By Danny Carvalho, This very important skill is often neglected on goalkeeping specific training which cannot be accepted by a head coach who wants to achieve great accomplishments in their season. So here goes a simple and basic practice on stopping crosses. Warm Up Goalkeepers working in pairs. The goal is just to get the
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By Danny Carvalho The ability of receiving from one direction and turning with the ball to another direction is very appreciated by coaches because it helps the team to switch points of attack which makes difficult for the opponents to have a chance on winning the ball. Today’s session aims to work on that in
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “I have a group of 10-year-olds who are pretty skillful, but their defending technique is very poor. I really need to start from scratch. Do you have any good 1v1 defending drills and then some drills to train the cover defender?”” I hear you, my friend. And I am sure
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By Danny Carvalho, This ability is a game changer. It separates the average GK from the outstanding GKs! Not only the ability but the decision making, the timing, the courage, the urgency and the acceleration. Warm up Have one GK in the six yard and another facing them at about 5 yards outside the box.
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By Danny Carvalho With the modern game having more and more compact defenses, our teams need to create as many goal attempts as possible and make the most of each chance created. Today’s session is all about flair, creativity and scoring goals! Warm Up A 2v1 game situation on the top of the box to
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “Can you share some small-sided games for shooting that include at least 12 players? This way, I won't have players stood on the sideline” Alright, here goes three top games that your players are going to love! Activity 1 1st step: (A) starts from the yellow cone and goes unopposed
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By Danny Carvalho, The one and only Johann Cruyff once said a phrase that is forever immortalized in soccer for the ones who appreciate attacking and possession-based soccer. It was something like: “In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker, and the striker the first defender.” As I’m a big fan of this philosophy,
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By Danny Carvalho In modern soccer, a deadly counter attack can sometimes be what determines a good or a bad result. For this reason, we must be effective right after losing the ball when we are transitioning from attack to defense. In today’s session we are going to talk about and work on delaying counter-attacks.
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “I want my team to play the ball out of the back third and build up play to attacking situations. Can you share some drills that start with small numbers and then build up to 11v11?” Personally, I’m a fan of building from the back with short passes like Guardiola’s
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By Danny Carvalho In my humble opinion the wisdom of knowing when to pass and when to dribble is key to differentiate a beginner to an advanced effective player. In this session we work on this specifically on the middle third where the is usually crowded, with less time and space and under a lot
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “I love training passing and possession. Do you have any drills or SSGs that include all players being active in the drill?” We are on the same boat mate! I’m also a big lover of possession-based game and practicing on it is one of my greatest joys in coaching. So
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “My players love it when we work on shooting, but they don't like it when they have to wait in line and take turns taking shots. Can you share some shooting exercises that don't involve waiting in line?” Always a challenge when we think about shooting practices and waiting in
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “When we lose possession, my two forwards don't react quick enough to try and get back to help defend. What should forwards be expected to do when your team loses possession and is now defending?” This is a matter of preference and tactical option. The coach can determine if they
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “My players don't like it when we work on defending. I coach U11's. Any ideas on how I can make my defending sessions more interesting and fun for my players?” My plan A for a motivating session is always to reward them for performing the expected actions or behaving in
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “When defending, my players "dive in" too often and don't win the challenge. What drills can I use to teach my players to delay and be more patient?” One of my favorite works is the individual defensive skills and tactics. Most people think it’s too hard and challenging but it
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “Sometimes when I work on possession at training sessions, the players get bored. They want to play games or shoot on goal. Do you have any possession drills or games that might do a better job of keeping the interest of my players?” Here goes a great idea that will
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By Danny Carvalho Question - “My players have just moved to the 11v11 age group. I have done some training sessions on the back four and zonal defending, but we keep breaking down. Sometimes players follow the opposition and man mark which destroys our zonal and spacing positioning. How can I help my young players
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By Danny Carvalho Question - "I have a very fast center forward who is almost always the fastest player on the field. Do you have any suggestions on how we can take advantage of his speed?" Be the fastest player on the field can be a blessing and a curse. It will always depend on
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By Danny Carvalho Question - I have two very good wide players, but we don't get much success from wide positions. We put in some good crosses but don't get on the end of them too often. Do you have any drills that will help with timing of runs into the box? Timing is absolutely
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