All Posts by Mike Saif

0 Zonal Defending v Man Marking

By Soren Schamberg A long-time debate with regard to system of play is whether to mark a zone on the field despite who the player in the zone is, or, a man marking system which has an individual player mark an opponent. Currently, the epitome of these two systems would be Manchester City with their

1 Playing in the Final Third – eBook

0 Simple Drills Your Players Will Love

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares some simple drills that are suitable for players of all ages and abilities.These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

0 Invite the Opposition to Press Then Sucker Punch Them

By Danny Carvalho I love this idea of the negative pass! Some player passes to someone behind him. The opposition runs forward to press for the ball. They leave space behind… BOOM! Sucker punch them with a through ball and a free path to their goal! Oh, what is the sucker punch? Let’s quote Pep

0 Coaching Individual Defending

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares some individual defending drills that teach various techniques and tactical positioning. These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

0 Pass Back Interval Run

By Matt Carroll - A favorite of cross country and soccer programs alike, the interval run demands stamina, sprint speed, communication, and coordination. In addition to being a conditioning exercise, it is often used as a team bonding exercise as teams need to adjust their speed based on time constraints and the condition of the

1 Team Training For Your Goalkeeper

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares some team and technical training for your goalkeepers.These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

1 GK Distribution to Start Quick Counter-Attacks

By Danny Carvalho,  When thinking about a fast and direct counterattack starting from the GK I believe the first play that will always come across my mind is the third Belgium’s goal against Japan in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The game was even at 2-2 with only a few minutes before full time

0 Deadly Set Plays That Really Work

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares some set plays that you can use with your teams to score more goals. These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

0 Playing a 4-3-1 in the 9v9 Game

By Matt Carroll Playing a 4-3-1 in the 9v9 game may seem at first look to be an overtly defensive formation, but it can be a great teaching tool to introduce defensive players into the attack.  The 9v9 game is all about teaching, and you can teach most everything you need to on the defensive

0 Curriculum Training For the 4-3-3 - 11v11 Part 2 – eBook

0 Individual Dribbling Exercises

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares some drills and exercises to coach individual dribbling.  These are great drills that can easily be added to your own training sessions.These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

2 Small-Sided Games For Overlaps

By Søren Schamberg - Overlap is an action associated mainly with full backs running around wingers when in final third. However, it can be used all over the pitch especially to execute in 2v1 situations. Overlap is a very good tool in overloaded and underloaded situations if done at the right time. It confuses the

0 Fun Soccer Drills for Any Age and Ability Levels

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares some neat little games and drills that can be used for coaching various techniques, and that are also fun for your players.These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

1 Dribble to Finish

By Matt Carroll - Setup: Set up a box about five feet away from the middle of the top of the 18. Box should be about 15x10 but can vary depending on player ability and age. Set up the active player with a ball 10 feet beyond the box and a passing player 3 feet

0 How to Create Intensity With Your Shooting Sessions

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares how to create intensity with your shooting sessions.These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

0 How To Turn Your Shots Into Goals

By Danny Carvalho Question - “My team always out shoots an opponent. But we struggle with finishing our opportunities and don't take our opportunities when shooting when they are open from outside. Help!” I know it is no fun being in the coach’s shoes when this is the case but, as the expert trying to

1 Elite 1v1 Training Part Two

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares some elite 1v1 training exercises that you can easily add into your own sessions.These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

1 Curriculum Training For the 4-3-3 - 11v11 Part 1 – eBook

0 Inverting the Midfield Triangle

By Matt Carroll In both the 4-3-3 and the 4-2-3-1 there are three central midfielders that can be aligned in a variety of ways to create a variety of effects. The 4-3-3 can be played flat, but can also be played in a bowl shape where the central midfielder sits slightly behind the two wider

0 Elite 1v1 Training

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares some elite 1v1 training drills that you can include in your own sessions.These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

0 Confuse Your Opponents With Overlaps

By Danny Carvalho Have you ever caught yourself watching a game where nothing different happened in attack, both teams were always trapped by the opposite defending system and every play was so predictable? Yeah, I know the feeling. It sucks! With this session I hope you won’t ever have to deal with a predictable boring

0 Training the Triangle Midfield

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares some drills and small-sided games to help train the triangle midfield.These diagrams are created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at https://www.academysoccercoach.co.uk/

0 1v1 Scoring Knockout

By Matt Carroll - While this is something that can definitely be seen as a technical workout, the high level of physical work players will experience will ensure that your player’s in-game physical shape will improve. In this drill, you will want to create a grid appropriate to the number of players available, taking into