All Posts by Mike Saif

0 Short Passes or Direct Play?

By Stevie Grieve, Author of Coaching the 4-2-3-1, Modern Soccer Tactics and Winning Soccer Tactics.

Dortmund gain a point with well worked direct play

Borussia Dortmund are Bundesliga Champions, and showed one of the reasons why against Real Madrid. They can mix their play up well and some games require a different style to win, and Jürgen Klopp decided that this game would require a solid base defensively, and a direct approach, specifically through Lewandowski using the speed of Reus, Goetze and Grossenkrautz to get the ball into dangerous positions behind the Real Madrid defence. Both goals came from this approach and all 3 players mentioned contributed to the goals.

Reus loses him marker to give Lewandowski a passing option

As Piszczek has the ball, Reus drops off to offer a pass, but as he is pressured, Reus spins behind his marker and Piszczek plays the long pass to

0 Anaerobic Endurance Whilst Working on Passing and Moving

By Jebreel Bubtana, BRASA, Brazilian Soccer Academy

I use this regularly during my warm up not only to work on my player’s fitness but also to get them passing and moving, getting them in the right frame of mind at the start of a practice. Sprinting over short distances is seen constantly during a game of soccer and this exercise works on this as well as the passing technique of your team.

Set up and directions:
Set up an area 15 x 15 yards with 4 cones in the corners. You will need 4 players per square with 1 ball (figure 1). You can set this up multiple times depending on your squad size.

The exercise is a simple passing and moving exercise in the square but after every pass, the player who passes the ball must

1 Finishing and Anaerobic Conditioning through 1v1 Battles

Agility, Speed, 1v1 Battles and Composed Finishing by Daniel Severn

For this week’s article I’d like to share an exercise that helps to create competition in practice whilst focusing on some key aspects of the game; agility, speed, strength and finishing – all under match-like pressure. This is a great exercise that can be adjusted to suit all age groups and abilities.

To start the exercise I will offer a reward for the winning team. I have found differing rewards will help motivate different age groups/genders. A simple reward that works with ‘most’ ages can be taking a 1-0 lead into the scrimmage.

I like to offer rewards for winning team games as extra motivation for the players. Finding the right motivation can really help to push the players that extra step with their work rate, and therefore, their conditioning.

Using team challenges in sessions helps to create real competition between the players (something which is difficult to replicate from match day). Having competition between team mates will guarantee to get all players working 100%. This particular exercise will have the whole team cheering; motivating each other and working at flat out speeds. The agility and short sprints adds a

0 Sole of the Foot Control

With the outdoor season coming to an end in the Midwest of the United States, I'm turning my attention Futsal training. For anyone not familiar with Futsal, it's played with a ball that is one size smaller than the ball the players use outdoor (U9-U12 play with a size three ball while U13 and above play with a size four). The ball is also constructed to have a low bounce to help keep it on the floor. The game is played on the same surface as a basketball court so the ball moves very quickly. These characteristics mean that it is sometimes easier to control with the sole of the foot rather than the inside of the foot.

During the outdoor season I discourage

0 Making a Save, Then Saving the Rebound

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on a keepers recovery

Start with a keeper on the ground, as if they just dove and made the save but couldn’t hold onto the ball (in the diagram below, it shows the keeper with the ball in his hands but that is just a limitation of the graphics).  A field player is around 12 yards out and a server is on the goal line with a ball.

The server plays a ball out to the field player (which recreates the

0 Coaching the Back Four

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on the back 4 supporting each other.

Start with a keeper in goal and 4 players across the back (if your team plays with 3 across the back you can do that instead).  Two forwards from the opposing team are just in front of them and a midfielder with a ball is 20 yards away

The two forwards move along the line in front of the

0 Win $200 of Books and DVDs

Earlier this year we held a competition where coaches could submit their favorite "Shooting and Finishing" drill. We had some great entries and even compiled all of them into an eBook that we gave away free. If you don't have it, you can get it here. I have also posted the winning drill below which focuses on one-touch shooting.

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Shooting Competition - First Time Shooting

One of the most difficult techniques to acquire is that of the ability to shoot first time and none more so than for the younger players.

In their eagerness to score then very often they will either ‘snatch’ their shot and / or,

2 A Simple Exercise to Develop Short Passing Ability, Speed Dribbling Technique, Starting Speed and Anaerobic Capacity

By Justin Cresser Author of Total Soccer Conditioning: A Ball Orientated Approach

Today’s exercise is a simple exercise that focuses on speed dribbling, short passing and sprinting over short distances. We have also structured the exercise so that the work-to-rest ratio used targets the player’s anaerobic capacity.

Set-up and Directions:
Divide your players into groups of three. For each group, set up a 15 by 10 yard rectangular grid. Have one the three players stand in the centre of the rectangular grid. Give the other two players a ball each and have them stand on the corners of one of the long sides of the rectangle (See Figure 1).

