All Posts by Mike Saif

1 Using Pattern Play to Develop Anaerobic Capacity

By Justin Cresser
Pattern play involves rehearsing specific patterns to simulate situations that are likely to occur during the game. It does not usually incorporate opposition and can be integrated into phase of play training for a specific element of the game such as wing play or counter attacking. In addition to developing position-specific skills and role awareness, pattern play can also be used for conditioning.

Consider the following pattern play exercise to improve the anaerobic capacity of your central striker (number 9), the right or left wingers (numbers 7 and 11) as well as the central playmaker (number 10).

The starting positions are shown in Figure 1. Play is initiated by the number 10 who dribbles at speed for a few yards and then plays a pass into the feet of the number 9 who has faked a forward run, turned sharply and checked back diagonally into space.

0 Newcastle Fail to Punch Their Weight and Lose to a Late Knockout

By Matt Riley

Remarkably, Newcastle did not complete a single cross in the entire ninety minutes despite twelve attempts. Not only was Ba without the support of Papiss Cisse, his role became that of holding the ball up for Ben Arfa and Obertan rather than rampaging into the box.

Newcastle chose a cautious set up, understandably with Arsenal in search of their fifth win in a row ( three of those after going one nil down.) With four defenders and two deep lying midfielders in Tiote and Cabaye, Obertan was always going to find any linking play difficult with only Ba up front and Ben Arfa playing on the left of midfield to start but moving right to look  in vain for some meaningful possession.

Walcott attacks Whilst Obertan Back Tracks.

Obertan's isolation and eventual substitution in the sixty first minute contrasted hugely with

0 Defensive Transition and Shape

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on defensive transition and shape.

Start with two attacking players at midfield with a ball.  Two defending players are out by the sidelines and a keeper is in goal

The attacking players pass the ball back and forth.

0 1v1 Attacking and Defending Around the Box

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today's featured activity works on 1 v 1 attacking and defending around the 18.

Most of the time, when we work on 1 v 1 play, it's with the attacker facing the defender.  However, frequently in games, the attacking player receives the ball with his back to the goal and must create space and turn in order to get the shot.  While the attacking player is trying to create space and turn, the defending player is trying to prevent the turn and force the attacker away from the goal.

This is the type of training you would do with small groups because otherwise, there is too much standing around.

Start with a keeper in goal, a line of attackers (in black) at the corner of the 6 and end line and a line of defenders (in yellow) just a step wider than the attackers and 2 yards back.  There is a server with some balls wider than the defenders.

The server plays the ball  toward the top of the 18 and the first

1 Shot Blocking and Deflections

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on breakaways, shot blocking and deflections.

Start with a keeper in goal, another keeper on the 6 yard line and a server just outside the 18. Two balls are set around 15 yards out

The server starts by running toward one of the balls. The first keeper reacts and

17 Is the U.S. Development Academy Taking Away Choices for Players?

The main topic of discussion among soccer coaches and parents over the last month has been the U.S. Soccer Developments Academy's move to a 10-month season beginning in 2012-13.

U.S. Soccer created the Development Academy in 2007 to improve the everyday environment for the elite youth player. The Development Academy is a partnership between U.S. Soccer and the top youth clubs around the country to provide the best youth players in the U.S. with an everyday environment designed to produce the next generation of National Team players.

U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach JURGEN KLINSMANN commenting on the change said, “If we want our players to someday compete against the best in the world, it is critical for their development that they train and play as much as possible and in the right environment. The Development Academy 10-month season is the right

3 Target Players and Crosses

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on interaction between a target player and a midfielder for a shot or cross.  There is an entire series building up to this and going further on the DVD Winning Shooting & Finishing.

The first player starts just inside the center circle (this would be the midfielder) and the second player is the target player who starts wide of the 18. There is a keeper in goal.

The target player goes toward the middle of the field and then

0 Anaerobic 4v4 Small-Sided Game

Here is a 4 v 4 game working on target player and transition while giving a nice anaerobic workout.

