The Importance of Consistent Small Group Training in Youth Development
The foundation of soccer players’ development is establishing adequate systems and tools, which will help players to achieve constant progress over the years. This is extremely important in Youth soccer categories, as designing appropriate training methods and approach will help young players reach their full potential.
Improving technical skills is the basis of developing other soccer skills and abilities. Learning how to control and manipulate with the ball is the crucial part of technical training. Young players must learn this aspect as early as possible, in order to form the foundation for further development. Technical training includes practicing moving with the ball, dribbling, contact with the ball, shooting and passing.
In order to maximize a player’s potential and ensure long-term development, small group technical training has been a great way to achieve this goal. Small Group Technical training is focused on improving technical skills in their game, through work in small groups, oriented on the individual players’ needs. Small group training helps players practice game-like situations and gain confidence for competitive matches. This method represents a great mixture of individual and team training, and working in small groups helps young players to overcome obstacles and limitations in technical development.
Repetition is the key to success. Due to all the benefits of training in small and consistent groups, constant practicing will help young players develop and further improve technical abilities. Small training groups focus on ball control, developing better coordination and enhancing psychomotor functions. All these factors in long-term are the basis for further skill progress.
The necessity constantly to work on improving the technical aspect of a game is the result of modern soccer demands. Future soccer requires quick reactions at limited and narrow spaces, and due to this technical training is the essential part of development. Having consistent small group training of technical skills is important for long-term development due to several reasons.
Challenging Environment. Working in small groups challenges young players to give their maximum effort, as they are surrounded with players of similar abilities and goals. Having that kind of environment pushes the players further in their efforts, which helps their progress over the years. Small groups motivate players more than working in individual training sessions.
Variety of training drills. There is a greater number of exercises you can perform in small groups training, unlike you can while training with full squad. From basic ball control and dribbling drills, to more advanced two-sided drills, this variety of training drills can boost players’ development. With many different training exercises, players are able to work on many technical aspects, and continuous practicing will help improve diverse abilities in the long-term.
Much more personalized drills. Unlike large group training sessions, small group training is more in line with the individual needs of every player in the team. Having a larger number of players in the training makes practicing drills that target specific technical aspects a much harder task. Every player has his own development goals, so designing a training schedule for a large number of them is not a good option in the long-term. Preferable choice is to form smaller groups and create training sessions for players with similar technical improvement needs.
Easier to track progress. Having a smaller number of players makes monitoring and evaluating them simpler task. That helps noticing technical skills that require more attention and focus. This provides a clear development overview and makes small groups more effective in the long-term.
Bonding with teammates. Smaller training groups help players to connect and establish team spirit. Players can become much more familiar with each other and feel more comfortable. In addition, the more they know their teammates, the better understanding will be on the playing field. This teamwork will the entire team perform better.
Improving ball movement in narrow space. Small groups allow practicing technical skills such as passing and dribbling in a small and limited space. These intense conditions make players feel more comfortable when they have the ball in their possession. Constant practicing these situations improves technical abilities and can help development of other related and non-related competencies. Important aspect of technical improvement here is having lots of contact with the ball, due to small and limited space.
Practicing game-like conditions. Small groups help practicing different game scenarios. Designing 2 on 2, 3 on 2 and other game-like situations are the foundation of improving technical aspects such as dribbling, passing and shooting. This makes the players feel more confident and free to express their creativity when playing the game.