One of the most important skills that our players can develop is touch. Touch determines what happens when the ball gets to your foot. Picture Messi threading the ball through a cluster of defenders. Is there any doubt that he is completely controlling the ball?

Here’s a piece of good news for soccer players…touch can be developed ON YOUR OWN. You aren’t dependent on being in a team environment. Have a small area of flat ground and a ball, and you can improve your touch with the right soccer drills and exercises.

I’ve come across a workout called the 1000 touch workout. The activities in this workout are designed to let the player get approx. 1000 touches in just 7 minutes. This is a great warmup for training or games.

You can download this workout from: http://www.walsh.edu/pdf/1000TouchDrills.pdf

Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPqD-N6GOk

Ever wonder why Barcelona is so proficient with their passing in tight spaces? A basic exercise called El Rondo (the round) is a central part of every training session and warm up.

Some call it keepaway or 4v2, but whatever name you give it, this drill is essential to teams that wish to be better one and two-touch passers.

Set up a a 10x10 grid. Put 1 or 2 players in the middle and play keepaway with the outside players. When you make a mistake and lose possession, you go into the middle.

It doesn’t take much to set this up, but it’s priceless when it comes to preparing your players for the game.

From what we’ve heard from those that frequent Barcelona’s trainings, Messi rarely ends up in the middle as the “piggy.” As expected players like Xavi and Iniesta are also quite proficient at the game. During this time at Barcelona, Ibrahimovic spent and fair amount of time in the middle Maybe that’s why he moved on to another team…

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGuaQ1khn2k

How beautiful is this to watch!

You might be thinking that you need soccer maestros like Messi and Xavi to be able to mimic the precision choreography of the Barcelona passing game.

Well, you can bet that having Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas patrolling the midfield does help take the basic principles to unheard of heights, however ‘tika-taka’ can be taught to teams from six year old beginners to teams playing at the top levels.

Click here to learn how to teach the Tiki Taka style to your team

The players had a fantastic time, and really benefited from the skill activities that the coaches brought to the table.

Watching one of the activities made me think a bit about how as coaches we often settle for adequate (good) rather than pushing ourselves to go for more (better or best). What the Coerver guys did would qualify as best in my book.

I’ll tell you all about it in just a moment.

We can all agree that skill development has to be a major focus of our practice sessions, especially with young players.

A typical activity many coaches run would be two players set up 10 yards apart passing back and forth. You can work on a number of different skills this way.

Anything we do like this to help our players improve is good, but we can do better.

One of our club coaches sets up a 30 yard square grid. Half of the players line up on the inside, half line up outside of the grid (each with a ball).

The players inside the grid check to one of the outside players and perform the skill. After 1 minute, they switch roles.

We are now in a more realistic environment as the players are executing passing and receiving on the move. Much more like game conditions.

This certainly is much better than a static situation of two players standing across from each other. But it’s not as good as it could be.

Players tend to move around in a circle and not aggressively check for the ball. They are doing more moving than executing skills so we aren’t getting as many reps as possible.

The Coerver guys had a twist on this form of the activity that I think elevates it to “best.” A bit of an “Aha moment” if you will.

Same set up, 30 yard square grid. However, they also put a 3 yard square in the center. Players start in the middle and have to go back to the middle between sets of skill reps.

Now they are “checking” much more directly to receive the ball.

One final twist…

Have the players perform a rep with both feet when they check to the ball.

Here’s what I mean:

Player 1 checks from the middle to Player 2 (who has a ball) on the outside of the grid. Player 2 plays a ground pass to Player 1′s right foot. Player 1 plays it back one-time.

Player 2 plays the ball back again one-time to Player 1′s left foot. Player 1 plays the pass back and then heads back to the center of the grid before he begins again.

You can do the same thing with volleys. Player 1 checks to Player 2 (who has a ball in his hands). Player 2 tosses to Player 1 for a right foot volley. Player 2 catches the volley and then tosses to Player 1′s left foot for a second volley.

Now we have more realistic movement and more skill reps.

We’ve gone from good to better to best!

Whenever you are setting up an activity, ask yourself these questions:

Let me give you a couple of examples. You are playing a weaker team, so you decide to win the ball higher up the pitch and take the game to them. You may want to ensure that the players know where your line of confrontation is set and where you want to force the other team to play. If the team is not very technical, you may try to force them to play up the middle through traffic. You may also want to pressure the full backs to force them to give the ball away close to their goal. You can play with an extra forward to help with this.

If you are playing a better team, you may want to clarify that you want to sit back and counter. Protect the space in behind you and communicate to the players how you wish to accomplish this. Maybe a five man midfield with wingers to facilitate an early diagonal ball on the counter. You may also want to employ a very strong target that can hold the ball for a few seconds to give the trailing players time to join the attack.

As far as half-time goes, you should think about adjustments if your plan is not working. Players not performing to potential(substitutions in the second half or immediately) Keep your talk concise. Too much information has no impact. Three areas of concern to adjust as a team is plenty. You can, however speak to the individual about how he/she is performing and what they can do better to help the team cause.

As you can tell, there is nothing specific you have to say, but you have to read the game and make adjustments accordingly. There may be times when you have very little to inject, because the team is playing well. Other times, when it all seems to be going wrong is when you have to focus on the major points of emphasis. You can’t fix everything at half-time, but you can change the game with key adjustments.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eov2dLBperg

“Get Oughta Here” is a great way to end practices. This activity lets the players go 2v2 and 1v1 to goal (something all players love to do) Beware, the competition can get fierce!

During the game, try to trick players by talking to them while you slowly roll a ball on to the field. You’ll find out quickly which of your players are paying attention.

For even more small sided games to run with your players check out -- www.UltimateSoccerCoaching.com/soccergames

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFRDTKZ7fok

As coaches we always have to make sure that we are working on game-like activities. A common drill that we see is players in a line outside the box taking shots on goal.

This seriously lacks in imagination!

The problem with this is that it’s not realistic. Hardly ever in a game is the ball placed perfectly on the ground so that a player can have a nice five step run up to the ball with no defenders between him and the ball.

In this video we demo an activity that will help teach your players how to create shots outside the box.

Activities like this are the cornerstone of what we call Ciplified Soccer.

Click here to learn more about the training methods that the Dutch and Brazilian national teams using with so much success!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSvnMDSEJSQ

Just about every soccer coach out there is looking for more ways to score goals.  Having designed set plays for direct and indirect free kicks is a great chance to position players for the best outcome.

There aren’t a lot of set play opportunities each game, but over the course of the season they can be worth 5-10 more goals if you spend a little time working on them.

This is one free kick that we have used in games with great success. Make sure that you work on this play at practice before you hit the field. It will take a bit of practice for your player’s to master the “nutmeg” part of the set piece.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=euWy9jFBDjc

To find out how to get instant access click here <—-- [VIDEO]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeeQ5gOP4a0

Coming up with creative passing drills is always hard, so we thought that we would show you one of our favorites.

This soccer drill can be run with any age group, and can be modified to fit your teams talent level. This drill is designed to keep your players moving and communicating while they are working on their passing skills.

For more soccer drills and tips, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/ultimatesoccercoach

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVo1tGf4mhQ

It seems like every week I go out to the fields and see players just going through the motions of their soccer skill drills. They are not working hard or getting better, and most of the time this is because there is no competition in the drills that they are running.

There’s no need to push harder or play better when they just want to move onto the next drill. When you introduce competition into drills, you are going to find that every player starts working harder and the level of practice goes up a notch. Players never want to lose and that’s why there need to be an element of competition in all of the drills that you run at practice.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vvwphvz7RQ

Most of the time when coaches start losing control of practices, it is because they were not prepared before the practice began. You have to be ready for every practice and know what you want to achieve in the short amount of time that you have your players.

Planning your session ahead of time is key if you want to maximize your practice time. But be flexible! You’ll often not have the number of players that you expected. Dropping a neutral player into the activity is a great way to fix problems with odd numbers.

Try to make your session flow quickly from activity to activity. Setting up as much of the session as possible ahead of time will help you get more touches on the ball!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjldCKITLAc

There are times during soccer practice where you just have to let your players hit the field and play soccer without you standing over their shoulder. They are going to make mistakes, but they are also going to try new moves explore their abilities as players.

Most of the time players are so scared that the coaches might yell at them, that they never try new moves on the field. With Consequence Free Play we encourage our players to just go out there and have fun. You will be amazed by what some of your players will do.

What are your thoughts on this? Are you giving your players enough time to “play”? Please comment below and let me know what you think!

Patrice Evra - one of the world's best left backs

I had a player ask me why I pulled him out of the final this past weekend. He is the team captain, so I believe he is entitled to ask that question. He was not playing poorly, but I explained to him that we needed to manage the game a little better with a 1-0 lead. He was too anxious to get forward and at left full back I wanted a little more patience. The other team was tired and I wanted us to make them chase the game.

We are excellent in possession, so playing the ball forward too early never forced the opponents to shift, adjust and work. Our target was not holding the ball particularly well and the other team was winning the ball back too easily for me. The quality of his touch in the final third was also letting him down and as a result his service was poor. Counter attacks were the consequence.

I explained that I needed better decisions and a calmer influence on the game. The tone of the attack is started with building from the back, so if we forced it forward, the game did not develop naturally.  As a result we did not have numbers around the ball in advanced areas of the pitch and possession was lost cheaply.

The player who replaced the captain was excellent. Calm in possession and got forward when appropriate. He actually assisted the second goal to kill the game off.  We won the final 2-0, but what was more important is that the rhythm was established and we never allowed the team to believe they had a chance. It is very difficult to gain confidence when you do not have the ball for prolonged periods of time.

On a side note Patrice Evra is one of our favorite left backs in the world.

Who do you think is the best outside back in the world right now and why?
Please comment below and share your thoughts!

One issue that I noticed right off the bat was that several players needed some work on being more coordinated with their movement. They need a steady diet of agility exercises as part of their warm up.

I’ve posted the session below:

1) Dynamic warm up

2) Agility ladder

3) Circle drills

4) Game to goals with restrictions

5) Open play

I began with a pretty standard dynamic warm up. Even though kids this age are amazingly flexible and really don’t need too much of a warm up, it is a good idea to make a good warm up a habit. This way it will be second nature to them when they are older. It also serves as a time for them to get focused on the task at hand.

I ran a series of simple agility drills on the ladder to work on their coordination. I won’t go into details in this post, but you can click here for soccer ladder agility drills to see some examples.

We then moved on to some circle drills. These are some of my absolute favorite youth soccer drills as they incorporate passing/receiving on the move and communication. The set up is simple. You can either use the center circle, or make a circle using cones. Align the players around the outside of the circle.

Circle Drill #1

This one is pretty simple. Player 1 passes to Player 2 in the center of the circle. Player 1 then takes his place in the middle. Player 2 passes to Player 3 on the outside of the circle and then takes his place.

Soccer Circle Drill #1

Player 3 starts the sequence over. Once the players get the hang of it, you can put a 2nd player in the middle and introduce 2 balls to the mix.

Circle Drill #2

Now we are going to add just a little bit of complexity. Player 1 dribbles into the circle and passes to Player 2. Player 2 plays it back 1 touch to Player 1. Player 1 then finds Player 3 and passes him the ball. Player 3 dribbles into the circle and starts the sequence over again.

Circle Drill #2

When you introduce a second ball, communication becomes key. Encourage players to use terms like “Bounce it” when they want to receive a one-two pass, and “take it” when the player is supposed the bring the ball into the middle to restart the sequence. When you get two balls going, this activity becomes a great deal of fun!

After the circle drills, I moved into a simple small-sided game. We played 6v6 with keepers to big goals on a short 40 yard field. In order to score everybody on your team had to be over the half-way line. In addition all finishes had to be on one-touch (this encourages the players to pass).

We played 3-5 minute games.

We ended with 2-5 minute games to goals with no finishing restrictions and no requirements to get over the half-way line. The players still worked the ball well and stayed connected. A perfect example of manipulating player behavior by the environment they practice in.

I hope you enjoyed this session.

If you would like to see more sessions like this, please check out Ciplified Soccer 2.0 – click here.

Did you like this session? Please comment below and let us know what you think!

This year I have my work cut out for me, because if we fail it will be my fault. The team is so deep with talent that I honestly do not know who to take and who to leave at home. They are all good enough.

I have a former youth national team player on the team this year and the scary thing is… she is not the best player I have. She is probably number five. This should give you an idea of the talent pool. I looked at a Division one women’s game in Tampa a few weeks ago and I am sure we are at least as good as the teams I observed. We have a tournament this weekend and I will not be surprised if both teams meet in the semi- final or final.

I have been coaching for a long time and I have not been this excited about a group of players in a long time. The chemistry is fantastic, the girls respect each other and they collectively believe that they can beat anyone if they respect the principles of the game. The work rate in practice is fantastic.

There is a healthy competition at every training session. I will keep you posted on our progress. This weekend will hopefully test our character. This is the final piece to the puzzle, because Lord knows we are talented enough. Wish me luck picking the first team.

I have watched players on the youth teams & high school teams that I coached struggle with proper ball striking. There are even players in my adult league that still haven’t fully mastered the fundamental movements of the soccer kick.

These players have learned to get by and adapt by bringing good teamwork, hustle and fitness to the game, but still have a glaring hole in their arsenal.

My son Donovan, struggled with his shot for two years as a young player. He is currently 13 and plays U14 soccer on a travel team in my home town. He is a hard worker and has a very good understanding of the game.

Just knowing where to be on the field and how to move into space has made him an effective soccer player, but his shot never had the umph he wanted.

I watched him over and over and couldn’t quite put my finger on where he was breaking down.

lIn looking for a solution I came across a DVD called Blast the Ball. I finally sat down and spent some time watching it after having it for several months (yeah I know, I’m a procrastinator).

First off all, it was 2 hours long which really blew me away. I didn’t know there was that much scientific technique to kicking a ball. I always just had good form and a naturally strong leg.

The video broke down the soccer hop, load, impact and follow through in a step by step manner. But here was the real kicker (no pun intended). It provided drills that worked on each specific part of the kicking motion.

It also discussed common technique failures and how to correct. From watching this DVD I was able to pinpoint two problems in Donovan’s form…improper loading technique and a hiccup in his follow through.

I took Donovan down to the soccer field and worked on his kicking motion. We were able to use the drills shown in the DVD and in about 15 minutes had him literally blasting the ball harder than he ever had before.

He was especially excited when he ripped a shot so hard that it knocked his brother’s arm back and zipped into the goal for a score. He had never done that before!!

It took a bit of time to make his kicking stroke second nature and program his muscle memory, but knowing what to do made all the difference.

I’m took these same techniques and applied them to my younger son Deven. He is 10 now and plays for the U11 team at the same club as his older brother.

Not only does he have very pure technique, but he is equally adept with either foot. In fact, he is so confident in his kicking motion that he even took a corner kick lefty last season (and he’s a natural righty).

I’m not usually one to plug somebody else’s product, but if you are a coach, parent or player that is looking to develop an accurate and powerful shot, then you need to take a look at the Blast the Ball DVD.

You can check it out at:

http://www.blasttheball.com

This is what they thought they were paying for. Not to watch their children sit on the bench. We had to explain that they were paying for the training environment, field maintenance, referee fees, coaches salaries, league fees, uniforms, and registration with the state. Not for  playing time. I also mentioned that the coaches would like a return on their investment of time and energy they put into helping the kids improve and teaching them life lessons.

Both players play for the same team, so this was quite interesting. They are both very talented but they are U16 players now, so I expect much more from them. I do not coach the team, but I am very familiar with the players. To make a long story short, one of them is lazy and the other has a low soccer IQ. I explained to the parents that if we guaranteed playing time of 50% at this age, then why would anyone want to excel?

The incentive for proper practice habits is playing. Nothing given to players is appreciated, because they do not acknowledge the work required to play at the competitive level. We want everyone to play, but they all have different strengths and weaknesses.

