Question:
What are some good soccer drills for six-year-olds?
Answer:
At this age kids should have fun with the ball. Encourage dribbling and scoring. Every child should have a ball at their feet for most of the practice. No standing in lines! My favorite at this age is to create a square about 15 yds x 15 yds and have the kids dribble. Start using both feet keep the ball close, then use only the right/left foot, then only the outside or inside of the foot, have them when you say left turn left or right when you turn right. Let them develop confidence with the ball. Do not try and teach tactics or positions at this age. For more on youth soccer develpment go to: http://ussoccer.com/coaches/resources/index.jsp.html and download the pdf of Best Practices.
May 25, 2011 at 3:06 am
I agree about teaching dribbling and scoring at this age. One of the things I have noticed about kids at this age is the importance of being confident on the ball. I think too many coaches get concerned about pieces of the game that are not relevant for six year olds (e.g. like tactics or positions).
May 25, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Definitely. If the kids aren’t having fun, they won’t love the sport. And if they don’t love the sport, then they won’t be motivated to practice and improve.