How to Plan a Soccer Training Session
While game management is what is most open to criticism in coaching, creating a proper training regimen to prepare for games is the most important aspect to building a strong squad. While tweaks to your schedule should be made to keep things fresh, it is important to drill all the important areas in developing your players.
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Instructions
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Begin practice with a lap or two around the field to get players' legs loose.
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Have the team perform stretching drills to help prevent players from injuring a muscle. A good stretching regimen should last 10 to 15 minutes, and should stretch all muscles, with a focus on the lower body.
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Follow up stretching with small-sided drills. Start the players with games of keep away, with six to eight players on the outside and one to two players attempting to intercept, then proceed to small-sided scrimmages, with 3-foot-wide goals made from cones as scoring zones.
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Train the players with dribbling drills to help them grow more comfortable with the ball. Dribbling should be performed with both feet. A simple drill is to set up a series of cones and have players slalom through.
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Spend time during every practice working on set-pieces, as this will allow your offense to practice finishing, and your defense to practice defending these vital kicks.
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Use half-field drills if you do not have enough players for a full scrimmage. Separate your offensive and defensive players, and allow the offense to try to bring the ball down and score from midfield.
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End practice with a cool-down exercise, such as a slow jog around the field or a drill which involves the whole team but isn't overly taxing. This will help prevent post-training cramps and injuries.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't fall into an exact template for every practice. While it's important to begin and end properly, you can change the order of your middle drills to keep players enthusiastic to be there.
Over-training can be detrimental. Do not be afraid to have a light practice on the eve of a big game or if the team appears tired.
