Skills
Drills vs. Practice Games: How to break
up your time
Some
soccer coaches fret about how much time
to spend at practice working on skills related
drills vs. time scrimmaging or playing in
other small-sided games. The answer lies
in how your team is performing on the field
during practice and in games. In other words,
use your time so that your players properly
grasp the essential elements of each vital
skill, such as trapping, dribbling and other
basics.
If
they demonstrate they understand, spend
less time on the essential basics and move
into more elaborate drills that work on
other areas of the game. However, if your
team is lacking in an important area fundamental
skill, for example trapping, you must make
it your objective to fix this serious leak.
Learning
to dribble, trap and pass are the basis
for all ball movement. If your players are
going to elevate their game, it is up to
the coach to structure the practice correctly
and make it happen. Your job is to analyze
the team and figure out the areas your team
needs the most work. Once you establish
what your team needs to work on, hammer
the point with drills and emphasis until
they understand.
Once
you get to the level where your players
are fundamentally sound, your objectives
change somewhat. At this point, your goal
is to give players a good number of touches
at practice. Whether it is skills drills
or game drills, the more chances to control
and carry the ball your players get, the
more comfortable they will become. Given
enough touches, over time your players will
improve considerably, individually and as
a team.
You
must also accept that players will become
bored if you spend too much time in heavy
skills drills. One and at most two is plenty
per practice, and I would devote most of
your time at practice for small-sided games,
and other scrimmage-like elements.
This
mix will keep it interesting for players,
while the small number of players will give
them a high number of touches on the ball.
The way to get players to “get it”
is to reinforce what you have worked on
in the skills drills in your game drills.
Stop the game temporarily when a fundamental
mistake occurs and the team can learn from
it.
If
your players show during the scrimmage games
what you have taught them during the skill
drills, you are spending enough time. For
example, dribbling the ball properly means
keeping the ball within a touch or two,
and keeping your head up, scanning the field.
If your players are not performing in this
fashion, it is time to plan more dribbling
drills to the mix at practice. As always,
it is up to the coach to decide what a proper
mix requires, and taking my recommendations
into consideration should make it easier
for you to find that proper mix.