6 🔥 Videos That Show Why Footvolley is Great Training for Every Youth Soccer Player
Sometimes to get better at soccer, kids should…play another sport!
But not just any other sport: Footvolley and futnet are two soccer-related sports that can vault youth soccer players´ skills to the next level.
Besides being really fun on their own, playing footvolley and futnet teaches kids how to control the ball better, head the ball better, have stronger legs, avoid injuries, and even master the showstopping chilena (bicycle kick).
Here, we’ll introduce you to each one and show how your child can benefit:
FOOTVOLLEY:
WHAT IT IS:
Soccer + Volleyball, invented in Brazil in the 1960’s by soccer players who came up with a creative solution for the era’s “no soccer on the beach” laws.
HOW IT’S PLAYED:
Similar to beach volleyball, 2 players to a side (sometimes 3 or 4) are allowed 3 hits to the ball to get it over the net.
But, unlike volleyball, players can’t use their arms or hands. Instead they hit the ball with their feet, legs, chest, and head.
BENEFIT #1: STRONG LEGS AND OVERALL CONDITIONING
Ever run in the sand? If so, you know it’s intensely demanding on your leg muscles. Now imagine sliding, diving and jumping in the sand as well! Footvolley builds strong legs, but safely— the sand cushions each step (and fall), reducing injuries. Look at the video below—the players never stop moving. It’s intensive, non-stop conditioning.
BENEFIT #2: Controlling the ball in the air
Many younger soccer players avoid meeting the ball in the air. It’s challenging to judge the ball’s speed and catch it at just the right moment on their chest, thigh, or foot. But when they train footvolley, they get it. The whole game is about controlling the ball in the air, and sending it back up, again and again. So youth players quickly gain skills translatable to the soccer field, like:
Chest-bumping up a ball
Sending the ball up with the inside of their foot
The perfect timing to set up a flashy “goal of the year” from the air.
To understand this perfectly, check out the videos below. On the left, a typical footvolley movement called a “chapa”; on the right, Brazilian soccer player Richarlison using it to set up an amazing bicycle kick goal in the last World Cup!
BENEFIT #3: STRONGER, BETTER AIMED HEADING
Footvolley players use their heads almost as much as their feet, and since a player’s goal is sending the ball somewhere hard for the other team to reach, they have to learn great directionality in heading. Meaning, excellent aim! This skill can be used in soccer to pass with the head and score stunning goals, like Erling Haaland’s beautiful header below right.
Benefit 4: Playing a Coed Game
Another great thing about footvolley is that it’s one of the few sports women and men play together (like mixed doubles in tennis). There are lots of amazing female footvolley players who are great role models for youth coming up in the sport. See some of them in action below:
Come give Footvolley a try!
Join JOÜK’s Footvolley training, for ages 13 and up
With Brazilian coach and champion footvolley player, Juliana Benn Soares.
Location: Riverside Park South (enter at 66th St.), Upper West Side, NYC
Days: Fridays 9-11 am, starting July 12th
For more info and to register, go here or contact JOĂśK Head Coach Walter Altamirano here.