Getting Players to Juggle

Perhaps the greatest challenge facing youth soccer coaches is getting their players to play with the ball on their own.
For sure, the first step is making practices fun so players fall in love with the game. Children today have such a vast variety of options that even those who are passionate about soccer may need prodding to get the soccer ball out.
One yoth team in nortern California, an U-13 girls team, does a remarkable job getting the young players to spend time with the ball outside of practice and match time.
When the girls were 9 years old, the coaches started setting juggling goals for the players, promising small rewards when they reached certain benchmarks.
Juggling is a great way to develop skills, a simple way to get comfortable with the ball. It helps with confidence, first touch, balance, vision, concentration, and the use of both sides of the body.
It’s nice to work to increase the number of touches on the ball, however, it’s more important to inspire children to play ball on their own. Juggling contests, play dates, where parents drive the kids to a field or area and stay in the car while the players play games, juggle, and goof around.
At the start, juggling five times warranted a celebration. As they got older the coaches emphasized record-breaking. Players who managed 50 juggles receive certificate. Those who reach the century mark receive a certificate and a $5 gift card. At 500 they earn a full page 500 certificate and a miniature replica world cup soccer ball, and at 1000 they receive a gold millennium medal and their picture on the club’s website. The U-13 girls also used their juggling skills-walk-a-thon style to raise monies for goodwill trips, and help launch other soccer programs for girls.
If the coach is highly skilled, he/she can help the players along by juggling with them, and keeping the ball up when it gets away. If the coach doesn’t have the ability or experience to demonstrate try bringing older players to practice to demonstrate. Keep in mind, the coach can learn to juggle, it’s never too late.
Players need to be successful, however, they should constantly be challenged. They can juggle with a bounce in between each tap and drop the ball and catch it after one touch and then two and continue to increase the number of touches.
Throwing the ball to a player and having them hit it back into the coach’s or another player’s hands-a game they call vitamins- also helps them to get use to the sweet spot on the ball.
The girls spend 5-10 minutes during warm-ups working on juggling and, as they become more proficient, they’d jog down the field while juggling the ball. Playing on their own is the key to maximum development. The main thing is to have them enjoy the soccer ball, so look for whatever motivates them. For some it’s to try and reach the next level, and , for others, it’s the prizes that motivate them.