Keeping kids motivated to practice soccer off the field (1 Viewer)

[UltraUltras]

Once the season slows down or there’s a break between practices, keeping kids motivated to train on their own can be tough. At practice they have a coach setting the pace, teammates to compete with, and a clear plan. At home, all of that is gone - and for my son that usually means a short burst of energy and then he’s off to do something else.

We’ve tried a bit of everything: cones in the backyard, juggling challenges, even little games like “how many touches before you lose the ball.” It’s fun for a few sessions, but after a while the novelty wears off. I sometimes wonder if that’s just the way kids are , they always need new variety , or if I just haven’t found the right approach yet.

How do you keep your kids practicing and motivated once the team practices are over? Would love to hear what’s been working in your homes.

 

[El Floppo]

How old is he?

Ime personally and with both my kids, around 13 or 14 is when they (I) started taking personal responsibility for their own off-field/stage training.

I was a D1 soccer player. In HS I used to get my dad to toss me the ball when he got home from work- headers, volley, trapping, etc. it was a great way to both work on my skills and spend some bonding time with my dad. Before he got home I'd be in the driveway juggling.(No backyard- lived on a steep hill).

 

[acarey50]

If your kid likes games/challenges, maybe look into something like DribbleUp or a similar app/program. App basically uses AI to track the ball and there are challenges for the players, such as X number of touches in a certain amount of time, or a certain pattern, etc.

During Covid we used a similar program for our basketball team (mostly 3rd/4th grade age group at the time) and most of the kids really enjoyed it, especially since they could challenge their teammates in competitions or see how they stacked up against other users and the professionals that were the spokespeople for the product. Just required an iPad or phone (worked a bit better with the iPad as it was a larger screen) and a ball - I believe DribbleUp has a specific ball though, so a slightly larger investment up front vs. just the cost of a subscription to the app.

 

[The Z Machine]

Where we should be going with training outside of practice is pickup games where kids learn to "try stuff". Boost creativity, ball skills, and touch.

 

[higgins]

How old is he?

27

 

[Gally]

We’ve tried a bit of everything: cones in the backyard, juggling challenges, even little games like “how many touches before you lose the ball.” It’s fun for a few sessions, but after a while the novelty wears off.

I think training on your own is something that can't be taught. It comes from within and not all kids have this in them. They have to want to get better and want to train in their own mind. You can't force it into them or you get kind of what you are talking about. You can lead them to it but after a short time they will get bored.

This can change over time and with maturity once they figure out what they want and how good they want to be. In the meantime, I wouldn't force outside training on a kid that doesn't want it. I would talk to him about what he wants with regards to level of play because depending on that answer the amount of training needed will vary. Just talk to him in generalities about abilities, improvement, and level of play. Let him make the decision based on what he wants.

Keep trying to make training fun with competition drills etc that work various skills without seeming like it's practice. If he gets bored move on to something else.

My son would "train" for hours on end by himself. As a baseball guy he made up his own backyard games where he threw a raquetball up against our chimney and practiced scoops and throws from all kinds of angles. He would play games that he made up. For soccer I would assume you could make up similar things against a handball court wall kicking up against it and maybe have targets etc. working both feet etc. I know I destroyed my parents garage door doing that when I was growing up.

Also as Floppo mentioned as the kid gets older if they have the drive their focus will follow. Tougher at younger ages.

 

[El Floppo]

We’ve tried a bit of everything: cones in the backyard, juggling challenges, even little games like “how many touches before you lose the ball.” It’s fun for a few sessions, but after a while the novelty wears off.

I think training on your own is something that can't be taught. It comes from within and not all kids have this in them. They have to want to get better and want to train in their own mind. You can't force it into them or you get kind of what you are talking about. You can lead them to it but after a short time they will get bored.

This can change over time and with maturity once they figure out what they want and how good they want to be. In the meantime, I wouldn't force outside training on a kid that doesn't want it. I would talk to him about what he wants with regards to level of play because depending on that answer the amount of training needed will vary. Just talk to him in generalities about abilities, improvement, and level of play. Let him make the decision based on what he wants.

Keep trying to make training fun with competition drills etc that work various skills without seeming like it's practice. If he gets bored move on to something else.

My son would "train" for hours on end by himself. As a baseball guy he made up his own backyard games where he threw a raquetball up against our chimney and practiced scoops and throws from all kinds of angles. He would play games that he made up. For soccer I would assume you could make up similar things against a handball court wall kicking up against it and maybe have targets etc. working both feet etc. I know I destroyed my parents garage door doing that when I was growing up.

Also as Floppo mentioned as the kid gets older if they have the drive their focus will follow. Tougher at younger ages.

Perfect posting.

You dont want outside training to be like a chore...something they HAVE to do because you or somebody is telling them to.

Gally nails it- conversations need to be about where they want to go with their own abilities and goals in the spirt, and then paint out what it looks like to get there, training-wise.

Ive had these talks with my 14yo daughter about tennis. I dont have the funds to support more classes or lessons, so if she wants to take her game higher towards specific goals, she has to do stuff on her own...and the desire and willingness to do so are completely up to her at this point.

 

[Gally]

You dont want outside training to be like a chore...something they HAVE to do because you or somebody is telling them to.

I think too many parents screw this part up and is a big reason kids stop playing sports. Once it becomes a chore and something the kid isn't pushing to do it then becomes no fun and they will give up.

The key is to put the onus on the kid by talking about what they want then giving them the path to get to that level. If they choose to do it then they are more likely to keep doing it.

