*Moses Mabhida Stadium- opened on November 2009, this stadium has a glass roofing and is teflon coated. Build on the former Kings Park Soccer stadium.

Capacity: 70,000 Location: Durban Design: looks like the South African flag from an ariel view.The legs of the arch join which signifies the uniting of the formally devided country.This arch has a staggering height of 347 ft at the  highest point. The roof produces a translucent glow when lit.
* Green Point Stadium- will  hold the first six round matches, one second-round, one quarter and one semifinal match.The original stadium was demolished and reconstruced in 2007.

Capacity:70,000 Location: Cape Town Design: has a noise-reducing exterior cladding and is situated very near the ocean and has the mountains as a the backdrop. Has an amazing retractable glass roof weighing about 4,500 tons.

* Mbombela Stadium- a  Siwala world meaning “many people together in a small space.” Capacity: 40,000 Location:Nelspruit  Design:  has giraffe looking roof designs and seats that resemble the stripes of a giraffe. * Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium-not to be confused with the former president Mandela but the Nelson mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. Will be hosting five first round matches, one second round, one quarter final and the third place playoff.

Capacity: 50 000  Location:Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth  Design:a very beautiful looking stadium. Also named ‘the sunflower’ because of it’s unique structures.

* Soccer City Stadium- The largest stadium in Africa. Will hold the first and last matches of the Cup.

Capacity:94,500 Location: Johannesburg  Design:gets its design from an African Pot or calabash.

This years Cup is one to go in the books with all these great stadiums. Wouldn’t you want to just book the next flight to Africa to witness this event?

* I love their team- it’s a fact, the definitely deserve to hold the cup. Wouldn’t holding the Cup in a country who’s team isn’t even that good be a total let down? Remember back in 1950,1978 and 1990 when Brazil, Argentina and Italy hosted the world cup? First class teams! Adding South Africa to the list would make sense.

* You should see the stadiums- as part of their preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa has constructed four brand new mind-blowing stadiums.One has a detractable glass roof, another with spectacular lighting, then there’s the ‘zebra’ inspired stadium located nearby the many game parks, and finally one that resembles the South African flag. What more could you ask for?

* Good weather- South Africa is well known for it’s good weather-aside from the wildlife. The World Football Tournament will be held during South Africa’s winter season. Not to worry though, your favorite players won’t end up freezing to death since the winter temperature in South Africa is warmer than most countries summer temperature! The average temperature will be around 20 degrees Celsius at 12pm noon.Lower temperatures are known to be better for athlete’s bodies.Good weather equals higher tempo.

* The continent alone- soccer is no doubt in every African’s heart and Africa is known to be the place where civilization begun. So what better place to have countries from the four corners of the earth meet? More so since South Africa has used soccer as a means of unity and force against apartheid in  the Mandela era. Holding the finals in Soweto, the center of South African soccer will make this even more than a sporting  one but more importantly a very historical one.

In my opinion, no controversy in the past four years can change the  fact that South Africa is the best place for  the 2010 FIFA World Cup and everyone should be proud that for the first time in  history, Africa is holidng a sporting event this big.

Here’s a really simple way to control the ball to pass or shoot and this skill can be mastered through performing various free soccer training drills. In this article, you will know about 2 of the well-known soccer drills, Shoulder To Shoulder and Shark in the Middle.

Shoulder To Shoulder is a drill that is suitable for both offensive as well as defensive players. The main goal of this exercise is to teach offensive player to practice fast shooting under pressure and let the defensive players practice clearing the ball.

This drill utilizes 3 players in each drill group. The distance between A and B is about 10-15 yards.

B and the defensive player make a line shoulder to shoulder. B and the defensive player, standing along with each other, face away from the goal on the left side of the field. On the coach’s whistle, A throws the ball behind other two players. B and the defensive player initiate and attempt to take control of the ball. B’s aim is to shoot on the goal while the defensive player’s objective is to turn with the ball and dribble it above the center line.

Soccer Drills

By actively choosing coaching drills like Shoulder to Shoulder, players learn to win the ball despite being under immense pressure from an opposing player.

Shark in the Middle is an enjoyable game which the team can play at any time during practice and you can set its duration as per your requirement. This free soccer training drills is one of many that helps the players be attentive and self-control in players under pressure situations.

