soccer-skills Archives

Once you move on from drooling to dribbling, it’s time to enroll your budding Beckham in a soccer class. Don’t take a shot in the dark and choose just any class; you want to match your kid’s personality with the right coach and philosophy so they learn to love the game. While your little defender is at work with the coach in one of these mom and kid approved classes, you can sit back and watch him pass…out on the way home, that is. Score!

Socceropolis
Coach Milton is the kind of soccer coach that kids – and parents – love. Before starting Socceropolis, he was a semi-pro soccer player in Los Angeles. So, he’s pretty much “that guy” when it comes to getting your kid ready for the next level. Milton personally teaches 150 kids a week, getting them soccer-ready with skills ranging from trapping and passing to shooting and goal-scoring within the 6-week class. The best part is that he puts importance on balance, confidence and coordination, all in a non-competitive environment. At Socceropolis, getting your 3-10 year old ready for the big league is easy; having him come off the field after kickin’ it with Coach Milton proves to be a little more difficult. And that’s just how you want it.

Found: In and around West LA
Online: socceropolis.com

Soccer Kids USA
Only in LA will you find a soccer class that throws a little yin and yang into the mix. At Soccer Kids USA, owners Julie and Justin score big with parents who want to nurture the whole child when it comes to soccer skills. The goal is for the 2 1/2 to 6-year-old player, who takes the 40-minute class, to understand there is no “I” in team. Each class – at every level – is taught through play and imagination, focusing on cooperation with each other and coordination with skills and drills. Parents and kids get their kicks when the coach yells “Freeze the Action!” to correct what’s happening during a non-competitive scrimmage. Julie and Justin make sure to balance the playing field with an equal dose of kicks and kindness.

Found: At parks and facilities around West Los Angeles
Online: soccerkidsUSA.com

LA Sports Kidz
The 3-6-year-old crowd goes wild for Coach Akeim Kelly’s soccer classes. Focusing on the “fun” in fundamentals, Coach Akeim’s parks and rec programming background meshes perfectly with little soccer enthusiasts. He has a creative approach to soccer at this young age; introducing the basics with a fun twist on things like dribbling, passing and kicking. He solicits a giggle and grin from every kid when he replaces traditional soccer lingo with words like cookies, spaceships and planets. Being the ultra cool cat that Coach Akeim is, he returns all phone inquiries within 24 hours. No wonder 90 percent of his business is referral from pleased parents.

Found: In Calabasas, Studio City & Torrance
Online: la-sportskidz.com

Super Soccer Stars
Get your game on at Super Soccer Stars with summer classes designed around a timely World Cup theme. Building self-confidence and soccer skills is the goal in these low-ratio child-to-coach classes. The 2 & 3 year olds have 1 coach to every 4 kids, while the 5-7 year olds have 1 coach to every 8 kids. The coaches on staff have a background in early childhood education and soccer, which means if your little girl cares more about looking cute in her pink cleats than kicking and running, they’ll know just what to say to get her back in the game (love that!). Super Soccer Stars also caught our attention because of their Shine Program, which uses soccer to teach life skills to children with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Found: At centers and parks in San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles
Online: supersoccerstars.com

Soccer Shots
This company calls the shots when it comes to its classes – there are no camps or leagues offered at Soccer Shots, just 1-hour soccer classes geared to the 2-8-year-old bunch. They combine fancy foot work and soccer rules with songs and imaginative play for the little ones, while the older players focus on dribbling, passing, shooting and team work. While Soccer Shots is run in a non-competitive environment, its goal is to lay the foundation for competitive league-play once kids hit 8 years old. Soccer Shots holds a weekly class, but then breaks the players down into scrimmage groups of 4. These mini teams get a feel for what’s it’s like to play in an organized soccer league – great for those kids who think the field grass might be greener on the other side.

Found: At centers and parks in San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles
Online: Soccershots.org

-Lisa Finn

Where do you and your pint-sized Pele hit the field? Let us know in the comment section.

Photo credits: Super Soccer Stars, Socceropolis and Mrs. Flinger via Creative Commons

In New York City, it often feels like every week, not just January 16-20, is Soccer Coaches Week, as boys and girls starting as young as a year old can be seen chasing that recognizable, black and white ball in the parks, on the street, and at specialty classes, camps and teams all over town. Don’t want your kiddo left behind? It’s not too late! Check out some of Red Tricycle’s favorite spots to master the internationally beloved game of soccer mere days after you first get the hang of that walking upright thing:

Super Soccer Stars
Various NYC locations
You know you’ve seen the multi-colored T-shirts, but did you know that Supper Soccer Stars, which hosts lessons, games and birthday parties, also offers a Pre-Soccer class for toddlers between the ages of 12 and 24 months? (Thought we were kidding about that learning to kick while learning to walk thing, didn’t you?) Kick & Play is a movement program for parents and their tots, exploring the new notion of self-propelled physical activity… while also developing early soccer skills, of course.

Chelsea Piers
23rd Street & Hudson River Park
Right behind Pre-Soccer is Micro-Soccer. Future David Beckhams between the ages of 2 and 3 can begin learning to Bend It in a promised supportive and nurturing environment… with Mom and Dad by their side. Children age 3 and up who can separate without problems then have the option of moving into a Spikes class, where preschoolers run, play, improve muscle coordination and learn the concepts of teamwork and cooperation.

Kids In Sports
Various locations in New York City and Connecticut
When is a 1 year old not just a 1 year old? When he or she is actually a Tiny Athlete! At Kids In Sports, Tiny Athletes are introduced to a cross-section of physical activity in a Multi Sport format, where three consecutive weeks of learning soccer fundamentals share space with Baseball, Basketball, Floor Hockey, Football and Volleyball. Open to kids up through 7, although all individual classes are grouped by age.

Soc Rock
Various locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens
2 and 3 year olds can also kick the ball around at Soc Rock, where founder and frequent instructor James Christie is a former pro player and current personal trainer. Unlike other programs, his focus is on overall strength training and conditioning (yes, for 2 year olds, too) and on teaching skills that promote success in both sports and life.

Soccer by Coach Fher
Various locations
What better way to celebrate Soccer Coaches Week than by checking out a class by a coach proud enough of his methods to turn his name into a brand? Argentinean native Shadrach Gonzalez Fher (see why the kids just call him Coach?) is certified in both sports training and Child CPR. His classes are non-competitive, focused on fun, and offer the option of playing inside or outside (which means you get to decide where you want to sit and watch).

Carlos Oliviera Soccer Academy
Various locations in Manhattan and Queens
Another coach confident enough to stamp his name on the product, Carlos Oliviera teaches soccer the way it’s played in, to quote the very enthusiastic World Cup announcer in 2002, “Brahziiiiiillll!” Open to boys and girls ages 2 ½ and up, COSA has just expanded its unique methodology and approach into the NYC public schools.

Not sure if soccer is the right sport for your family? A multi-week commitment can be a bit much, especially in the winter, when just getting your little guy or girl into a snowsuit and out of the house can be considered ample exercise for the day – if not the lifetime.

In that case, consider trying out a class that’s one-time only, warm and, most importantly, free. In the summertime, the NYC Parks & Recreation Department offers regular, hour long Tot Soccer Classes in Riverside Park for anyone age 5 and younger. Make a note on your calendar and try to catch one in a few months.

Where do you take your budding soccer stars to practice their kick, shots, and passing?

— Alina Adams

photos courtesy Alina Adams and of the respective company’s facebook pages

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