Skills

Play soccer 20-30 minutes a day with your child, working on keeping the ball close rather than kicking it away and using the following Development Points.

Key Development Point #1
Use “bottom of the foot” for ball Mastery.

• Teach the child to maneuver the ball between both feet using the soles of the foot. Open the stance up and place the ball on the inside of either foot to start. Then take the opposite sole of the foot and slide it over to the opposite side. Continue doing this with both feet and find a rhythm

Key Development Point #2
Keep the Ball Close

• Don’t kick the ball away – keep it close to yourself. Practice protecting the ball by pulling the ball back with both left and right soles of the feet. Plus – keeping it close keeps things in the house from getting broken!

Key Development Point #3
Changing Direction

• Learning to change direction with the ball is another essential skill needed to play the game. We do this by using both the inside of both feet to manipulate changing direction by turning and cutting with the ball.

Key Development Point #4
Practice with both feet

• Starting with basic skills, encourage the child to try each skill with both feet. This not only improves ball mastery; it improves coordination and agility, and engages different parts of the child’s brain.