Are you a parent who wants to help your child get better at soccer but have struggled in the past or doesn’t know how to even get started?
My name is Neil Crawford, and as a soccer dad and founder of the Anytime Soccer Training program, I want to share with you how I use the program to structure training sessions with my own sons that are both fun and effective.
By following a plan and incorporating fun games, 1v1, and skill challenges into our routine, not only have my sons improved their skills on the field, but we have also strengthened our bond and spent quality time together.
Let me show you how Anytime Soccer Training can help you do the same.
So, with that in mind, I’m excited to share some tips and tricks that have worked well for us and hopefully, they’ll be useful for you and your little one too!
Before diving into the specifics, it’s important to remember that my top priority when working with my sons is to ensure that we strike the right balance between quality touches and having fun.
To achieve this, I follow these five principles to make our training sessions both effective and enjoyable:
- Introducing a variety of skill components
- Getting as many touches as possible in a short period of time
- Incorporating game-like movements
- Avoiding overwhelming or frustrating my sons
- Making sure we have fun!
Fun Warm-up Game
To start, I like to kick off our training sessions with a dynamic warm-up or a fun game like tag or 1v1. It’s a great way to get our bodies moving and warmed up while also having some fun.
And let me tell you, starting with a game sets the tone for the rest of the session. It gets us both energized and excited to get moving.
I love the tag games in Anytime Soccer Training because they’re easy to follow and include music, and it’s a lot of fun!
Ball Mastery
After the warm-up game, we shift our focus to Ball Mastery, where we practice a range of moves using all parts of the foot.
In this case, we started with the 1,000 Touch Ball Mastery series. Like all the videos in the program, the videos are short, about five to 10 minutes, and easy to follow.
As my sons become proficient in a move, we move on to combining different moves in future sessions. This keeps things interesting and helps my sons improve their skills.
Juggling & Aerial Control
Next, we move on to juggling and aerial control, where we use the Two-Footed Juggle Master series to get hundreds of touches in less than five minutes.
The program forces my sons to use both feet and all parts of the body as part of a gradual progression.
The gradual juggling progression goes from absolute beginner to advanced with five-minute videos that challenge my sons while not overwhelming them.
One Cone Ball Mastery
Later during our training sessions, we always make time for One Cone Ball Mastery. This series focuses on enhancing ball control, footwork, and overall touch on the ball using just one cone.
In addition to the 1,000 Touch Ball Mastery series, we also incorporate this program to make sure my sons get a range of ball mastery skills and technical variation.
This approach not only allows my sons to master each move but also builds their confidence and makes the training sessions even more enjoyable.
Two Cone Ball Mastery
We then move on to two cone ball mastery drills, which help improve first touch, quick feet, and lateral movement.
Timed Figure 8 Dribbling Challenge
Challenges are the best way to motivate my sons to try harder during individual training sessions.
The Anytime Soccer Training app offers hundreds of skill challenges, and my sons do two practice rounds and two skills challenges to see how high he can score.
Body Feints & Dribbling
For a more advanced drill, we use the Feints & Dribble session, which incorporates body feints, ball mastery, and dribbling into one simple session.
To recap: so far we have done a fun warm-up, ball mastery, dribbling, and juggling – and we are just getting started!
Line Cone Dribbling Drills
We then move into the Dribble Master session, where we practice drills that ask the player to dribble at angles while changing direction using various touches and combinations.
Again, my sons practice each move for five minutes before it’s added to a review video where they practice a variety of moves. Below is an example from the Line Cone Dribble Master series.
Fun 1v1 Game
We always end each session with a fun 1v1 game. 1v1 games are both fun and challenging, and they help improve soccer skills like dribbling, shooting, and defending. Also playing against a defender in a small space helps develop decision-making skills, as players need to quickly react and adjust to their opponent’s moves.
But most importantly, my sons and I love playing 1v1 against each other!
This game is a great way to end the session on a positive note and give my son a chance to apply the skills he has learned during the session in a competitive setting. Overall, incorporating fun and effective 1v1 games into soccer training sessions can help players improve their skills while having a great time.
Final Tips
Here are a few things I keep in mind when working with my son during our soccer sessions:
- We always bring a Bluetooth speaker to increase the volume and help us stay engaged.
- I always incorporate fun games and 1v1 into every session to keep things fun.
- Following the step-by-step progression of the program allows my sons to build a rock-solid foundation without becoming overwhelmed.
- Being patient is important because mistakes will happen, and we’ll have good and bad days. It’s all part of the learning process.
- Finally, I always remind myself to enjoy the moment and celebrate their hard work. After all, the goal is to help them enjoy soccer more.
Conclusion
In my experience, using the Anytime Soccer Training app has been a game-changer for my sons’ soccer skills. The app has helped them learn new techniques and develop better ball control, and the best part is that we can do it all from the comfort of our own backyard.
With the program, we can structure our training sessions in a way that is both fun and effective. The dynamic warm-up games and ball mastery components keep my sons engaged and challenged, and the program’s rest breaks and interval timer ensure that they don’t tire out too quickly.
Overall, I would highly recommend the Anytime Soccer Training program to any parent looking to help their child improve their soccer skills.
Even if you don’t have any soccer experience yourself, the program’s easy-to-follow videos make it easy to help your child get better. So why not join for free today and see the difference it can make for your child’s soccer game?
