How to Get Youth Soccer Players to Respect the Coach

It is always advisable to get your youth team soccer players to respect you as a coach. Respect has to be earned and does not come automatically. As a youth soccer coach myself for many years, I have a few tips to pass along.


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Firstly you have to show the players that you know more than they do. For some parent soccer coaches, this may not be the case. Even so, you need to give the impression that you know more. One of the most important aspects of this is to prepare your session and write it down on paper. There is nothing worse than going into a session not knowing what you will be doing. You should choose the topic first and have the session on the one theme. You should plan your warm up, skills section, small sided games etc. You should have a schedule for each part. You also need to know the coaching points that you are going to teach.

Next you should get to the session up to 15 minutes early to set things up. You should set up the grids with the cones and discs and bring pinneys for the small sided games. Doing these 2 things should set you up for a successful session and should get you the respect of the players who will think you know what you are doing. Prepare the session by planning it out and bring the correct equipment.

You should at a very early stage give the players your set of rules, for example don’t talk while the coach is talking. If the players are doing this you need to repeat these rules as this is showing an amount of disrespect.

I have also found it helpful to respect the players no matter how old they are. Involve them in certain decisions and listen to them. If you respect the players you will earn the respect back in most cases.

If you are well organized, know what you are doing, respect the players and make it fun for them, you should be well ahead.

There are always some exceptions where you may have to discipline the whole team for only a few players not respecting you. You may also have to have a private word with any player who continues to be a problem.

How to Get Youth Soccer Players to Respect the Coach

How to Do the ATW?

The first trick in freestyle soccer that you might have heard of its the ATW or Around the World.


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What is ATW?

The Around the World (ATW) is done by swinging your leg over the ball and complete the rotation by touching the ball as it falls. Timing is crucial from the moment you flick the ball to when the ball falls. So here are some useful tips to improve on your ATW soccer trick:

Warming Up

Prepare yourself with a light jog and then work on your stretches. I shall emphasis on stretching on important parts of your body but you may also do other stretches. It’s important that you consult your doctor before performing these stretches to avoid any unnecessary injuries.

1. Stretching on Calves

From a standing position, take a step forward with your right knee and bend it slowly and gradually until your left calf is stretched. Once you feel a slight pain on your left calf, hold for 5 seconds.

2. Stretching on Groin

Sit on a comfortable ground and pull your feet together with the soles pressed against one another. Then grab your ankles firmly so that your elbows touch the inside of your thighs. Contract your groin muscle by pushing your leg up against your elbows for 5 seconds. Relax your muscles and push your knees down with your elbows for 10 seconds. Repeat this for about 3 times. It’s better to hold for a few seconds and increase it as you become comfortable. Remember not to overstretched your calves, groin and other parts of your body.

Once you are completely warmed-up. You are raring to practice the ATW:

1. Footstall

Place the ball on your foot and balance it for at least 5 seconds.

2. Swing over the ball

As you balance the ball, flick and swing your leg over the ball in one motion.

3. Control the ball

Timing is crucial here as you need to quickly swing your leg over and touch the ball before it falls to the ground.

The soccer trick is hard at first and could take weeks and even months to perfect it. So keep on practicing on the ATW to perfect the technique. All the best!

How to Do the ATW?

The Advantages of Watching Soccer on TV

Watching soccer on TV at home is part of everyday life of die hard soccer fans. Some would ask “what is the difference watching soccer on television and watching it for real?” As we can see soccer stadiums usually is very crowded and noisy. It is more relaxing and a no sweat environment.

There are fans that would prefer to watch soccer games in the stadium because it is much fun and exciting but one big advantage in watching soccer on TV is that you don’t have to go out outside of the house and you can getaway from the noisy crowd. It is also less expense because we don’t have to spend a dime and don’t need to travel just to watch it live.

Soccer Tip

There are instances or bad happenings in the stadiums too that prevent some fans on watching live and rather prefer at home. Overcrowded would result to stampede or stadium collapse which is the worst thing that would happen. For older people and children it is advisable to just watch soccer at home because it is much safer and secure.