Certainly at the younger age groups we want all kids enjoying the game through participation. The players have to understand as they become older that they earn the right to be on the field. This promotes proper training habits. This is of the utmost importance because without it there is no enjoyment of the game and no fulfillment derived.

Last season was our most successful as a club. A large part of it was due to the fact that we had teams train together, so that we could address 11v11 issues at practice. None of our teams have two keepers. They also do not have enough to finish like the real game. The only time our teams had the opportunity to play 11v11 was Saturday at the game.

The player’s soccer IQ improved, they got fitter and we established chemistry. Seven of our teams made it to the end of season tournament final. Three of them were crowned champions. Our U19 boys made it to the final four in State Cup. This is the best a boys team has done in the history of the club. You think the parents would leave it alone. They still question why we do things. They will never understand. I am convinced of that now. People always say you have to educate the parents. Hard to do when they already know everything.

It is not just the parents though. They relay information from players. Some players do not like the competitive atmosphere. They have become comfortable with the hierarchy of their team and do not like having to prove themselves every day. They do not wish to be corrected or reprimanded for lack of soccer discipline. They are also threatened when younger players are better at everything accept physicality.

I will continue to do what is right for the players. The results are becoming increasingly evident. I have to do what is best for the players with ambition. Mediocrity will not become the norm.

Coach Bert's nicely swollen ankle

I’ve been working to strengthen my ankles and have gone the last year without taping up. In fact I was just commenting to one of my fellow players about how well my ankles have been doing right before we started playing. Guess I forgot to knock on wood!

So last night I started some aggressive rehab. I didn’t want to just post today to cry about being hurt, but to instead share with you a resource that I have found to be invaluable.

Several years ago when I had a similar injury, I began to do a lot of research on the Internet to find a treatment program that would get me back playing quicker. I came across an ebook called  the “H.E.M. Ankle Rehab System.” It’s inexpensive at only $19.95 and enable be to very quickly get back on the field. Swelling was reduced almost immediately and my range of motion improved overnight.

This ebook is one that you want to have in your library even if you aren’t presently injured. It worked wonders for me.

Click here to read more about it.

The only consolation is that they are being watched by educated eyes, so identification takes place. What transpires is that the players are ranked, so that as the day progresses the better players end up playing together. This is unfortunately very obvious to the players who are at the bottom of the talent pyramid. There is nothing wrong with a reality check. These players realize that there is much work to be done, or that the college level is too high.

I think it is money well spent if you are interested in playing college soccer. Most people spend hundreds of dollars to attend showcase tournaments, with only a remote chance of being seen. You are being looked at when you attend the college ID clinics. You may not like where you fall, but at least you will know where you are…

I think sometimes we forget this. After all soccer is really a kid’s game that is played by adults. It’s a simple game at its core. One ball, two goals and some players. The ultimate pick up-and-play sport. A couple of shoes for goals and something round to kick and it’s game on.

Soccer gets serious very early. 10 year old players are involved in 3 day tournaments already. Practice is intense. Coaches are coaching hard every day to get results.

This is the nature of the game. And much of it is necessary. It takes a great deal of commitment for kids to develop into quality players. There is much sacrifice to be made if players want to play at the collegiate or professional level.

However, it’s critical every once and a while that you throw in a “fun” practice to help the kids keep some balance. These kinds of practices are HUGE morale boosters, and the players always bring new focus and intensity in the sessions that follow one of these play days.

Where I live the schools are on Spring Break this week. We have cancelled formal practices for the week, but are making available the option for players to just come out and play. Several coaches were in attendance yesterday. Our role was to simply split up the teams, hand out the pennies and let the kids go.

Sure some of the play was sloppy, but we also saw some great creativity. We had a mix of 13-15 year old boys and girls, along with three coaches jumping into the game. We had enough for 3 teams of 10 players each so we played first to 2 goals or 7 minutes. We moved the goals in to the top of the 18s and let it rip.

As coaches we majorly limited our input in the game from a coaching standpoint. We just played with the kids. The players had an absolute blast! I saw one girl who normally plays centerback excel as a wing midfielder…a position she had never played before.

I watched my 12 year old son running down the sideline with a massive grin on his face as he tried to beat one of the coaches 1v1. It was the perfect pick up game, and a great way for our players to fall in love with the game once again.

Keep it fun Coach!!

Upon returning from high school, there were some bad habits that  crept in with the players. Movement off the ball now is almost non-existent, fitness is not good enough, transition is terrible especially from attacking to defending. The boys need at least three touches to make the most simple decisions, and we struggle to get numbers forward with speed.

Not a huge problem. I think we can correct their soccer behavior over time. The bigger issue for me is that I have lost eight  players.

A hamstring, that worsened because this player was used regardless of his injury during the high school season and not allowed enough time to recover. He has not played a single game for me this season.

A broken toe that was played on for the season. It got progressively worse. This player has not played a single game for me either.

An evulsion fracture of the hip flexor. He is out for the season.

Knee ligament damage with another player. He is back to playing  now, but not at his best as yet.

Two players have severe ankle sprains. Still on the injury table

Two more have quit the game entirely.

We have the first round of State Cup this weekend, so wish me luck.

We played a team from a bigger city this past weekend, a.much bigger city. They fielded two teams in our age group and we played them both on Saturday. We played the “B” team first and beat them 3-2. It was not a very good performance from us, especially when we did not have the ball which is something we have been working on for a few weeks. We were much better in the second half and really deserved to win.

The afternoon game is always a problem, because the boys have just eaten and they are usually sluggish. We warmed up as usual and we spoke about what we wanted to do when we were not in possession.

This is huge for us because it helps us attack quickly. We try to invite the keeper to play the outside backs, then we press. It is a collective effort and we are not as interested in winning tackles as we are creating ball winning situations. I want  the boys to understand that the best time to win the ball back is when the ball is traveling from player to player.

They have this habit from high school to dive in when the ball is already at the feet of the opponent. These kids were all quite good on the ball and a few were very very good individually, so we had to make them uncomfortable by limiting time, space and options.

We were fantastic as a unit. We did not give them any time on the ball and we were in their half for most of the game. We had  one break-down in the second half, when my outside back decided to take a break and a switch found his man unmarked on the blind side.

He had enough time to settle and pick his spot.  We were almost perfect defensively…I am very critical, so trust me, this was an amazing effort. The opponents could not get into a rhythm, nor could they complete more than three or four passes. This team, by the way, has a player who has been invited to the U17 National Team Camp.

To make a long story short…we tied 1-1. We were clearly the better team. They had better players, but did very little collectively. I think we have turned the corner. Eyes have been opened and people will have to respect us.

Warm up properly with a dynamic series of exercises.

Start with two players passing the ball over 20 yards with the inside, outside and laces of both feet to prepare the muscle groups for the next activity.

The players should both be in a 10×10 box (5×5 for better players) and the distance between the players can be increased to 30 yards. Now we make it a contest. Each player has 10 services. The ball has to hit the target in the box to gain a point. If the server misses the box, then no point is awarded. You can have the players do 10 with the right and 10 with the left.  You can have multiple groups with a championship field, so winners move on. The loser in the championship field has to start over in the last division.

You can vary the demands of service by asking the players to hit the ball driven with the laces with some back-spin, with the inside and outside. Based on the technical ability of the players, you may or may not be able to do everything with both feet.

Progress to more difficult game by adding a player in each grid. The ball is served as in the previous activity, but the recipient (player 1) has to knock the ball down to his partner (player 2) who in turn passes the ball back to player 1 to serve with one touch to the opposite grid. The two players there do the same thing. The service must land in the 10×10 0r 5×5 box to earn a point.

You can then add 2 more players in the middle 30 yard zone to pick services off. This adds a higher degree of difficulty and realism. If a team’s pass is intercepted, then they are now in the middle zone.

Fun and activities like this are the backbone of skill development for soccer players. With the addition of the middle zone defenders, the activity morphs from a simple skill session to something that more resembles the game of soccer. This is a key ingredient to every practice, and one that most coaches miss. Most practice sessions just don’t have enough game relevance in them.

This is a new concept for many coaches in the United States who may have come up with the typical drill environment as players. Soccer coaching is evolving, and we want you to help evolve with it. That’s one reason we put together Ciplified Soccer 2.0. This soccer coaching course is geared towards helping coaches create more dynamic practice environments for their players.

We have put together a special video that details what we have to offer with Ciplified Soccer 2.0. Please take a few moments to check it out as I know it will be hugely beneficial to your team! Click here for the video.

I told him that the players he was admiring this past weekend probably were not taught moves, but were mimicking players they admire. I asked him if his son ever looked at highlight videos on YouTube of Messi, Ronaldo, Robinho or Ronaldinho. It is not about teaching moves at U15. It is about recognizing when to apply the appropriate skill at the right time during the game to the benefit of the team. This occurs through constant play and trial and error.

I explained to him that I never had anyone teach me anything fundamental. I learned through observation and experimenting when I played in the parks. My first coach was at U14. I do not remember a single session that taught us moves. I do remember playing 1v1 games though.

This same parent came to me about bullying at practice. He said some players were “bossing others around on the field and getting on each other when they made mistakes.” I observed a few of the practices to see what was happening. I saw the passionate players demanding more from their teammates. I saw leaders trying to lift players around them. I explained to him that it was not about the tone, but the content of the message.

This same parent wanted me to do extra sessions on Sunday to prepare players for ODP (he really meant his son), but guess who never showed up? I also run optional training on Fridays and we allow the kids to play in a 6v6 tournament environment for 90 minutes. Freedom of expression is the theme of the day. Guess who does not show up to that either?

It’s all about putting in the time and effort to get better and improve. As I mentioned before, YouTube is a great place to go to find moves and skills. There are other resources for those that wish to invest in their soccer games through a more structured program. Our friend Matt Smith has put together a program called “Epic Soccer Training” for players that want to work on their games outside of practice to improve. You’ll learn the same routines that Matt put into play to go from a high school bench player to a college All-American. Click here for more about Epic Soccer Training.

I guess some people can’t accept when their kids simply are not good enough or do not devote enough time to the sport . It is always the fault of someone else.

Two weeks ago she collapsed while running at track practice. She was revived at the scene and hospitalized, where tests were run. She was subsequently cleared and returned to training this week. She collapsed again and tragically did not survive. She was 17 years of age.

A terrible loss to our soccer community. Practice last week was filled with emotion, as many of our boys and girls attend the same high school. I spoke with those closest to her, but there is really nothing to say at a time like this that makes anyone feel better. I did say that tomorrow is promised to no-one and they should live each day to the fullest. I also asked to think what this young lady what like them to do from here.

I wish her  family the best. I can not imagine what they are going through right now. My prayers and thoughts are with them.

There is nothing more important right now. All soccer related political issues seem ridiculous now in retrospect. I hope we can all keep things in perspective from now on.

———–

The parents of soccer standout Sarah Landauer, are asking that people donate to a soccer endowment in her name at the University of Florida rather than send flowers.

Checks should be sent to the Sarah Landauer Soccer Endowment at Gator Boosters Inc., P.O. Box 13796, Gainesville, FL 32604.

Money raised will benefit soccer scholarships at UF.

Set up two 10×10 yard grids approximately 5 yards apart. You will need two teams of three players each. Start with the blue team in grid 1 and the red team in grid 2. The red team will start with the ball.

On your mark, the red team will begin to pass amongst themselves in their grid. They must execute one-touch passes. As soon as the first pass is made, a member of the blue team will come into the grid to defend.

Every time red gets 5 consecutive passes, they get a “goal.” You can adjust the number of passes required up and down based on the skill of your players. Five to eight is a good place to start. For younger players with less technical skill, you can put them on two-touch instead.

Once the blue team wins the ball, play begins in grid 1. The defending blue player hustles back to grid 1, joined by one of the red players who now plays defense. Continue back and forth for a set period of time (3 minutes or so). The team with the most total “goals” wins.

You can set up multiple grids with a larger team and play a “championship tournament.” Winning teams move up and losing teams move down.

Coaching points for this activity include:

• Properly weighting passes
• Consistent off the ball movement
• Effort by the defending players

You can easily play this game for 20-30 minutes during warm-up phase of your practice session. You can then transition into a possession game, or go straight to a game to goals.

Activities like this make up the backbone of quality practice sessions. Unfortunately, most coaches have not been exposed to what a proper session should look like. Too often they rely on what they did as a player or how they were coached.

Soccer is an always evolving game.  Methods change as well as tactics.

You must stay on the cutting edge with fresh new soccer drills and activities if you are to keep your players excited and motivated to improve.

This week we unveiled a new service to our subscribers to help them with training session preparation. We really want to get this new service in front of as many coaches as possible as we know if will prove to be tremendously beneficial.

To achieve this goal we are going to keep it very inexpensive. I’m not kidding as you will find out shortly.

If you would like to learn more about our “Ultimate Soccer Sessions” service, click here.

I had lunch with a friend of mine a few weeks ago. He is a college coach still involved at the youth level, so we discussed a wide range of issues. The one that sticks out is the topic of mimicking. Young players all over the world learn through imitation and this only takes place through observation. Some of our young players do not look at soccer, and as a result, they have no frame of reference.

I remember growing up in my country and looking at soccer every weekend on television. I looked at players like Maradona, Careca and Alemao when they played for Napoli in Italy. I looked at Platini, Boniek, Zidane and Del Piero at Juventus. Marco Van Basten, Gullit, Baresi, Maldini, Donadoni, Ancelotti,and Rijkaard at AC Milan. To this day I still look at the game almost every day.

As a young player, this is what I took to the fields. I tried to be these players in my mind. This was the base from which my imagination grew. I did not have a coach until I was almost 14 years old, so I had to take responsibility for my fundamental development. This took place through observation and imitation.

The players today at my club that have some personality on the field all have a favorite team in Europe and they all pattern their play after their favorite player. Xavi Hernandez, Messi, Iniesta, Pato, Robinho, Neymar, Pedro, Ronaldo, Kaka, Rooney, Ozil, Robbin, and Schweinsteiger are just a few names. These players bring something extra. They do not rely only on coaching. They have their own ideas and a different level of game intelligence. Many spend time daily watching games or checking out their favorite players on YouTube.

One play sticks in my head from this past weekend. It was a bright spot to an otherwise dismal performance from one of my younger teams. We won a free kick and one of our players had the presence of mind to take it quickly. Another player in an advanced area saw his teammate break from the flank and instructed the kicker to find him. We created a great chance from this, but all of the players were not on the same page. These boys have obviously seen this done at the professional level, because at 12 years of age we do not spend much time on restarts.

Too many of our players are only good at following the coaches directives. Not enough of them have a feel for the game…a framework of reference based on observation. The result is players without personality for for the game.

As coaches it is important that we encourage our players to watch the game. Fox Soccer channel and ESPN carry tons of professional games from Europe. As I mentioned above, YouTube is another great resource for watching the pros at their best.

Equally important is putting your players in environments that foster game intelligence and creativity. Laps, lines and lectures will not develop players. Putting them quickly into situations that resemble soccer and allow players to find the answers is the surest path to intelligent players.

We have put together a soccer coaching guide to help coaches make this change in perspective with their teams. Ciplified Soccer 2.0 teaches this new methodology of coaching and includes tons of activities (drills) and practice sessions to help your players develop their skills more quickly.

You players will enjoy the opportunity to play more soccer and stand around less. Motivated players improve more quickly, and improving players get better results on the field.

We have put together a special video presentation that explains the thought process behind Ciplified Soccer 2.0 and describes what is contained inside of the guide.

Click here to watch the video.

The boys all looked at the Champions League game today between Barcelona and Arsenal. The rhythm of play was a joy to behold. No simple pass is overlooked, and just when you think there is nowhere to go, the penetrative pass shows itself. The players are constantly moving and making adjustments. I am amazed that the players do not try to replicate this, because they all talk about how amazing the players are to watch.

The problem is certainly not with all the boys, but there are a few bad DJs on the pitch.  The ball moves with one or two touches through midfield and then it finds the bad DJ, who is guaranteed to break the rhythm. The movement of everyone else is negated and the collective trend of thought is destroyed.