Play is initiated with the player at the bottom of the rectangle dribbling as quickly as possible, but under control until they

0 Goalkeeper Conditioning and Technical Drill

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on a keepers fitness, footwork and hands.

Start with a rectangle 20 x 6 (the dimensions of the goal box) with a server 15 yards away with a ball.  The keeper starts at one of the front corners.

The keeper starts by running backwards to the back corner, then sliding

0 A Killer Overlap Drill

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity is a two person overlapping drill.  It combines passing, receiving, dribbling and fitness.

Start with a player on the corner of the end line and the 18 and the second player is on the sideline around 25 yards out.

The player with the ball passes out wide to the front foot of the

0 Warm-Up for Shooting

One of the perks of being apart of WORLD CLASS COACHING is that I have access to a large library of training sessions from some of the top professional, collegiate, and youth coaches. We have published books and DVDs on every aspect and topic of coaching.

I often refer to our DVD especially for new ways to approach topics to keep my coaching fresh and interesting to the players I work with. I think we're all probably guilty of using the same few drills or exercises for a specific technique over and over. This can be a good thing because it allows us to focus on teaching the game rather than having to spend a lot of time teaching the drill. But changing things up on occasion can breath new life into a stale session and motivate players to perform at a higher level with the addition of new challenges.

In the past if I was looking for a new warm-up for a shooting practice I would have to scan through three or four DVDs to find what I'm looking for. This changed

0 Don't Forget the Goalkeeper In Training

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Incorporating the keeper into team training is vital to do but so often neglected.  Those teams “fortunate” enough to have a designated keeper coach tend to have the keepers go with this coach for part, if not all, of the team training.  The reason for doing this is because the skills, techniques and tactics in goalkeeping are so different than the rest of the team.

The problem with sending the keepers “off to train” is if they aren’t incorporated into the teams tactics, major problems will occur in games.

As an example, if a team is going to occasionally push up into an offside trap, if the keeper isn’t aware of his positioning, great goal scoring opportunities might be created AGAINST you.

In the diagram below the black team is establishing a line around 25 yards out from goal.

If the backs all decide to step up, in order to condense the field or to push the opponents into an offside position, the keeper

1 Should Speed and Agility Training Change with Age?

This article comes from our conditioning experts at Soccer FIT Academy. Our club is fortunate to work with Scott Moody and his trainers at Soccer FIT. This post caught my eye because we are currently working with Scott to set up Speed and Agility goals for the wide range in age groups that we deal with. We have more than 6,000 players in the club and the level goes from elite National League teams down to recreational.

Many aspects of sport are progressed as players develop, but speed and agility training is often not one of these things. In basketball and soccer we start off playing small sided games at 6- or 7- years old (3v3) and then progress to

1 Improving Skills and Moves needed for 1 V 1 Encounters While Developing Multiple Components of Soccer Conditioning

By Justin Cresser Author of Total Soccer Conditioning: A Ball Orientated Approach

Being able to take a player on 1 v 1 is an important and beneficial quality for soccer players of any playing position. For the attacking player to be successful in 1 v1 encounters, they must be able to beat the defender with a change of pace or by using a variety of moves and fakes to get around them. Players therefore need to be comfortable and confident at performing different moves, and doing so at speed.

Today’s activity will focus on teaching/practicing various moves and skills using an individual dribbling training format. We have also modified the exercise so that we can target a number of conditioning parameters that are necessary for soccer athletes.

Set-up and Design:

This exercise uses the space between the top of the 18-yard box and the half-way line for the playing area. Begin by setting up a 20 yard by 20 yard grid in the centre of the playing area. Place a small pylon 10 yards away from the middle of each side of this 20 by 20 grid. Give each cone a letter. Divide your players into pairs and give each group a different number. Have each Player dribble around inside this area performing a specific move (scissors, Ronaldinho, Stanley Matthews, etc.) as quickly as possible but under control (Figure 1).

(For simplicity, we have only used 6 players in the illustrations. However, you will likely have between 10 to 14 players when you choose to do this activity, which means 5 to 7 groups of two.)

After a few seconds, the coach will call a specific number as well as the letter of one of the

0 Competitive Goalkeeper Game

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on kick out dives, smothers and throwing.

Start with 2 keepers 10 yards apart (the distance can vary depending upon their level) in goals 3 yards apart.  One keeper starts with a ball in his hands.

The player tries to score by throwing the ball through the other goal.  The opposing keeper tries to

0 Ajax Attacking Tendencies

This article  was written by Dave Brown. He and a group of coaches observed training sessions, lectures and matches during the WCC tour of Dutch Professional Academies. These observations were made during a game featuring the reserve teams from Ajax FC and ADO Den Haag.  This complete article is part of the November issue of the WORLD CLASS COACHING Magazine and was uploaded to the Member Drills Database.

