Youth Soccer Drills:Discover The Art of Heading

Has it ever occurred to you that head can be very effectively used in passing on the ball when it is still in the air? In youth soccer drills, this exercise in no way hurts the player provided it is learnt properly.

Before you begin with training the players in the skill of heading, deflate the ball a bit especially when they are doing it the first time. Let some air out of the ball so that it becomes soft and easy to handle. When it comes to kids soccer drills, like always, begin with the basics of heading, some of which I'll be happy to share with you.

When the ball is still in the air, the players should move along the ball for the reason that their body should directly in front of the ball when they face it. They should keep their eyes on the ball all the way in, and continue watching it as it strikes their forehead.

Let the kids understand the significance of keeping an eye on the ball and watch it coming to them and going away from them. They can be seriously hurt of they don't keep their eyes open. In youth soccer practice, players should be taught to strike the ball with the top-front area of the forehead instead of the temples or crown of the head.

Majority of the youth soccer drills lay stress on the value of movement necessary to head the ball accurately. Out of many, here are two drills that your players can perform.

Sitting and Knees: Performing this drill in youth soccer coaching requires two players and one ball. One player will sit on the ground with their feet straight out in front of him or her. The second player should stand in front of the 1st one and throw the ball at a very low level towards him or her. The objective behind this is that because the ball is thrown short, the person will have to come forward to hit it.

This activity should go on with a player positioned with both knees on the ground. Here, the player will have to lunge forward to strike the ball. This drill is useful in teaching the players to use their head in guiding the ball.

This drill requires the players to hold the ball with their hands and the throw it off by heading it. %SPIN21% They should be taught to move their head to the ball and not move the ball to their head.

Use of cones can help in teaching them the skill of heading to a specific location. The players acquire the skill of heading the ball in a particular direction using their head.

So now you know, using youth soccer drills, the players will learn to safely head the ball in a game without hurting themselves. Our youth soccer coaching community has tons of valuable information on youth soccer and you can take advantage of it by enrolling for it.

Andre Botelho is the author of "The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide" and he's an expert in the subject of Youth soccer drills. Tp explode your players' skills and make coaching fun in less than 29 days, download your free Youth Soccer Drills guide at: Youth soccer drills.