The boys think this is funny, but I challenged them not to be the bad DJ at practice. I asked them to imagine being at a club. The music is flowing and everyone is dancing. Some idiot falls on the turn tables (showing my age) and there is a huge scratching noise as the music grinds to a halt. The crowd roars in disapproval.  Don’t be that idiot! Let the music play.

There are three steps to developing rhythm in the game. Players obviously need the technical skills to handle a one and two-touch game. Players need to be very comfortable possessing the ball as a team. Finally players need to be put into situations in practice that foster rhythm and flow.

I love watching the game played beautifully and I want to give you as a coach as many tools as possible to help your team achieve a high level of play. Please take a few minutes to watch the special video presentation we have put together for you.

In it we describe our thoughts on what changes need to be made in how we coach the game. We also provide you with a great solution to give your team a strong soccer foundation.

Click here to watch the video

Click here to watch the video

I had an issue arise recently at my club. I went to observe my U16 girls play at a tournament two weeks ago and realized that they were some serious issues that needed to be addressed. There was nothing that resembled soccer to be very honest, so I decided to help them in any way I could the following week.

I mandated that the team train with another girl’s team in the club, so that they could play more 11v11 soccer. The team only has enough players to finish 6v6 or 7v7 at best. The problem with this is that they never play in realistic dimensions. They also never have to deal with 11v11 scenarios. The spacing is different, passing lanes are smaller, the bigger ball is non existent, the work required is not adequate enough to make a successful transition to the 11v11 game.

The coach of this U16 team expressed that the girls did not want to play 11v11.  This explained why the team performance I observed was so poor. The coach was acting as a facilitator and the girls were actually running the practices. I had the coach of the other girls team speak with the U16  girls coach about working together at training by merging the girls and coaching within the 11v11 game. I also ran a session for the both teams that week, so we could address some principles of attack, defense and transition. The girls really seemed to grasp the concepts.

I received an email from the coach expressing her concern with the intervention. She cited that “her” team was different and that she knew how to bring the best out of them. She also explained that some parents were asking questions about the difference in practice that week and the involvement of me and the other coach. (The other coach worked with this team for 2 years by the way). She also included the team parents in the email. Huge mistake!!

It was explained to her that the players joined the club before they joined that team. That she was part of a coaching staff that worked together and stuck together. That all players were influenced by every coach, because they all had something to offer. The most important point expressed was that this was bigger than she was. The players came first. What they needed that week was more important who got this accomplished. My coaches are responsible for all of our players and together we stand a greater chance of reaching every kid in the club.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen an offseason workout program for 12 year old players work That’s just not going to happen.

But we all know that a high level of fitness is required in order to be an effective player. So we have a problem to solve.

This issue is further compounded by the fact that we typically only have our players 2-3 days each week for training. We have little time to practice soccer specific skills as it is, much less employing a strong conditioning program.

Having the players run laps as a warm up isn’t going to get them into shape, and it really doesn’t resemble soccer. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never witnessed soccer players running around the edge of the entire field during the game.

Today I want to share with you some ideas of how you can incorporate fitness training in your practice sessions, but without losing valuable touches on the ball. These sneaky little tweaks will help trick your players into shape.

Tip #1 – Touch Limitations

If players work harder and with more intensity in practice, their fitness levels are going to increase. The trick is getting them to run more and put in the extra effort.

Reducing the number of touches allowed in an activity will require better off the ball movement. This equates to more running, more energy expended, and more conditioning developed. For less advanced players, two touch possession can often take care of this.

Set up an activity with a 2-1 ratio of attackers to defenders (8v4). I like to set up three teams of even numbers. Two of the teams (total of 8 players) will be attackers, and 1 team (4 players) will defend.

Have the attackers on two touches with the defenders on unlimited touches. Have the defenders defend for a set amount of time (2 minutes for example). The attackers count the total number of passes that they complete. The defenders can keep the ball if they intercept until the attackers win it back.

The defenders will have to put in a great deal of work to get and keep the ball. Rotate the teams until everybody has had a turn defending. The team that gave up the least number of total passes by the attackers wins.

Try this game with one touch if you want to make the attackers really work hard as well. You can also play 5v5 with a neutral on one touch. The players will be breathing heavy for sure!

Tip #2 – Increased Distance

I use this method when we on working on skills like receiving and passing with different surfaces of the body. Typically I will set up a grid that is 5 yards wide and 15-20 yards long. I put one player on each end of the grid with a single player in the middle who is “doing the work.”

The outside players will each have a ball. The “working” player will check to one of the ends, receive a ball, play it back and then check to the other side of the grid to receive from the other server.

You can work on 1 touch passes with the inside/outside of the foot. The servers can toss the ball for 1 time volley or half volley. The ball can be tossed for a chest trap and pass. You can do one touch headers with this activity. Be creative.

If you want to work more fitness into the activity, simply increase the distance between the servers. Maybe to 30 yards. You can also put two players in the middle and have them go in opposite directions.

Once they receive the first ball, they will have to sprint past each other to the opposite side of the grid to receive the next ball. You can move the servers up to 40 yards apart if you really want to stress fitness.

Tip #3 – Skill Relay Races

By nature soccer players are competitive. Introducing elements of competition in your practices will raise the intensity level and work rates.

Skill based relay races are one way to accomplish this. Players can dribble to the cone, turn and pass back to the next player.

Have them accomplish different types of turns. They can turn inside of the left foot, inside of the right foot, outside of the left foot, outside of the right foot, etc. You can have them execute a pull back move with the sole of the foot, make a Cruyff turn, or a step over turn when they get to the target cone.

Again, use your imagination.

These are just a few ideas of how you can incorporate fitness into your every day practice sessions. If you are interested in more specific fitness drills for agility, speed, and explosiveness on the ball I recommend you look at Total Soccer Fitness by Phil Davies.

Phil has different training plans based on the age of players. He’ll show you how to incorporate strength training for young players into your practices. Believe it or not, strength training for young players is safe, and will help them prolong their carries.

Phil does a much better job than I can explaining what Total Soccer Fitness can do to help your players.

For more information about Total Soccer Fitness click here <========

Also, let me know what other ideas you have for working fitness into practices. By commenting on this blog post, we can all pool our ideas which will make us all better coaches.

Let us hear from you below!

She also said that he was a starter on JV at High School, so he did not understand why he was not treated the same in club soccer. Another point made was that her son was not playing in a position that made him comfortable. The last thing she mentioned was that her son did not think the coach liked him.

The coach explained to the young man that he was not training with the level of intensity desired, and there were players that were doing a better job in the position he was playing for the team at the moment. The coach also ensured the player and his mother that this was not a personal issue.  As a coach there is nothing to be gained by disliking a player. What he dislikes is the lack of effort at the practice sessions.

Sounds pretty clear. I added to the conversation and asked the player what he was doing to earn a starting position. He had no answer. I asked him if he gave 100% at all sessions. He said no.  I explained to the boy that at 15 years of age we should not be having a conversation with mom.

Part of becoming a young man is dealing with and overcoming adversity. I also explained to him that if it meant anything to him to be in the starting eleven, he would work harder than all his teammates in training to force the coach to notice his work ethic. I made it very clear that we were not going to give him anything, because we would not be teaching him the life lessons of earning what you want.

The mother thanked us for taking the time to speak with them and the meeting ended. Later that evening the mother followed up with an email that said she wanted to reiterate that based on our meeting, we were going to start her son in order to build his confidence back up to where it was in High School. I guess there’s going to have to be another meeting

My wife does a wonderful job homeschooling our four children. This gives us a great deal of flexibility in planning our kids school day. Three times per week I work with my two oldest boys first thing in the morning to develop their skills on the ball. They love these sessions and getting a good sweat going early in the morning seems to help them really concentrate on their studies.

My oldest Donovan is nursing a bit of a sore ankle from a tournament he played in over the weekend so it was just me and my 10 year old Deven yesterday morning.

I came up with an activity on the fly that worked out really well for us, and I wanted to share it with you today.

Deven plays center midfield for his team and has gotten pretty good at receiving the ball in traffic, controlling it and escaping to space. I wanted to continue to work on his skills in this area.

I set up a 15×15 playing area and filled it with disc cones placed at random all over the area.

The activity was very simple. He would start outside of the grid and check back to me while looking for an open passing lane between the cones.

I would play a ball in to him which he had to receive off the spot and escape on the dribble outside of the cone minefield. Then I would check to him, receive the ball and do the same.

We would naturally reposition ourselves on each repetition so we would have to look for new passing lanes to receive the ball. We kept entering and escaping from different areas of the grid.

After a few minutes of this, we added another element. Once we received the ball off the spot (this is critical for midfielders), we had to execute a skill move and “beat” one of the cones before exiting the grid.

Deven loved this activity! I encouraged him to receive with all different surfaces (inside of the foot, outside of the foot, sole of the foot) and utilize different skills moves (step overs, scissors, Cruyff turns, Maradona 360 spins, etc.). We had a great session and were totally soaked with sweat afterward. It’s 80 degrees here in Florida at 9am in the morning right now, not exactly winter weather.

I love working with my kids each week. Like many coaches, I first started coaching because my own kids play (I’m still a competitive player myself). I’m positive that a great number of our subscribers fall into this same category. Most have improved greatly at running team sessions, but still fall short when it comes to developing skills in their players/own kids.

My good friend Matt Smith (a former high school All-American, college and semi-professional player) has put together a program to help individual players rapidly improve their skills on their own. Team sessions are important, but players who are willing to work in their own really see the biggest jumps in their development.

Matt made huge strides in his game by working out on his own or with just a couple of buddies. Now he’s sharing his secrets with the masses.

To find out more about Matt’s Epic Soccer Training click here.

Even players as young as U9 can begin to learn the importance of transition. For kids this age, simple instructions like “try to win the ball back right away when you lose it” begin to get the idea in their heads.

As the players progress in age and skill, you can implement more complex transition activities to continue developing this skill. Today I’m going to share with you one of the transition activities that we have had good success with at our club.

Begin by setting up three 40×20 grids on top of each other. The total playing area will be 40×60.

The two outside grids have 4 players in them. The middle grid has 4 as well.

The players on the outside grids are keeping possession between them (8 players).

The four in the middle grid are trying to win the ball. They send 2 players into the grid where the ball is being played. The other two stay in the middle grid to pick off passes.

If a pass is picked off, the defending team in the middle is now playing 4v4 in two of the three grids. Their objective is the cross the line of the team on the outside grid. They defending team in transition can only attack the line of the team that gave the ball away.

For example, if blue gives the ball away, the red team plays 4v4 in the middle grid and the blue team’s grid. Red is trying to dribble across the blue team’s back line to score.

Switch the players in the middle grid every 5 minutes.

You want to encourage the possession team to win the ball back as soon as they lose it. You also want to encourage the defending group to capitalize on the mistakes of the possessing team as quickly as possible. The speed of play must be very fast. You can experiment with limiting the outside grid players to two touches if your team’s skill level permits.

You can move from this game into the same game with full-size goals and keepers on each end.  You can also transition to multiple small goals if keepers are not available.

I have two defending forwards (blue) that apply pressure to create a realistic environment. Their starting position is at the top of the grid as well. If they win the ball, they are trying to score.

The game starts with service from beyond the top of the grid. The center backs have to decide if they have time to settle and play, knock it down to the full backs, find the midfielders, use the keeper or clear.

Clearing is the last resort for me. The objective is to play until the midfielders have received the ball and found the servers feet. The server also functions as a target forward.

You can progress to a more realistic playing area, with more defending attackers in the form of midfielders. You can also have the target marked by a player. (Use another server at this point in the form of a second keeper.)

If you have the players available, you should be using two keepers. The center backs now go from dealing with pressure to a build up that leads to a scoring opportunity.

You can progress from this soccer drills to an 8v8 game to see if there is any transference from the initial activities.

Here are our thoughts on specialization:

I can only speak for soccer, since this is my area of expertise. At 13 a player must decide on  soccer if they wish to have a chance at the next level. I am not talking so much about college, because there is a college to fit every player’s ability. There are D1, D2, D3 and NAIA colleges and universities all across the country. I am talking about the players who wish to play for their state at the Olympic Development Program level, play at the Regional level, play at a bigger D1 program, play at the semi-professional or professional level,  play at the National Team level.

The age of thirteen in soccer is referred to as the dawn of tactical awareness. It is a very important time in the development of players from this age onwards, so if not fully engaged at this point they will be at a disadvantage. Soccer also requires foot and eye coordination, which is significantly different from hand and eye coordination. The body movements are very different and the level of mobility, flexibility and agility required is very high. The sport also requires a very high level of fitness. Soccer specific fitness.

There is also an international rule that has changed that put our college bound players at a disadvantage. In other countries the best players play for amateur academy teams, that feed into the professional academy teams. These players are groomed until 18 and are signed to a full professional contract if they have developed to the standards required to play at that level. Those that do not make it are released. Some are released earlier. These players were previously not eligible to play collegiate soccer in the United States, but this has changed, so the bigger schools are grabbing them. They are also looking for players , who have represented their countries at the youth level (U16 and up).

Domestically, coaches of the more competitive schools look for players who have played for the USA first. When that resource is exhausted, they look for players from the National Team pools, then the Regional Teams, Region Team pools, United States Soccer Federation Academy Teams, and Olympic Development Program teams. To play at any of these levels requires an extremely high level of commitment.

I have a very good working relationship with many college coaches. They all want the best players. Those with the larger budgets look outside the USA first for their key players. It has nothing to do with talent. It has to do with the level of intelligence and experience they bring to the sport because they have invested significantly more time to the game.

Developing game intelligence in our players is critical if we are to give them a shot at competing at the next level. Simply running them through drill after drill is not going to do the job. We must put them in environments where they can learn the game. Coaches can’t simply make all of the decisions for them. The players must learn to think.

We created our Ciplified Soccer 2.0 coaching guide with this concept at the forefront of our mind. Putting this program into practice will help players learn to make quality decisions as well as rapidly improve their skills. For more about Ciplified Soccer 2.0, click here.

I have players leaving practice early for tennis, not showing up because of softball or volleyball, not attending because of track, cross country, tennis, piano lessons, chess lessons ( yes..chess). The list goes on and on.

The parents want well rounded children with an appreciation for the different arts and sports. I get that, but what I do not understand is why parents are upset when our teams are slaughtered.

Of course, in their mind the coach must be doing something wrong. I explain to parents that when so many miss for so many reasons, it is very difficult to plan a session that addresses any team issues. How can you work on building from the back when the centerbacks are missing? How can you work on finishing when the strikers are not there or the goalkeeper has to leave early?

You get my point. Many of my coaches have to alter their plans based on who is there that day.This makes it very difficult to progress as a team, because some players never miss. They get better faster and now we have a disparity in ability and understanding.

The weekend finds a team together for the first time. They are not on the same page, we have no chemistry and some players are very unfit.

If soccer is recreational and you are not interested in pursuing this at any level, then this is fine..well it is not, but I can understand. The sad thing is that these players all say that they want to play at the next level. They have no idea what it takes to play there.

My point is that some of our players do not invest nearly the amount of time needed to be adequate, so forget about being exceptional.

The Dutch U17 National Team coach put it very simply at the A license audit I attended in January this year.

He said “How can you expect to be good at anything if you are doing everything.” There is a principle in soccer called SAID. It means Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands.

Our players impose so many demands through multiple sport participation, that they never adapt to any of them. In other words they never master any discipline.

While there isn’t anything we can do about parents putting their children in so many activities, we can at least make it clear that this will hinder their child’s development and future in soccer.

I just got back from Vero Beach Florida, where the first round of the U11 Girls Region Cup was hosted this weekend.  I had the pleasure of listening to screaming parents and coaches both days. My girls had a rough start to the weekend, losing 5-0 to a team vastly superior to us physically. The girls seemed timid and never played with any real belief. No problem though, because these girls are 10 years old. I do not think the coach behind me, playing simultaneously, would agree with me.

