Hard to go wrong if the ball is at his feet. Every extra hour he puts in will show. I'd also say to make sure there are fun and challenging elements; that will help keep his drive going.

I remember when my son was around that age he would be constantly challenging me to 1v1s in the backyard. At first I had to find a balance of not going to easy or hard on him, but a few years later now he can beat me pretty often.

We also play "horse" a good bit. My shots would typically be things I knew he needed to work on but he has no idea (calling a shot with your non-dominant foot). If you don't have a goal at home, the game could change to who's pass makes it closer to a target object. Again, a few years later he's taking and making the free kicks for his team.

Those are the ones I remember because they were fun and also I think helped his game.

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Posted by PillageUrVillage

Mordor

Member since Mar 2011

14838 posts

Posted on 4/25/24 at 8:59 am to Wait For It...

Good advice. Thanks!

That was kinda my plan was to just keep him doing something. I've read up on tons of different drills to do with different cone setups. I will try to keep it simple and just focus on his dribbling, changing directions and exploding past defenders, etc. One thing I've been trying to coach into him during the season is his aggressiveness. I need to try to find a way to get him more aggressive and using his body for position, leaning into defenders, stuff like that.

We do have a small goal in the backyard. It's 6' H x 12' W, so he's staring to outgrow it. I've been thinking about getting him one of those Open Goals in the large size (7' H x 16' W). Does anyone have one, and if so how do they hold up?

I will try playing some of those games like horse with him. I appreciate the suggestion. If anyone has any other suggestions I welcome them!