Keep Your Child Soccer Savvy With These Helpful Hints

As obesity continues to be a problem in the United States, there has been an increased urgency to teach kids the importance of staying healthy. A big part of this is trying to encourage children to stay active and participate in outdoor activities instead of sitting around and playing video games. Organized sports are a great way to teach your child that exercising can be both healthy and fun. In the U.S., approximately 35 million kids participate in an organized sport each year. Soccer is not only one of the most popular sports around the world, with over 250 million people playing around the globe annually, it is also one of the first that children in the U.S. are introduced to. Kids as young as 5 often learn how to play soccer by playing on local recreational teams over the summer, and many will continue to play throughout their high school years. Nearly 284,000 boys play soccer in high school. If you want to help your child improve their soccer skills so that they are prepared for the future, follow these helpful hints:

1. Practice – Even if you have no idea how to teach soccer to kids, help your child practice their soccer skills at home. Even if it means just sitting outside and encouraging them as they practice dribbling up and down the lawn, it helps. The more your child practices on their own, the better off they will be playing on a team.
2. Play Whenever Possible – Aside from practicing alone, playing on a team can help improve skills as well. Playing with others is a great way to learn soccer moves and try them out on an opponent. The more your child plays on a team, the better they will learn the game. Soccer is not just about individual skill, it is also about learning how to work with teammates to achieve a common goal.
3. Summer Soccer Camps – Summer camps offer a great opportunity to pair your child with coaches who know how to teach soccer to kids. These trained professionals work with your child all day for a week, so your child is getting valuable practice time that they wouldn’t have during the school year. Summer soccer camp is an invaluable time for picking up soccer training tips for kids!

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