During a SSC coaches forum last year, Ian Bridge was asked "at what age should we be teaching kids to slide check?". His immediate reply was: "at what age do they begin to walk?".
This may sound a bit odd, but his point is well taken. Watching the recent FIFA women's world cup, slide checking was used frequently and proved to be very effective.
Simple Session.
There are a number of methods to teach slide checks.
A great way to start teaching this skill, is to run a simple slide session on a rainy day on a grassy field.
The kids love this stuff. Do not attempt on a dry hard field.
Definitely NOT on gravel or artificial turf. Safety First.
Make sure the area is clear of sprinkler heads, sticks, rocks and other items that may cause injury.
Simple Slide Check Teaching Session
- Lay down a 'runway' of cones 4 feet apart and 20 feet long. Have p_layer_s start at one end, and one at at time have each p_layer_ run down the runway and launch into a slide, using their best foot forward slide at the end of the runway...with out a ball. Take note on which forward foot each p_layer_ is using. They will prefer one over the other.[
- Progression 1: roll a ball down the runway and have the kids run on to the ball with their best foot forward slide.
- Progression 2: add a p_layer_ to run down the runway offering passive 'offense' on the ball while the 'slider' runs on to the ball to knock it into touch
- Progression 3: increase the intensity of the pressure on the ball between the two p_layer_s running down the runway. One acts as the defensive "slider", the other as the attacker trying a run down the line.
We ran this with a U13 girls team. They loved it so much they didn't want to stop the practice and couldn't wait for the next rainy day game to try out their new skill.
