All Posts by Mike Saif

1 Two Goal Finishing Drill

By Arthur Bell - Setup: Area – 1/2 of pitch. Players – 8 to 10 black, 8 to 10 yellow. GK x 2 Markers x 7 yellow, 7 red. Goals x 2 full size. Balls. Execution: Player 1 starts with the ball, passes to Player 2, then follows pass. Player 2 takes the ball to

0 Corner Kick Set Play - The Wave

By Matthew Carroll This corner play is effective because it creates a line of players that collapses onto a defensive set up like a crashing wave, and is flexible enough to fill the gaps left by the adjustments that the defensive is forced to make as each player makes their respective run, one after the

0 How to Train Quick Reaction Saves

By Philip Cauchi - Title: Combined plyometric and reaction saves. Aim: To apply the proper mechanics of saving a shot after landing from a jump. Key points: 1. After landing, the foot to the side of the dive should be placed diagonally forward towards the side of the dive prior to making the save. 2.

0 Fake the Switch for Central Distribution

By Mike Smith “Switch it!” Standard game day lingo for parents, players and coaches alike. That open person on the far side, so tantalizing to hit a long ball to. The problem is, pressure around the ball can take the long switch away. Also, once the ball is in the air, an organized team can

0 Utilizing Attacking Backs in a Back Three System

By Matt Carroll Although facing a dramatic decline in the 20/21 EPL Season, Sheffield United became Premier League darlings when the pushed for Europe during the 2019/2020 season utilizing “attacking centerbacks”. While a number of other factors led to their decline, the concept of attacking centerbacks still holds merit and can be useful, and an

0 Training a Functional First Touch

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares a drill to train the all-important functional first touch.The diagram is created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at www.academysoccercoach.co.uk 

0 The Role of the Wide Midfielder – Attacking eBook

0 Including Conditioning Into Regular Training Sessions - Part 2

By Philip Cauchi Question - I only have my players for two training sessions a week, so I have to do the fitness work in the regular training sessions.  Do you have any good drills where I can teach technique and even tactics while getting some conditioning work in? The below practices can aid in

0 1v1 to Goal Conditioning

By Philip Cauchi Title: 1v1 duel to finish on goal. Theme: Strength endurance in the duel. Development of the soccer domains: Technical-tactical: Receiving with a good first touch, dribbling and controlling the ball under opposition pressure and finishing on goal with accuracy and power. Mental: Maintain a positive mentality to dribble past the defender and

0 Transitions with Overlaps

By Matthew Carroll - Description: This is a twist on the classic transition game that helps players recognize opportunities to overlap within a game. Coaches should allow the game to start off naturally, and then stop midway through to ask players to identify when overlapping was effective, and when it was ineffective because they were

1 Using the Defensive Midfielder to Attack

By Matthew Carroll The key to the flexibility of the 4231 is the diverse applications of the two CDMs. The ability of one to push forward with the other providing defensive cover allows teams in the system to differentiate their attacks based on the positioning of the ball on the field. While this is a

0 GK Distribution Under Pressure

By Philip Cauchi - Title: Playing the ball with the feet under pressure Aim: To be able to play accurate vertical passes when under pressure. Key points: 1. Be light on the balls of the feet. 2. Oriented first touch. 3. Weight and direction of the kick (pass). Practice: Receive the ball to score in

0 Attack v Defense SSG

By Arthur Bell - Setup: Area – 2/3 of pitch. Players – 8 black, 4 yellow. GK x 1 Markers - 10 yellow, 4 red. Balls. Execution: Player 1 starts with the ball, passes to Player 2, then supports play. Player 2 passes the ball to Player 3, then supports play. Player 3 passes the

0 The Role of the Holding Midfielder – Defending eBook

0 Combination Play to Switch the Field

In this week's Animated Drills Video, Matthew Carroll shares a drill to train combination play to switch the field.The diagram is created with the Academy Soccer Coach software. See more at www.academysoccercoach.co.uk 

0 Distribution From the Holding Midfielder

By Mike Smith I have often used a holding mid with the idea of supporting defensive play. Most of the time this player is placed in front of the defensive line in the center of the field. However, as many teams want to quickly get the ball wide, up the field, or both, the holding

0 Attacking the Corners with a 3-5-2

By Matt Carroll A 3-5-2 provides plenty of attacking options in the midfield, but sometimes that can get messy, a “too many cooks” situation. Players can play on top of each other closing down passing or dribbling options, and in a effort to get on the ball players tend to crash central, reducing the width

1 Including Conditioning Into Regular Training Sessions - Part 1

By Philip Cauchi Question - I only have my players for two training sessions a week, so I have to do the fitness work in the regular training sessions.  Do you have any good drills where I can teach technique and even tactics while getting some conditioning work in? The below practices can aid in

0 1v1s For Soccer Speed

By Philip Cauchi Title: Soccer specific speed in a 1v1 situation. Theme: Soccer speed with the ball. Development of the soccer domains: Technical-tactical: Run fast with the ball, keep control of the ball and accuracy in the shot. Mental: Focus on finishing the attack even while under pressure from the defender. Socio-psychological: N/A. Physical: Quality

0 5v5 Transition Game

By Matthew Carroll - Description: This is a great drill for teaching transition moments both offensively and defensively. There are opportunities to discuss counter pressing, transitional passing patterns, width, depth, and can even be used as a game day warm up to start players focusing on the flow of the upcoming game. Setup: Create a

0 Interchange Relationships in a 4-2-3-1

By Matthew Carroll The 4231 Formation is a commonly used system because of the flexibility for tweaking it provides. The key for teaching this to players is to discuss the key relationships on the field they should have with their teammates. Although the team is made up of 11 players, having the players focus on

0 Saving Low Driven Shots Drills

By Philip Cauchi - Title: Saving low driven shots drills Aim: Save low driven shots aimed towards the corner of the goal. Outcomes: 1. Start in the ready position with the hips slightly inclined forward. 2. Take a step forward before diving to make the save. 3. Lead into the dive with the toes of

0 Switching Play Drill

By Arthur Bell - Setup: Area – 30yds x 20yds. Players x 18. Mannequins x 2. Markers x 4. Balls x 2. Execution: Both groups start at the same time, at the same end. Player 1 passes the ball to Player 2. Player 1 runs between the mannequins towards player 2. Player 2 lays off

0 The Role of the Holding Midfielder – Attacking eBook