As crazy as it sounds, you really can use not only tutus and tiaras to teach soccer, but also puppets, parachutes, pillow fights, flying stuffed animals, Hula Hoops, matador capes, wizard hats, piggyback rides, and more.

At Hot Shots Soccer for Girls, we are dedicated to making soccer “practice” different than anything they will ever experience in organized sports. No boring drills. No having to wait their turn to dribble through a static set of cones. None of the drills designed by grown-ups for grown-ups.

At Hot Shots, we recognize that our 2-10 year old girls are still children with vivid imaginations and a love of play, make-believe, and fun!

So, as crazy as it sounds, parachutes, pillow fights, and puppets really do have a place in teaching soccer.

Take the tutus and tiaras, for example. We could teach passing by doing what most teams do: Have players stand across from one another and pass the ball back and forth. Or run around and pass the ball back and forth.

Boring.

Instead, to teach passing, we put tutus and tiaras (and pink boas and long strings of beads) on the girls’ moms or dads and call them “Sleeping Beauty”. The parents then run away from their daughters who try to pass the ball to them. If the girls succeed and hit their parent, the “Sleeping Beauties “fall asleep” and can only be awakened by a kiss or tickle from their daughters!

Then, to the delight of the girls, the parents give the tutus, tiaras and boas to their daughters who run around the gym squealing in delight at being dressed up and having crazy fun!

The props are not ends in themselves; all the props contribute to teaching a soccer skill. Having parents throw stuff animals at the girls as they dribble reinforces the need to be looking up as they kick the ball, thus teaching “field of vision” (you can’t pass or shoot if you’re looking down at the ball).

To teach turning with the ball, we have parents chase the girls with a pillow (our pillow fight game) which encourages the girls to change direction as they dribble to get away. To teach throw-ins, we have girls throw a ball at a puppet on a pole, thus reinforcing the idea of letting go of the ball early to get a good arc (many girls let go too late and their throw-in goes into the ground in front of them).

These are the ultimate “educational toys.” The girls are having fun and learning a soccer skill.

We show girls they can have fun while learning. And we also believe that lessons learned in joy and excitement in unforgettable circumstances last longer.

Another important piece of this game, and many of our other games, is the inclusion of physical contact between parent and child. The kissing and tickling contact reinforces bonds between them, an effect that is immediately apparent in the pictures in this blog post.

To get a real feel for the program, watch this video about the impact of Hot Shots on the girls and their families.

Hot Shots runs on ten Sundays from Jan. 13-Mar. 31 (with Mar. 24 off), and is based at the Furnace Brook Middle School gym in Marshfield but is open to girls from all South Shore communities.

The 2019 season begins Sunday, Jan. 13, and there are openings in all the sessions. For girls ages 2-6, the sessions are at 9AM, 10AM, and 11 AM. For grade school or especially skilled young girls, there is an advanced skills session at noon.

The fee is $125 (with discounted rates for more than one daughter) which includes a T-shirt and medal. Online registration and more information are available on the Hot Shots website (www.hotshotssoccer.org).