Liverpool are only one win away from a European spot (3 points behind 5th place Tottenham). Is all the hoopla about their poor start way overblown? Will this be a different season for Arsenal? Here's what I'm getting at. Arsenal typically start the season playing well. The weather is nice, playing surfaces are pretty good
Continue readingHow much time do you spend on training set pieces (restarts)? The reason I ask is that there are numerous studies that quote anywhere up to 42% of all goals are as a result of a set piece. If that is true, then should we be spending more time training set pieces. I guess we
Continue readingEach weekend I coach five or six games. Because I spend a lot of time on soccer fields, I have an opportunity to see every possible coaching style. I’m always on the look out for different methods that I can add to my ‘tool box’ of coaching ideas. The best things I’ve ever learned from
Continue readingMan U, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea are likely the four teams with the most money in the EPL and they occupy the top four spots. This suggests that money seems to be the be-all and end-all to being a successful soccer club. With this being the case, other clubs are really playing for consolation
Continue readingWhat the heck was the Wayne Rooney drama all about this week? I've never seen anything like it. First, it surfaces that Rooney isn't happy at Man U, that he doesn't think Man U are going in the right direction to match his ambitions, and that he will not sign a new contract when his
Continue readingThe approach of winter in the midwest means that teams are making plans for what they will do once the colder weather arrives. Traditionally the options have been limited; teams played indoor (arena style) soccer and held their practices at the indoor facilities or in school gymnasiums. In the last 5-10 years more options have
Continue readingThis is something I have thought about for years. I remember talking to a goalkeeper coach a few years ago and he thought I was out of my mind. This only spurred me on even more to thinking I was on to something. After all, sometimes it takes thinking out of the box and going
Continue readingDuring this time of year I like to run a few sessions that incorporate competitive games that test the player’s dribbling, passing and shooting. Making the exercises into competitive games increases the motivation of the players and challenges them to perform the skills under pressure. You can use almost any drill or exercises in this
Continue readingWilly is the latest winner of $100 prize of books/DVDs from WORLD CLASS COACHING. Willy, I have sent you an email with instructions on how to claim your prize. Remember, all you have to do for a chance to win the $100 prize, is post a comment on any WCC Blog topic. It's that simple.
Continue readingIs it time for the EPL to have a winter break? I think the answer is yes, but it is highly unlikely to happen. Let's take a look. Players have petitioned for years that they need a break in the winter. I have mentioned on this blog numerous times that the EPL season is incredibly
Continue readingWell, I've posted a couple of topics over the last week or so about Liverpool going through a tough time. One of the issues was needing a new owner with enough money to keep up with Man U, Man City, Chelsea, etc. Turns out that just a couple of days after my latest post, Liverpool
Continue readingI think it’s important to start practices with an activity that will engage the players and get their attention. When players arrive at the practice field they have usually come from a busy day of school. They may have spent some time playing with friends around the neighborhood. Depending on their practice time, they may
Continue readingI have to admit it, I have a soft spot for Liverpool. I don't class myself as a Liverpool supporter, but I have always admired them and look for their result before just about any other team. Also, being brought up in Sheffield and following Sheffield United, I didn't have much success to shout about.
Continue readingI am a keen cyclist. I ride my bike 5-6 days a week and enter the occasional race. I only got into cycling about two years ago, but even as far back as the 80's, I used to watch the Tour de France on Eurosport. I then became more interested about eight years ago and
Continue readingThis is a post from Scott Moody of the Soccer Fit Academy. I thought you would find it interesting because it follows on from the discussion that was generated by the post where I discussed the preseason running program I used with one of my teams. I was recently forwarded a soccer conditioning research article
Continue readingI wrote a blog post last week about whether the EPL title race was over already. Chelsea had won all five of their games and by big margins. I guess it was a reasonable question to ask. But, in my excitement at how well Chelsea had started, I didn't give enough attention to the teams
Continue readingGrowing up I was always impressed by Liverpool. It was hard not to be I suppose. They were the team to beat every year for most of the 70's and 80's and for a spell practically dominated the league and Europe. Liverpool are the most successful club in the history of English football, having won
Continue readingWe received an excellent DVD recently and I’ve found the information very useful with my team so I thought others might as well. In my opinion, one of the most under-coached aspects of youth soccer is awareness. We do a good job teaching the techniques of the game as well as the basic tactics of
Continue readingToday's blog is a simple question. After just five games, is the EPL title race over? Are Chelsea a step ahead of the others - Man U, Arsenal, Man City, Spurs, etc. Yes, I know it's ridiculously early to even think about this, but I can't help it. Chelsea are producing some good performances and
Continue readingDo you continue to rotate player through the different positions as they get older? What is 'older'? I have always made sure to give my players experiences in a number of different positions during the season. Sometimes in positions that they weren't well suited to but I wanted them to have a chance to play
Continue readingGerard Houllier is now back in the EPL where he takes the reigns of Aston Villa starting next week. I must admit, I liked Houllier. I met him when I went to watch Liverpool train many years ago. He was very pleasant and made me feel comfortable while there. I also thought he did a
Continue readingIn the next few weeks we will release our latest book - Formation Based Soccer Training. Earlier in the year, we published some training sessions from the manuscript of this book in our email newsletters and received an incredible amount of questions, interest and feedback. Without a doubt, it looks like being our most sought
Continue readingJustin Neese is the winner of the $100 worth of books and DVDs for posting a comment on the WCC Blog. We will draw out a winner every few weeks. All you need to do is visit the WCC Blog and post a comment and you could win $100 of books and DVDs from our
Continue readingOver the first few weeks of the season my team has played in two events. The first was a tournament put on by our club and the second was billed as a ‘Friendlies’. In both cases we played two games a day on Saturday and Sunday. I could, and probably will, do a post that
Continue reading