Keep it simple for new and inexperienced SoccerFit participants (Blog Series)

Part I - Focus on short passing of the ball

In this series of blog posts, we want to encourage new and developing players to not only enjoy the social fun fitness benefits of SoccerFit, but develop some basic abilities in soccer so that they can potentially derive a lifetime of benefit from it.

For new and/or inexperienced players, one of the first things we will help you with at SoccerFit is building your confidence in one of the most powerful aspects of the game - short passing.

Many would agree that passing the ball is absolutely the most important thing you can do in a game of soccer. Here are some reasons why :-

• Passing saves energy - it reduces the need for running
• Passing helps to keep possession - it stops the other team getting the ball
• Passing aids concentration - everyone loves having the ball and are really interested when they think they might get it next
• Passing is sharing - it builds the team bond and gets people to work for each other

Good passing doesn’t even have to cover a long distance. In fact, probably the most effective pass is over a short distance of 5 meters. And here’s why :-

• It’s probably easier to be consistently accurate over this distance
• It’s probably easier to judge how hard to hit it so a team-mate can receive it
• The ball is more likely to stay low along the ground - again easier for a team-mate to receive it

And if every player on a team can, for the duration of the game, complete more short passes successfully than the other team, then their chances of winning are sure to be greatly improved.

Don’t believe me! Watch Spain in the recent World Cup - short passing in all areas of the pitch was one of the most defining characteristics of their playing style.

At SoccerFit, we practice short passing a lot, at almost every session, especially over a 5 metre distance. Even for more expert players who come to SoccerFit, they love the fact that our drills help to improve the speed, weighting, and consistency of their short passing. And don’t forget passing drills are terrific for fitness too!

We take great care to ensure both feet, and every part of the foot is used when passing.

And here’s the fun bit...just to challenge our participants and for a bit of a laugh...we try all sorts of weird and wonderful passing techniques - what about these ‘beauties’ :-

• back-heel passes
• ‘fancy’ leg-around Brazillian-style back-heel passes
• tricky ‘wrong-way’ passes
• Angled ‘flick-passing’.

What a hoot! If you’re curious about these and other fantastic SoccerFit activities you’ll just have to come along and join in!