Jong Ajax (Ajax reserves) play their games at the Ajax training ground stadium on Monday nights in the Beloften Eredivisie, the highest reserve teams competition organized by the KNVB. Players must be aged 23 or below with three over-age “dispensation” players allowed on each team. The game we observed was a 3-1 victory over ADO Den Haag earned despite Ajax having a player sent off early in the second half for tussling with an opponent after a hard tackle.

Notable players on the reserve team included Mats Rits, an 18 year old Belgian U23 national team player marked for stardom, former PSV and Blackburn Rovers centerback André Ooijer aged 37, and striker Mounir El Hamdaoui, 27, who - though born in Rotterdam - has elected to play internationally for Morocco through parentage. El Hamdaoui previously scored 50 goals in 80 appearances for AZ Alkmaar before scoring 13 times in 26 appearances for Ajax in 2010. He is considered to be “exiled” to the reserve team after falling out with manager Frank De Boer.

Ajax youth teams famously play the same system as the senior team and in the case of the

0 Playing and Receiving Long Passes

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Todays featured activity works on playing a long ball, receiving long balls, attacking from width and defensive shape

Start with  a player with a ball near the center circle.  There are 2 attacking players  out wide on each side between 18-25 yards out.  There are three defenders inside the 18 a keeper in goal.

The player with the ball starts by playing a long ball to either of the most

0 November Magazine Preview

Each month we add a new magazine update to the Member Drills Database. The magazine contains training sessions, videos and articles presented by top teams and coaches from around the world.

Here's part of a training session presented by Chelsea FC Academy coach Chris Woodword. The session focuses on 1 v 1, 2 v 1 and 2 v 2 situations that lead to a zonal game.

0 Coach Goalscoring Chances, Not Scoring

By Waleed Zaghloul

A team that creates a lot of scoring chances in a variety of different ways is usually a sign of a well-coached team. On the other hand, a team that puts away its chances is usually a sign of good players. So as a coach, you are responsible for defining how your team will create chances and which of the following methods they need to utilize against a specific opponent. The coach needs to build his team’s arsenal of attack and make sure that they can score in a variety of different ways, otherwise the team will be easily shutout by superior teams.

Wing Play and Crosses

For years, wing play has been a very important and entertaining way for teams to create chances and score goals. Players like David Beckham became famous operating on the flank for Manchester United, Real Madrid and England. Developing a good winger requires finding a player that has a combination of important attributes.

A good winger must have very good physical attributes. The winger needs to have

0 How to Deal With Break-Aways

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on reading the game and dealing with breakaways.

A keeper starts in goal.  There is a forward at the top of the 18 standing in front of a cone (the cone represents a defender). Two servers have balls on an angle

One server starts by playing the ball past

0 The Benefits of Staying Compact Defensively

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on staying compact defensively.

This is a 5 v 3 game to goal with a keeper in the goal.  The 3 are defending the goal.  The 5 attacking players start at midfield with a ball

The attacking team gets a point by scoring a goal OR any time the defending

0 Functional Training for the Central Defender and Striker: 1 v 1 to a Big Goal while Receiving under Pressure

By Justin Cresser Author of Total Soccer Conditioning: A Ball Orientated Approach

In this week’s article, we continue with our series that focuses on developing position-specific conditioning needs. The exercise presented below targets both central defenders and strikers and is taken from my book entitled: Total Soccer Conditioning: A ball-Oriented Approach.

The objectives of this activity are to i) coach defenders and strikers the technique and tactics required in 1 v situations close to goal; ii) improve the ability of the striker to receive under pressure; and iii) develop anaerobic endurance.

Set-up and Directions: This activity uses the 18-yard box and the area just outside it for the playing area. Have 5 to 6 players, with a ball each, stand 5 yards outside of the 18-yard box. They should be spaced equally apart. Instruct your central defender and your striker to stand at the penalty spot facing the players with the ball (Figure 1).

Play is initiated by the striker who tries to evade their marker to receive a ball in space (Figure 2). They can receive the ball from any of the players on the

0 Increasing Confidence in Possession

Teaching players how to protect the ball until the option to shoot or pass is available is extremely important if you want your team to keep possession and learn to build an attack. There will be times when there isn't an open team mate and they need to buy some time and create some space before support arrives.

The first thing I do when working on this topic is to have the players focus on the quality of their first touch. A player's first touch can put them into a tackle

2 4-2-3 v 4-2-3-1 – Counter Attacking Practice

This article is an excerpt from our new best-selling book, Coaching the 4-2-3-1 by Stevie Grieve. The Blacks play 4-2-3-1 v the Yellow 4-2-3 formation. The Yellows play 9 v 10 and when they win possession, look to counter attack quickly over the line with passes and dribbles. Players must not go chasing the ball