adidas Euro 2008 Vienna Replique Soccer Ball

#615623 Great training ball. For use on all surfaces. A replica of the ball they will be playing with at the Euro 2008 Championship finals in Vienna

One of the key ways for youth soccer players to develop is to work on individual skills at home. It has always been my philosophy that dribbling and other individual skills should not be worked on at practice. Practice is a time to work on team skills and strategy.

The problem I found with this philosophy is that I was having a hard time getting my team to practice at home. I would reiterate the necessity at every practice, but I could tell that it wasn't happening. This is when I decided to implement homework into my team's training.

As a coach you should be able to judge which skills need to be worked on by your team as a whole. With my team it was ball control, especially off the chest and thighs. So I decided to come up with a list of items that needed to be worked on for an hour at least 5 days every week. This list was printed and handed out to each player at the end of practice. They were required to have their parents sign the paper when they finished and return the paper the next week.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that my homework regiment was met with very little resistance. I think that the parents and players understood that becoming a better player doesn't happen with only 1 hour of practice every week.

Over the next few weeks I noticed a marked improvement in the dribbling and trapping skills of my team. But the real results came when we beat a seemingly unbeatable team in the finals of a large tournament only 1 month after starting our homework regiment.

One very important part of this idea that I need to mention is, homework should only be a part of your team's workout during the summer months when they are not in school. With my players school is #1. Nothing comes ahead of school, not even soccer. There was no way I could require my team to practice an hour every day because I know that they would have neglected their school work. When the summer ended and they went back to school I let them know that their homework was no longer required, but that they should still practice at home when they were finished with their school work.

I know it seems very simple but try this idea out. You will be amazed at the rise in the skill level of your team. Your players will be more confident with the ball at their feet and will be able to make smarter and quicker decisions on the field because of this confidence.

--Chris Barber is a soccer player, coach, and enthusiast. His tips and advice can be found at youth-soccer-coach.blogspot.com

UEFA Euro 2008 Championships