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iSoccer is Proud to be working with Youth Soccer Insight
http://www.youthsoccerinsight.com/main/
iSoccer is proud to announce a new relationship with Youth Soccer Insight. Youth Soccer Insight is a great new way for players, parents and coaches to see and hear what leaders in youth soccer are saying and doing. There are videos from professional players to high level coaches to nutritionist to recruiting experts – All in one place! What a great resource for players and parents of all ages!
Here is a Blurb from Youth Soccer Insight:
“Discover the secrets to improve your game with an exclusive look into the world of soccer experts. YSI offers an all-access pass to the experts, so you can gain valuable insight on every aspect of the game.”
Use the Promo Code “isoccer” to get over 3 months of free access!
#1 Ranked Team uses iSoccer and 20 Second Training Intervals!
Check out Gryphon’s SC u12 Girl’s Team (Ranked #1 in the country according to Got Soccer) use iSoccer in the beginning part of their session. (But they do not put much value on rankings… they are still pushing to raise their level every day!) Great work girls!
National Assessment Topic #6: Ball Striking
Excerpt from Beckham, Both Feet on the Ground
“All the strengths in my game are the one Dad taught me in the park twenty years ago: we’d work on touch and striking the ball properly until it was too dark to see. He’d kick the ball up in the air as high as he could and get me to control it. Then it would be kicking it with each foot, making sure I was doing it right. It was great, even if he did drive me mad sometimes. ‘Why can’t you just go in goal and let me take shots at you?’ I’d be thinking.”
The Most Common Coaches Response
“I could not believe our players inability to strike a ball clean. From only the 18 yard line (and 12 yards for younger players), very few of my players were actually striking the ball into the net. If they did hit the net, it was mostly a chip and not a driven ball. Far from a clean strike. And their non-preferred foot effort made it clear we need a lot of work. Overall, the ball striking assessment made it very clear to me and the players we need to really focus on this.”
Simple to Understand, Hard to Perform
The ball does not move. The goal does not move. All you have to do is strike a stationary ball into the goal before it hits the ground from five distances with both feet (6, 12, 18, 24, 36 yards). You start from the 6 yard line. The catch is if you miss the goal or fail to get it to the goal in the air with both your right and your left feet from any distance, you do not get to progress to the further distance. Simple, right?
The iSoccer Ball Striking Assessment
This video demonstrates the Ball Striking assessment in action. This is a great opportunity to work on team communication. Tell your players “to figure out” the most efficient system to have players run through the assessment. How many chasers? How many near the goal? How many ball placers?
The Wall Again is the Best
Like passing and aerial control, a wall could be the best individual training partner. Just like David Beckham, deliberately work on a specific type of strike, not just kicking to kick! Choose any of the 70+ FREE Ball Striking videos (courtesy of US Club Soccer) to begin raising your ball striking level! (Ball Striking videos are only free for one week)
Five distances, both feet: How many can get out of 10? Watch the Ball Striking Assessment Video!
http://www.isoccer.org/assessment
Together, we can continue to Raise the Level of the entire country… Join the movement and Help Set the Standard!
National Assessment Topic #5: Aerial Control
The Importance of Aerial Control
Controlling crosses, goal kicks, throw-ins, flighted passes, corners – there really isn’t a part of the game where aerial control isn’t immensely important. Look no further than the World Cup Final a few months back. A misplayed trap by the Dutch leads to a bouncing ball that Iniesta calmly controls with the side of his foot perfectly 3 feet out in front of him and volleys it home… The rest is history.
Becoming Comfortable Younger
Taking the ball out of the air effectively is not as easy as the pros make it look. Years of practice have enabled the pros to place the ball precisely where they want it with practically any part of their body.
There are many young players across the country whose natural instinct is to just ‘boot it’ when faced with a tricky situation on the pitch. By making a concerted effort to practice aerial control from their youth, players will feel more confident with their control, and will learn to override their instinct to just ‘boot it’.
The Aerial Assessment
Teaching the skills needed to control the ball out of the air are critical to train over the course of many years. A player does not all of sudden learn how to take the ball with the different parts of the body – it takes time and plenty of bad touches to finally get to those good touches. The iSoccer Aerial Control assessment is a great tool to target weaknesses and monitor players’ improvement.
Two Touch Aerial Control Game
Like passing, a wall is a great training tool. So lets have some fun with it. From 1, 2.5, 5 or 10 yards away from the wall, see how many consecutive times you can control the ball and volley it into the wall. The ball is only allowed to bounce once and that is on the return from the wall. Other than that, the ball should be kept in the air. For younger players, catch the ball after every touch until you comfortable enough to try it without the catch.
Free iSoccer Videos
US Club Soccer, the Official Player Development Partner of the National Standards Project, is sponsoring all Aerial Control videos for the next week. Register or log back in to view and download all Aerial Control videos! Lets start raising the level!
2.5 meters and 5 meters from you partner, how many can get out of 16?
Watch the Aerial Control Assessment Video!
http://www.isoccer.org/assessment
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