We wanted to share the screenshot below from US Soccer that highlights their thoughts on age appropriate development and specifically look at U8. If you see the screenshot below you will notice they mention that players need to focus on “basic motor skills like walking, running or jumping combined with ball handling and ball control.” [...]
One effective way of helping U8 soccer players learn how to dribble the soccer ball is by giving them the opportunity to dribble the ball at or through a series of cones. In the example below we provide three unique sets of cones to provide perspective and concepts of what you want the players on [...]
The following information is from the US Soccer Curriculum which is an excellent document covering how to best develop youth soccer players in the US. The document begins by saying, “Children do not learn in the same way as adults, especially when the learning process involves both intellectual and physical activity.” If you were like [...]
Piggy in the middle or monkey in the middle is a great U8 soccer drill that forces young players to think through the concepts of passing the ball and creating space for their teammates. This is a soccer drill that not only works for U8 but has gotten lots of accolades by the top professional [...]
For most youth soccer teams U8 soccer means everything from playing on a ‘real’ team with keeping scores to no longer playing on the same team as opposite gender. Now that is not true for every league but I think for most it is and the question I had was why? What happens between U6 [...]
Should you sign your kid up to play in an U8 indoor soccer league over the summer and winter? If you want to develop their ball control then the answer is yes. I would absolutely consider doing this for my U8 son but there is an even more important question. Are giving your child [...]
Shocking. Your gifted, wonderful, star, almost pro six year old is struggling to have the same impact in U8 soccer. For most kids the story is the same, your kid scored a lot of goals in U5 and U6 but can’t find the back of the net now that they are playing U8. What gives? [...]
10. Shoelaces that do not stay tied. 9. The attention span of a gnat. 8. Need more compliments than your wife. 7. The coach’s job is similar to herding squirrels. 6. They believe there is an I in TEAM 5. Prefer playing tag and wrestling to soccer. 4. Significant fatigue on the field that vanishes [...]