It’s sad to know that people fail to appreciate the importance of warming up in kids soccer drills. Being a coach, I’d let it be known that warming up is not only compulsory but is even critical to begin the day’s play at a brighter and healthier note. This issue is conveniently ignored as unimportant by the coaches in youth soccer drills. This has a direct affect on the health of players in form of injuries while practicing.
You will find some great tips on warming up your team before practice sessions. The team should be guided to use such body movements that have the effect of warming up all muscles. This is the right way to wake up the entire nervous system. If the movements are intense, body could become stiff or develop cramps.
Tip 1: Have the players jog for about 5-7 minutes initially. It is advocated that players begin printing only after a light jogging. In this, the pulse rate should reach 120 beats per minute. Yet, the rate should increase gradually. Next, make the players sway their legs, front and back, which should take roughly 10 minutes each. Finally, over 20 yards, make them stretch actively.
Tip 2: Having said that, do remember that even this active stretching over 20 yards comes with some warm up drills of its own. Like the players can bounce backward and forward. Also teach your players to do cross stepping. High-knee carioca can also be taught to players. These must be carried out just like sprinting.
In soccer drills for kids, an extremely helpful warm up drill is backward running. Still, in order to perform it, the proper way to do it is to jerk up the heels to the butt. It is a little hard to practice this but it is the only correct way of doing it.
Tip 3: In kids soccer drills, there are many other warming up exercises that increase the stamina to perform in the practice sessions. You can make the players skip with loops or swings. These result in giving an extra edge to the skipping exercises. You can also make them cross-over skip. Quick Hip Swings, though it’s slightly complex, can also be used to warm up the body intensively as it’s a very valuable and tested means.
Next, make the players do long shuffles with turns in the middle. Tell the players to practice backward and forward leg swings. It has the effect of toning the body in an effective and easy way. Similarly high leg forward and backward is very useful too.
Tip 4: Stretching should be carried out properly and sufficiently. Stretch hinging is most beneficial for the legs. It is for you to see that all kids work out their groin, hamstring, quadriceps, and calf muscles without fail. The players not only avoid injuries but also get to increase their muscle range by stretching.
It is also essential to note that in soccer drills for youth, kids abstain from overdoing anything. They have the tendency to get carried away in excitement and injure themselves as a result.
Now that you are armed with this information about kids soccer drills, ensure that kids do warm ups before performing the drills. You can get a variety of information on same topic on our youth soccer coaching community. Become a member today and benefit from it.
Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Youth Soccer Drills.
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