The Advantages of Watching Soccer on TV

We have seen bad happenings in stadiums and unavoidable situations. To be extra careful it is best if we just stay at home watching our favorite game on TV. Once or twice it is good too to watch it live in the stadium just to experience the thrill and excitement of the game, but most preferably it would be safer enough to just watch it at home.

The Advantages of Watching Soccer on TV

Football (Soccer) Betting Tip – No Value No Bet

Value hunting is universal. It is applicable to both life and business. And it should apply to football betting as well. Many punters fail to appreciate the significance of value betting. This is the most important BUT also the most misunderstood concept in football betting. Value is the real key to making profit in the long run.

WHAT IS VALUE

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Simply, value is found when you can obtain an object for less than what it is actually worth. The following illustration will clearly explain this.

Football (Soccer) Betting Tip – No Value No Bet

You are an antique enthusiast and you are browsing around an antiques shop. You notice a nice old vase on offer for 0. You know you could resell the vase for at least 0. This means there is VALUE in buying the vase. The key here is your KNOWLEDGE that the vase is actually worth 0.

However, if you buy the vase with the intention to sell it but WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE how much you could sell the vase for, then this is not a wise purchase and it is not a value buy.

The same principle applies to football betting. In sports, the true value of the outcome of a match is expressed by the probability of that outcome happening. If you can get a price which is HIGHER than the one indicated by the probability, then you have found value.

So, the prices (or odds) offered by the bookmakers are related to the probability of that outcome happening. Now, how do we determine whether the odds are of value?

PRICES (OR ODDS)

Fair prices (or odds) are set if the result is expected to be a 50/50 situation.

Let’s take the example of the flipping of a coin. As there are two sides of the coin, the chances of heads and tails are 50% each. The formula to calculate the odds in such a 50/50 situation is 100 / 50 = 2. Therefore, odds of 2 are called FAIR ODDS.

So, if we are betting on coin-throws, when the price offered is lower than 2, then it has no value because we will definitely lose. However, if the price is higher than 2, say 2.10, it means the probability for the win is 5% higher (2.10/2.00). This is value.

HOW TO CALCULATE IF A BET HAS VALUE

Before we know how to find value, we must first understand how to calculate probability and value.

Probability Calculation

The formula is:

Probability = 1 / 0dds

So, if an event is offered at 2.50, then it has a probability of

1 / 2.5 = 40% chance of happening ACCORDING TO THE BOOKMAKER.

If you estimate the ‘true’ chance is greater than 40%, then you have found value.

Value Calculation

The formula is:

Odds x Percentage / 100 > 1.0 (The figure must be greater than 1.0 to have value)

In the above example, if you estimate the percentage to be 50%, the value calculation will be :

2.50 x 50 / 100 = 1.25 (This is value as the figure is greater than 1.0)

HOW TO FIND VALUE

The keys to value punting are:

* How accurate you can estimate the winning percentage of the outcome.

* Getting the best odds for that event.

Calculating the winning chance is not an easy task. Finding value is 100% subjective. One may deem odds of 1.20 is value but another may disagree. Some punters feel that for odds of 1.20, the event must have a probability chance of at least 83% because they have to win five out of six such 1.20 events to be in profit.

So, finding value odds is very individualistic. Sometimes, odds of 1.50 represents value. Sometimes, even 15.00 is not worth the shot.

After researching the usual selection criteria, shortlist your betting targets. Then create your own estimations on the percentage of Home win, a draw or Away win. No strategy is set in stone. You have to try out various methods and over time, you will realise how certain factors will influence the outcome more than others.

Time, experience and practice are essential in ‘perfecting’ your methods.

CONCLUSION

If one of your value bet loses, it does not mean the bet does not have value. A punter must learn to accept that not all bets can be winning bets. The decisive factor is to find value in your picks. Of course, the more the number of value bets, the higher the profit you can achieve.

Football (Soccer) Betting Tip – No Value No Bet

7 Tips For Dribbling a Soccer Ball

One of the first skills youth soccer players learn is how to dribble a soccer ball. The unfortunate thing is, many player never get beyond very basic dribbling. When it comes to changing directions, or making a feint on an opposing player, they are at a loss. Your job as the youth soccer coach is to give them the tools to take their dribbling skills to the next level.