Players assemble themselves in a large circle in the field. A player is then designated as a shark and made to stand in the middle of the circle. There is only a single ball and it is given to the person who stands inside the circle.

When you blow the whistle, the player with the ball passes it to the other player along the circle. Then the second player passes it to another that he likes and this goes on like this.

Then the whistle is blown again signaling the start of the game. The objective of the game is to make sure that shark does not get the ball. The player may pass the ball to anyone they like along the circle, be it a teammate right next to him or a teammate at some distance. The players attempt to make as many passes as they can.

This practice continues till the time the shark possesses the ball.

When the ball is possessed, the player that caused the ball to be intercepted goes on to become the new shark and the first shark goes along the circle.

Shark in the Middle is one of those football drills that call for quick thinking and a sense of experience of the abilities of an attacking shark.

In the end, these free soccer training drills help players to build self-confidence to handle the ball while under pressure from an approaching opposition. If you want more information and knowledge please subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community where a lot of learning resources are available.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Free soccer training drills.

I don’t know a thing about you, but I’ll bet that it is necessary that you look at some common teaching suggestions before starting out with the coaching soccer drills. During soccer practice, focus on a specific objective like kids must have loads of fun in the game as it benefits both the coach and the players.

At this time, it’s essential to follow your goal and not feel distracted by other things. Consequently, identify such objectives that are particularly important for you as a coach and also equally important for the team. For instance; constantly remind the players to remain physically fit, develop them into sporting players with a positive attitude towards the game, and concentrating on skills unique to them.

You, being the coach are solely responsible to set high standards for sportsmanship. Cheer them to have an attitude of fair play, sportsmanship, and team spirit. In addition to the above goals, you are free to set as many goals as your feel necessary while teaching soccer to your team.

Winning is another important concept that I’d like to emphasize in coaching youth soccer. When you coach your kids, you must instill an open concept of winning in their minds. Make them understand that so long as their play is up to the mark, they are the winners, irrespective of the final outcome.

Soccer Coaching

This ultimately takes away all the unnecessary pressure off the players and enables them to play their original game by carefully following the strategy.

When coaching soccer drills, always keep in mind the importance of giving clear and correct instructions if they are to be helpful. Before you start coaching your team, educate your players on some specific do’s and don’ts in the game of soccer. The variation between coaching and teaching is prominent because coaching deals with a bunch of players who already play soccer pretty well.

In the process of coaching drills, it is nice to first impart 5 to 6 demonstrations about a drill to the kids and then let them practice it themselves. It is due to the fact that kids grasp visualizations more effectively than simple instructions. If you decide to give them plain instructions, they will not appreciate it very much. Relatively, they imitate perfectly.

Consequently, at all possible times, give a demonstration.

Finally, but still very important is your ability to keep the kids engaged in important activities. This is all the more important when it rains or the weather is extremely cold. You must understand that kids are just thrilled at the prospect of playing in the rain. So, rather than just telling them to go home, it is more beneficial to find ways so that they can still enjoy soccer in some form.

Just keep in mind that the kids should be wearing additional protective gear in such weather.

Now get out there and start incorporating these teaching suggestions into your practice sessions. The results will make you happy.

To gain more knowledge on coaching soccer drills, register for our youth soccer coaching community that will keep you updated on topics of youth soccer.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Coaching soccer drills.

Let me ask you a simple question! Do you ever carry out the drills for soccer yourself that you devise for your kids before they follow into your footsteps? This practice is followed by almost all great coaches. This is the best approach.

Kids tend to learn quickly by way of looking at them. When you, the coach, perform drills, kids not only grasp things better but also love to see you in action. There are 2 offensive soccer drills for your kids that have been discussed below:

Tight space dribbling: This drill is meant to improve the fitness level of the kids along with helping them making more frequent contacts with the ball. You can make the kids do this drill at the beginning of the session when they are warming up. There are several benefits of this drill. It trains them to move about in the field with their head help high but also helps the players warm up their body.

Each player should take a ball. Propose a 10 by 10 rectangle figure using cones. To execute this drill, make the players run around the soccer field while randomly changing directions. This will keep the players moving back and forth from one point to the other point. They must carry on with this for at lest 5 to 10 minutes.

