Youth Soccer Training Program - Overview

Soccer drills by age

Soccer drills by skill level

 

Welcome to the OpenGoaaalUSA Youth Soccer Training Program written by Coach Christo. This youth soccer training plan will help you become a better soccer player and dominate on the field but only if you avoid these 3 HUGE MISTAKES:

 coach christo soccer coach drills

 

  • Not training with enough INTENSITY!!! Hard work comes first. You won’t accomplish anything without it. It doesn’t matter how talented you are, there is no substitute in the world for hard work. You need to put in the time, but I would rather you focused on quality first. I would rather you train for 10 minutes at a good intensity than for an hour at an intensity that would get you subbed out of a game.
    • Not allowing yourself to be CREATIVE!!! There are no sets and reps, no drills you need to do every session, no set time or number of sessions to do. There is a reason for this. When you are out on the field playing in a game the person you need to trust the most, the person making decisions, has to be you. It can’t be me, or your coach, or your parents, or your teammates. You need to trust yourself. You need to make decisions. It is exactly the same in training. I could tell you exactly what to do in training, but if I do that, and I don’t let you make some decisions for yourself, you won’t improve in the most important way. I want you to make decisions, try different things, and get creative.
    • Not having FUN!!! If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing you won’t do it well. You won’t stick with the program, and you won’t improve. You get to make a lot of choices within this program, so if you are not having fun make some changes and SHAKE THINGS UP. You can work on different things in different sessions, different things in the same session, find a partner to do some different drills with, do shorter sessions, more sessions, less sessions, just make sure you are having fun with it. Finding a way to have fun while also working hard really is the key to improving as much as you can.

    By following the best soccer drills for your age level, it can help you hone your skills, improve your technique, and become the best soccer player possible. 

    How to Follow the Soccer Training Plans

    Do the warmups. Then pick what you want to work on. You can do everything (first touch, passing, and dribbling) all in the same session, or you can focus on one or two things. It is always a good idea to end with something fun because that will get back on the field faster. That is why shooting should always be the last drill you do, who doesn’t love shooting right!?!? Bonus points if you have an Open Goaaal in your backyard, so you can follow your rebounds and not be chasing balls around whenever you miss. If you actually don’t enjoy shooting though you can always do something else of course.

    Work through the stages in order, from beginner to intermediate to advanced to elite, or hop in at whatever stage you think is right for you. When you find that you have mastered the drills and sessions are starting to get too easy move on to the next stage. Each stage outlines how often you should be training (in and out of season), how long you should be training for, and suggests a rest to work ratio.

    Sessions per week

    There will be a range for in season and out of season. Try to meet at least the minimum number of sessions, but don’t feel bad if you can’t always manage to. If you find yourself consistently wanting to do more sessions than the maximum, then it is probably time to move up to the next stage.

    Total training time

    Again, there will be a range. Try to train for at least the minimum amount of time, but don’t feel bad if you can’t always manage it. If you find yourself consistently pushing the top end, then it is probably time to move up to the next stage.

    Rest to work ratio

    This is just a suggestion. However, you will not be able to train for an hour, or even 30 minutes, straight without resting. You will probably need to take some rest every few minutes. A ratio of 2 minutes work to 1 minute rest just means that you may need to rest for a minute after every 2 minutes of intense work.

    Learn more about Coach Christo

    https://www.tiktok.com/@coachchristo