Here are 7 tips you can use to help your players develop this valuable skill.

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1. Maintain Your Balance

As you dribble the soccer ball it is important that you maintain your balance. Keep your feet wide enough that you can quickly stop, start, and change direction. When you play off balance it is impossible to do anything except move forward in a straight line without losing possession of the ball.

2. Keep Your Head Up

When players first learn to dribble they have a tendency to watch their own feet. Unfortunately when they have their head down they cannot see anything that is going on in the field. They have no idea where their teammates are, and they don not see approaching defenders.

Make sure that you work with your players to keep their head up when they are dribbling. Watching their feet is a horrible habit to get into, and it will hamper your players development in other areas of the game.

3. Look Where You Are Going

While it is important to look around to see what is happening on the field, you should not lose focus on where you are going with the ball. When a player stops paying attention to where they are going they can quickly get into trouble. When they see what is in front of them they can make better decisions about what to do with the ball.

4. Study Your Opponents

As players begin to develop they will start to be able to spot the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. Players have tendencies to play a certain way, and if you are aware of those tendencies you can use that knowledge to your advantage during the game.

For instance, if you see that a player has trouble defending attackers that move to the left, you can instruct your players to cut the ball to the left when they face that defender. While this may not be useful at lower levels, it can give you a nice advantage in older youth soccer games.

5. Use Both Feet

Players that can dribble with both feet are much more difficult to defend. Using both feet give the ball handler the ability to shield the ball better, and they are able to change directions with the ball much more quickly.

6. Don’t Be Predictable

As players start to learn more moves with the ball, some of them will have a favorite move that they use during the game. While this is understandable, it can lead to trouble if they rely onb a single move too much.

When you become predictable it makes it much easier for a defender to know what you are going to do with the ball. Once they know what you are going to do, it is very easy for them to take the ball from you.

7. Pass the Ball

One of the biggest mistakes a youth soccer player can make when dribbling is to miss the opportunity to pass the ball. They try to dribble through traffic, or they allow themselves to get hemmed in on the sideline or in the corner.

One of the fastest ways to move the soccer ball and to spread the defense is to pass the ball. Don’t allow your players to get so confident in their ball handling abilities that they miss open passes.

As a youth soccer coach you need to find ways to get your players plenty of touches on the ball during your practices. These 7 tips will help you to develop your players into talented ball handlers. That put you one step closer to victory.

7 Tips For Dribbling a Soccer Ball

Kicking Your Soccer Ball

If you really want to learn to kick a soccer ball, you need to determined, persistent and patient. Most importantly, you need practice. To get yourself started, you will need a soccer ball, cleats, and large clear area so that you can practice. Now let’s quickly take a look at some tips to start off.

1) Kicking with your toe should be strictly avoided. It may seriously injure your toe and you’d surely lose control over the ball.

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2) To avoid slipping and tripping, soccer cleats are recommended.

3) The ball should only be sufficiently pumped, over pumping would only make it difficult to kick.

4) You can give additional lift to the ball by leaning over it while kicking. Also make sure that the ball is under your foot.

5) If you want to kick the ball further, do not stand directly over it. Instead, lean back while kicking to give the ball more height and more power to your kick.

The above tips will certainly give your kicks more strength. Now we shall take a look at how to kick a soccer ball CORRECTLY. Following the easy steps below should definitely help.

Step 1: Your equipment is the most important, a soccer ball (real one!) and soccer shoes. Playing without soccer shoes is not recommended and playing barefoot should be strictly avoided.

Step 2: Now while kicking, take a few steps backward and a step to the side (to the left if kicking with your right foot and vice versa if you are kicking with your left). This way you are using your hips to kick the ball with excess power.

Step 3: Run towards the ball, using your foot which you are not using for the kicks to direct the ball by placing it about six inches from the ball ground level in the direction that you aim to kick it.

Step 4: Always bring your leg back and then push it forward, with your toe pointing towards the ground. Your foot should strike the ball at the point where your shoe laces are.

Step 5: Having your body lean forward in order to push your weight ahead of the body makes the soccer kick more powerful. Leaning back after you kick will help you keep your balance.

