KC Soccer Blog

Author: Chase

  • ⚽ Building Mental Toughness for Young Soccer Players

    Mental Toughness & Flow

    As part of developing smart, confident players, we’re sharing this excellent 8 minute YouTube video that unpacks ways soccer players can develop mental strength on and off the field.

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    🧠 What It’s About

    The video explores key mental strategies—such as staying present, calming nerves, and using focus drills—to help players enter a “flow” mindset, where performance and confidence meet.


    ✏️ How We’d Like You to Use It

    1. Watch together with your child and encourage note-taking:

    • Ask: What stood out?
    • What mental tip could help during a tough drill or game?

    2. Encourage a short write‑up or report from the child:

    • Intro: What was the video about?
    • Key Ideas: Summarize key mental tips.
    • Reflection: How might they apply this in their upcoming practices or matches?
    • Conclusion: Why does mental toughness matter in soccer?

    3. For bonus points:
    Let your player present their notes to a family member—this builds confidence and reinforces the ideas outside of practice.


    Thank you for your participation.

    -Coach Chase

  • Wednesday, July 23

    ⚽ Focus: Footwork + First Moves

    We had a strong session this Wednesday. The group worked through a full footwork circuit with a focus on 3 key moves in a game scenario leading up to a finish.

    If you want to keep improving, what you do outside of practice matters most. Even 15–20 minutes a day adds up fast. Try to go through this routine at least 3 times before our next session — daily if you’re feeling motivated.

    🔄 This Week’s Footwork Circuit
    We’ll repeat this warm-up often, so learn it well:

    🔗 The first 8 min of this video shows exactly what we worked on today:

    1. Moving Toe Touches (forward/back)
    2. Tik Tok in place (eyes up)
    3. Ball Taps – 3 Left, 3 Right
    4. Rolls Side to Side
    5. Double Rolls (2 Left, 2 Right)
    6. Ball Shift with Messi Feint
    7. 2x Outside, 2x Inside – Right Foot, then Left
    8. V Cut Right, then Left
    9. Wide V Cuts – Alternate Feet
    10. Short V → Outside Touch Into Space
    11. L Drag – Left to Right
    12. Stepover → Push Into Space
    13. Shield Ball Side to Side
    14. Weak Foot Only – All Movements

    🎯 Weekly Reps Goal – Skill Moves
    We focused on three attacking moves this week to setup for finishing. You can click on the move or go to the skills page for a full video demonstration.

    ✅ 25 In & Outs (Right Foot)
    ✅ 25 In & Outs (Left Foot)


    ✅ 25 La Croquetas (Left)
    ✅ 25 La Croquetas (Right)


    ✅ 25 Scissors (Right)
    ✅ 25 Scissors (Left)

    That’s 150 total reps. You can knock it out in 10–15 minutes with a ball and a little space.

    💡 Pro Tip
    Make every rep count. Focus on:

    • Keeping your head up just before making your move
    • Staying low with good balance
    • Using your arms to sell the fake

  • Monday, July 21

    Coach: Mark

    We had a great group of players from different teams today, focused on individual footwork and game awareness in small-sided play.

    Skill Work:

    The first move Coach Mark introduced was the Brazilian Touch. This is something every player should be practicing at home. It’s a foundational move that teaches rhythm and ball control using both feet.

    👉 Watch this 60-second video to review and practice the Brazilian Touch:

    After that, we worked on:
    – A push out, then pullback to the opposite foot – a move designed to shake defenders and change direction quickly.
    – An alternating scissor, performed in place. The key here is staying light on your feet and keeping your balance while selling the move with your body.

    Small-Sided Games:

    We finished practice with a lot of 1v1 and 2v2 play. Here’s what we noticed:

    When playing 2v2, we need to keep improving on what we do without the ball. That means:

    – Knowing where your teammate is.
    – Scanning the field before the ball gets to you.
    – Looking up, especially when the other team is about to kick off or right before you challenge for the ball.

    If you’re not checking your surroundings, you’ll play with your head down—and that makes it easy to lose the ball or miss a pass.

    Box Drills/Practice:

    While kids waited for their turn in games, they rotated through two box drills:

    1. Two players passing in a box – focusing on control, spacing, and keeping the ball moving.
    2. Bounce juggling off the wall – usually done with 2–3 players per box. This works on quick touches, reactions, and adjusting your body to awkward bounces.
  • Wednesday, July 16th

    Focus: Footwork + Finishing

    We had a great Wednesday practice this week. There was a small group so each player had the opportunity to take several shots on goal with both left and right feet as well as practicing skill moves. We wrapped things up with a 1V1 tournament.

    If you want to be the best, regular practice won’t cut it. The players who improve the fastest are the ones who work on their own, even just 15–20 minutes a day makes a big difference. Aim to do this routine at least 3 times this week — and daily if you’re feeling motivated.


    🔄 This Week’s Moves

    We focused on footwork and shooting, and introduced three core skill moves:

    Instructional videos for each of these moves can be found on the skills page.These are quick, attacking moves that help you beat a defender 1v1. They don’t take up much space, so you can practice them at home, on a sidewalk, or anywhere with a ball and a little bit of room.


    🎯 Weekly Reps Goal

    Try to hit these numbers each day:

    • ✅ 25 Moving Scissors to the Right
    • ✅ 25 Moving Scissors to the Left

    • ✅ 25 Body Feints to the Right
    • ✅ 25 Body Feints to the Left

    • ✅ 25 La Croqueta to the Left
    • ✅ 25 La Croqueta to the Right

    That’s 150 touches total — easy to knock out in 10–15 minutes.


    💡 Pro Tip

    Don’t just go through the motions. Focus on:

    • Make sure to look up/scan just before performing move
    • Low center of gravity
    • Using your arms to sell the move