I had a big talk with Gally Jr as he was going into HS. I told him I wasn't going to ask him to go train or push him to train anymore. I would be there and pitch to him or catch bullpens whenever he wanted but I wasn't going to initiate. It was on him now and if he wanted to be an all area guy he had to do X,Y,Z to get there. If he wanted to be a starter it would take W & V. If he wanted to just make the team it would take Q. He then decided what he wanted and took initiative to get there. But it was all his decision.

 

[beer 30]

How do you keep your kids practicing and motivated once the team practices are over?

You wanna eat? Go run the cones for an hour

Always seemed to work at my house

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Merciless beatings and humiliation are the keys to success. 10 cruyff turns both ways in under a minute or the belt. No breakfast until he’s hit 100 keepyuppies. By the time he’s 15 if you’ve done it right he should hate you and never want to touch a soccer ball again.

 

[El Floppo]

Merciless beatings and humiliation are the keys to success. 10 cruyff turns both ways in under a minute or the belt. No breakfast until he’s hit 100 keepyuppies. By the time he’s 15 if you’ve done it right he should hate you and never want to touch a soccer ball again.

It was 8 for floppinho. What do i win?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Consult Tatum Bell

 

[UltraUltras]

How old is he?

Ime personally and with both my kids, around 13 or 14 is when they (I) started taking personal responsibility for their own off-field/stage training.

I was a D1 soccer player. In HS I used to get my dad to toss me the ball when he got home from work- headers, volley, trapping, etc. it was a great way to both work on my skills and spend some bonding time with my dad. Before he got home I'd be in the driveway juggling.(No backyard- lived on a steep hill).

8

 

[UltraUltras]

Thanks for all the replies , this is super helpful. I think what I’m really running into is exactly what some of you mentioned: when it’s just me saying “go practice,” the motivation isn’t there. Having a coach, teammates, or some sort of outside structure makes all the difference.

I like the idea of keeping things fun and short, almost like little challenges rather than long training sessions. Counting touches, timed drills, or making it feel like a game works better than me trying to “coach.” One thing that actually worked for us was the fpro soccer mat, which is a training mat with an app full of guided drills and progress tracking. It turned practice into more of a game and really helped with consistency. (They even have a discount with code sporty20 if anyone’s looking into it.)

Has anyone else found a system (whether it’s pickup games, an app, or just a consistent routine) that keeps kids coming back without parents having to nag?

 

[El Floppo]

I sometimes wonder if that’s just the way kids are

At 8, i think- yes.

To me 8 feels young to be locked into anything extracurricular the kid isnt wanting or driving himself to do. At the same its also still young enough that they need some nudging from us regarding things to do...so I'm of two minds here.

My instinct is to not push any of this. Have stuff available just as you're doing and remind him of it. Setting up a regular schedule for this stuff runs the risk of it becoming the same as having to do the dishes or clean his room and might turn the sport into he has to do rather than wants to do ...unless he has very clear goals about getting better or making some bigger/better team.

If thats the case, explain those are the things he needs to do. Have you had these kind of conversations with him? Goals? Ime, kids are smart and appreciate being part of the process of making decisions that affect their lives. "Hey Jr- if A, B or C is your goal...how do you think you can get there?" 8 might need some advice about it...but he'll take ownership over it even if hes just picking stuff you throw out there.

Having a buddy to kick around with is a huge thing too. Pick up games, as Z mentioned, with friends would be ideal. The Aaronson brothers spent most if their kid time in their backyard trying to humiliate eachother 1v1. Turns this into more of a developmentally natural 8 yo kid activity of going out to play and not just abstract "having to practice".

Dunno if this is viable, but does he have a favorite player? Maybe theres videos of how they train, or better yet used to train when they were kids. Maybe he can reach out (through you) and ask for advice.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but kids under middle school age should probably be cross training in other seasonal sports. I know playing soccer in the offseason has helped my basketball kiddo who's 9 with learning to space the field/court. He's starting flag football this week and hopefully it will help with toughness, body positioning, and timing. We still shoot hoops in the driveway a couple times a week, but I'm not going to force him into an hour of practice every day because it will quickly become a chore for both him and me.

Edit to add - our 12YO is running cross country in the 7th grade this year. He decided to do it to help ramp up conditioning for ice hockey and I thought it was a good idea.

 

[Gally]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but kids under middle school age should probably be cross training in other seasonal sports.

I think that is the popular opinion but people fear that if they don't play their sport year round they will fall behind. I think most everyone believes playing multiple sports is better but pressure from others prevents it from happening.

 

[Gally]

To me 8 feels young to be locked into anything extracurricular the kid isnt wanting or driving himself to do. At the same its also still young enough that they need some nudging from us regarding things to do...so I'm of two minds here.

At that age having too much structure away from the team can be harmful. At that age they just need to play around with the movements/skills of the sport just to get better at balance, hand (foot)-eye coordination, etc. Just all around athletic development is extremely helpful. Even if it's different sport or activity that gets you moving, balancing, coordination things.

It doesn't have to be all soccer related to be helpful for soccer.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Has anyone else found a system (whether it’s pickup games, an app, or just a consistent routine) that keeps kids coming back without parents having to nag?

If you feel you have to nag, just stop.

 

[El Floppo]

Has anyone else found a system (whether it’s pickup games, an app, or just a consistent routine) that keeps kids coming back without parents having to nag?

If you feel you have to nag, just stop.

Spoken like a true nag!

 

[The Gator]

Show him Ronaldo's abs and go from there.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I think that just comes from loving the sport.

You'd have had to kill me to get a baseball out of my hand when I was a kid. No one ever had to motivate me to do anything.

 

[Mookie]

I advise reading Andre Agassi's autobiography "Open" for anyone with young children in sports - it's an eye opening and incredibly damning view of overzealous sports parents and the long term damage it can do to their children (Not a shot at OP).