NASA Academy U10 Girls

• Brasilian skills balls: Several of the girls have taken a shine to the "little blue" and "littler red" Brasilian futebols we occasionally bring to practice. You can order these via the web: www.brasilianfutebol.com. The supplier is tiny but reputable, and the futebols are fun, durable and help players improve their ball skills.

• Specialty soccer balls: Here's a soft soccer ball suited for heading practice or indoor ("inside the house") play. The ball has a bladder like regular soccer balls, but the bladder is covered by soft foam, then fabric. This results in a soft and light ball which behaves much like a regular soccer ball. Link: item available from Amazon

• Soccer rebounder:  The Kwik Goal AFR-2 rebounder is an always-available training partner. It's good for solo practice, or it can also be used by 2-4 players for rebound games or soccer tennis. It's not cheap, but it's high-quality and is portable, durable and versatile. (We had four of these in regular rotation back at Noonday in 2001 and 2002, but they disappeared and were sadly missed. Portability has its benefits and downsides.) Links: another supplier  /  another rebounder

• "Soccer Wave" rebounder:  A variation of a standard rebounder, the Soccer Wave is a curved device that returns the ball less predictably than a standard rebounder. It's more suited to training first touch and receiving air balls than ball striking itself. An optional kick-back panel is available to help with ball striking and receiving ground balls.