Even when losing, I tried to stress the importance of playing soccer. We actually created numerous scoring chances, but could not buy a goal that morning. The biggest problem, apart from the size, strength and speed of the opponents, was our collective defending.  Not going into detail with this, but I explained to the girls that a united front was more difficult to break down. I also stressed that it was not the most important thing to win tackles, but the effort should be expended trying to get behind the ball.

The coach behind me was sharing some very good information as well (not really). I have no idea what the score was in his game, but he made one thing very clear. “Kick it all the way up, so she could run and catch it”…sounds a little like a special team play in football. Then came the statement of the century…”That’s a coach-coach-pull-and-shoot”. You did not read that wrong. I promise.

I know you are very confused and so was I. I had to find out what it was that I was missing from my coaching arsenal, so I observed his warm up in the afternoon game. The whole team was in a line (imagine that) and the players would dribble at the coach..run around him…dribble at a second coach…do the same thing….make a move and shoot to goal. I put two and two together. Two coaches, one move, and shoot. Did you make the connection?

I know you are probably asking what is the point in me sharing this? Well, just when I think I have heard it all…

The real point I am trying to make, is that there were some talented little girls on that team.  The National Team coaches complain that we are not doing a good enough job developing players and, as a result, the rest of the world is catching up to our women.  I wish coaches, like the one I listened to this weekend,  would think about the big picture and stop injecting venom into our players in the form of bad information.

I wrote an article a while ago about the reasons my club players like High School soccer. I had the chance to see them play a few times this season and had a conversation with some of my players. They were counting the days down until they could return to club practice. The players are a year older now (and more mature) and I think they realize that they gain significantly more from a legitimate training environment. They view the game differently and embrace the challenge of becoming better every day.

The boys said that they like playing high school, but they do not feel as though they are making progress. The practices lack detail and realism, so very little learning takes place. This was a pleasant surprise, as it came from them without prompting. I do not believe in making my players feel like they have to choose between club and high school. I support that they want to play for their school. It makes me happy that they can now see a difference. Most of these players are sophomores. A year ago high school was the best thing for them in their opinion.

I hope now they put more effort into improvement when we resume training in a week. The last of my players lost their postseason games tonight, so I have them back. Now it is time to assess the damage and move on. My main concern is that they are tired physically and mentally. We have to participate in a state sanctioned tournament in a few weeks, so I have to be careful not to do too much. Many of the players are already on the decline, so I have my work cut out for me. The good news is that I have players returning to me with a different perspective.

I looked at a Regional Quarter Final game tonight. I was shocked at the quality of soccer on display. People wonder why I am not a fan of high school soccer…at least in my region. This game demonstrated why!

The ball spent most of the time in the air. Neither team connected more than 3 passes. Most second touches were tackles, because the quality of the first touch was poor. There was no combination play in the middle or final third. Chances came from mistakes. Outside backs were never used to facilitate building from the back. Central midfielders were involved by accident in transition. There were no first time passes and the ball was never played back.

Both teams had a single player that stood out. One was a Goalkeeper (GK) and the other was an attacking midfielder. The  GK was very good coming off his line , but in retrospect the opposition played it too heavily over the top. He did solve some problems based on his reading of the game. He also had some game saving saves late in regulation time. He was a commanding presence and handled crosses well. The midfielder was the only player on the pitch that could receive the ball in traffic. Very good ideas with passing. Good passing range as well.

There were also players that showed some individual competence, but had no idea how to play for the team. They were energetic in possession, as they tried to do it all themselves when the ball found their feet. There was no forethought, so no rhythm was ever established.

The game was played with spirit and passion, so it was end to end the entire night.  It resembled a tennis match. The centerbacks for both teams saw the most action. The game went into overtime and many chances presented themselves, as both teams threw numbers forward. The chances were not created though. They came from missed clearances due to fatigue and low percentage balls being launched into the opposition’s defensive third.

It went to penalties and the better team lost. I guess I should say that the team presented with the better goal scoring opportunities lost the game.

If you are not familiar with the intricate details of the game that makes soccer so beautiful, you would have enjoyed this contest. The  players competed, but never got the chance to play.  For a coach, it was the longest 100 minutes of soccer I have witnessed.

These coaches love drills, because they believe that technique is best taught through repetition. This is true to some extent, but technique performed without the pressure of the demands of the game is futile. The problem with drills is that there is an absence of thinking. Maybe some coaches prefer this, but players need to solve problems on their own, so the environment has to encourage this as often as possible.

Even when working on skill/technique, there should be competition, movement and intensity. The pressure does not have to come from a defender in the beginning stages of training, but there should be pressure of time, space and the accomplishment of objectives. Some coaches forget that the game is for the players and they learn most from this, because it it relevant and realistic.

Players  want to play soccer at practice. The game is indeed the best teacher, so most of their time should be spent participating in activities that look like soccer. The Dutch believe that 75% of practice should be dedicated to this. We all know players love this, so why is it so hard  for some coaches to implement in training?

Soccer coaches seem to stay away from games until the last 20 minutes of practice, because they fear loss of control. You cannot control what happens in soccer as a coach, but you can influence what happens. Educated coaches know that they can coach within the game, by guiding players through difficulties without stopping the entire group. They know that mistakes are a  part of soccer and that there are many variables. They coach at natural stoppages, so that the rhythm of the game is not broken. They impart knowledge through guided discovery. This is what players need to become game intelligent problem solvers.

What the coaches noticed about him was the consistency of his performance and effort regardless of playing environment. Messi played with the same level of enthusiasm with the third team as he did with the first team. It made no difference to him. He gave his all 100% of the time.

How many players today moan and gripe about not making a first team? They do not give the same level of effort. Forget about the players, the parents will not stand for it. They prefer to shop around until their son/daughter make a first team somewhere. Usually at the expense of the player’s development. This is a massive mistake, as all the life lessons to be gained from facing some adversity is lost.

I think this is the one thing young players should know about Messi…He was not always selected for a first team. He did not leave for greener pastures. He did what all great players do. He took responsibility and got better.

I notice that so many of my club players lack this necessary ingredient to be a top player. Regardless of the environment created at practice, some players shy away from confrontation. The have no desire to fight for what they want and they take the easy way out. If you look at the way these kids live, it is easy to understand why they behave the way they do. When they wake up in the morning, there are choices regarding what to eat for breakfast, what clothes to wear, what shoes to wear, whether to shower or take a bath. There is a bus that picks them up and drops them off. Some ride with their parents. They have everything they need or want available to them.

Do not take this the wrong way. There is nothing wrong with parents working hard to provide for their kids. Some parents do  a great job with their children when it comes to balancing needs and wants, manners, accountability and work ethic. The problem is that most of these kids never have to deal with adversity. They are sheltered from life’s problems, as mom and dad intervene at the sight of any perceived obstacle. This makes it very difficult for a coach, because these players do not do well with criticism from the authority figure (the soccer coach) or their peers. These players do not deal well with pressure situations and find excuses instead of solutions. Some of my most talented players are afraid to play when the going gets tough. They fabricate an injury or asked to be substituted. I am amazed that these same players have no problems when we play against weaker teams.

I do have players that are tough and as time goes by and I get to know the parent/parents, I gain an appreciation for the life  they live and how it affects their performance on the field. These players sometimes come from single parent homes, they help take care of a younger sibling, they help with the household chores, and some even work part-time to help with expenses.  These kids bring a different level of maturity and problem solving ability.

I know a player, who lives on a farm. She has to milk cows at 5 am and at 5pm every day. She also has younger siblings that she helps. She is one of the toughest, most talented players I have seen in years. She happens to play for the United States U17 team and has a full scholarship to attend a top 10 NCAA  team. I also know four other players, who played one semester in college and quit because they were not tough enough to deal with having to be at their best  everyday without breaks.  No easy games or practices.

Carlos Tevez, who plays for Argentina and Manchester City, was asked in an interview when he played for Manchester United if he felt pressure playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world. His answer was astonishing. He said that he only remembered feeling pressure when he played with men as a 13 year old boy. He had to win, so that he could help feed his family. Diego Maradona lived in a two bedroom home with 8 siblings, Lionel Messi had to overcome a growth abnormality to be able to play and at 5’4 is the best player in the world. I can go on and on, but I think I have made my point.

Toughness has to come from within. Something has to drive you past all obstacles.  Your passion and will has to see your through the toughest moments. Many players have the talent, but only a few have the ability to use it when it really counts.

When defending free kicks, the Goalkeeper (GK) has to consider the following…does he need a wall? And if so, how many players? Some GKs think that if the wall is not lined up in the 18 yard box, then there is no need for one. The GK also has to decide where he wants the line held, so that he/she has working space available to him/her. Since the tendency of the line is to back up, he/she may have the players start a little higher.

There are also some questions the GK has to take into consideration. They are as follows:

• Who sets the wall?
• How many in the wall?
• Jumping wall or standing?
• What differences in set up with direct and indirect free kicks?
• Where is the bullet man positioned and what is his role?
• Man marking or zonal marking?

When defending corners, there are different considerations:

• What adjustments to make if the corner is an in-swinger or out-swinger?
• Is there a need for players on both posts?
• Which player goes where and why?

Even when the keeper’s team is taking a corner, he/she must still organize to protect against a counter attack.

The goalie also has to organize the group when defending the long throw-in. Some prefer that the front post attacker is fronted, so that they have a better option for mobility as there is less traffic.

I know I have a much better appreciation for the Goalkeeper. It truly is a specialized position. No great team is complete without one.

Many critics say that we lack creativity in the final third as a national team. Well…where does that stem from? What type of coach introduced these players to the game? The development of creative, clever, and intuitive players is heavily reliant on the coaching style and demands.

The trend today is game centered training, because it facilitates transference from practice to matches. The game presents realistic problems, so the players are forced to make relevant decisions. They are allowed to interpret game situations by themselves. There certainly is not an absence of instruction, but a guided discovery approach needs to be utilized. Too many coaches still use soccer drills that lack realism, so the players struggle to transfer what was done into a game setting

Too many coaches still give instructions instead of asking questions. The result is a player who is coach dependent instead of self sufficient. The focus is the coach. He creates the exercise and directs the practice in all phases. He provides solutions, tells players what to think, and creates clones.

What we need today are coaches who are cognizant of the fact that the game is player-centric. This means that the focus of his/her practice is on the player. The environment he/she creates challenges the player in all four components of the game, he/she provides options and asks the players questions to promote independent thinking. This produces quality soccer players.

There is, however, a curriculum they follow by age group.

• At U6 the objective is simple. The players should be learning to control the ball.
• U7 through U9. Goal oriented actions with the ball. (Beating an opponent to score)
• U10 through U11. Learning to play goal oriented together. The players must be introduced at this age to the concept of needing each other to be successful.
• U12 through U13. Learning to play from a basic task. This entails build up and scoring when in possession and disturbing a build up and preventing scoring when defending. This is accomplished by functional positional training that begins with simplified versions of the game tasks, then moves to 11v11 by the end of practice to see if there is transference.
• U14 through U15. Fine tuning the basic tasks as a team.
• U16 through U17. Playing as a team. The emphasis is learning to be a team player by understanding how the individual ability benefits the team.
• U18 through U19. Learning how to be competitive.

This is a very condensed version of the Dutch vision, but it is a very interesting methodology.

Let us look at the USA.

• U6 through U8. Ball control and creativity.
• U10 through U14. Ball skill, Creativity and Insight.
• U14 through U16. How to function as a group.
• U17 and Older. Competition and Outcome (Results)

I think the comparison speaks for itself. You draw your own conclusions.

The Dutch believe that every session should be functional in nature. This means that it should include attacking, defending and transition. These components are all present regardless of the theme. We did a session on building the ball out of the back. We were training the centerbacks, so they were the primary focus.

From the the beginning of the activity, however, there were midfielders, strikers and goalkeepers involved. The picture painted by the coach was as realistic as possible, from as early as possible. Everything was present in the activity. Every aspect of functionality was utilized.

He then progressed by adding numbers, so that the game presented different situations to be solved by the players. The situations were relevant because they were playing the real game. The game was the teacher. The players were guided through problems, but they had to come up with their own solutions. This was accomplished through questioning by the coach.

The session ended with an 11v11 game. By this time, the centerbacks had improved significantly in every aspect of their functionality. The coach then spoke to us about what was done and why. In a nutshell, he said that what we do in practice must transfer to the real game. This was accomplished by playing the game in practice.

Sounds too simple to be true…..try it. You do not need a thousand cones to have a meaningful practice.

The first was the unconscious incompetent, which is the worst of them all. This indicates that the player has no idea that they do not know, or that they are doing something wrong in training and games.  This can also describe a coach who has no idea that his methodology and philosophy do not work for his team.

The second level was the conscious incompetent. This means that the individual is aware of his faults/weakness. This enables him/her to willingly take steps to correct his behavior. It also means that a coach knows that changes need to be made, as he/she is aware that his/her methods are not yielding the desired results.

The third level was the unconscious competent. This player is unable to identify what they did to yield the desirable outcome, so they are incapable of repeating it. The same applies to a coach in this phase. He/she is unaware of what they did in preparation, so it cannot be replicated.

The fourth level is where we all want to work from. You probably have figured out by now, that it is the conscious competent level.

The player/coach knows exactly what behavior predicated the desired result, so they are able to replicate it on a consistent basis. This, according to the lecturer, was the only acceptable place to coach from. Food for thought.

Yesterday morning I spent a couple hours with Coach Cip talking about his recent trip to the IMG soccer academy in Bradenton, Florida for his A license audit. Every four years USSF A license coaches are required to attend continuing education to keep their licenses current.

Coach Cip had a great time, and especially enjoyed the sessions presented by the Dutch U-17 National Team coach. He had some very eye opening comments to make as well.

Cip shared one of the finishing drills demoed during one of the sessions, and I wanted to pass it along to you as well. This activity is very representative of the type of multi-faceted drills and sessions included in our Ciplfied Soccer 2.0 coaching guide:

http://www.ultimatesoccercoaching.com/soccercoaching.html

The set up is very simple. Set up two lines 30-40 yards from goal. One line will be attackers, the other made up of defending players. The coach will stand behind them with all of the balls at his feet. Have a keeper in a full size goal. Also, set up two small-sided “counter” goals on either side of the starting point.

” It separates you as an athlete when you become self-aware. I think I was real fortunate to become that way early. We had a great talent who was coming up with me . At 17-18 we felt like we were on the fast track, but we had no control for the girls…none. Ian Wright used to always say that most up and coming stars won’t make it because of this (even many veterans). You hear it, but my boy did not listen and at 23 he was done with the sport and now he is a cautionary tale. Out of money and out of time.”

“As an athlete it’s less about words and more about results. What you do is everything. That’s a fact. The gaffer pulls the strings to some degree, but if you get results, then it is hard to keep you off the pitch. My self-awareness came in my preparation. If we trained at 10 am, then I needed to be up by 8:30 am. I would stretch for a while, watch the television, take a shower, get  a snack then go see the trainer to get stretched more thoroughly. What I knew was that if I got up at 9:45am and tried to show up at practice, then I would be sluggish. When sluggish physically-I was not sharp mentally, and if you want to score goals that is not an effective combination. Nobody who is good at anything gets away with shortcuts for long. It is hard to imagine anyone who has had lasting success, who takes shortcuts.”

“If you don’t figure out the best way to be prepared for training, scrimmages and games …as obvious as that sounds- you will not last. I always brought my game face to training. I have had more success because I take responsibility for my life. My family did not have it easy. They had to work. I find it ridiculous if I can’t take the three hours I need to be sharp… serious enough to be ready for it. What if a Doctor only got ready for the big days?   It’s simple physics, man, if I am out wasting my energy or fluids at night and the defender matched up with me has been sleeping, is rested, hydrated and has a plan that next morning…more times than not I will lose. You get success through success and you have success through preparation.”

