First Things First - What to Coach First for Soccer

I have it from a reliable source (footy4kids) that a good set of skills for youth soccer players to develop first are the ball-holding skills.

In the spring, I'm going to emphasize these holding skills even more. I'm also going to emphasize the skill of waiting for the defender to take a stab at the ball and beating them with a quick touch.

We've done some work where the kids dribble toward a goal and a defender and try to beat that defender, but it has occurred to me that it might be good to learn to beat the back by standing still and reacting to the defender's first move. By removing the act of dribbling, it takes a lot of the timing and touch skills out of the equation and may make it easier for the kids to learn how to hold the ball while facing their opponent. Of course, they'll eventually need to learn to attack on the move, but I'm thinking practicing this "stand and wait" method may be a good incremental step.