Follow these basic steps of soccer and you might just turn out to be a soccer star some day.

Kicking Your Soccer Ball

Soccer Player Nutrition

When I started to play soccer I didn’t have a clue of what I should eat to prepare for a soccer match. I didn’t know either what to eat after my soccer games or neither how to maintain a rich high carbohydrate diet. In this guide I will present some basic and important nutritional tips that you as soccer player must and should follow in order to perform maximum during your practice or soccer match.

Carbohydrates!

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I cannot explain enough how important this one is. Your performance will depend on a diet that is rich in carbohydrates. With carbohydrate diet you will improve your speed and stamina on the soccer field. The more carbohydrates you eat the more you will be able to stay on top.

Soccer Player Nutrition

The time recommended for consuming a large portion of carbohydrates is not few hours before a game. Instead, you have to consume this portion one day before (that is 24 hours before the start of your match). Still, many players go by the old myth to prepare high carbohydrates meals few hours before the game starts.

A balanced diet may consist of following:

o 50-60% carbohydrates

o 10 % protein

o 20-30% fat

o lots of fluids

Protein is still important

Beside carbohydrates, protein is the second most important part in your soccer diet. Good protein can be found in chicken, fish and milk. Protein will help you to restore new fuel in your muscles and your muscles will get stronger.

Eat Fat!

Fat is good and you should try to eat it often. These are the types that you should eat:

o Omega fat (Fish)

o Lean ground beef

o Red meat (remove the fat)

There are some fat types that you should avoid. These can be found in milk and other similar products.

Soccer Player Nutrition

Soccer Skills – How To Improve Your Soccer Skills Today

Soccer skills are hands down the number one reason why soccer players will potentially move on to play at the next level. For some players however it is the sole reason that they do not. As a former professional player, I can say that most people train ineffectively and thus do not reach their ultimate goals for playing soccer.

But what do I mean by that exactly? Well for starters it comes down to maximizing the time you train. I’ve trained hundreds of players personally that went on to become great players. However, when they started there was one commonality to all of them. They did not know how to effectively skyrocket their soccer skills.

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The reason for this is because they had never been taught this. Listen to this point carefully and as it is the main idea that I want to get across to you. If you want your soccer skills to leap frog other soccer players, you have to do this individually.  I cannot stress this enough. Do not expect to do improve greatly just by showing up for practice.

This is where most players go completely wrong. Think about this. How do you expect to improve drastically if everybody you know is doing the same drills? The answer is you will not. It takes that extra drive. It takes the right mindset of knowing that when you are training all by yourself or even with a few other motivated players you are practicing more than your opponent.

This alone is the reason why your touch will get sharper, your accuracy will improve drastically, and your shot will be harder and more fine tuned. When you go to practice you are learning team oriented drills that will help team chemistry but rarely will you fine-tune your personal soccer skills.

Think of it this way. Every soccer player should be observant to some degree and I’m sure you know who the “game-changing” players are on your team. You know who has the best shot, who will take free kicks, and who is the captain. Likewise, you should understand what areas of your own game you need to work on.

Do you want a better shot? Do you want to learn to run faster or kick more accurately? This is the reason why individual training is key. When you are in practice you have to perform drills that your coaches think the entire team needs to learn to improve on, like attacking or transitioning out of the back. Sadly most coaches do not even know do this even though they should.

Simply put, if you know how to improve your soccer skills you can literally leapfrog other players with your soccer skills.

People tend to ask me what is the number one way to improve my game and I really have to say it is two things. One is to improve your speed. You can overcome a lot of mistakes by simply being faster than your opponent.

This begs the question that is a huge myth. Can you teach speed? Absolutely!

How do you think that Olympic athletes improve? Did you think it was by accident? To put it this way, in two off-seasons I improved my 40-yard dash by one second. Now, one second may not sounds like a lot but in a 40 yard dash it is a huge improvement.

When I first started training I was a pretty fast sprinter. By the time I finished speed training before I went off to college I ran the equivalent sprinting time of an NFL wide receiver. I ran a 4.33 40-yard dash. So you can definitely improve speed and you can do it rather quickly if you know how to like I did.

