FineSoccer Kids 3

Welcome to the FineSoccer Kids Newsletter. Today's subject will deal with showing you how you can train either by yourself or with a friend during this time of the year when many people are limited in their ability to train outdoors.

The first thing I would like to recommend is that you play any chance you get. Many recreation centers have open gym times after school and while most of the people who use these facilities use them for basketball, there shouldn't be anything to stop you from using it for soccer. Go down there with a ball and a friend (and if you can't find a friend to go with you, go by yourself). If you have one available, it would be even better to bring an indoor ball or a futsal ball (you should be able to pick these up at your local soccer stores). If there are three others who want to play, play a 2 v 2 toward goals (you can actually use the middle third of a basketball court between the two three point arcs so you could play without interfering with basketball games going on). If it's only you and one other person, play 1 v 1 to goals. Play for short periods of time but play hard and you will find that not only can this be a great deal of fun, but you can also get a really good workout.

If there is an indoor soccer facility in your area, not only should you join the leagues but also, many of them have free play after school (they might charge a couple of dollars for to play to cover insurance issues). Play 5 v 5 or whatever numbers are available. Frequently, when you play in this type of environment, you will have different ages and skill levels but again, the key is to play as much as you can and if it means playing against players a few years older then you then that is great, learn from them. If it means playing with players a few years younger then you, great again, help teach them.

Many churches or schools will rent out their gym for a few hours if it's available. Get a group of kids together (with an adult to provide supervision) and play futsal. If each player were to pay a couple of dollars per session, it would offset the cost of the facility and then it's just a matter of picking teams and playing. The key though is that someone has to take charge and say "LETS DO IT!" If you wait for your coach or parent to do this for you, you might be waiting a very long time. If you want to be a player, then take the initiative and play!

If you can't get to an indoor facility, then you will have to make do with what you have. Do you have a basement you can kick around in? Or how about a garage? You need very little space to get some training (if you have a two car garage and there is only one car in there, then it's plenty of space for training). Consider working on moves to make it easier to beat a player off of the dribble (I wrote a long newsletter describing different moves which can be found at http://finesoccer.com/soccer_edition_56.htm but I do need to warn you that the drawings leave a LOT to be desired). You can also purchase some tapes that have individual moves as well as skills that can be worked on in small areas. One of the most popular tapes would be the Coerver Coaching Tapes, which can be found at http://www.coerver-coaching.com/ (please note, I have nothing to do with Coerver coaching or their products and I don't use them but I have seen the tapes and feel they are helpful).

There are a number of other drills you can use that I do quite frequently (I use these indoors and outdoors and they require either one or two people maximum. You can find them online at http://finesoccer.com/finesoccer_drill_28.htm; http://finesoccer.com/finesoccer_drill_29.htm and http://finesoccer.com/finesoccer_drill_30.htm check them out when you get a chance.

The main purpose of this newsletter is to let you know that there are many things you can do in limited spaces and in bad weather that will continue to allow you to get better as a soccer player.

If you know of anyone else who might be interested in receiving the FineSoccer Kids Newsletter, please tell him or her to go to www.finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please send them to kidscomments@finesoccer.com

Have a great day!

Lawrence