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.
In this article, you’ll find some useful tips on warming up the players. Teach the kids to include all the body movements that allow all muscles in the body to get worked up. This is the right way to wake up the entire nervous system. Rigorous sessions can result in stiffness and cramping of the muscles.
Tip 1: In this make the players go for a light 5 to 7 minute jog. A few minutes of jogging and then moving on to sprinting is the best proposition. Check that the pulse rate in this reaches 120 beats per minute. Yet, the rate should increase gradually. This should be followed by players moving their legs backward and forward for approximately 10 minutes each. Finally, over 20 yards, make them stretch actively.
Tip 2: But make sure that this active stretching over 20 yards goes with a few warm up exercises of its own. For example, have your players skip back and forth. You can also teach them cross stepping. They must also be taught high-knee carioca. 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 give an extra dimension to the skipping exercises. The players can also be told to do cross-over bounce. 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.
After that, have the players do the long shuffles along with twists halfway. Tell the players to practice backward and forward leg swings. It’s a very efficient activity and helps in toning the body. In the same way, high leg forwards and backwards is also very effective.
Tip 4: Stretch adequately and complete it in the approved manner. For the legs, stretch hinging works the best. Ensure that every kid works out hamstring, quadriceps, groin and calf without exceptions. Stretching not only prevents injury but also increases the range of the muscles.
Also ensure that in soccer drills for youth, kids are discouraged from overdoing anything. They tend to get carried over by enthusiasm and injure themselves unnecessarily.
Now that you are armed with this information about kids soccer drills, ensure that kids do warm ups before performing the drills. You’ll find lots and lots of articles and news like this 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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