It was amazing to hear that what the coach cited was exactly what many current club coaches complain about.The first thing he said was that the players were spoiled. Some come from very privileged homes, so they struggle with the diet, training regime and the mental toughness required to succeed at the next level.

Players complained about having to eat fish and vegetables. Some complained about not being able to drink soda and not being able to eat what they did at home. It was explained to the players that regeneration is of the utmost importance and their bodies needed the proper nutrients for this to be accomplished.

He also cited that the players were physically gifted, but very unfit. They all came from clubs where training 2 to 3 times a week was the norm, so the coaching staff has devised a program to get them fit.

The head coach has also created an environment to toughen the kids. He explained that the boys lacked gamesmanship. Too willing to give the back to opponents when the ball went out of bounds. Not knowing how to use their bodies to their advantage when in possession and when defending in 1v1 situations.

The coach also mentioned that kids in other countries at this age face tremendous hardship already in their life, so they are so much tougher. He wanted the US players to match this if they wanted to have a chance to compete outside of the country.

The next area of concern was the technical and tactical weakness of the players. The players are simply not good enough in these areas. Coming from the club environment, where winning takes precedence over development, it is no surprise that the players are lacking in these areas.

The bright spot was that the players are eager to learn. This is conjunction with their superior physical attributes makes them very strong contenders. The coaches in attendance were asked to do a better job developing younger players, so that future teams come in with the necessary prerequisites already in place.

I recently came across a great web resource that provides a deep trick listing as well as video links for each trick.

http://ballskills.wikispaces.com – Ball Skills Wiki

In addition to the ball skills listing, you will also see links for various traps, shots and juggling tricks.

Enjoy!

Younger players want to please the coach, so they will try to get the ball to you at all times, even when this is not the best decision.

You don’t want to be involved in this way. There are some advantages however, to having coaches who have played at a high level be involved in a session.

Players learn best by imitation so if you are able to model good technique it can be beneficial to your players.

A coach with Guardiola's playing credentials should not have a problem jumping into a session himself...even with a team like Barcelona!

However, you don’t want to be the one dictating play; you should be serving a more subservient role. It is important for the kids to be able to see what a good soccer player does on the pitch. Set a good example.

Having a coach as a facilitator can help younger players experience possession and rhythm. You know if you are doing a proper job if the collective quality of play improves when you are a part of the session.

More importantly, is the quality of play sustained when you are no longer involved?

Having a coach as a neutral player helps accomplish this.

If you do step in, you have to be honest with yourself as to whether you are good enough and fit enough to play with the kids that you are coaching.

You don’t want to be the cause of the breakdown. If your playing adds to the intensity and quality of the game, then the kids can learn a lot from observation. Older boys especially like to see that you can practice what you preach.

You certainly don’t want to play in every session, but jumping in from time to time can be valuable. Most of your time should be spent coaching.

Hopefully the kids will respect your knowledge of the game even if physically you can’t do it any more. But you never want to put yourself in a position where the kids lose respect.

“When you coach boys, you manage egos. When you coach girls, you manage emotions.”

• Girls tend to be more analytical than boys. This means girls will not take generalities at face value. They will want to know why they should do something a particular way more than boys will.
• Team unity is more important to girls than boys.
• Girls may place more emphasis on ‘fair play’ than boys who are more likely to bend the rules.
• Boys are more likely than girls to blame other people (the referee, the weather, the coach) if they lose. Girls have a tendency to blame themselves for a poor performance.
• For girls, winning is not as important as making sure every player gets an equal amount of playing time.
• Males appear to be more ‘self’ or ‘ego’ oriented and tend to be more ‘win at any cost’ in their approach to sport.

Boys need to be motivated more often than girls. Boys need to have ultimatums put in place that give them the motivation to excel at a higher level. In contrast, girls need to feel that you trust them, and will give them the opportunity to have input into the situation. To state it as simply as possible, boys need to respect you and fear you as a coach, while girls need to respect you and buy into your philosophy.

With older boys it is possible to “call out” a specific player in front of the group. The other boys will be motivated to not be called out themselves.

With girls this will often turn the team against you. It is much better to address them as a group, and them privately deal with individual players.

Like I said, these are not hard and fast rules, but have been generally true in my experience.

I have worn more cleats than I can remember over my playing career and I am yet to find a pair of synthetic boots that mirrors the properties of leather.  The R9 Nike Mercurial was the closest and more recently the CTR 360. These two were very comfortable, but I am a player who relies very heavily on touch and technique because of my build. I was not 100% comfortable on the ball. The intricate dexterity was missing.

There was also a huge problem in wet weather with the synthetic, as the ball seemed to slide off the boot in situations where you had to stretch and could not get a full surface to the ball to soften the bounce or change the direction of the ball. Then we had the problem with break in. It took much longer than leather boots and I had to suffer through blisters. Always on my heel for some reason (I think I wear my cleats too small to be honest).  I do not blister in leather though.

I have worn many major brands on the market over my 30 years of playing. They include Adidas, Nike, Puma, Diadora, Lotto,  Pirma, Concord, Umbro and Mizuno. I now only wear Nike and Adidas. The Adipure IIs were fantastic if you like blades on the sole. I did not like the first version or the third. The new Adipure IV is available in mid January, so I will try a pair of these. The  Nike Tiempos  are also great cleats. A little heavier, but they have great touch.

Adidas Adipure IV

I have gone through many phases as a player, as far as choice of footwear goes. I have come to the conclusion that there is beauty in simplicity. This is how I now choose my footwear.

Forwards not being lazy and squeezing the outside backs/ disrupting the center backs, outside midfielders tracking back and tucking inside, Goalkeeper staying connected.

It is important to recognize the importance of the goalkeeper on both sides of the ball. When in possession, teams like Barcelona push their fullbacks high. The centerbacks open up and the holding midfield drops deep as an outlet. The goalkeeper is used to swing the ball if the holding mid is covered.

Centerbacks must have complete trust in each other

The team must trust his ability on the ball and his ability to distribute efficiently. When not in possession, Barcelona tries to win the ball back very high up the pitch. The Goalkeeper has to stay connected to the team, so that compactness is maintained. Anything over the top must be met by a goalkeeper with an excellent starting position.

The trust factor also comes from a coach, who gives his players the freedom to play with imagination within the team structure. This is the ultimate compliment to a player, but it comes with a very high level of responsibility. Barcelona leaves three sometimes behind the ball when attacking.

Some think this is very risky, as they are vulnerable to counter-attacks. The coach and the players trust each other.  The coach trusts the 1v1 defending ability of his players. His players trust in the effectiveness of the system and they put 100% into it.

All the great teams share these elements of trust.  It is what separates  the good teams from the great teams.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUAPIHdI-FU

Please  comment below to let us know what questions we can answer for you. Show us you are alive!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZJirRt4zrU

Please  comment below to let us know what questions we can answer for you. Show us you are alive!

The superficial interpretation of this is that they are technically good, tactically sound players. This is certainly true, but the major contributor to the collective success, is that the players trust each others ability and decision making capabilities under pressure. These players appreciate the value of allowing another player to be their eyes. They also recognize when they are the play maker and when they are the facilitator. This lends to a rhythm of play that is very difficult to break, because the players know when to be simple, when to play where they are facing and when to be creative. Everyone is on the same sheet of music.

This trust comes from years of playing together in a system where every role is clearly defined, but the players also understand each others roles. The natural rotation of players, therefore, does not put anyone in an unfamiliar situation. This allows for multiple attacking options, which makes the team much more unpredictable.

As a former player, I can certainly appreciate the value of trusting my team mates. There is, however, nothing more gratifying than knowing that your team trusts you.

Eight consecutive passes affords the team a point. The team with more points wins at the end of the three minutes.  If nobody accumulates eight passes, then the team in possession at the end of three minutes is the winner. You can vary the activity to award points for wall passes, overlaps and third man runs.

Keep the numbers 2v2 plus one. This forces players to work off the ball. Too many players in this game allows for breaks and lack of involvement. You are trying to teach accountability, so the players must appreciate that if they do not move then their team suffers.

You can move to teams of 5 in a directional game. Same size grid, but now you play 3v3 with a target on each end line for both teams. When the ball finds the target, he/she joins the game. The person playing to the target on the outside, now becomes the target.

Award points for wall passes, overlaps, and third man runs. Play for 5 minutes. The team with the most points wins. Based on numbers, you can have multiple fields with championship field. You can also play “winners stay”.

I have found this to work wonders for my team’s movement and purposeful possession. Try it !

Some teams press high forcing the opponents to play longer passes or try to play through pressure. The forwards are extremely important as they must disrupt the flow of the game by making life difficult for the defenders to build the ball from the back. Particularly when the full back are in possession. The defending team will send 3 to 5 players so that the attacking team is unable to serve the ball due to immediate pressure, and unable to switch the point of attack due to the presence of a defending attacker with the centerback.

The alternative is to play through midfield, so this makes it easier to read passing lanes. The defending midfielders must stay connected, so that there are no gaps and so that they can deny the opposing midfielders time and space to play. The backs must also follow suit, so that they condense the playing area for the attacking team. The objective is to win the ball back as close to the opponent’s  goal as possible. This allows for fewer passes being made before creating a goal scoring opportunity.

The other style of defending occurs when teams sit back and do not start to high pressure, until their opponents get to midfield. A shell of 9 or 10 players sit behind the ball denying the attacking team any space in between or behind the bands or zones. The premise is to frustrate the attacking team into committing numbers forward in vain, so that a loss of possession results in an opportunity to counter attack.  This style of defending requires patience and organization, because if one player loses discipline then the entire group is compromised.  This style of defending encourages the attacking team to force passes forward, because they a allowed only to make square and negative passes with relative ease.

Regardless of the style, communication, discipline, organization and work ethic are vital for group defending to work. Working smart gets much more accomplished than working hard alone. The way a team decides to defend depends on the players they have at their disposal as well as the abilities of the opposition. When done well, there is rarely a need to tackle an opponent, because in today’s game the best time to win the ball is when it is in motion. With the individual ability of players now, trying to win the ball back when it is at their feet will often be futile.

I looked at a game last night in Orlando. The US U17 B team played a club team from Orlando and lost. The A team was in Phoenix and they tied Brazil 0-0 on Friday. Brazil finished the game with 9 players.  My question is should a National team lose to a club team from a single city in a single state? It should not matter whether the team is A or B. You would think if a coaching staff has the best players in the country at their disposal, then they should be able to beat any club team in the country. Well, there were some alarming differences between the two teams I saw last night.

The Nike Rush team were much better physically. They were faster to the loose balls, tougher in the tackles, and seemed more motivated to play. The US team struggled to establish a rhythm, they seemed intimidated by the physicality of the club players, they could not string passes together, there was very little communication between them, they attacked with very few numbers and there was no visible leader on the pitch.

Having said that, neither team kept the ball very long. They both tried to get forward as quickly as possible to no avail, as players in advanced areas lacked support and were not good enough to deal with a numerical disadvantage.  The bright spots in the game came from players in wide areas with the ability to get to the end line and provide service, but even then the services lacked the finishing touch it deserved. This was the theme of the first half.

The second half saw the game open up a little. The pace slowed and the players were afforded a little more room to play. The US boys created some more opportunities, but lacked conviction and confidence in front of goal. The substitutions favored the US as they were the deeper team. The quality of soccer did not change much though, even though the US had the better players collectively on the field  for the last 15 minutes of the game.

It is only fair to mention that some of  the US team members seemed  at least two years younger than their opponents, so their was an obvious difference in physical maturity. The field was also much smaller and the grass was thicker, so the pitch was slow. This helped the club team close the US boys faster.  I think a bigger pitch would have made a difference, but I am not sure who it would have benefited.

The US players were very good on the ball individually, but seemed to lack chemistry and creativity in the final third. They did manage a few looks at goal that required some very good goalkeeping, but you would expect that a National team would create chances. Based on the balance of play, the club team deserved to win.

I am sure it was a great experience for the players from Orlando, but I was hoping they would leave the field with the realization that there was difference between a national team and club team.  Not the result, but the game intelligence, passing sequences, movement, creativity and cohesion.

At the next level, match-ups are crucial. Not only player for player, but within the zones or bands as they are called in modern soccer. The most important being in midfield.  Khedira, Alonso, and Ozil were no match for Xavi, Busquetes and Iniesta. Their cohesion, movement  and  passing sequences were impossible to deal with. Abidal was used to neutralize  Ronaldo, so he sat a little deeper. Alves pushed high as usual , so this forced Di Maria to sit back to protect his outside back. Puyol gave cover to Abidal,as he is better suited to dealing with Ronaldo’s trickery. Puyol, at times, switched positions with Pique when Ronaldo switched flanks with Di Maria.

In addition, Barcelona pressed high up the pitch. This made it very difficult for Real to establish a rhythm. They were stifled in midfield and had no time in possession. This frustrated Real Madrid. People do not realize how hard Barcelona works to win the ball back high. It is easy to miss, because they are the best club team in the world when it comes to keeping the ball and their attacking style of football is beautiful to look at. They are also extremely fit. Movement is constant and they have to ability to create a numerical advantage on both sides of the ball.

Barcelona also has an unusual advantage by having the luxury of fielding eight Spanish National Team players on the field at one time. The chemistry and understanding of each others roles and functions were way too much for Real Madrid. Barcelona also have a player called Messi. He is the best player on the planet right now. He has the ability to play deep and threaten with penetrative passes. He can start wide on the right and cut inside to great affect (Real did deal with this well). He is fantastic in 1v1 situations. He can score goals and create goals. He is a threat from set pieces and he makes team efficient decisions when in possession. He knows when to be a facilitator of the game and recognizes when he needs to dictate proceedings. His most important attribute is his willingness to work for the team.

Let us not forget that Barcelona also played at home. This was a huge boost to players , but  we must give credit to the team for a performance worthy of being used as an educational piece.

The game is now play in four bands instead of thirds. Two of these bands exist in midfield. The players in this area are either defensive or attacking. The box-to-box midfielder is now a rarity in the game today. The new box-to-box player is the fullback. He has to be extremely fit and efficient, as well as effective in attack and in defense. The difference between two good teams is sometimes decided by the effectiveness of the fullbacks when pushing forward. Not only because they provide a numerical advantage in attack and good service from the flanks, but more importantly, they force the opposing wide players deep into their own defensive third. This substantially reduces their involvement in attack.

The fullback today has to have excellent technical ability, pace and intelligence. Young players asked to play this position must understand that their function is of the utmost importance to the success of the team. It takes a special type of player to perform in this position. It will probably go a long way to explain to the parents that there is no such thing as being “stuck in the back.” Players all have roles and responsibilities, and if done well it contributes to goal scoring opportunities and goals. This is why soccer is a team sport and astute soccer minds appreciate team efforts, because they know how much has taken place on the training ground to produce the final product.

You have exhausted all of the activities you know and you still have 45 minutes left in your practice. The players do not listen, they are not receptive to instruction, some are crying, others are playing with butterflies, and there is at least one kid whose sugar consumption before practice has altered his behavior significantly. You are asking yourself what have I got myself into this season?

If you knew what the most important thing was at this age group, I am sure you would breathe a sigh of relief. It would also help you invest your time more economically when planning sessions. The most important function of the coach in this age group is keeping the game fun while developing body coordination and a sound technical foundation.

If the kids are having fun, then they are motivated to invest time in the sport. Improvement is inevitable. Improvement is accompanied by self esteem and the desire to be competitive. So basically, if the kids have fun doing the right things in practice, the rest takes care of itself. I am sure you would like to know what are the right things to do at practice.

Before you start thinking about a practice session, it is important that you understand the characteristics of the players you are working with. Cognitive ability and physical limitations are the two most important factors to consider when planning activities.

Tactics and fitness are non existent in this age group, so save yourself the frustration of trying to include this in your practice. The golden rules to follow are: no lines, no laps, and no lectures. If you adhere to this, your life will be much easier.

