I often hear from parents that their child won’t stick with any in-home training or school activities.
Trust me, I know! I have seen this first hand as a coach, dad and former educator. It can be frustrating at times, especially when you are working with your own child.
According to the Red Crayon Imagination blog, a general rule of thumb is that a child’s attention span is 4 minutes per year of life. Doing the math that means, multiply your child’s age (in years) by 4 to find it. So if your child is 3 years old, her attention span is: 3 (years) x 4 (minutes) = 12 minute attention span.
Whether it’s soccer, academics or anything else; however, to truly improve, we know that the child must practice and/or study at home.
And let’s be honest and clear. It’s impractical, ineffective and likely too expensive to rely solely on private trainers, tutors or coaches to do everything.
So given the fact that even children with short attention spans must practice at home – we designed Anytime Soccer Training, so that children as young as six – all the way up to academy-level are not overwhelmed and stay motivated to stick with it.
Below are some of the key science-backed features that, with your support, help your child stick with the program and increase their skill and confidence.
#1 All Videos are between Five and 10 minutes
You can get a lot done in five minutes. The average child can get between 500 and 600 quality touches in five minutes.
Also, it’s easier to get longer sessions done if it’s divided into smaller segments.
For example, most children prefer four five minute videos vs one 20 minute video.
Try this simple rebounder video today and count those touches.
#2 All Videos are 100% Follow-Along
No one likes being micro-managed – especially children. All Anytime Soccer Training videos are 100% follow-along with both multi-angle demonstrations and clear verbal instructions. This format allows players to practice independently and take ownership of their own development.
People who are given the freedom to work independently tend to stick with tasks longer.
#3 We Introduce One Move Per Video
Anytime Soccer Training is the only soccer training program that allows the child to practice one move at a time. Once the player becomes familiar with the move, they are able to move onto the next videos that combine moves.
Additionally, the program challenges the player to practice similar moves across the spectrum of training areas. For example, players will practice V-pulls within ball mastery, dribbling, passing and 1v1 sessions to name a few.
This isolated training (to start) helps reduce the potential for frustration and allows for even more autonomy. Try this introductory ladder drill and imagine over 50 ladder drills in the entire program.
#4 Challenges Motivate Children to Try Their Best
Try these three words to motivate your child every time
I bet you can’t!
Challenge videos motivate children to try their best while having fun. For even more motivation, use the videos to challenge them to compete against friends and teammates.
Try this tick tock challenge video today and post your video to the Anytime Soccer Training Facebook Group.
#5 Play With Them
It goes without saying that children love playing fun games with their parents, teammates and friends.
Never forget to have fun and play!
Anytime Soccer Training includes hundreds of 1v1 games that kids love. So grab a blue tooth speaker and try this game at home.
Will longer sessions accelerate development faster? Of course, and many children are eager to do it. However, it’s important that you adjust to your child’s individual needs. At times, you must be stern, but remember;
Rule #1 Do No Harm
As a parent, I tried loads of different programs, and as a result designed Anytime Soccer Training to be flexible enough to fit the needs of children with various levels of attention spans.
Pro Tip: Get your child to commit to doing one five minute video before practice and games. Over a 10-month season, this adds up to thousands of extra touches and nearly 20 hours of seamless training.
Coming Soon
In January 2022, we will launch the Anytime Soccer Training reward program. This program will motivate your child to track their progress and give rewards to recognize their hard work.
