All Posts by Mike Saif

0 Pendulum Midfield Movement and Overlapping

By Mike Smith   This is a great session to run when your team is ready to play, but needs to clean up and clarify basic midfield and back line roles and supporting runs. Lesson 1 Give and Go Box Set Up A group of 4 players work inside a 10 x 10 yd box. The

0 Three centre backs out of possession roles in 5-3-2

By Alex Trukan Playing with three centre backs as opposed to two, gives many additional options for protection in defense. It helps to prevent the opposition from exploiting half spaces that normally appear between centre back and full back. It also gives more opportunities for centre backs to step forwards and press opposition midfielders. Most

2 Did England Just Waste an Opportunity?

Did England Just Waste an Opportunity?Weekly English Premier League Opinion #14Jonny Carter asks if England wasted an opportunity with their recent friendly games against Germany and Brazil.What do you think?  Agree?  Disagree?  Please let us know by commenting below.

0 Shape Your Runs

By Mike Smith One of the first things I remember a coach telling me as a youth player was “ Every run should have some shape.” I was that player who would argue a straight line is a shape. And while there are plenty of chances for the simple, straight line approach the fact is, most

0 Four Times 2v2+5

By Alex Trukan This practice is focused on maintaining quick recovery between high intensity actions. This will ensure that even towards the end of the match, players will be able to produce more high intensity bursts and will recover between them quickly. From technical point of view, this possession game improves passing, possession and support

0 Speed Dribble

By Steven Smith Setup: This activity is designed to encourage dribble penetration through the field when space is given. Teams who recognize space for speed dribbling will force defenses to make decisions based on the attacking team. It will be more likely that advances into more dangerous spaces on the field will occur. Execution: Two grids

0 Don’t Get Split

By Mike Smith One of the most basic principles to follow for success on the soccer field is “keep everything in front of you”. When defending using Pressure and Cover, keeping everything in front means not getting split. Just the act of not getting split alone allows for the delay most teams need to recover defensively,

0 Quick Movement & Saves in Dealing with Counter Attacking Play

By Scott Housden - When playing a high pressing game, or your defenders are playing a high defensive line there is always the possibility of a counter attacking pinpoint long angled ball for a wide or central attacker to run on to and shoot. In this scenario, the goalkeeper is unable to sweep the ball and

0 Game Related Scenarios

By Sean Reed - Objective For this session I have decided to focus on the creating scenarios for the players. Place them in situations, which will challenge them, require them to work together in order to plan and solve problems. Set Up – Scenario 1 • 2 teams (can be with any number of players

2 How to Stop Diving and Cheating in Soccer INSTANTLY

0 Nine Ball Finishing

By George Kee This is a finishing exercise that aims to get players comfortable in the penalty area. Many players seem to get flustered and lose composure in front of the net. This session is designed to get players comfortable passing the ball around the goal in order to find the right opportunity to shoot. Area

0 Forcing the Opposition to Go Long

By Alex Trukan With so many team trying to play out from the back it is important to know how to force them into certain direction and certain way of playing. One of the strategies a defending team might want to employ is forcing the opposition to pass long when they wanted to patiently combine

0 Advanced Shooting and Finishing Volume 1 eBook

Or view in easy-to-read web pagesPART ONEPART TWOPART THREEPART FOUR

0 Advanced Shooting and Finishing Volume 1 - Part One

WORLD CLASS COACHING Advanced Shooting and Finishing Volume 1 By Luca Bertolini TABLE OF CONTENTS Part One INTRODUCTION DRIBLLING AND/OR PASSING AREAS SHOOTING AREAS START FROM WIDE/DEEP AND SHOOT FROM WIDE/LONG Part Two START FROM WIDE/DEEP AND SHOOT FROM CENTER/LONG Part Three START FROM WIDE/DEEP AND SHOOT FROM INSIDE THE PENALTY AREA Part Four START FROM

0 Advanced Shooting and Finishing Volume 1 - Part Two

WORLD CLASS COACHING Advanced Shooting and Finishing Volume 1 By Luca Bertolini TABLE OF CONTENTS Part Two START FROM WIDE/DEEP AND SHOOT FROM CENTER/LONG   Dribble or pass from wide and deep spaces on the flanks and shoot from the center spaces out of the penalty area Exercise 12: Receive and shoot on goal after a

0 Advanced Shooting and Finishing Volume 1 - Part Three

WORLD CLASS COACHING Advanced Shooting and Finishing Volume 1 By Luca Bertolini TABLE OF CONTENTS Part Three START FROM WIDE/DEEP AND SHOOT FROM INSIDE THE PENALTY AREA Dribble or pass from wide and deep spaces on the flanks and shoot inside the penalty area   Exercise 22: Shoot inside the penalty box (1) Sequence: The goalkeeper

0 Advanced Shooting and Finishing Volume 1 - Part Four

WORLD CLASS COACHING Advanced Shooting and Finishing Volume 1 By Luca Bertolini TABLE OF CONTENTS Part Four START FROM INSIDE THE PENALTY AREA AND SHOOT FROM THERE Dribble or pass from and in the penalty area and shoot inside there Exercise 36: Shoot quickly inside the penalty area Sequence: The goalkeeper passes the ball inside the

1 Why Tottenham Could Win the English Premier League

0 3v1 Switch Play with Capacity to Recover

By Alex Trukan This practice is focused on improving players’ capacity to recover between high intensity actions. The quicker energy stores will be refueled, the quicker and more powerful actions can be produced. This conditioning element is achieved within technical practice focusing on possession, combination play and long passes. It helps players to execute quick

0 Double Goal

By Steven Smith Setup: This activity is designed to convert possession to shooting in a quick sequence. The teams must focus on proper and skillful possession of the ball in a tight space and then quickly convert that to a shooting opportunity and apply good finishing skills. Execution: Two grids are set up in 18 yard

0 Runs from Deep

By Mike Smith Whether it is a forward coming back to support on defense and then trying to get back up top, or a defender making a run into the attack, runs from deep can cause a lot of trouble for a defense. For these runs to be effective your players must have combined vision and

2 Why Mourinho and Man Utd Have it Wrong

0 Pro Academy Session Plans eBook

Or view in easy-to-read web pagesPART ONEPART TWOPART THREE

0 Color Passing and Movement

By David Johnson Objective This session will focus on players thinking before the ball is passed and moving without the ball to open space.   Following a color sequence predetermines the passing but movement is player driven.  The players should open up to the passer as well as be in a position to pass immediately the