him playing pickup games before and after practice with the "city" kids and learning "pick-up skills" Long-term we need more pick-up games for kids. More popularity for soccer generally so that on every street a game can be found. The US is not there yet. Until that time, all a parent can do is try to use drills and get the kids to an environment where they can play informally. Of course, also with a good coach for formal team training. I like the idea of spinning the ball to a teammate or around the keeper. Not sure my son can do it. I certainly can't but maybe try it. Appreciate the thoughts.
It easy to teach let him air the ball not to high off the ground past a player like a keeper. Then when the ball hits the ground with a lot of inside spin on it. The ball will start moving in an inside direction. Just keep trying it and watch with the ball does. Then just have to get it by the player you want the ball to get by with the spin and then he will get a charge out of it. Little skills that people don't see much are fun. Fun is tge name of the game when skills are done right.
Great! @AJSW In my humble opinion, i would highly recommend you structure a session like this. Warmup with the ball (10/15 minutes) Ball Mastery Skills Sequence Games (10/15) Barrel Game (15/20) The object of the game is to juggle the ball into the barrel as fast as you can. Place a garbage can a certain distance away and have your sons lineup on opposing sides. If you drop the ball you have to start from the designated starting area marked with cones. Challenge them to bounce the ball into the garbage can with their right foot first with no bounce. Than: left foot no bounce. both feet alternating no bounce. right thigh no bounce. left thigh no bounce. both thighs alternating with no bounce. than any part of the body no bounce. When this becomes too easy increase the distance from the barrel and replace the ball with an orange or a grape fruit or an apple or a golf ball. 1v1 game to cones with a little ball. (15/20) Object of the game is to knock the other persons cone over with a little ball. Using the little ball will improve their touch drastically. Head ball game (10) see how long they can juggle a ball between themselves using just the head first two touch, then just one touch. You call everything a game because games are fun and drills are boring. Also if the older one has friends who are better than him invite them over all the time. Theyll rub off on the little guy. Make sure they stretch after they play. Below is a resistance band stretching routine that will make it so they will never sprain an ankle for the rest of the life, and will prevent any type of knee injuries because it strengthens the joints, ligaments, and tendons. A lot of pro athletes use resistance bands to stretch and train including cristiano ronaldo and derrel revis. I also recommend p90x yoga, but not as a post workout/training routine because it is extremely intense. While they stretch have them drink chocolate milk after practices, games* or workouts. *(If they have back to back games, revive vitamin water may be better.) It has the perfect ratio of carbohydrates to proteins (3:1) and is proven to increase endurance compared to any other post exercise drink. All the best Andy
Bare minimum i would have them do a downward dog stretch. On all fours with the bum in the air. Then cobra. (laying on ground looking up towards the sky.) Then a lunge stretch. Then hamstring stretch locking the knee in and out very slightly. Then cross the legs over to get the lcl and acls. Then quad stretch with the opposite hand grabbing at the ankle. Then a frog stretch to get the groins.
Tell him to watch games analyze how the players play and their ability on the ball and to replicate it.