Here is a great small sided game to work on using width while still looking to get to goal. There are many small sided games that can be played such as this one. To see others check out the DVD Small Sided Games of the World’s Top Teams. In this game, it’s a 40 x
Continue readingIn addition to being a youth soccer coach I'm also an avid runner. I listen to a lot podcasts and review blogs from a number of sources in a search for the latest training information. A recent post by Ben Greenfield of BenGreenfieldFitness.com focuseds on the different nutritional needs of young athletes as opposed to
Continue readingIt’s invaluable for a player to have mental toughness but the question one must ask yourself is “what is mental toughness?” There are three types of mental toughness Endurance Pressure Concentration While endurance is frequently thought of as a physical thing it’s also a mental thing. Regardless of how fit a person might be there
Continue readingWhen teaching the recovery run to provide support defensively it’s important to teach the players to: Assess Cover Communicate This can be worked on using the following activity. Start with an attacking player 15 yards from the defending player. There is a second defender beside the attacker. The ball starts with a server on the
Continue readingThe Technical Director for the club I coach with, Blue Valley Soccer Club, is Peter Vermes, who is also the Coach and Technical Director for Sporting Kansas City. Peter and the other directors of the club run sessions for the coaches two or three times a year. The sessions cover a variety of topics and
Continue readingI thought I would share an evaluation I have used for many years with teams. It’s one of the most effective tools I have used to get a better understanding of each player, the team and my relationship with the team. It’s also a great way to encourage thought and communication. I typically use it
Continue readingIn basketball, some players are referred to as shooters while others are referred to as scorers. A shooter is someone who is fundamentally very sound. If you give a shooter an open shot, they will typically score however, they usually struggle creating their own shots or scoring while under pressure. Scorers, on the other hand,
Continue readingWe had a discussion in the office the other day about the difference between fakes and moves. The discussion revolved around how you can use a move that doesn't fake the defender and whether we should be teaching young players moves or how to fake. This is an interesting subject because there's no shortage of
Continue readingThe best players are the best problem solvers. This is a statement many coaches say (or they say something similar) and is so true but the question is, if we as coaches think the best players are the best problem solvers, why do we keep trying to give the players the answers? Coaches tell their
Continue readingOne of the areas of the game of soccer frequently neglected by coaches in training are throw ins and receiving throw ins. Watching youth games it’s discouraging to see the number of thrown ins that result in loss of possession. With many youth teams they would be better off letting the other team have the
Continue readingThere was a recent discussion on our local soccer forum that talked a teams that were playing 'Kickball'. One poster suggested that goalkeepers should be encouraged to roll the ball out or drop it to their feet and pass their way out of the back rather than punting it up the field. I've never coached
Continue readingFabio Capello recently was quoted recently as saying “ when you speak about tactics, you don't use a lot of words. I don't have to speak about a lot of different things. Maximum 100 words’. This was said while discussing his limited vocabulary in English while coaching Englands national team. I realize coaching a national
Continue readingHere is a great activity that works on zonal defending and penetrating passes when attacking. This activity is just one of many in the progression on zonal defending as demonstrated in the DVD Teaching Zonal Defending. Start with a 40 x 30 field with a goal on each end line that is 4 yards wide
Continue readingI'm always looking for ways to transfer shooting technique into goal scoring in games. I've used multiple games and competitive situations. Some have been more effective than others. I saw a new one last week while doing a combined training session with another coach. Many of you may be familiar with it but I had
Continue readingForce them wide! Force them Wide! Maybe not! From early on, we teach players defensively to force players wide. We tell them to show the sideline, use the sideline as an extra defender, force them away from the center of the field. However, in the opponents back third of the field we frequently want to
Continue readingWhen discussing dribbling there are two terms to consider using. Running with the ball Running after the ball Running with the ball would be when you are dribbling in tight spaces. You might be dribbling at a defender, or trying to split two defender. Running after the ball is when you have a lot of
Continue readingI think most of us who coach are fascinated by what motivates players and how we can use this to draw the very best out of them. Today's post if from our Soccer Conditioning Experts at Soccer F.I.T Academy and looks at this topic in a way that I thought you'd find interesting. What motivated
Continue readingWhen teaching about support and possession of the ball we frequently talk about triangles. When a player has the ball we want him to have options on angles as well as the opportunity to make a penetrating pass to split the defense. While coaches understand the how the triangle support works, many players tend to
Continue readingAs players mature we need to start doing more functional training and a bit less general training when it comes to tactics. The center back position is so important for a teams success but it’s one that frequently gets neglected when it comes to functional training. This is part of a progression working on training
Continue readingSo much of soccer can be broken down to 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 yet we tend to want to over-complicate matters by thinking bigger numbers. Here is a fun game to work on 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 situations. The grid is 30 x 15 with a 3 yard wide
Continue readingIs working hard the best way to get in shape? There is a lot of talk by coaches about working hard. The thought is the harder you work the better shape you will be in. The problem with this is when you have a long season or you have a short season with a lot
Continue readingTeaching players to turn with the ball is an area that I don't see covered very often by coaches working with players from eight to 12. I'm not sure if it is because the coaches think the topic is difficult to teach young players or because they don't want to take time away from areas
Continue reading4-4-2 vs 4-5-1 vs 3-5-2 Technical training vs tactical training vs functional training. Zonal defending vs man to man marking. Pushing up into an offside trap vs sitting back and “parking the bus”. Coaches have these types of conversations (either with other coaches or internally with themselves) on a regular basis. The conversations I don’t
Continue readingMany activities work on attacking and defending. Many activities work on possession. Not many work on both. This activity, and many like it can be seen in the book Full Season Training Program - Elite Team by Terry Michler This activity is a 6 v 5 plus a keeper in the penalty area. 5 attacking
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