Soccer Drills

In the course of doing it, they should attempt to do different variations like taking an unanticipated turn, or doing tactics that are new and not predictable. The kids have an inclination to focus on the ball very much. They overlook their opponents who gradually come nearer and sooner or later lose the custody of the ball. With these soccer exercises, the players learn to dribble for small durations of time and keep an eye on the opposition at the same time.

3 v 3; this drill is one out of very few efficient drills for soccer. The players learn to make wall passes and to keep the ball with them for a longer duration of time. However, it’s important that they don’t focus too much on scoring while carrying out the drill. The idea of this drill is to maintain the possession of the ball for longer durations.

Divide your players into groups of 8 members each. Make 6 players stand in a way that they face each other while the remaining 2 stand on each sides of the rectangle. The team having the custody of the ball is free to employ players on either side whereas the ones on the sides can tap the ball just once. What’s more, they don’t have the authority to soccer.

This drill has an important role to play in improving the player’s dribbling and shooting skills, and controlling the ball. Besides, this soccer practice allows the player’s to improve upon their endurance and strength many times more.

So you’ve learnt it all! The 2 most outstanding skill building drills for soccer. These will certainly help your player’s overall growth of all the offensive soccer skills. In case you wish to equip yourself with the more knowledge on youth soccer, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community and learn through newsletter, articles, and videos available at the site.

Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn  how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Training Tips.

In kids soccer drills, it’s a known fact that the coach’s faults bring the teams to a point, from where it’s near impossible to get back on to the winning track. Yes, it is true. Many of you must be thinking that how can there be something so big that can destroy a team. Well, let it be known that there are many.

When it comes to soccer drills for kids, you have to be very careful and strategic. You must recognize kids psychology. Speak with them in a language that they can understand well. But it’s really sad that a lot of coaches are still untrained to get used to this. They simply close their eyes to the dissimilarity between teaching adult players and kids.

Here you go; main errors that coaches make that result in a team’s downfall.

1. To many coaches, their job appears to be very simple. They don’t arrange the drills, refuse to plan their sessions, and are always late in getting to the field. All these are not only bad traits but put off the kids too. Kids tend to be very serious about soccer and you should too. Put together the youth soccer drills ahead of time. Arrange for various equipments needed to perform the drills before-hand.

Youth Soccer Drills

Don’t be late. Do not come to the field after kids. In reality, be present there to welcome the kids. It has the advantage of finding some extra time to practice the drills and plan other things.

2. When coaches give instructions for kids soccer drills, they get so carried away by their emotions that they keep going on and on. Have you ever considered how bad that can be? You must appreciate that kids are more eager to play than hearing long speeches. Always speak for less amount of time. Use these sessions in a way that the kids get inspired to play and enjoy the game.

It is crucial that you do not interrupt the kids when they are playing. If you have observed anything that needs to be corrected, note it and discuss it after the drill. Also, you should be outside the field when the kids are enjoying the game.

3. Some coaches tend to get emotional or abusive with the players. In soccer drills for youth, this can prove to be catastrophic. It may prove counter productive to show your emotions on the field. It is imperative that the kids will make mistakes. Remember, they are just kids. There is no need to get sensitive about it and be rude to the players.

In such a situation, you disengage the kids from the game and also create problems for yourself. Soccer is played in the mind more than from the body. Make the kids realize this and you would have motivated them.

Just don’t let these problems of kids soccer drills affect you and you are a winner. If you are looking for tips on how coaches should handle the kids, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community. You will be amazed by the rise in your knowledge.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn  how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Training Drills.

Correct training to improve your vertical jump is very COUNTER INTUITIVE.

The vertical jump is an explosive act caused by the sudden tightening of fast twitch muscle fibers.  Because of this, training to improve jumping is “anaerobic.”  All too often athletes train in a way that endurance].

How is training different for the two?

Athletes looking to improve have been told that running cross country would increase their vertical. That is big misconception. Running long distances like that can cause your vertical leap to plummet.

Sprinting, like jumping is a more anerobic event.  Do you see [a sprinter running the 2 mile run to train for sprinting? NEVER! Then why so often do vertical jump programs make us PACING ourselves during our vertical leap training workouts?

NEVER NEVER NEVER PACE YOURSELF DURING YOUR VERTICAL JUMP TRAINING!

