Soccer Shots Review

I wrote a Soccer Shots review because I’ll admit it, I love Soccer Shots. In the never-ending quest to find things for my kids that:

  • Are fun
  • Provide them exercise
  • Let them meet new kids
  • Teach them to listen and follow instructions
  • Learn new skills

Soccer shots really does check off all the boxes. If you combine both of my kids they have been to about 10 Soccer Shots sessions. I feel pretty well equipped to write this Soccer Shots review.

Why should my kids try Soccer Shots?

Soccer Shots provides kids with an introduction to soccer. It teaches them positive lessons about teamwork, respect, and control. It is also about having fun with other kids. The programs always strike me as very well organized. The staff of instructors seems like their training is great. Every coach my kids have had seems to have a passion for the game. More importantly, they have a passion for teaching kids valuable lessons.

What Soccer Shots is All About

soccer shots review
Soccer Shots-The CHILDREN’s Soccer Experience

I started writing about Soccer Shots way back in 2019. Since that time, my kids graduated from this program and went to play two years’ worth of league soccer and counting.

It might be fair to say that some parents are hesitant to put their kids in Soccer Shots. They might worry the kids need to know something about soccer before they get started. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Soccer Shots will teach your kids about soccer no matter what their level of experience

I originally got my kids into Soccer Shots because I was looking for ways to “socialize” my oldest son. I wanted to do that before he had started school. So this was back when he was only 4 years old.

So I am sure that you can figure out that there is not a lot of complex soccer moves taught to kids. Nor are small kids expected to do a lot of complicated moves. That was OK with me because, as I said, that was not the point.

So What Are Young Kids Learning About Soccer?

The funny thing is, since kids are veritable sponges when it comes to learning, they actually did learn. My kids even retained a couple of simple moves even in their first Soccer Shots sessions.

Now as kids get older, the sessions CAN become more involved, including teaching the kids more complicated skills and strategies. Even with that, it would seem the core values that Soccer Shots is trying to teach kids remain. This is part of the program even as the kid’s soccer skills evolve.

In this Soccer Shots review, I will show you what you can expect from the program. I will focus on younger kids that are getting started in soccer. I will put this in the context of all manner of programs and activities like this.

The finer points of Soccer Shots

In writing a Soccer Shots review, my goal (no pun intended) is to let prospective parents know what they are in for right from the first class.

When I first took my oldest son to Soccer Shots, I really did not know what to expect. Was this a sporty daycare? Was it hard-core soccer for little kids?

I was quite surprised to find out it was neither of those things. You want kids to get as much out of a program as possible. You don’t want to feel like you are having to “push” them into it.

Soccer Shots is pretty simple. It is a coach with a bag of soccer balls, a couple of fold-up nets, and some cones. Without many “bells and whistles”, it is up to the coaches to drive the experience for the kids.

I can honestly say that I have yet to have a bad coach in my time. In fact, our last coach, at one of the final sessions of the season, had the parents play against the kids. This was a match the kids loved! The parents….were a little winded.

I would note that as my kids went on to play league soccer as they got older, we all took something from Soccer Shots. Not only did they play, but I coached. In fact, one of the last things we did each practice was to have the kids play against the parents! Everyone had a blast (and yes, the parents were still a little winded!!)

A big part of what makes Soccer Shots work is that the kids HAVE FUN! At the same time, they are actually doing something that is of value to both them and you. Kids rarely are left standing around with nothing to do or listening to an adult drone on about some obscure soccer strategy.

The great thing about Soccer Shots is that kids learn without knowing it…because they are having fun!

Soccer Shots review
Coaches that go above and beyond to teach and entertain kids.

So what happens at a Soccer Shots session

A Soccer Shots review must include a little breakdown of what to expect from a typical session. A session usually starts with the kids sitting in a circle. The coach talks about what they will be doing that day.

When I say they talk about the session that day, I do not mean what drills they will run. They focus on the lesson they teach kids on that day.

Every session starts with the word of the day they will be learning.

So, for example, maybe the word of the day is Teamwork. First, they will discuss what the word means in a way that little kids can understand. So this will include examples of teamwork that kids can see not only in their session but can also see in their daily life.

From there, they will start working on skills. As they do, they will keep coming back to that word of the day they are learning about. In fairness, the words they work on always apply to so many different parts of a kid’s life. It really does not matter what drills or games they do in the session. The point is to keep coming back to the word through their activities.

OK, are little kids actually learning Soccer? 

So far, I have told you about the kids learning valuable lessons and having fun. The topper is that they ARE learning some basic soccer skills. When they play an actual game, it looks like a pack of ten kids running in place. They all act like they cannot go farther than 2 feet from the soccer ball.

It was amazing to me that my kids learned the basics of soccer. Dribbling, controlling the ball, passing, and shooting were all part of the plan. They are also learning some basic fundamentals of teamwork as well.

Soccer Shots is definitely the type of thing where you, as a parent, do not even see that they are learning any sport-specific skills until, lo and behold, they are doing them!!

To sum up this Soccer Shots Review

I hope this Soccer Shots review has highlighted what I love about this program. It is heavy on:

  • Fun
  • Listening and sharing
  • Exercise
  • Making friends
  • Learning a little about the game of soccer

As kids get older, if they keep going through the sessions at older age groups, they will begin to learn more. They will learn more about the skills and strategies of the game itself. 

When my kids started the program around the age of 5 and 6, I was looking for a program that taught them the things I bulleted above. Soccer Shots really did that and then some. Kids can keep going in the program while they also play in other leagues to work on skills that they may not have the time to focus on in a team and league setting.

Are there any “intense” parents at Soccer Shots that you sometimes hear horror stories about when it comes to kids’ sports?

In all the time I have been taking my kids to Soccer Shots, I have NEVER come across a parent like that. I do not know for sure, but my guess is that even if there was one, Soccer Shots would go out of their way to bump them from the program. This may change as kids get older and programs become more competitive, but for now, no worries.