KC Soccer Blog

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.

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.

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🔄 This Week’s Moves

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

• Moving Scissors
• Body Feints
• La Croqueta

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.

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🎯 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.

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💡 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