Get Your Kid to Play Soccer

Soccer is the most popular game in the world. No matter where you go you will find people of all ages enjoying dribbling, passing, shooting and tending a soccer ball.

You don’t have to be a player or a coach to teach your child how to play soccer. You need a ball, some sort of goal, and a general knowledge of some basic skills. What follows may inspire you to give it a try.

There are four basic skills in soccer:

    * Dribbling- moving the down the field
    * Ball Control- receiving and trapping the ball
    * Shooting- attempting a goal
    * Goaltending- protecting the goal

These skills can be learned and practiced in the backyard or at a park. You will need a ball of the correct size for your child, shin guards, and something to function as a goal.

When teaching a kid to play soccer, the important thing to remember is that the initial priority should be on making it fun for them. Don't be too pushy and don't expect them to be executing flying scissor kicks within the first few sessions down your local park!

This is the elements that you should consider using when teaching a child to play. I've assumed that we're talking about a young age group, so kids of around four to seven years old.

1. Use a small ball:
A regulation sized soccer ball is quite big for a kid, yet you often see fathers attempting to get their tiny tot to start playing with the same ball that adults play with. A much better approach is to get a mini ball. Less force will be needed to kick it and it will be easier for them to control. It will help them to work on basic ball control and you can upgrade to a larger ball as they get a bit older.

2. To start with, just let them kick and run with the ball:
Don't make things overly technical. Just show them how to kick the ball and then let them have fun. You might want to make a set of goals with two jumpers (or other markers) and then let them take shots at you. Let a few in and congratulate them on how well they're doing. This is all about building their love of the sport. The co-ordination and skill will come later.

3. Encourage them to use both feet:
Too many footballers are restricted to just kicking the ball with their naturally stronger foot. This is totally unnecessary, however, as any kid (if taught early enough) can master kicking the ball with both feet. Okay, they may favour one foot but being able to do the basics with their other foot will make them a much better player in later life. One way to work on this skill is to get them to play wall squash, where they take turns to kick the ball against a wall with their right foot, then left, then right, etc. We used to play a version of this game at school with a tennis ball that adds an extra degree of difficulty.

4. Technical advice:
Now that they're more confident in their co-ordination, start to factor in some technical tips. For example, most kids will tend to kick the ball with their toes, whereas passes should be made with the instep and shooting should be done with the top of the foot. You can also show them how to bring the ball under control, before they hit it. At school, our football coach got us to get into groups of three, arranged in a trinagle shape, and then take turns on passing the ball between us.