All Posts by Mike Saif

0 3-2-1 Technique Sprints

By Matt Carroll - This is a great sprint workout that can be used 2-3 times a week to increase players’ max velocity and improve sprint technique. The key to speed training is to maximize technique and power and to minimize reps so that athletes are able to get to as near as 100% as

0 Playing the Narrow 4-4-2

By Matt Carroll While width is consistently listed in books, interviews, and coaching courses as an integral part of the attacking game, the negatives of width are rarely discussed. Yes, it can spread the defense and open up holes in the opposition, which is clearly an advantage in the attacking phase, but the concept of

0 Stop Crosses Like Cortouis

By Danny Carvalho,  This very important skill is often neglected on goalkeeping specific training which cannot be accepted by a head coach who wants to achieve great accomplishments in their season. So here goes a simple and basic practice on stopping crosses. Warm Up Goalkeepers working in pairs. The goal is just to get the

0 Technique Speed Circuit

By Matt Carroll - Description: The technique speed circuit should be used as a progression for some other type of technical drill. For example, if you are teaching Cruyff Turns a drill should be used first to teach the finer points of the move and to give players the time to develop their technical feel

0 Create Shooting Opportunities From Through Balls

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares how to create shooting opportunities from through-balls. The diagram is created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at www.academysoccercoach.co.uk 

0 Turning with the Ball and Switching Play

By Danny Carvalho The ability of receiving from one direction and turning with the ball to another direction is very appreciated by coaches because it helps the team to switch points of attack which makes difficult for the opponents to have a chance on winning the ball. Today’s session aims to work on that in

0 Dropping Your Attacking Midfielder Into a Back Five

By Matt Carroll The benefits of having a creative 10 are really endless, but the one negative is that the opposition simply needs to drop a 6 in the midfield and they can be used to man-mark the 10 out. Without proper support, this can greatly reduce the effectiveness of that role.  A possible solution

0 The Role of the Center Backs – Attacking eBook

0 Small Group Defending Drills

By Danny Carvalho Question - “I have a group of 10-year-olds who are pretty skillful, but their defending technique is very poor.  I really need to start from scratch.  Do you have any good 1v1 defending drills and then some drills to train the cover defender?”” I hear you, my friend. And I am sure

0 The Angus Drill

By Matt Carroll - This activity has two parts, one is a competitive game with conditioning elements, the other is a conditioning drill with technical elements. It is a great game to play to improve the soccer-specific fitness of your players, but also the competitive drive of your team. The game starts off with balls

0 Pass and Receive Plus 1v1

By Tug McTighe - Description: This is a great warm-up activity that incorporates passing, receiving and 1v1 moves in one simple set-up. The purpose of this activity is to focus on passing, receiving, and 1v1 moves in a pattern that mimics the movements of the game. Setup: Set up grid as shown with cones 10-12

0 Come Off the Line Goalkeeper

By Danny Carvalho,  This ability is a game changer. It separates the average GK from the outstanding GKs! Not only the ability but the decision making, the timing, the courage, the urgency and the acceleration. Warm up Have one GK in the six yard and another facing them at about 5 yards outside the box.

0 Receiver Drill

By Matt Carroll - Description: The receiver drill is a warm up progression that gets players to think about how their movements can be used to shake a marker and receive a pass. By starting off with catching the ball players can focus on the movements rather than the technique and do so in a

0 Playing the 4-4-2 With Wide Wingers

By Matt Carroll While in recent years the 4-4-2 has received some negative press in recent years, the reason it has stayed a viable formation is its balance and flexibility. One way that this flexibility can be exploited is by adjusting the width and depth of the formation. The area that provides the most flexibility

0 Defensive Cover in the 3-5-2 Formation

By Matt Carroll The defensive area that is left vulnerable in the 3-5-2 is the area behind the wingbacks. Opposition wingers, wingbacks, strikers, and even midfielders can create dangerous runs into these areas that pull centerbacks out of position leaving gaps in the middle of the pitch or isolating centerbacks and leaving them vulnerable. Here

0 Playing Combinations to Switch Play

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares how to create combinations so that you can switch the play. The diagram is created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at www.academysoccercoach.co.uk 

0 Creating Goal Chances in the Final Third

By Danny Carvalho With the modern game having more and more compact defenses, our teams need to create as many goal attempts as possible and make the most of each chance created. Today’s session is all about flair, creativity and scoring goals! Warm Up A 2v1 game situation on the top of the box to

0 3v2 Bring Them In

By Tug McTighe - Description: The purpose of this activity is to help players create and take advantage of overloads. It also forces quick transitions from defending to attacking and back again by making the play continuous. Setup: 30x20 grid with two small goals as shown. You can vary size and distance between goals per

0 Active Shooting Drills

By Danny Carvalho Question - “Can you share some small-sided games for shooting that include at least 12 players?  This way, I won't have players stood on the sideline” Alright, here goes three top games that your players are going to love! Activity 1 1st step: (A) starts from the yellow cone and goes unopposed

0 Interval Sprints With and Without a Ball

By Matt Carroll - The purpose of this conditioning drill is to simulate in game and experiences of jog and sprint dynamics, as well as maximizing sprint speeds. Start by setting up a cone 5 yards apart, then another cone 10 yards from that, and a fourth and final cone 5 yards from that. The

0 The Role of the Fullbacks – Defending eBook

0 The 1-2-1-4-1 in the Defensive Organization Phase

By Philip Cauchi One of the drawbacks that the 1-2-1-4-1 system has in the defensive organization phase is the lack of width at the backline.  The spaces on the outside of the center backs are left unguarded and these could be easily exploited by the opposition team’s wide players.  This could be fixed by dropping

0 Goalkeeper Distribution Following Cruyffs Principle

By Danny Carvalho,  The one and only Johann Cruyff once said a phrase that is forever immortalized in soccer for the ones who appreciate attacking and possession-based soccer. It was something like: “In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker, and the striker the first defender.” As I’m a big fan of this philosophy,

0 Figure 8 Passing Drill

By Matt Carroll - The Figure 8 Passing Drill is designed to both work on acceleration, as well as deceleration, a concept that is rarely addressed except maybe in teaching touch-tight defending activities. Deceleration allows players to quickly move from full speed to an appropriate speed for playing or receiving a pass, which will leave