All Posts by Mike Saif

2 A Modified Warm-Up Routine to Focus on Anaerobic Endurance and Agility

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

Today’s activity is one that I routinely use as a warm-up routine and to keep my players technically sharp. However, I recently modified the format of the exercise to focus on anaerobic endurance and agility. The great thing about this exercise is that you can vary the technical element in several ways to touch on a variety of skills. Another benefit is that it involves all players at the same time.

Set-up and Directions:

Divide your players into groups of two. Each pair will need a ball. For each group; have the player with the ball stand on edge of the 18 yard box with the ball in their hands. The partner of this player should stand at a small cone placed 10 yards away. Both players should in a straight line facing each other (Figure 1). Ensure each group is separated by about 3 to 4 yards.

Play begins with the players standing by the cones sprinting towards their partner on the

0 Including a Goalkeeper In a Passing Drill

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible. Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s discussion shows how you can work on a keepers footwork, fitness and positioning. We have all seen teams do three person passing drills as a warm up.  Two players start 20 yards apart and a third player starts behind the one

0 Midfielders and Forwards Attacking Combinations

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on midfielders and forwards combining to get to goal.

Start with a midfielder in possession of the ball around midfield.  Two other central midfielders out a bit wider and 10 yards in front and a forward just outside the top of the D.  A keeper is in the goal they are attacking.

Player 1 finds the forward with a pass.  He then starts

0 Is the 4-3-3 Making a Comeback?

This blog post from Vasco Mota Pereira of 'Combination Play' got my attention recently. It contends that the 4-3-3 formation may come back into vogue despite the popularity of the 4-2-3-1. It's an interested point of view that I thought you would enjoy. 

Football, like most (all?) things in life, has its trends. Not that many years ago, playing anything other than a plain 4-3-3 would be sacrilegious (let's leave England alone, for now). In fact, when 4x2x3x1 started rearing its head, with Quique Flores its main champion, it was a bit criticized (including here) for numerous reasons. On the other hand, just like the two-man midfield, a three-man defense looked all but dead, some reminiscence from the Beckenbauer times. As this text is getting to you, it seems impossible to get away from either 4-2-3-1 (or 4-4-1-1, which is basically the same thing) or some version of a three-man defense (especially in Italy), nowadays - and there is hardly any team playing a true version of a 4-3-3.

A typical 4-2-3-1 formation

It is often said (with good reason) that games are not won on paper, sincethere is no one given tactical system that is

2 How To Exploit Space In the Center Midfield Area

By Vasco Mota Pereira 

Last Saturday André Villas-Boas' Tottenham defeated Manchester United in their own turf, something Hotspurs hadn't done in 23 years - which may well be just what the doctor ordered for AVB's team. Every single goal from the Lilywhites came from United worryingly tendency to be overrun against stronger sides, over the past couple of years (namely after Carlos Queiroz left).

With Carrick and Scholes in the center, and Nani and Giggs on the wings, pockets of space were bound to appear on United's defensive midfield, but the appalling display from his midfield and defense must have Sir Alex Ferguson quite worried. For that matter, Tottenham's goals will be dissected, in order to shed some light over the Red Devils' frailties.

Tottenham goal #1

There were some repetitive patterns throughout the match as far as defensive positioning is concerned. In this particular case, you can see

0 Developing Anaerobic Endurance and Finishing Skills with a Simple 2 v 2 v 2 Small-Sided Game

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

I was speaking to a coach earlier in the season and he said his team was playing really well but was having problems finishing. I thought to myself: “that’s a problem for so many teams”. Over the past few weeks I have been to, and analyzed, several games, and finishing really does seem to be a problem for so many teams. I have seen some spectacular displays of dribbling and combination play, but the players just can’t seem to get the ball into the back of the net.

In today’s exercise we will address the above problem with a simple 2 v 2 v 2 small-sided game that focuses on finishing. As with any other technique or skill, I believe the key to improving your player’s ability to finish is repetition. The format and structure of the exercise also allows your players to develop their anaerobic capacity. This is an excellent activity to use during the competitive season when match-preparation takes a high priority.

Set-up and Directions:

Divide your players into two groups of 6 players and then further divide each group into three teams of two. Make certain to give each team of two a different colour shirt. Set up a grid 40 yards long and 25 yards wide with a regular-sized goal (or large net) at both ends of the grid. There should be a goalkeeper in each net. One group of 6 plays at a time. The coach should stand on one of the sidelines with a large supply of balls (Figure 1).

Play is initiated with the coach playing a ball into any of the six players. It is each team for themselves. Players can score on either

0 A Great Goalkeeping Warm-Up

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s featured activity is a nice warm up working on movement and reactions for diving.

Two keepers are jogging in a line (one in front of the other). The keeper starting in back has a ball.

The keeper with the ball rolls the ball past the front keeper and as soon

2 How To Improve Decision Making With Your Team

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity is a game that involves decision making, spacing, movement and much more.

Start with a 40 x 40 grid with a 10 x 10 area in the middle. There is a 4 yard wide goal in each corner.

This is a 6 v 6 game (the numbers can vary) with a neutral player in the middle. Each team is

5 Developing Great Foot-work with the use of Foot-Speed and Coordination Exercises - Part 2

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

In last week’s article we spoke about the importance of developing foot speed and coordination in our players. We highlighted the need for these qualities by wing backs for example, who need to be able to jockey and defend fast wingers in 1 v 1 situations. Fast and coordinated footwork are also necessary for attacking players trying to dribble their way past one or two defenders, or for goalkeepers that constantly have to move across the face of the goal as the ball is passed around inside their penalty box.

Last week we presented a basic footwork exercise that can be used earlier in the season or by younger players that are being introduced to this type of training for the first time. However, as your players advance into the season or become comfortable with the basic exercises, it is important that you progress to more complex footwork exercises to continuously challenge and develop your players. The following is a more advanced footwork exercise that you can use:

Set-up and Directions: Divide your players into pairs. For each group, set up four small cones so that they make a diamond shape. The length of each side of the diamond must be 1.5 yards. Have a player stand on one leg in the centre of the diamond facing their partner who is standing 2 yards away from the top cone. The player on the outside should have a ball in their hands (Figure 1).

When ready, instruct the player standing on one leg to hop to the top cone and then

0 What Can Soccer Learn from Basketball?

The post below from our Conditioning Expert Scott Moody with Soccer FIT got me thinking about how we inspire our young soccer players in the United States. As the quality and reputation of the MLS grows and more American players find success in the top leagues around the world, dreaming of a future in professional soccer is becoming an ever more realistic goal. Sure, reaching that level is a long shot as it always has been for kids playing basketball in school yards around the country but not so long ago it was almost impossible.

The dream of playing professionally will help young players develop to the very limit of their potential. They won't all make it to