Secondly, you need to improve your first touch. Wayne Rooney, of Manchester United, was interviewed saying the most important part of your game is your first touch. By mastering that you will have more time to figure out your next few moves. The ball will be exactly where you need it to be all the time. A simple way to start improving your first touch soccer skill is by juggling.

Juggling gives you the opportunity to multitask your training. You learn to concentrate, trap, manipulate the ball, and muscle memory all at the same time.

There are countless other ways however for other ways to improve but most soccer players just really do not understand how exactly to fast track their progress.

Soccer Skills – How To Improve Your Soccer Skills Today

Priceless Tips to Become a Good Soccer Goalie – How to Save a Penalty Kick

The Soccer Goalie is definitely at a disadvantage when facing a Penalty Kick. The ball is close, the net is big, and the ball is small. However, if you want to become a Good Soccer Goalie, you will have to learn how to save a penalty kick. Luckily for you there are a few tips and tricks you can use to better your odds.


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1) Watch the shooter’s eyes.

Many players will telegraph where they are going to shoot the ball, by looking at their desired target before they shoot the ball.

2) Get in your opponents head.

If you can get into your opponent’s head you may be able to make them lose their focus. There are many things you could do to make this happen (be sure to keep it within reason). Here are just a few:

o Winking at your opponent.

o Blowing him/her a kiss.

o Waving your arms frantically.

3) Watch the planting foot.

As a general rule of thumb, the Soccer ball will usually travel where the planting foot is directed. As a Soccer goalie, you can use this to your advantage. Watch where the planting foot is pointed; favour this side.

4) Be active on the line.

When standing on the line, prior to the kick being taken, you should always be active. Move side to side to throw off the shooter. This will also give you a better chance of reacting quickly. It’s easier to move when you’re on your toes, rather than being flat footed.

5) Favour one side.

You may want to favour one side, leaving an opening on the other side of the goal, to encourage the opponent to shoot to the open corner. When the shot is taken, quickly move to the open side.

Try these tips out next time your practicing your Penalty shots. If some of them work for you, you may want to use them in a game situation. Remember if you want to become a Good Soccer Goalie, you are going to have to learn how to save penalty kicks.

Priceless Tips to Become a Good Soccer Goalie – How to Save a Penalty Kick

How to Become a Professional Freestyle Soccer Performer

Becoming a professional freestyle soccer performer can turn out to be a difficult task if you don’t know where to start and especially if you lack the frame of mind to do so. So here are a few tips to set you on your way to getting the job you truly desire.


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1. To start a professional freestyle soccer career you must have time. In order to have time you must have money to support yourself while you practice your freestyle soccer tricks. Make sure you have money to pay your rent, to buy your sports clothing and equipment but most importantly your food. You’ll be in an excellent position to develop your skills daily if you don’t have to worry about paying rent and being under pressure to work everyday.

2. Once you find time you must find space. Space is usually easy to find as there are so many parks and sport centres around these days. Make sure the space you find is close to your house so you don’t have to travel long journeys to practice your tricks, otherwise you could lose your motivation.

3. Be very focused. Remember that professionals aren’t made overnight. Don’t let distractions take you off track, life is full of illusions and obstructions that you must overcome completely to live the life of your dreams. You are the master of your own destiny. The reason why most people don’t become famous or rich is because they expect to get everything quickly, and when they don’t they give up.

4. Believe in yourself even when the chips are down. Beliefs can change realities, as Christ put it – you can move mountains with a grain of belief. Even if you become negative about your future, get right back up and push yourself even stronger and you will realise the power your mind has over matter.

5. When you become excellent at freestyle soccer invest in yourself and spend time figuring out ways to make money. You can teach school children and teenagers how to do complex soccer tricks and you can also promote sports products for Nike like Soufiane Touzani and John Farnworth have done in the past. A good way to grow your client base is to market your services, this can be done through the use of business cards, websites and videos.

To your success,

Thiago De Carvalho.

For more tips like these visit www.FreestyleSoccerProfits.com.

How to Become a Professional Freestyle Soccer Performer