The players must engage in fun activities that help develop coordination, agility and speed of reaction. Some should be without a ball, but most must include the use of a ball. Training with balls of different sizes and textures, should be used in all body coordination activities.

This helps the players develop a refined feel for the ball. Participation by the parents is encouraged, especially those with playing experience. The kids love this. Technical development is continued through the use of fun educational games, as well as small sided games with small goals. No keepers please.

• They must have good leadership qualities.
• They must be very technically proficient. This means they must be able to perform in all types of pressure situations.
• They must also be very astute tactically. Decisions must benefit the team. (When to speed up the game, when to slow it down, when to switch, when to play the penetrative ball, and when to be safe)
• They must have at least adequate physical speed.
• They must fit the minimum requirements physically. The center midfield position does have some size, speed and fitness requirements based on function.
• They must have good passing range and accuracy.
• They must be able to shoot from distance.
• Excellent in maintaining possession.
• Good defensively. Must be excellent defensively if he/she is a defensive midfielder.
• Must contribute to goals/ goal scoring opportuities if he/she is an offensive center midfielder.
• Very high work rate.

We are now getting very close to our release date – it should fall somewhere between November 15thand November 18th, depending on a few last minute details.

But before I release this updated course, I have a few things I want to get off my chest. These are things that I have LONG suspected… but all those survey responses confirmed those sneaking suspicions.

You see, there are a lot of coaches out there that are really struggling to find success. No matter what they do, something always seems to not work out quite like they want it to.

I don’t want to say anything more about this right now… because I just finished a report on “Soccer Coaching Disasters” that you MUST read if you are to avoid the 9 recipes for disaster contained in it.

This is important stuff so I stayed up all night to get it ready for you. I’ve posted it up in two formats:

==> A video that you can watch
==> PDF that you can download, print out and read in your free time.

You can find this report at:

http://www.ultimatesoccercoaching.com/blog/soccer-coaching-disasters

Enjoy!

Coach Bert

What characteristics do you look for in a center back?

• You would prefer that he be a little taller and very good in the air.
• He should possess good physical speed.
• Very sound technically.
• Good passer of the ball. Good passing range.
• Two footed.
• Safe and responsible.
• Good reader of the game.
• Good 1v1 defender especially in the modern game, where most defensive lines are flat.
• Must be vocal and communicate the right instructions.
• Must be an organizer.
• Brave and confident.
• Calming presence when needed.

What characteristics do you look for in an outside back?

In today’s game the outside back’s function has changed. The better teams have their outside backs involved significantly more in the attack.

• High level of fitness, as he/she is expected to cover a significant amount of ground during the game.
• Very comfortable on the ball, especially in the attacking third.
• Must be willing to get forward.
• Good 1v1 defender as well as being efficient in 1v1 attacking situations.
• Good passer of the ball.
• Good crosser of the ball.
• Understands and adheres to his/her defensive responsibilities.
• Good reader of the game.
• Intelligent and tactically sound on both sides of the ball.

Let us examine youth soccer in the United States. You almost have to be in a certain income bracket to participate. Parents have to pay club dues, that can ascend into the thousands. They have to purchase at least two sets of uniforms, attend tournaments, pay for gas, hotels and meals for the family.  This is also true for players who wish to be identified at the state and regional levels. The United States is the only country in the world, where the better you are the more you have to pay to participate.This makes me ask the question” Are we seeing our best players, or are we seeing the best players who can afford to play.” I think it is the latter.

I have been a Director of Coaching and Player Development for almost ten years. I hold an A license, and I have played the game at every level. My life is now devoted to teaching players how to play, but there are some things that money cannot buy.

Week after week I look at talented players give up when faced with adversity. I see fear in the eyes of players when we play teams that speak another language, we shy away from 50/50 tackles. Why is this?

At my club, as well as many others, sponsorships are available to players who wish to participate, but are not financially able. The lives of these players are very different and so is there intrinsic desire to compete. There seems to be a feeling of entitlement that some of our more affluent players believe follows them on the pitch. This does not match up well with players who need soccer to better their lives.

The Bradleys are the exception, not the rule.

This is a very touchy subject, but it occurs at most YMCA or other recreational clubs. It is, in my opinion, a major contributor to the developmental stagnation of players. I am not trying to upset anyone. There are many people that give of their time to help foster a love for the beautiful game. Many parents step in because there is no other viable option and they want their kids to have a good time.

This is great when dealing with very young first time players. I mean 5, 6 and 7 year old kids. This is the time to engage in fun activities. Help kids discover their bodies and its capabilities. The most important thing now is creating a love for the game and interaction with parents certainly helps with this.

The problem arises when parent coaches, try to teach kids how to play like adults. Positions, tactics and fitness are non-existent in these early years, so trying to address it is counter productive. The players want to play and have fun, so if a coach is caught up in results and takes pride in going undefeated at U8, we have some serious problems.

There is also the issue of coaching education. If a parent wishes to coach young players, he/she must at least attend a youth module. It is important to understand the characteristics of these kids, how they learn, their capabilities and inabilities.

My biggest concern is when parent coaches do not know when to let go. There comes a time when the player’s needs have out grown the level of expertise the parent coach has to offer. If you are serious about your child’s development, then I suggest you have a professional coach (credentialed coach paid to teach the game) work with him/her.  Even if you have played at the professional level, or hold an advanced USSF license, you are still mom or dad at the end of the day.

You must concentrate on the aspects of soccer you do have control over. Technique will always be the priority with young players, so attribute time to this every practice. Tactics creep in as players mature(U12 and up.), so address principles of play. This entails attacking and defending.

I know that this is not making the parents feel any better if you are losing to teams that are physically imposing, but it is important that they understand that the developmental process takes 12 years. Explain to them that physicality is only one component of soccer. There are four components, only two of which you have control. The most important thing is that you teach them how to play. They will find a way to win if they are properly equipped.

When you do play against teams bigger, stronger and faster than you, try to come up with a game plan. You will have to be more patient and technical. Try to keep the ball for prolonged periods of time. Make them chase and tire. Advise your teams to avoid 1v1 match-ups. They should look for 2v1 situations as often as possible. When you are not in possession, ask all players to get behind the ball. Set your line of confrontation at midfield, so that there is no space in behind to be exploited with speed.

At the end of the day, there are no guarantees in soccer. There are so many variables that you do not have control of on game day, like weather, referees, mood of players, and quality of opponent. My advice to you would be to continue to teach your players how to play the game. As they improve, so will their confidence. As they become older, the physical side of the game evens out and the coach that spent time developing players can now enjoy the quality of soccer to worked so hard to create.

I will share a true story with you. My first youth team was a U13 Boys Classic team in North Carolina. We could never beat a cross town rival, because they were better athletically. When I took the team we had lost our previous spring encounter 4-0 or 5-0. It was our first game of the fall season and we played them at home. We lost 2-0.

To make a long story short, we played them at there place two years later and beat them 4-0. The same team with the same players. The U13 “stars” never learned how to play, so when their physical advantage was lost, they had nothing to fall back on during games. It took time and effort to teach my boys how to play, but it was worth it to see the look on the faces of the players. We never lost to that team again.

Play 3v3 plus 1 in the grid. This game can be played for 7 minutes and then the players switch roles.

The attacking team must shoot from outside the 18 yard box, or slip through balls into the box for their teammates to run on and finish. Goals from distance (outside the box) are worth 2 points. Goals from inside the box are worth 1 point.

The defending team should have two small counter goals to attack if they win possession.

The balls start with the coach behind the counter goals.

You can vary the activity by adding numbers to both teams. You can also give the numerical advantage to the attacking team.

You want to pay attention to style. Does the team play longer passes, or do they build up? Does the team play through midfield? Are they aggressive? Is the team very technical? Do they utilize changes in tempo?

You want to observe their defensive organization. Do they employ loose marking vs tight marking? Look at their Zonal defense and division of work load. Do they run the offside trap, and where is their line of line of confrontation.

Observe the functions of their midfield players. Who are the playmakers?

Study their attacking play. Do they have good dribblers, finishers, movement off the ball, defensive involvement?

You must also pay attention to dead ball situations: free kicks, corners and throw-ins in particular.

Look at the physical capabilities of the players: fitness, speed, size and strength.

You must identify key players. The playmaker, target forward, wingers, defensive organizer/distributor.

These are some key factors to consider when making adjustments to your own team at the half, or anytime you see fit within the game.

Players must train in guards, so that they become accustomed to their weight and size. It is important that you buy the right size, so that you avoid excess bulk. This will compromise the quality of touch and force the player to make unnatural adjustments. Shin guards must be worn under the socks. This helps to keep them in place. Shin guard sleeves can also be used to secure the guards, if the socks do not fit properly.

Socks:

It is crucial that socks are the correct size. Socks that are too short will not cover the shin guards. If it is too large, it can accumulate in the boots. This makes it tighter and uncomfortable. It also hinders a player’s feel for the ball.

Cleats:

Cleats must also be the correct size. Some parents buy cleats big enough to justify the financial investment, but this is a huge mistake. Cleats that are too big significantly hinders technical development, as improper habits are formed to compensate for the extra room. It is also very difficult to manipulate the ball with the proper surfaces with cleats that a too big.

Compression Shorts:

When male players reach puberty, they must wear sport specific underwear. This provides the support needed in the groin and hip area. It also provides support to the hamstring and quad muscles, thus reducing the risk of injury. Especially in colder weather. I suggest compression shorts.

The player must remain calm and confident even if the goalkeeper is playing mind games. He may be positioned to one side of the goal. He may  try to delay the kick as long as possible by stalling. A player taking a kick must have a routine that has been rehearsed several times. They player must decide before placing the ball where he wishes to place the ball and which surface he is going to use.

Goalkeepers try to read body language, so the kicker must not be too predictable. He can use some disguise to fool the goalkeeper. The run up should be slightly angled and facilitate the ball being played to either side of the goalkeeper.

There are two distinct types of penalties: placement and power. When placing the ball, the kicker should aim for the inside of the post on either side. The inside of the foot should be used. Some form of run up will generate enough power to beat the goalkeeper.

The kicker should be aiming low or high. Anything in between is much easier for the goalkeeper to save. Players that prefer to use power expect that the keeper will not have time to react or adjust to the shot. The instep is the only surface that will generate significant enough power to beat the goalkeeper, without the element of accuracy.

There should be two established penalty takers on the team. It is very difficult to recreate  the psychological demands of taking a penalty in a game at soccer practice, so repetition is key.

The flat back four is a great way to reduce the playing area/space of the attacking team, as it makes the field shorter. The system does not make the field any narrower, so opponents that are very skillful and athletic on the flanks must be respected.  The reason being you are now playing without cover.

You must also have the right players. Your outside backs must be very good 1v1 defenders. They must also have very good recovery speed  to protect against early diagonal switches from the opponent.

Your central defenders also need pace and must be very good communicators and readers of the game. They must recognize when to step and when to drop off.

The midfield players must be very diligent defensively. They must close players down, deny time and space, and not allow opponents to play comfortably.

The goal keeper must be very good with his feet, as he/she must stay connected to the back four. He/she must be comfortable playing higher off the goal line in order to neutralize balls played over the top.

The biggest mistake novice coaches make is to teach this system without teaching the principles of defending first. They rely on the system to defend for them and the players remain naive technically and tactically. Some coaches are also blind to the prerequisites that make the system successful.

This leaves us with the big question. When do we teach it, if I have the players to play it? My advice would be, when the players have a thorough understanding of all defending principles. I think U14 is a good age to start.

For more information about the best ways to introduce the flat back four, check out this video.

The 20 x20 box contains 2 attackers and 3 defenders

The outside box has 4 attackers.

Think of this as a 6v3 possession game. The emphasis is for the 2 attackers in the 20×20 box to find the entry pass and  play to any of the other three players in the 25×25 grid. The 2 attackers may play a pass back to the player that made the entry pass, but a point is only awarded if the entry pass can find another player (preferably on the opposite side of the box.).

The 3 defenders are defending the entire 25×25 box, but their goal is to deny the entry pass.

The attacking  players on the  outside must move the ball quickly so that a passing lane shows itself.

This game can be played for 3 minutes. The objective is to find the 2 attackers in the 20×20 as many times as possible. The 2 attackers must maintain possession and find an outlet pass to obtain a point. Every time the defending team wins the ball, they gain a point.  Establish a winner every three minutes.

Switch the players and change functions, so that everyone has a chance.

Show me you are alive, please post a comment below!

Speed on the ball indicates the ability of the player to move very quickly with the ball at his/her feet. Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi are great examples of this.

Speed of movement describes what most people associate with speed. That is the ability to run fast.

There is speed of thought. How quickly does the player assess and evaluate the information appropriate to the game situation?

Speed of execution. How quickly does the player complete technical and tactical actions commensurate to the game situation?

Speed of reaction refers to the ability of the player to react to surprising game situations caused by the ball, teammates, and opponents.

Speed of anticipation comes with experience. This is the ability to anticipate what opponents, as well as teammates, will do next .

These are all very important components of speed needed to excel as a player. Practice sessions must be structured, so that they are all brought to life.

Have multiple groups of players, so that you can make it competitive. The player on the outside tosses the ball to the player in the middle. That player  then flicks the ball with his head to the third player behind him. The third player catches the ball. First to five wins, then switch the middle player. Ensure that all players have a turn in the middle.

You can add to this activity to increase the degree of difficulty. Instead of the third player catching the ball, he can head it back to the first. (Toss, flick on, head and catch). Rotate all players.

You can then move to toss, flick on, head, flick on again then catch. To simplify, player one tosses to player two. Player two flicks to player three, player three heads to player two, player two flicks to player one, player one catches. Again rotate all players, so everyone has a turn in the middle.

Continue to manipulate the activity to your liking. Take into consideration the age and ability of the players. This will help you decide how far apart the players should be standing.

I stress with all my players that discipline is of the utmost importance if they wish to be successful at the next level.  This takes place on the field, but it begins off the field as well.

Players must pay attention to their diet, as they must fuel their bodies for strenuous activity. They must also hydrate constantly, as water regulates body temperature and lubricates joints. Flexibility is crucial to long term injury prevention, musculoskeletal health, and range of motion.

Proper body maintenence is an important element of discipline in soccer

Players should also sleep 8 hours at night to allow their bodies proper recuperation from practice and games. Injuries should be treated diligently and players should not return to activity until they have fully recovered. Very close detail must be paid to the rehabilitation process, so that a recurrence of injuries does not take place.

A player that adheres to the aforementioned is probably going to exhibit discipline on the field as well. In a nutshell, on the field discipline is evident in  players whose decisions on the pitch  benefits their team first. Nothing is done out of self gratification.

You need three players and a ball. Player 1 passes to player 2, who has player 3 on his/her back. Player 2 has to receive with the first touch and pass back to player 1. Have the players perform this is in a grid 10×15. They all take turns.

You can vary the activity by increasing/decreasing the defensive pressure. You can ask the receiver to hold his/her position or check at an angle to create some separation from the defender.

You can decrease the grid size to restrict movement and encourage strength on the ball.

You can increase the grid size, so that the players are dealing with balls being played over longer distances.

You can also have the players pass the ball in the air, so that the degree of difficulty increases.

For your more advanced players, add a box to confine the players movement. The ball must not leave the box after the reception. This adds the dimension of receiving the ball in tight space, as well as being under pressure.

This is a great training tool for your central midfielders and target players. This will improve their ability to hold the ball up in the final third and maintain possession in tight situations

Another very important advantage of a preparation touch is that it makes it very difficult for defenders to close players down. Speed and angle of approach are compromised when players in possession take touches into open space or away from pressure. It gives the attacker that split second needed to pass or shoot.

Taking her first touch away from pressure

A preparation touch also changes the perspective of the game for the recipient, because as the ball moves angles change and new options open themselves.

There are times when the ball has to stop. The game may be out of hand and someone may need to slow it down. There are instances when the the rhythm of the game is broken because of a foul or the ball is out of bounds. A player may also need to stop the ball if he/she is in tight traffic and they need to hold possession until options make themselves available.