This activity uses half a field with a full sized goal and a keeper in goal. Two players start in the D and 3 yellow and 3 black players start at midfield. A coach starts at midfield with a ball.

The coach calls either “yellow” or “black” and whichever color he calls is the

0 Judging and Catching High Balls

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on judging and catching high balls.

One of the difficulties keepers have in dealing with high balls is they have to first judge the ball, figure out where it’s coming down and then go up and catch the ball.  Here is a simple activity that can be done by keepers of all ages.

Start with a keeper with a ball in his hands and a server 10 yards away also with a ball in his hands (in the diagram below, the red player is the keeper).

The keeper starts by tossing his

0 Fitness, Change of Direction and Finishing

Here is a shuttle activity that works on fitness, change of direction and finishing.

Start with 4 balls in a line.  One is on the 12 yard spot, one is halfway from the 12 to the 18.  One is on the top of the 18 and one is at the top of the D.  A keeper is in goal and the player is at a line 10 yards from the closest ball.
The player starts by sprinting to the ball at the 12 yard spot and hitting

0 Milan Dominate, But Throw It All Away In the End

by Vasco Mota Pereira

The league match between Milan and Juventus was just a few weeks apart from the first leg of the cup tie, which Juve had won 2-1 in San Siro. This time, the rossoneri were without Boateng, Ibrahimovic, Nesta and Seedorf. Juventus, alternating between 4x3x3 and 3x5x2 throughout the season (the latter being preferably used when playing teams with 3-man defenses, such as Napoli or Udinese, as stated elsewhere), surprisingly went for a 3-man defense themselves, surely because it

0 Attacking and Counter-Attacking

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on attacking and counter attacking.  There are some interesting teaching points on this subject (and many others) in the DVD Attacking: Coaching the English Professional League 4-4-2 by David Williams, former Manchester United U18 coach.

Start with 3 forwards and 2 midfielders attacking against 4 backs, 1 midfielder and a keeper on a half field with a full sized goal.

The attacking team is trying to score and can be as patient as they want in working the ball into spaces.  There is nothing special about this game UNTIL THE

0 Fun Goalkeeping Session

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity is a small sided game that works on shot blocking, distribution, foot skills and is a LOT OF FUN! This game involves 2 keepers and 2 field players on a 30 x 20 field with full sized goals. If the yellow teams starts with the ball, the

0 Integrating Sprints Into Your Training Session

Few players enjoy sprints for conditioning.  However, if you turn it into a soccer related activity you can get them to work even harder and enjoy themselves while doing so.

Start with a keeper in goal, two cones 15 yards from the midfield line, a player on the line between the cones and a player with a ball at midfield.  There are a few players ready to replace the field players.

The player with the ball starts by passing to the

4 Shooting Drills Competition Winner

It was difficult to choose a winner in our recent shooting drills competition because we received so many good entries. In the end we picked this exercise from Dennis Hillyard of New York. We were looking for drills that were easy to understand, used equipment all coaches have access to, provided a lot of repetitions for the players, were scalable to larger and smaller numbers and provided progressions that could be used as the players develop. This exercise meets all of those criteria.

Shooting Competition - First Time Shooting

1 Crossing and Finishing

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activities work on crossing and finishing.  There is a series of activities you can use in the DVD Winning Crossing & Finishing. The field is 50 x 40 (the size can vary depending upon the level of the players) with goals on each end, a keeper in

4 Footwork, Fitness and Ball Handling

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on footwork, fitness and ball handling.

It’s common for keepers to integrate a speed ladder into their training.  Frequently this might involve a keeper with a starting just in front of the ladder and they go through the ladder using various combinations.

Some variations include the following progression.  Everything is done 4 times unless

5 Fitness, Focus and Finishing

Here is a great activity that works on  fitness, focus and finishing.

