Tag Archives for " Heading "

0 #181 US Youth Soccer Rule Changes - Three Years Later

Click Here to Listen to Podcast

0 #076 Breaking Down and Teaching Skills

Click Here to Listen to Podcast Click Here for the Show Notes

0 Playing into Target Players

By Sean Reed -  Objective This session is a directional possession looking to play forward into target players and support the play with forward runs. Session 1   Diagram 1 Set Up Two teams with 2x players from each team in the two end zones in the direction in which their team is attacking The size

0 Directional Throw Catch

By Sean Reed -  Objective This session is a directional throw catch game. Similar to throw catch possession, but is working towards a goal and within a shape. Session 1 Diagram 1 Set Up A session which can be used with a different number of players Two teams split with 2x GK Pitch size is dependent

0 Crossing and Heading Game

By Sean Pearson Area Size: 40 x 34 yards (Heading Zone: 28 x 5) Teams: 5 v 5 + 2 Time: 15 Minutes Objectives To understand how to head the ball when aiming to score To understand where to head the ball 4 v 4 with GKs. 2 neutrals, 1 in each channel. The aim of

4 Winning the Second Ball

By Eric Clermont - 

During the past ten years and beyond, football has seen the rise and fall of Spain and the re-emergence of Germany as the global superpower on the world stage. The world of youth coaching will always attempt to replicate the ‘flavor of the month’s’ style and at this point in time, this revolves around building out from the back, attempting to keep possession at all costs, use combination play, mobility and technical quality to break the lines and score ‘the perfect goal’ with 55 passes from back to front without the opposition touching the ball. The developmental positives for youth players throughout the growing ages are also great, meaning that players can both gain success playing this way (given they are given time to develop in this way) and improve as football players.

While I am a major advocator of this school of thought and the perceived positives, I have also noticed the lack of defensive capability and ability of youth coaches to teach ‘the nasty side’ of the game. While I may seem unfair in my criticism, (and of course, there are exceptions to the rule) I urge you to watch a youth team who is comfortable in possession play against a direct team who looks to lump the ball forward. Many teams will struggle more against these types of team due to the

0 Motivation to Score

I've always had a standing challenge to my teams (U13 and below), if they score a headed goal, I buy ice cream for the next practice. It's been a way to encourage the players to try and score with their head if they can. This has been most successful with the girls teams I have coached. The extra incentive has become something that the team rallies around.

After spending a few weeks working on our combination play to score we played very well in our next games. Two of our three goals came from combinations in the middle of the field.

Another area that I've wanted to address

0 Heading to Score or Back Across the Goal

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on “head backs”.

In an ideal world, a team would get the ball out wide, cross the ball into a position for a player to finish first time (with the head, foot or other part of the body).

Unfortunately our teams play in the real world and not the ideal world so it doesn't always work that way. Too often the cross isn't

1 Should We End Heading in Youth Soccer?

A youth soccer league in Connecticut recently banned heading in it's program. I read the story a couple of weeks ago on NBC Sports, 'Off the Bench' blog. It came to mind this morning as I was talking to a mother of one of my U14 players. Her daughter took a hard fall after fighting for a header over the weekend. She complained of a headache the rest of the day and the doctor confirmed today that she has a mild concussion.

Personally I feel that heading is an integral part of the game and youth players should be taught how to do it properly and safely. That doesn't