We have all seen it before. Athletes running up and down stairs or dog tired from doing speed ladder drills. Or perhaps you jump rope for 20 minutes and you are worn out.. you are going to say to yourself, "Now that was a hard workout, surely that will increase my vertical."

This is not explosive training, so they are NOT going to see results in explosive moves. I guarantee you, they will be disappointed. You must train for explosion and not endurance to improve your vertical leap.

"Explosion" training will feel awkward at first.  You won't get the same burn as training for endurance.  In some ways training explosion is easier, although it requires much more focus and short term effort.

reading this right now] will benefit incredibly soley by decreasing repetition and increasing intensity.

Doesn’t exercising less to get better results sound like the best of both worlds?

To get the most out of your vertical jumping exercises, you ought to think about a vertical jump training program. Check out these Vertical Jump Program Reviews to check which are rated the best and to find more information on Improving Your Vertical Jump.

England are guaranteed to play against the USA at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, Algeria at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town and Slovenia at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth.  The Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, in particular, is a completely new 70,000 seater, all weather and all purpose stadium. Its location couldn’t be more perfect, it is situated between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, and very close to the city centre and the Victoria & Alfred waterfront.England will be hoping to win Group C and go through to the knockout round. They will either face the winner or runner up in Group D if they make it through the group stages. Group D is made up of Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana. It is very likely to be England v Australia at the in Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.

England’s squad is as strong as it has been over the last 44 years, with the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Terry and Beckham. They also have a very successful manager in charge of this campaign, Fabio Capello. Fabio has won lots of important trophies during his career. These include the Eufa Champions League and the Serie A title on a number of occasions for both Milan and Juventus. The England football fans world cup packages on offer can be great way to get to see these amazing players on display at the World Cup. To stand any chance of winning, England will need to keep their players injury free. Whatever the outcome it is set to be a fantastic tournament for everyone involved. This may well be the year they do it.

The way that it benefits is that it increases the overall speed at which you are able to perform, the power at which you move, as well as the ability to maintain a higher level control of your techniques. Optimal soccer warm ups include forward lunge and reach, back lunge and reach, side longes and diagonal lunges.  Some of these movements include turning in a quick fashion, twisting in often unnatural ways, as well as simple and complicated stretching.  You should always have a warm up session prior to any soccer training.  

Soccer training is physically tolling on the body and you greatly increase your risk of injury if you fail to prepare the body prior to your workout.  This reduces the amount of tension that the muscles naturally contain.  These warm tissues are able to be more reactive than their cold counterparts.  

During soccer training, you introduce your body to a wide range of tense movements.  Engaging in a our warm up prior to soccer training is a form of relief for the muscles.  I will share with you the overall importance of a warm up prior to soccer training in this article. Muscles that have not been properly warmed up are often extremely tight.  

Some examples of these injuries include muscle sprains, strains throughout the various muscles, and even tears in the delicate tissue of the muscles. The Optimal soccer warm up will create “warmness” throughout the muscles.  These types of movements can result in numerous injuries.  While you are training to increase the overall effectiveness of your skill and technique in soccer, it is important to warm up the muscles throughout the body to ensure that you reduce the chance for injury.  

Once you’ve gone through this circuit you should do some light ballwork to fully get the brain and body engaged.  

You can bet that nobody leaves the ground! Next, pair the goalkeepers and give them two cones each.  Have them create an imaginary ‘goal’ with the cones, around 6 paces apart from each other.  Goalkeepers would switch roles after a period of time. 

Your players and your goalkeeper should always recognize the importance of footwork, as it assures their mobility and safety from sprains and the like. After having the goalkeeper stretch and jog, do an introduction or recapitulation of the basic steps, such as the shuffle, or the crossover.  Sprinkle in some sudden movements to practice their reflexes and how they link them with their footwork. Always make sure that your goalkeeper is on his toes, with his knees bent.  One goalkeeper becomes the leader, and the other goalkeeper becomes the follower.  

In order for the follower to keep the leader from gaining a point, he should attempt to use footwork, reacting to the movement of the leader, to touch the area just inside either goal.  If you need to have the goalkeeper repeat after you, do so (refer to footwork techniques articles).  If he is just beginning to train, he might not understand the reason behind the need to stay light on their toes.