Start with two players and one  ball 10 to 20 yards apart. Have the players pass back and forth with one touch. To make it more competitive, you have each group race against the others. The first team to 50 passes wins. You can vary the surfaces used in this activity.

You can also use three players. Set them up 20 yards apart with two on the outside with a ball. There will be one worker in the middle. He/she has to check to the ball and lay off with one touch. You can use the inside of the foot, outside of the foot, head, chest, inside volley and laces volley. Each player works for 45 seconds to a minute.

To make this more meaningful, you can ask the players to complete as many passes as possible within the time frame.  You should have multiple groups going at the same time. Ask for the top three groups. This activity now makes them play on the move.

You can then move to a 3v1 one touch game in a 10×10 grid. They now have to make decisions as the pressure has increased with the presence of a defender. The player that loses possession has to defend.

Even the pros work on passing fundamentals

You can challenge the players by playing a game of 21. This game is played with two teams of 6 or 7 players. They are on open touches, but the only passes that count are one touch. The first team to 21 one touch passes wins. It is important to note that if one team turns the ball over at 7 first time passes (or any number of passes), they continue from 7 when they regain possession of the ball.  This is probably my favorite game for teaching one touch soccer, because it allows the players to be creative when necessary and helps them recognize when they must continue the flow of the game.

Jens Lehmann makes a save on the last penalty kick by Argentinean
Esteban Cambiasso in the 2006 World Cup Quarterfinals

A solid, well struck penalty kick is almost impossible for the goalkeeper to stop, yet we often see misses and amazing saves. A well directed, firmly struck penalty in soccer is almost impossible for the goalkeeper to save, and yet penalties are frequently missed.

To be successful at converting from the spot, there are two key components that must be mastered…the technique and the mentality.

Technique:

You can pretty much split up penalty takers into two categories. There are those that go for a well placed inside of the foot shot, and those that go for an all out blast that shakes the net. Both are effective, but each one has it’s strengths and weaknesses.

“A well-placed ball, high to the corner, will not be stopped by the goalkeeper even if he anticipates it” says Professor Tom Riley, Liverpool John Moores University.

“There is not enough time to react, so a kick placed in this area would have a 100% strike rate.”

“Some players blast the ball straight down the middle, assuming that the goalkeeper will move, but it’s not always successful.”

Upper 90 Penalty Zones

The upper 90 top corners may be a sure thing if you hit them, but that shot is tough and there is a lot that can go wrong. However, it has been shown that putting it in this spot makes it just about impossible for the keeper to save.

Lower 90 Penalty Zones

Conventional wisdom says to go for the the side netting (lower 90), low and just down inside the post. While this is an easier strike, a keeper that guesses correctly can get to the spot and make the save as Lehmann does in the photo above.

One key to perfect penalty kicks is having perfect form. If you have the correct form with your soccer kicks, you never have to worry about accuracy. When it comes to building the foundation for an automatic penalty kick, I recommend picking up a copy of the Blast the Ball DVD. It is by far the best coaching resource I have seen for developing a strong and accurate shot.

Psychology:

Mentally, it’s important to stay calm and ignore the goalkeeper. The keeper will most likely be jumping around trying to distract you. It is a good idea to make a quick check of the keeper’s position just to make sure he isn’t lined up properly, but other wise don’t look at him.

To enter a state of flow or ‘being in the zone’ when taking a penalty shot you need to stop thought. Sure you can have a pre-decided idea as to where you are going to blast the ball. But thought or any self consciousness about what you are doing will just block your success.

In order to be able to reach this state consistently, you have to practice under pressure. As a coach, you should place your players in mini games where there are consequences for losing. Split your players up into teams and have them take penalty kicks with the loser running extra sprints or something of that nature. The pressure side of penalty kicks is almost as tough as the execution side so put your players under pressure in practice and they will deliver in game time situations.

The game is simple…in a grid 12×12 you have 4 players keeping possession and two defenders trying to win the ball back.

4v2 Passing Grid Setup

For the exercise to be successful, however, you must address the following points:

• Communication must be constant from the players in possession and the two defenders
• When do you play with one touch?
• When to play with two touches
• When should you support closely?
• When do you give some space?
• How do you create a 2v1 situation?
• How to avoid 1v1 situations?
• Quality of the first touch
• Supporting angles
• Movement off the ball/ making adjustments
• Timing of passes
• Deception and disguise
• Pace of the pass
• When to speed up the game
• When to slow it down

As you can tell, this is a fantastic activity that can be used to promote comfort on the ball, a quality first touch and game intelligence.

You can vary the activity by adding a defender and another attacker. This provides opportunities for flicks and knock downs. It is a great tool for developing anticipation and speed of execution.

Next you can move to a game: 4v4 with channels, to two goals. The channels have neutral  players, whose purpose is to provide quality service to the team in possession. The field should be wide and short, so that the ball is played wide often.

Shooting Drill - 4v4 with Channels

As with all activities, you can use your imagination to manipulate the behavior of the players. You can vary the number of players on a team, you can limit touches, make headers count as two goals, or finish off one touch only. The possibilities are endless.

Toss the ball up into the air for the other partner to receive. Sounds simple enough. How can we make it interesting? Place the players in a box 3 yards x 3 yards. the ball must not leave the box or the reception does not count. First to 10 clean takes is the winner. Vary surfaces and distances based on player age and ability.

You can also progress to partner games with older players. Two to a team  20 to 30 yards apart in a box 5×5 to 10×10. The players serve to each other. the objective is to get the ball back and forth with 3 touches (knock down, set, serve.). A point is awarded for every successful service (service that lands in the box). First to 10 points wins.

Part three of the activity adds two more players. Their function is to intercept any low balls, or passes that fall short of the designated box. The team that makes a bad pass has to replace the two in the middle. Again, you can vary the distance and grid size to challenge the players. The players in the middle may not enter the boxes.

As you can imagine every surface will be called into action, so players will gain very much from this. You can set up multiple grids, with one being the championship field. This makes it more competitive. Include a time restraint to create a sense of urgency.

I set up cones 30 yards apart in 3 ten yard increments. Start the players with a light jog to loosen up. Then have them go through some dynamic warm up activities. This should include all major muscle groups (hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, calves, groin and gluteals). Players that are very tight can engage in some static stretching after the dynamic stretching.

Move to activities with a ball. Groups of four or five players can go through some passing sequences over 20 to 30 yards apart. Include wall passes, overlaps and third man runs to set the tone.

Finish with some possession games, so the kids are actually playing soccer before the match. With older players I have my center backs include longer passing in their routine, and I have the strikers do some finishing work.

Here’s part two in our series of video responses to soccer coaching questions from our subscribers.

The second question we discussed was as follows:

“What is the best way to get players to communicate on the field?”

Here’s the answer:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWsnq6bNDwI

Please  comment below to let us know what questions we can answer for you. Show us you are alive!

As a new or young coach, you can  be overwhelmed with all the demands soccer parents place on you. The expect a certain amount of playing time, they have a position in mind for their child, some have coaching techniques to share with you to “win games”, they want to play in certain tournaments against the best teams. These are just a few issues you can expect to deal with.

This is why it is so important that you educate yourself as a coach. Read and understand what is being done in your age group. Know the characteristics of your age group and what they should be learning. It is also very important that you appreciate what stage of development your players are in at the moment. Coaching education is key, because there is no substitute for knowledge.

You should meet with the team parents to explain to them your objectives and goals for the team for the season. Help them understand that winning is not a measure of success. There are many indicators of individual and collective improvement. This helps the parents view the game with an educated eye. Evaluate players every season and share the evaluation with parents. This shows that you take each child’s development seriously.

Beware of the very friendly parents. Do not take this the wrong way, some parents are very genuine with only good intentions, but some have a hidden agenda.  Wanting to take you to lunch, offering you a ride to games every weekend, asking you to work with their child individually are all warning signs. Do not put yourself in a situation that compromises your authority or makes it difficult to make the tough decisions on game day.

Treat all parents with respect, but you are not obligated to their best friend. Communication is very important. Explain what you are doing and why. They do not have to agree, but at least everyone is on the same page. Parents will do their home work, so ensure that you are implementing a coaching methodology in accordance with your club philosophy, or the United States Soccer Federation.

The first round of questions has been rolling in. Yesterday, Coach Cip came by my office to go over the questions. As often happens, we ended up getting into a lengthy discussion about the topics at hand.

Ultimately we decided the best plan would be to record a video of our conversations about each question.

The first question we discussed was as follows:

“I have a U10 girls developmental rec team. We are working on trying to develop them. I feel it is too early to set them into specific positions. I feel that with the way the game is so free flowing today it’s more important than ever that they develop in all areas. To this end, I do not set them in any specific position, instead I take the time to make sure everyone has experience in every position. When is the right time to start setting positions? I have some coaches that believe we should do it now and I’ve heard from others that say we should wait until they get a chance to grow.”

Here’s the answer:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu471o85MNA

Please  comment below to let us know what questions we can answer for you. Show us you are alive!

You can use an agility ladder as a tool for warming up, or as a way to work on your change of direction and explosive power.

Here’s a couple of soccer specific drills you can use with a speed ladder.

In & Out Ladder Drills

Start with your feet together. Hop into the first rung with your feet together. Take the second rung by jumping with your feet to either side of the ladder. Then go back in again with two feet and back out with two feet. Continue this movement all the way down the ladder.

1-2 Step Ladder Drill

Start with both feet together at the end of the ladder. Jump and land with your left foot inside the first run. Jump and land with both feet inside the ladder. Jump and land on your right foot, then to the next rung with both feet. Repeat!

Lateral Hop

Start with both feet together on the outside of the ladder. Take a lateral hop to the right. Land and take another hop to the next rung. Continue down the length of the ladder.

Developing more speed is not easy, but with some hard work, you can shave time off of your sprints.

Here’s a couple of drills to get you started:

Variable Start Sprints

Set up two cones 20 yards apart. This will be the distance for your standard sprint drills. You can pit multiple players against each other to raise the intensity of your sprints. By variable start, I mean have the players perform a task before they begin their sprint. For example, they could:

• Do 5 push ups, jump up and sprint
• Lay on your back, flip over and sprint
• Perform a header, then sprint
• Toss a ball to the player to volley back before they sprint

Downhill Sprints

Running down hill is a great way to develop leg speed and running coordination. find a hill that is steep enough to force your to run all out, but not so steep that you feel the need to slow yourself down to keep control. Walk back up to the top and start your spring again.

Uphill Sprints

Uphill sprints will help you develop power. NFL All-Time leading rusher Emmitt Smith was a big proponent of hill sprints. Beach runs in soft sand are also really good for developing acceleration. Make 10 yard sprints with plenty of rest in between.

In any event, you can bet these players have all done some serious soccer speed training in their lifetimes.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Ronaldo is a two-footed player, allowing him to play anywhere up front: right, left or through the middle. This has enabled Ronaldo and left winger Ryan Giggs to switch wings occasionally, helping Manchester United further confuse their opponents.

Ronaldo is renowned for his superb technical ability. Besides his trademark multiple step-overs, he also developed a wide array of flicks and skills, making him one of the most feared wingers in the Premier League. His blistering pace enables him to accelerate past defenders, either down the wings or cutting into the middle, and he can strike powerful shots from outside the box as well as being adept at finishing from close-range.

Thierry Henry - Although Henry played up front as a striker during his youth, he spent his time at Monaco and Juventus playing on the wing. When Henry joined Arsenal in 1999, Wenger immediately changed this, switching Henry to his childhood position, often pairing him with Dutch veteran Dennis Bergkamp. During the 2004–05 season, Wenger switched Arsenal’s formation to 4-5-1. This change forced Henry to adapt again to fit into the Arsenal team, and he played many games as a lone striker.

Still, Henry remained Arsenal’s main offensive threat, on many occasions conjuring up spectacular goals. Wenger once said of his fellow Frenchman: “Thierry Henry could take ball in the middle of park and score a goal that no one else in the world could score.”

One of the reasons cited for Henry’s impressive play up front is his ability to calmly score from one-on-ones. This, combined with his remarkable pace, means that he can get in behind defenders regularly enough to score.

Obafemi Martins – Martins is known for his exceptional pace, powerful shots and acrobatic goal celebrations. Although relatively short, Martins has a good leap and it has been reported that he used to be very good at the long jump and high jump.

Martins is left footed; however, since joining Newcastle he has shown that he is also more than capable of scoring with both feet, and also his head. He is also a firm favorite with the fans. They even sing his name when he’s not playing.

Martins has two brothers who also play football. His elder brother, Oladipupo Olarotimi Martins, is on the books of Serbian side FK Partizan, whilst his younger brother John Abiola Martins plays football in Nigeria.
The name ‘Obafemi’ translates literally to ‘the king loves me’ in the Yoruba language.

Theo Walcott – On 19 August 2006, Walcott made his Premier League début as an Arsenal player on the first day of the 2006–07 season. He came on as a substitute after 73 minutes against Aston Villa and supplied the cross from which Gilberto Silva volleyed in the equaliser.

Walcott scored his first goal for Arsenal in the Carling Cup Final against Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on 25 February 2007, becoming the second-youngest goalscorer in a League Cup final. His eleventh minute strike was overshadowed by events later on in the match as Didier Drogba scored twice to give Chelsea a 2–1 victory and three players were dismissed following a mass brawl.

On 23 October 2007, Walcott scored his first goals at the Emirates Stadium in a Champions League match against Slavia Prague, which Arsenal won 7–0, as well as setting up a goal for Cesc Fàbregas. His second goal came from a fast run up the left wing which drew comparisons from television pundits with former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry.

David Odonkor – In 2006 he became a surprise member of the Germany national football team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany despite never having been capped previously. He had however made a number of promising appearances in various German youth sides.

His tremendous speed caught the eye of many fans during the tournament.

On May 30, 2006, Odonkor made his debut for the Germany in a friendly match against Japan. He appeared as a substitute in the first two group games of the World Cup.

Against Poland, Odonkor displayed an excellent performance and assisted Oliver Neuville’s deciding goal in stoppage time of the second half.

He made two additional appearances as a substitute, in the quarter-final match against Argentina and in the semi-final match against Italy.

Lionel Messi - Messi also proved the ‘new Maradona’ tag was not all hype, by near-replicating both of Maradona’s most famous goals (the two against England in the 1986 World Cup) in the space of the single season.

On April 18, 2007, he scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe CF, one of which was very similar to Maradona’s famous goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, known as the Goal of the Century. The world’s sports press exploded with Maradona comparisons, and the Spanish press labeled Messi as “Messidona”.

He ran about the same distance (62 metres), beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in Mexico 21 years before.

In a press conference after the game, Messi’s team-mate Deco said: “There’s no other like Leo”. Later on, in a crucial league match with Espanyol, Messi scored a goal that drew even more comparisons to Maradona’s Hand of God goal.

• Option 1 – Look for the shot
• Option 2 – Look to play a penetrating pass
• Option 3 – If nothing is on, make a pass to keep possession

Option 3 is the choice I want to focus in on for a moment. Too often I see young players try to turn when they have multiple defenders on their back. They lose the ball in an area of the field that the team has worked hard to enter.

A good target player must be able to hold the ball up for this team to make attacking runs. If he gives it away too quickly, the attack breaks down.

We must teach our players to be comfortable with possessing the ball for prolonged periods of time, and not give it away cheaply. The ability to keep the ball is the hallmark of the great teams in the world today.

Implementing soccer practice drills with a neutral player is a great method for helping your team get comfortable with the ball. Being numbers up in training facilitate ball movement, and always provide an open player for the offense.

Please comment with some of your favorite possession drills below…

This statement was made in a blog post that I read earlier this evening. The premise of the post was that some players are dealt great “natural hands”, but never make anything of them.

Other players don’t have the natural talents, but through hard work and dedication they go on to have solid soccer careers.

It always makes me a bit fearful when I see a young player with great speed or physical gifts. Too often coaches fail to develop the player, but instead let him simply coast on his/her advanced athletic ability.

