All Posts by Mike Saif

0 3v3 Change the Point of Attack for Anaerobic Capacity

By Anthony Hazelwood The following activity has two teams of three playing a 3 vs. 3 possession game including two bumper neutral players. Team play 3 vs. 3 in a middle zone and keep possession with a bumper player located at each side of the grid. The idea is for the team in possession to

0 Rondo Death Star

By Matthew Carroll - Description: This multi-ball rondo forces players to scan the field to recognize passing opportunities and stimuli from multiple angles. The use of the middle coaching stick grid alleviates the problem of players figuring out a pattern and leads to increasing randomness and creativity. Setup: A rondo circle is set up with

0 Sheffield Uniteds 3-5-2 Formation – Defending eBook

0 Send It All The Way Across The Goal

By Mike Smith One of the biggest strengths or weaknesses of any system comes down to how the style of play matches the system of play. At the high school level especially, I see so many teams who have excellent shape and formation but it just doesn’t match what they are trying to accomplish with the

0 Plyometric Saves

By Mike Smith - I was first exposed to plyometrics as a training tool in 2000. Simplified as “ jump training” we used plyo work more as a preventative to ankle, knee and hip injuries. I worked primarily as a junior varsity coach at this time and it was my job to develop the next

0 Three Team Rondo

By Arthur Bell - Setup: 3 areas of 15 x 12yds. The middle zone has 3yd channels marked with cones. Outfield players x 12. Teams x 3 Execution: Three teams of four players. One team in each half of the pitch and one team in the middle zone. The team in the middle zone must

4 Penetrating into the final third

By Philip Cauchi Total duration: Approximately 90 minutes. Moment of play: In possession. Team task: Scoring. Theme: Penetration from central areas. Aim: To create goal-scoring opportunities. Questions on which the design of the session and its relevant outcomes emerge: Q1 – What do we try to achieve? A1 – We try to play the ball

0 Possession to Penetrate

By Keith Scarlett This is a possession game that works on playing in a specific direction as opposed to just keeping possession. It also helps work on the timing of the final ball with the runner to avoid being offside. Set-up: The team is split into 2 groups. Each group plays 5 vs. 5 plus

0 Exercises to Train Visual Perception Part 2

By Philip Cauchi Question - Do you have exercises where I can train "Visual Perception" where the players will be better at scanning the area? In Part 1, I shared some exercises.  Here are some more. Exercise 5: Four quadrant passing with spatial awareness. Area: 16 yards x 16 yards divided into four equally quadrants.

0 Corner Combination Play

By Anthony Hazelwood The following activity has an 18 x 18 yd. box area where players will play 2 vs. 2. An additional triangle on each side is placed three yards from each side. Pairs will play for 90 seconds and then switch/rotate with corner players. This will achieve adaptations in the anaerobic energy system

0 Musical Cones

By Matthew Carroll - Description: The Musical Cones Activity is a variation of the children’s game musical chairs. It is a fun warm up activity that will get players focusing on their control on the dribble, as well as their balance and ability to stop the ball. Recommended for younger age groups but can be

0 Sheffield Unites 3-5-2 Formation – Attacking eBook

0 Using Two False 9's

By Mike Smith I have a player on my high school team who eats breathes and sleeps soccer ( Yes, just one. We are a small school, I wish I had more.). He loves not only playing the game, but also studying the game. A few years ago, actually when he was a junior varsity player,

0 The Sweeper Keeper

By Mike Smith - I wrote a previous tactical based article on the role of the sweeper keeper in support of an aggressive high pressure attack. While this is not usually my preferred style of play, from a keeper training aspect, many of the points of focus in using the “ sweeper keeper” can help

0 The X Passing Drill

By Arthur Bell - Setup: An area 30 x 30 yards. Players x 16. Cones x 8. Balls x 4. Execution: Four players at each corner. Second player in each corner has a ball in their hands. First player in each corner sprints into the small central box and turns 90 degrees to the left.

1 Defending and Pressing Against a 4-3-3

By Philip Cauchi The following is a training session which complements the video analysis done by coach Evert van Zoelen from WORLD CLASS COACHING. It is about defending and pressing in a 1-4-4-2 system of play against an opposition playing in a 1-4-3-3. The key principles and sub-principles of play are highlighted in the following

0 Technique Triplets Passing, Turning and Fitness

By Keith Scarlett This activity works on technique, first-touch, passing, receiving, turning and fitness. Set-up: The players break into groups of three. Two players start 40 yards apart with the third player in the middle. Each player on the outside has a ball while the player in the middle does not. How it Works: The

0 Exercises to Train Visual Perception Part 1

By Philip Cauchi Question - Do you have exercises where I can train "Visual Perception" where the players will be better at scanning the area? Try these exercises and see how they work for you. Exercise 1: Passing by numbers. Area: 8 yards x 8 yards with cones or poles marking the corners. Load: 6

0 Team Defensive Transition – Aerobic Capacity – Match Endurance

By Anthony Hazelwood The following activity educates a team to defensively transition effectively and stop the opponent from breaking into their attacking third. The specific fitness target is match endurance while adapting the player’s aerobic capacity in an extended small-sided format. When preparing the activity, if needed, concentration and difficulty levels may be increased by

0 No Elimination Knockout

By Matthew Carroll - Description: No Elimination Knockout is a game that creates systematized chaos in which the structure of the game is constantly changing from a individual game into a team orientated one. The defensive side works mainly on pressing and denying space to their opponents Setup:A grid is created in which one team

0 4-4-2 Defending eBook

0 Half Spaces and the Five Five

By Mike Smith I had the pleasure of writing an e-book titled How Pep Guardiola Wins with Inverted Fullbacks. During my research I discovered how much focus Guardiola put on “ half spaces” and how effective this understanding had been to Man City’s success. In addition, I began to understand how the majority of the time,

0 Effective Goalkeeper Communication

By Mike Smith - A vocal keeper is a must, however there is a saying in the educational field which I find holds very true in sports as well – “ Just because you can talk, doesn’t mean you can communicate”. One of the first things I usually find myself doing with new teams is

0 Two Goal Shooting Drill

By Arthur Bell - Setup: An area 40 x 30 yards. Goals x 2. Goalkeepers x 2. Outfield players x 5 – 8. Supply of balls. Execution: Player A passes into the Player B and makes a supporting run. Player B sets the Player A up for a shot at goal. Player A must react