We all have such limited time to impact the technical, tactical and physical abilities of our players that finding ways to integrate each of these into our training sessions is very important. If we were training four or five times a week we could afford to practice them in isolation but most of the coaches reading this won't have that luxury.
Continue readingWelcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on dribbling, shielding and flair.
Start with a 25 yard in diameter circle. Groups of 2’s are in the circle with one being on offense and the other being on defense. There are players on the outside of the circle with balls.
The offensive players (in this case the black jerseys) check to
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on playing a long ball, receiving a long ball, dribbling toward goal, shooting, goalkeeping and fitness
Start with two small line of players on one sideline (one line with balls), 30-40 yards from goal.
Opposite them is another line of players. A keeper is in goal.
The first player with a ball drives a ball cross field to the
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on dribbling, passing, shooting and goalkeeping.
Start with two goals set up 40 yards apart. There is a keeper in each goal and 2 mannequins in the middle yards apart (if you don’t have a mannequin, corner flags, coaching sticks or, if necessary cones will work. There are 2 lines of players with balls 5 yards to the opposite side of each goal.
To start, the first player in each line dribbles at the near
By Justin Cresser
Today’s activity is a simple exercise that develops Aerobic Endurance while working on dribbling, passing and receiving techniques. One of the good things about this drill is that it can also be used as a warm-up routine. If you do decide to use it as a warm-up activity, ensure that you incorporate dynamic stretches for the major muscle groups (hamstrings, quadriceps, etc.) during the rest periods between repetitions.
This activity uses the space between the halfway line and the top of the 18-yard box for the playing area. Divide your squad into two equal groups. Lay out several cones (the number of cones will be equal to the number of players in each group) across the playing area at random. However, each cone should be at least 10 to 15 yards from the nearest cone. For the purpose of this article, let us assume each group has 6 players; we have therefore placed 6 cones across the playing area.
Have all the players in one group stand inside the centre circle with a ball each. Have each player in the second group stand behind a different cone (Figure 1).
When ready, direct the players in the centre circle to dribble at speed towards
By Justin Cresser
After coaching youth soccer for several years, I have observed that shooting from distance is one technique young players frequently have problems with. Players tend to either drag their shots wide, or shoot way over the bar. Like all components of the game, developing good shooting technique requires repetition. However, we frequently observe shooting exercises that have long lines with players waiting to shoot on net; and most coaches will agree that long lines and waiting times are two things we try our best to avoid during training sessions.
Today’s activity is a shooting exercise that circumvents the problem of long lines and standing around by incorporating a dribbling component. The format of the exercise also allows you to simultaneously develop the aerobic capacity of your players. We also include a section that targets speed dribbling and receiving technique.
Set-up and Directions
This activity uses just over half of a regular-sized soccer field for the playing area. Place (or set up with flags or cones) a regular-sized goal on the bottom
I'm in favor of teaching young players to be very comfortable and confident with the ball by teaching them different fakes . During the initial learning phase I want the players to use them every time they get the ball. Some coaches have told me that you can't teach creativity but I think you give them the tools and then teach them how to use them. This can look a bit rough at first as the kids get comfortable with the fakes but if they use them enough they learn when to use a move and when to choose another option.
There are so many different fakes you can teach that an important question becomes
Continue readingBy Justin Cresser
Soccer involves performing repeated high intensity actions over the course of a 90 minute (less for younger players) game. A high level of aerobic endurance is therefore required by soccer players as this component of conditioning aids in recovering from these high intensity actions, and prevents a decrease in technical performance that occurs with fatigue.
One of the best methods to improve aerobic endurance is interval training, a form of cardiovascular training that involves performing short periods of high intensity work interspersed with work periods of lower intensity.
Consider the following dribbling activity, which uses the interval training format, to enhance the aerobic capacity of your players.
Set up 8 to 10 small cones, 5 yards apart, 15 to 20 yards from the top of one penalty area. Give each player a ball and instruct them to dribble around inside the playing area using small touches while keeping their heads up (Figure 1). They are not allowed to go outside the penalty box and they must always be moving.
After 90 seconds, have all players dribble as fast as possible, but
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today's featured activity works on dribbling and taking players on.
Start with your team in a 30 x 30 grid (smaller if you don't have a full team available) with half the players with balls and the other half without.
The players with balls are dribbling at half speed and the
Continue readingThe Technical Director for the club I coach with, Blue Valley Soccer Club, is Peter Vermes, who is also the Coach and Technical Director for Sporting Kansas City. Peter and the other directors of the club run sessions for the coaches two or three times a year. The sessions cover a variety of topics and
Continue readingWe had a discussion in the office the other day about the difference between fakes and moves. The discussion revolved around how you can use a move that doesn't fake the defender and whether we should be teaching young players moves or how to fake. This is an interesting subject because there's no shortage of
Continue readingWhen discussing dribbling there are two terms to consider using. Running with the ball Running after the ball Running with the ball would be when you are dribbling in tight spaces. You might be dribbling at a defender, or trying to split two defender. Running after the ball is when you have a lot of
Continue reading