Start with a keeper in one goal, a second goal on the sideline also with a keeper.  There is a server on the 18 and another server on wide of the second goal.  The players start behind 5 hurdles which are 1 yard apart 25 yards from goal.

The player starts by passing the server and then jumping over each

4 FC Barcelona - Style and Domination

FC Barcelona has become the world’s top club and has set the standard for all other clubs to follow.  With more than a dozen major championships and counting over the past four years, the team has achieved remarkable success in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Champions League and also the FIFA World Club Championships.  Further, the bulk of the 2010 World Cup Champion Spanish National Team mainstays call Barcelona their home club.

What has prompted this run?  Certainly talented players including the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and others are critical to the team’s stunning run.  However, the Barcelona model is much more complex, as the coaching, philosophy, tactics, team culture and more all contribute to the spectacular results and consistency that have been the hallmark of the club in recent years.

A new book that we've just released call, FC Barcelona: Style and Domination, A Tactical Analysis of FC Barcelona examines the special qualities and practices that have been critical to the club’s recent success.  From a profile of the manager and summary of the club’s overall

4 Switching Flanks and Quick Attacks

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on possession, changing fields and quick attacks.

Start with a 5 v 4 situation in a 35 x 35 area in the corner of half the field. Two other attacking players are on the other half of the field out wide.  There should also be a keeper in goal.

The attacking team must make 5 passes inside the corner grid and once they do, they can pass the ball wide to the

0 Shot Blocking and Positioning

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on shot blocking, footwork, fitness and positioning.

Start with a keeper at one post, servers with balls 8 yards out on an angle from the corners of the 6, a server at the 12 yard spot with a ball and two cones making a 4 yard wide goal 4 yards off the goal line.

The server closest to the ball starts by shooting toward the far post and low so the keeper should be able to

1 Combining Strength Endurance With Technical Training

Developing whole body strength is essential for peak performance in soccer. How effective you are at shielding the ball from an opposing defender, getting up quickly from a fallen position and constantly withstanding shoulder to shoulder and other physical contact will depend on your whole body strength. Increased whole body strength also improves your ability to perform explosive movements such as jumping and sprinting that play a key role in soccer.

Strength for soccer can be categorized into three main types: basic strength, maximum strength, and strength endurance.  Building basic strength is a precursor to developing maximum strength and strength endurance, and should be a focus of the early part the off-season. Maximum strength refers to the ability of a muscle or muscle group to produce the greatest amount of force. Training for maximum strength should only be done by well-trained and experienced players and is not necessary for all levels of play. Strength endurance refers to your muscles' ability to produce force over an extended period of time. Increasing strength endurance will improve the overall work capacity in your players and is very important for soccer, which involves continuous activity over a 90-minute (less for younger players) period. In this article we will focus on basic strength and strength endurance.

Contrary to what many coaches believe, developing basic strength and strength endurance do not require weights or fancy gym equipment. Doing body weight exercises such as push-ups, squats and lunges can be just as effective. Importantly, these exercises can be

8 Technical Work – The Faster the Better

This week's post comes from our Soccer Conditioning Experts at Soccer FIT. This article struck a cord with me because I think that as coaches we are sometimes guilty of the single-minded focus on technique especially for our youngest players. The post makes the point that we are in danger of obsessing over perfect technique to the point that we lose functional speed.

When it comes to “technical work,” can we be TOO technical?

Interesting question…and in my opinion the answer is “YES!” I understand that foot angle & toe placement when touching the ball is extremely important. But as coaches, we must ask ourselves “how much technique is

0 Zonal Defending With the Back Four and Midfielders

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on zonal defending with the back four and midfielders.

Start with a keeper in goal, 4 backs and 2 central midfielders defending a goal.  There are 2 attacking forwards, four midfielders and 2 backs attacking.  The attacking midfielders and backs each have a ball

The coach calls a number and whichever number he calls, that players ball is live.  The defenders have to shift appropriately in order to