Soccer mom backyard practice strategies

Soccer moms (and dads), I suspect the soccer season has begun. Coaches have been drilling your kids on the soccer field as you sit in your comfy chair with cupholders to watch and hang out with other follow-the-checkered-ball parents. At the end of the practice, maybe the coach says, "Moms and dads, the kids can only learn so much during our one hour on the field -- please, please practice with your kids at home."

As a first-time soccer coach myself, other than kicking the ball with my son in the backyard and perhaps setting up a goal to defend, I don't know much about soccer strategy or appropriate drills. When I was young, youth soccer was not on the radar. I played one organized sport starting at the age of nine -- softball -- adding golf and basketball to round out my three seasons at the high school level. Soccer? Other than gym class, I never played.

If you'd like to take on the coach's challenge to improve your child's soccer skills with age-appropriate drills and fun games, check out Footy4Kids. It's a comprehensive website for amateur coaches and parents to learn all about the game while keeping kids entirely in focus. As a new soccer coach I'm leaning heavily on the site. We played Sharks and Minnows last night at practice and had a field of six-year-olds screaming for more! Young kids learn foundational soccer skills via exciting games. Keep your backyard drills on the fun side and your soccer stars will beg for more, and you'll burn a bonus one or two hundred calories, too.