This is a video I have been studying and will be using to teach both my children and all of the children I coach, to help them become better soccer players.
Even though I will be teaching the things covered in this video, I encourage anyone that is interested in becoming a better soccer player to purchase their own copy of the video so they can review the video at their own convenenience.
Also, all purchases made through a link on this site will have a portion of the cost returned to soccerhawg.net to help cover the costs of running this website as well as providing the tools needed to help me be a more effective coach.
Watch the video and read the comments below for more info then visit their site (using my links, please).
Thank you,
Coach Givens
Going along with this line of thinking, I want you to make sure your child see the following picture. It is a picture of one of the USA Women's National Team players, Heather Mitts, kicking the ball with perfect form. It is exactly what I am trying to teach. I hope that, if your kids see this, they might get some idea of what I am trying to help them do.
Read the following and use either the text or the image below to go to the "Blast the Ball" website.
How to kick a soccer ball and getting rid of the toe kick.
How many times have you heard it yelled from the sidelines? “Kick with you laces, not your toe!”
Well it really isn’t the fault of the player if you understand the evolution of the soccer kick. The problem is that most parents and many coaches don’t realize this is impossible to change without a “process”. We studied this problem in our research which lasted over two years. This one came pretty quickly. A child doesn’t change anything about their natural walking or running stride when they first start to kick a soccer ball. It is almost like the soccer ball just happens to get in the way of their natural stride. As we walk or run as humans our toe naturally points forward as it moves forward. Keeping the toe down would cause us to walk or run looking like a Clydesdale horse. Also, when we bring our leg forward there is VERY little clearance between the bottom of the foot and the ground. Pointing the toe down will cause it to hit the ground, often causing serious injury.
A child should first learn to kick with an angle kick. An angle kick allows the toe to be pointed slightly outward and away from our body. Doing this reduces the need for so much “clearance”. Also, the child must realize that in order to create clearance, they must “shorten the length of their leg”. Not easy for an 8 year to understand. However, as shown in BLAST THE BALL , there are two simple methods to help.
1) Learn the V swing. The V swing is performed by all advanced players in all their kicks. They just don’t realize it. Keeping the knee slightly bent as it swings through, “shortens the leg”.
2) Also, raising the up slightly by lifting at the hip will give good clearance. Leaving the flat on the ground we want the player to point their toe to the ground. However, they must accomplish this by raising that HIP not the leg or knee.
Trying to picture this training in writing is difficult. However, once you see it in action you’ll be amazed at how something so simple can change a soccer player for life.