Coaching Soccer: How To Turn Your Players Into Great Attackers
June 2nd, 2010
Obviously, soccer is about scoring goals. Some players seem to have a natural tendency to score. Were they born with this gift or did they learn to be coached to do it?
A lot of attackers have natural talent. Nevertheless, all great attackers practice hard every day under the watchful eye of a coach. A great attacker is also a great thinker and very intuitive. One thing is for certain and that is a huge desire to score without being afraid to miss.
A top attacker is always hovering around the area looking for a scoring chance. He’s looking for the opportunity to get in front of a defender and get the foot on the ball that will send it into the goal. Often, a goaltender will deflect his shot around the post. A great attacker will not let this bother him as he’s already looking for the next chance.
So what makes a great attacker? Confidence is probably the most important trait. Also, good concentration, courage, quick reactions, strength, and speed off the mark are important too. Attackers are also very aware of their surroundings. They’re aware of where the ball is being played anywhere on the field or where the opposing defenders are playing that are ready to stop a goal scoring chance.
Youth soccer coaches will likely have difficulty teaching awareness. When coaching soccer, you can instruct your players the nuances of their given position but it’s hard to teach the “sixth sense” of awareness since it’s something that comes naturally. Some players have it from the beginning and others develop it over time as they assimilate all of their collective soccer knowledge.
The one thing that can be coached is hustle. Top attackers are always hustling. They’ll keep trying to score goals until the final whistle. Often, towards the end of the game, defenders become tired and an attacker that works hard might have the best chance to score at this time. As a coach, make sure you tell this to your players. It will be added incentive to continue to work hard.
It only takes a split second to score a goal so it’s important that your players realize the importance of staying mentally aware all of the time. Soccer is as much a mind sport as a running and kicking sport. If an attacker can catch a defender in a momentary lapse of concentration then that’s all that’s needed to get the ball shot into the net. Tell your players to never stop thinking during a game.
