subject: Boonsboro Soccer League Teaches Good Leadership [print this page] Parents want their children to learn the fundamentals of a game, such as soccer or football, but they also want them to learn good sportsmanship and respect. The Boonsboro Soccer League is an organization that teaches children and teens the basics of soccer and how to be good sports when the loose in addition to being respectful and all-round good people. When a child completes a season with this league, they will be a well-rounded individual that will know how to share and know the meaning of respect.
There are times when a little aggression is needed in any sport in order to make a goal or get past an opponent for a score. But there are other times when aggression is not warranted anywhere on the field or off and penalties and consequences are dolled out to players who play too rough. It's a coach's job to make sure player realize that aggressive behavior is not what a game is all about. Soccer is a game of fun and the main reason most of the kids join a team. Winning is nice, but it is not everything.
Another thing a coach needs to do is make the practices more fun for the players, even the advanced and professional players get bored with their drills and practices if they don't mix them up with some games once in a while. Having fun is the number one reason most of the kids join a soccer league in the first place and the practices and drills, although important, are the number one reasons many of them quit. Skills are important and need to be honed, but a little fun now and then should also be had when practicing.
Someone once said that the first rule of soccer is to teach a kid to kick the ball, this was a smart person according to many. Other said to let them play, teach them dribbling and passing and the kicking will come later. There are too many older kids out there that don't know how or are afraid of kicking the ball so kicking should be the first thing a child should learn and learn it well, say the experts.
One of the most powerful soccer kicks is the instep kick, however, many kids, especially the beginning players, shy away from this type of kick for a couple of reasons. This type of kick requires accurate body positioning and foot placement; there needs to be a coordination of rapid body parts moving at once, players may perceive a previously learned 'toe' kick to be the better way to kick and many players are anxious about a possible injury from kicking the ground instead of the ball.
Working as a team is another thing a player will learn. Allowing the team to keep possession of a ball, allows more passing between players and builds teamwork. The team must take advantage of the open spaces and holes left by the other team's formation so that they can keep the ball and then score a goal. Playing a one, two touch soccer could be a way to keep the other teams defenses thinned out, or all over the field and create holes for the team to pass the ball.
Boonsboro Soccer League teaches respect for one another as well as oneself while building the players self confidence and playing skills. There are games for younger kids and older kids that meet and practice every week and play in games and tournaments on a regular basis. Having the basic skills as a soccer player is good, but having team spirit, sportsmanship and the willingness to allow other players to take the spotlight once in a while is a mark of a great athlete and a team player.
