Running and fitness

[dessy]

I have heard that you can combine running with the ball activities and games with improving fitness. Has anybody got any good ideas with regards to this?

[Guy Williams]

Hi, try this.
2 cones between 10 /15 apart facing each other with 3/4 players at each end, 1 ball, Players run with ball towards player facing as they get close they lay the ball off they must run round the cone and chase the player and seeif they can tag the player they are chasing, the player with the ball must do the same when he gets to the other end.


xxx4 C x2----------------------------- x1 C x3 xx

X is players, c = cone

X1 runs at X2 lays off to X2, X1 runs around the cone and chases X2, X2 does the same to X3 and X3 does the same with X4 and so on

[lanesra]

I'm not sure what you are looking towards, dessy, but one way I get the kids to do a lot of running with the ball and try to work on skills is that I stand in the goal. All the kids begin by the goal post, each with a ball. One by one, they start dribbling toward the corner flag. The goal is control, to keep the ball in the line. Make a good turn at the corner and head upfield at the line, but this time at speed. Make a good turn at half field, but concentrate on staying on the line (control). Then at the midway point, come down the field towards me in goal, at speed and shoot. If you have more than 10 kids on the team, you can use both sides of the field.

This works well for U8 to U12. The task of keeping the ball on line is a good challenge, coming down field at speed and shooting at the keeper (esp when he's the coach) is fun, and the kids get a good workout with the size fields that you find now for U8, U10 and U12 leagues.

[Jerzy]

One thing I do for my kids to get them to run a bit more is play a SSG that requires the entire team to be in the attacking half to get any points for a goal. This way the defenders just can't sit back after they move the ball forward. By the same token, all the players on the defending team have to be back in their half or else any goal given up counts double. This requires the strikers to defend. Obviously, don't do this too much because you don't want your defenders crowding the offense and taking away space, but this game will tire them out.

I also don't have a lot of problems with kids running laps, but I try to run with the kids. Kids really like beating the coach

[soccercoaching1]

Soccer Workout

There is no quick and easy way to this, establish a soccer workout routine is the best way! :
Great genetics are not necessarily a precursor for success in the game. Skill can only be acquired through many hours of observation, repetition and application. Study the biography of any successful soccer player and you'll undoubtedly find that he or she has spent a good amount of time in isolation, working on skills.
Individual training is important for players who are not practicing with their team every day. Setting long and short-term goals is a must. When designing your soccer training regime, you should strive for a realistic and attainable program. How much soccer training is needed to reach your goal and become a top player? It depends on the efficiency of your training routine and your starting level. This workout will help you:

http://www.professionalsoccercoaching.com/soccer-workout.html
Or
Here is a link to a soccer workout for soccer:

http://socceragent.net/soccer-workout-routine.html

[coachdave]

Originally Posted by dessy

I have heard that you can combine running with the ball activities and games with improving fitness. Has anybody got any good ideas with regards to this?

This soccer exercise is good for working on skills, such as ball control and running with the ball, but it will also build your players' stamina and fitness levels.

One-touch soccer speed drill

This soccer drill is what good training sessions are all about, it will help warm up your players and give them a good skill-building session with fitness and fun thrown in.




This is a great drill for a training session
The drill has all the ingredients you want for youth soccer coaching drills: skill, speed, agility, fitness, stamina, plus there is an element of competition and it is lots of fun.


Drill set up
For this drill you need two teams of around five in each team, there can be more or less but five is about right.

Set out four cones 10 metres apart. In the middle is one team, players in two rows about two metres apart.

Offset the players in a zig-zag formation. This team has to pass the ball from the player on one end of the zig zag to the player on the other end by one touch passing. If the pass goes wrong, or the player uses two touches, it goes back to the beginning.



Each time the ball goes from one end to the other, the team scores a point. The time they have to do this depends on the other team.


Get the team around the square quickly
Team two has to get all its players around the square in a relay style race as quickly as possible.



Once the last player has run around, the team sits down and the coach stops the passing team. The first team sets the target, then team two gets a chance to score as many points as possible while team one runs around the square.


Key soccer coaching tip: The harder your players work, the better their chances of winning.



This exercise is taken from Bettersoccercoaching.com which has loads of free soccer drills, small-sided games and useful coaching advice. The articles are free to download - you just have to click the pop up that appears when you log on.

Hope this is helpful to you, Dessy!