As time goes on, other players catch up physically, but since the athlete hasn’t taken the time to work on their skills, they now find themselves behind the curve.

If you coach a naturally gifted athlete, be sure that you continue to work in soccer drills that emphasize technical skill. They must have a firm grasp of the fundamentals if they want to play soccer at a high level down the road.

We were playing our second game of the day. We had a great performance away from home against a very good team in the morning game. The boys worked hard and I was very pleased with our play on both sides of the ball. We are playing a new formation this season (4-2-3-1) and it really seems to suit our personnel.

The afternoon game warm up was good and the players seemed motivated. We started well, created chances, kept possession well but could not score. We had two mental lapses defensively and within seven minutes, we found ourselves two goals down. To make matters worse we lost our goalkeeper to a red card, rightly issued for denying a goal scoring opportunity. Here we were at the half, two goals in the hole and down a player.

I was very angry with a particular defender, whose complacency and indecisiveness cost us the goals and player loss. He knew it and so did his team mates, so there was no need for me to point fingers and state the obvious. I decided to go another route. I explained to them that a 2_0 lead was the most dangerous in soccer, and that the team playing down always plays with more discipline and determination to compensate for the numerical disadvantage. I added that the two most important ingredients to success were not coached and they were belief and character.

We had to change the formation to a 4-4-1. I instructed the players to high pressure the opponent for the first seven minutes. The key objectives on defense were to deny their outside backs service to advanced players, force their play makers to play negative, and prevent the opposing team from switching the point of attack. We wanted to win the ball high, so that we could create goal scoring opportunities with much fewer passes.

It is very easy to say this in theory, but it takes an extraordinary effort to materialize. We were level after twenty minutes. I was worried that we would run out of gas, because of how much work we were doing to limit the opposition’s time and space. The players seemed more determined now and they believed that they could win it. That we did, with a final score of 3-2.

You can teach your players everything there is to know about playing the game, but they have to apply what is taught on game day. They have to find a way to win. Being able to foster belief in your players is a key soccer coaching skill.

You can move to less strenuous activities like 3v1 or 4v2  grid games. Juggling competitions and soccer tennis are great alternatives to the regular training regime.

Two youth players in a game of soccer tennis

You can also use this day to discuss the team’s performances, while the games are still relatively fresh in the minds of the players. Please bear in mind that it is not a team bashing session.  It is better to say nothing if you do not have constructive, problem solving information to offer.

This is also a great time to engage in fun activities, especially if your weekend was a disappointment. This allows the players to refresh their mental state, and in turn, their desire to resume regular training the following session.

There are times when a day off is necessary. If players are injured, then they need rest. If we dealing with extreme conditions (very hot or very cold), then a day inside is fine. As much as possible, I prefer to reward my players with a fun soccer practice session instead of a day off. We only have three days a week, so time is precious.

You are probably thinking why is this even being mentioned? I have been coaching for a very long time and I have seen coaches without shoes and shirts at their practice sessions. How would you like to walk into a classroom and find the teacher without shoes and shirtless? It sounds ridiculous I know, but it looks even worse on the soccer field. There is no place for it.

Dress your players as well. They must respect the game if they expect to have a future in the sport. I expect my players to have their shirts tucked in. We wear practice uniforms, and proper equipment (shin guards and cleats) is a practice prerequisite.

You should have the minimum required equipment (pennies and cones) at every session.  You must be on time. Early is better, so that you can set up the soccer practice environment for an easy flow and transition from phase to phase. Have an idea of what you would like to address that day and engage the players in activities that reflect that theme. Organization is key.

Start and end practice on time. Warm up the players before practice and cool them down when training is finished.

Meet with parents at the beginning of the season to discuss your expectations and goals. Your Director of Coaching should have a club philosophy and coaching methodology in place, so ensure that you share this with the parents as well.

Respect all players, parents and officials. You must lead by example, especially in times of duress. Your players ability  to cope with a stressful environment  is directly related to your behavior in similar situations.

All players must feel as though you have their best interest at heart. It is imperative that you speak to all kids by the end of practice. It is natural to gravitate to your better players, so make a conscious effort to include them all in any simple conversations you have (a game you saw this weekend for example). More importantly, you must coach all the players with the same level of enthusiasm. They must all be held to the same standards, but recognize that their ability levels may be different.

Many US National Team fans have bashed Bradley for his lack of scoring punch as a coach. I believe that the real problem can’t be solved at the national level, but is a result of things happening at the youth developmental level.

Too many of our youth coaches are worried more about results than player development. Creativity, imagination and individual skill on the ball (all key components to success in the final third) are consistently downplayed in favor of fitness, speed and power.

Coaches are always yelling at players to play it safe, instead of taking risks in the penalty area. Something as simple as selecting quality soccer drills at a young age can go a long way toward improving our players in the future.

What are your thoughts about this? Comment below!

The post also explains the importance of trying to find some positive elements to each match you coach, instead of just sweeping a defeat under the carpet and trying to forget about it.

Finding a bit of a silver lining is just as important for your player’s in the half time talk. Many times I have coached a team that played a simply dreadful first half. It would have been very easy to just bash the players completely for their lack of quality play.

While I did take the time to point out several key errors, I also praised them for a few of the positives. It is critical that you don’t crush the morale of your players at half time by just giving them the hair dryer treatment. Young players don’t have as thick a skin as older professionals.

I have posted some other key game day soccer coaching advice on one of our article pages as well.

You can train to improve your agility, and you should do so often to increase your ability to wrongfoot defenders and blow past your markers.

3 vs. 1

Mark a square grid approximately 12 x 12 yards. Split your team up into groups of 4 players…1 defender and 4 attackers. The defender will try to steal the ball from the attackers. The attackers only get two touches.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

Players are going to have to move and turn very quickly. They will need to pass and rapidly move to space. The defender will have to work very hard and must constantly change direction.

Agility T Drill

Start out with a series of 3 cones lined up as in the diagram below.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

Player 1 (red) acts as the server. Player 2 (blue) begins sitting down at the blue cone. The drill begins when Player 1 tosses the ball to Player 2 to jump up and head. Player 2 will shuffle to the left and shuffle back for another header. He then will shuffle right and back for a header. Lastly he will shuflle straight back and then return to the middle for a volley. Repeat 2 times and then switch places.

Be sure to incorporate a ball into as many of your speed and agility soccer drills as possible. It’s key that our players continue to develop skill on the ball while they work on the physical aspects of the game.

When our new Director of Coaching, Sheldon Cipriani came to the club, he made some immediate changes. First of all was the introduction of practice shirts for the players. Each player was issued a white and a blue shirt with the club logo on it (by the way this is a great tool for getting corporate sponsorships). They were instructed to wear one of these shirts for each practice session.

Not only did the players feel more like a part of something bigger than themselves (the club), but anybody driving by could easily determine that an organized soccer program was in effect. This was especially helpful when potential new players came by the fields as they knew to stop by and get more information.

There are some other very practical benefits to having team practice attire. Having all the players in one of two colors makes it very easy for coaches to split players up for competitive activities. Throw in a couple of red pennies, and you can quickly have three different teams for drills. Something as simple as having your players wear unified colors make a huge difference when it comes to coaching soccer more efficiently.

2. 80/20 Rule.  For every 10 times you interact with a kid AT LEAST 8 (80%) of those interactions MUST BE POSITIVE.  The 80% builds the relationship so that the 20% is received.  Bark at a kid without first building a positive relationship and you’ll barking up the wrong tree.  The kid will turn you off and then stop trying.  LOOK for ways to praise a kids so if you need to give correction, it will be received.

3. Be age appropriate.  Understand that over half of your team is in Kindergarten.  Understand that most of those Kindergarten players, (and some first graders),  are NOT at a developmental stage mentally or physically that they can perform even the simplest soccer skills or strategies.  Although they can’t “perform” right now they can “play”.   And “playing” can be fun, (see rule number 1).  They will get it eventually, but it might take a while.  They are worth waiting for and with patience, you will have a great reward later.

4. Declare victory! EVERY first year program takes its lumps.  We are a first year program with 2 first graders on a team.  What happens when we face a team with 4 or 5 first graders?  Honestly, I think wins are going to be hard to come by.  But your perspective and attitude before, during, and after will determine whether the kids feel like a losers or a winners.  So I say, let’s declare victory with your words and actions!  Be positive and make the kids feel like winners even when we lose.  I believe winning is important, but so is player development, good sportsmanship, and honoring God.  If we are going to lose let’s be sure to develop these other three things!!!

5. Have FUN!.  This rule is so important I had to put it twice!

Click here for more youth soccer coaching tips

3 vs. 3 Possession Game

Mark out a 25×25 yard grid. Split players up into two teams of three players each. One team starts with possession and strives to keep it for as long as possible. Possession is surrendered if the ball is intercepted or is knocked out of the grid. You can award a goal for every 6 passes in a row. 20 minutes of this will have your team dripping with sweat!

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

Triangle Run

Mark out a triangular grid with approximately 20 yards between each cone. You can mark out other shapes as well: rectangles, squares, stars, etc. On your command the players will dribble the ball around the cones for 5 minutes. Make sure the players at each grid stagger their starts so that they don’t run into each other.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

Penalty Spot Run

Using the penalty area as your grid. Start at the penalty spot. Quickly sprint to one corner of the box and back to the spot. Sprint to the next corner and back. Continue to all 4 corners. Rest and repeat a total of 5 times.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

Downhill Sprints

Running down hill is a great way to develop leg speed and running coordination. Find a hill that is steep enough to force you to run all out, but not so steep that you feel the need to slow yourself down to keep control. Walk back up to the top and start your sprint again.

Uphill Sprints

Uphill sprints will help you develop power. NFL All-Time leading rusher Emmitt Smith was a big proponent of hill springs. Beach runs in soft sand are also really good for developing acceleration. Make 10 yard sprints with plenty of rest in between.

Sprint Lateral Shuffle

Set up a series of cones in a staircase fashion. Starting at the first cone, sprint forwards to the second cone. Shuffle step to the third cone, then sprint to the fourth cone. Side shuffle to the fifth cone, etc.

Repeat in the other direction so that you use a different foot as your lead on your shuffle.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

The 4-4-2 is the most used and well known formation in soccer today. For example, 12 of the 20 Barclays Premier League teams use a standard 4-4-2 with several others using modified versions.

The 4-4-2 is a very versatile and aggressive formation which opens up the wings for attack as well as spreading the defensive to create holes in the middle of the pitch.

With the ability to overlap the fullbacks and the midfielders, you can quickly convert to a 2-4-4 when attacking.

Defensive Personnel:

The standard 4-4-2 formation that you typically see uses a zonal defensive system with a flat back 4. This means that the defenders area lines up across the pitch in a straight line and each is responsible for his area of the field.

To make the 4-4-2 really fly, you will need speedy fullbacks who can attack up the wings and get back to pick up their assignments.

In addition to having backs with pace, the 4-4-2 requires strong central defenders who can win the ball in the air with regularity.

Midfield Personnel:

Your central midfielders work in tandem with one going forward onto attack, while the other drops back into a holding position and provides the first layer of defenses.

The two wing midfielders need speed to stretch the defense as well as the ball skills to beat defenders 1v 1 or even 1 v 2 if necessary. The ability to feed accurate crosses into the penalty area is a must!

Forward Personnel:

The 4-4-2 utilizes two strikers. Each will need speed, tenacity and aggressiveness. It is often very effective to have one forward drop deep to help the transition through the midfield.

Attacking with the 4-4-2:

The name of the game with the 4-4-2 is to spread the field, force the defense out of position and then punish their weak spots.

Continually moving the ball from the inside to the outside and back is of the best way to utilize the strengths of the 4-4-2.

4-4-2 Basics Overview

When using the 4-4-2, look to stretch the defense from touchline to touchline. Use your outside midfielders and overlapping defenders to feed quality crosses to your finishers.

Remember, with your defenders pushing forward, you are susceptible to counter attacks. Be careful with your possession and don’t give the ball away foolishly when you are exposed.

Strengths:

• Outnumbers 4-3-3 systems in the midfield
• Quickly converts to 2-4-4 to put tons of pressure on opposing defenses
• Versatile system with many attacking options.

Weaknesses:

• Can be outnumbered in the midfield by a 3-5-2. This forces a central defender to step up causing problems to the flat 4 zonal system.
• Susceptible to counter attacks when Fullbacks extend too far

Okay, we’ve covered the basics of how to attack from the 4-4-2. Not it’s time to take a look at some of the formations you will most likely face.

Going Against the 3-5-2

One of the first formations that you may see is the 3-5-2. Your opponents will use this formation to lock down the midfield and outnumber the 4-4-2 in the center of the field.

Even though the 3-5-2 is strong in the midfield, it has some weaknesss on defense. The back three are forced to play very compressed to cover the key shooting areas on the field.

This leaves gaps behind the Left & Right Wingbacks and RW that you can exploit with the 4-4-2. The wingers are forced to make long runs back on defense to cover the wings. Keep an eye on your opponent’s condition. If they don’t make frequent substitutions, you can look to really exploit their failure to get back at the end of the half or game.

One very strong tactic to use against the 3-5-2 is to have your forwards make attacking runs to the outside. This change in strategy will have them continually looking for space behind the wingers. The defense will constantly be stretched from side to side leaving gaps in the middle for shots on net.

Going Against the 4-3-3 – Sweeper Technique

The other likely formation you will encounter is the 4-3-3. Offensive minded teams especially like to attack from the 4-3-3 to put a ton of pressure on your defense. Against three forwards, one of your center backs always has to step up to pick up the center striker which wrecks havoc on your flat back 4 zone.

To counter this tactic and negate a speedy forward group, you can convert one of your center backs to a sweeper role.

Against a standard flat back four, our defense would be in a great deal of trouble as the counter attack brings three forwards against our defense. However, with a sweeper system your can man mark the forwards and still have a floater to cover for any mistakes that are made.

When attacking the 4-3-3, you will want to be patient and look to catch the midfielders out of position. Since you have them outnumbered 4 to 3, there are many counter attack options that present themselves to you throughout the game.

Further Help

About two years ago I picked up and ebook called Systems of Play that did the best job I have ever seen at breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of different formations and all the variations you would find there. It further went on to show a sample attacking and defending progression for each.

It was very helpful when it came to finding just the right variation of the 4-4-2 to fit the high school team that I coached. We had a very young team and not a lot of time to teach a complicated system. I needed to fit my system to my players and not the other way around.

Take a moment to check out Systems of Play (you will find this product on the right side of the page after you click the link).

Some of the information covered is listed below:

Systems of Play: 4-4-2
• Flat back four, flat midfield, zonal system
• Sweeper, flat midfield
• Flat back four, diamond midfield, zonal
• Sweeper, diamond midfield

Systems of Play: 3-5-2
• Flat back three, modified diamond midfield, attacking midfielder
• Sweeper, modified diamond midfield, attacking midfielder
• Flat back three, flat midfield, defending midfielder
• Sweeper, flat midfield, defending midfielder

Systems of Play: 4-3-3 & 3-4-3
• 4-3-3 flat back four, flat midfield, zonal
• 4-3-3 sweeper, flat midfield
• 3-4-3 flat back three, flat midfield, zonal
• 3-4-3 sweeper, flat midfield, zonal

Systems of Play: Special & New Formations
• 4-5-1 flat back four, flat midfield, zonal
• 4-5-1 sweeper, flat midfield
• 4-2-3-1 flat back four, zonal
• 3-2-3-2 flat back three, zonal

Systems of Play: Small Sided Games
• 2-1-2 indoor
• 2-2-1 indoor
• 2-3-2 youth games, zonal training
• 3-2-2 youth games, zonal or sweeper training

The foot stall soccer trick is simply balancing the soccer ball on your foot. This move is the starting place for a number of other tricks, besides the fact that it looks cool all on its own. To practice this soccer trick, follow these steps.

• Start with a soccer ball on your foot. Usually the best spot is in the center of the foot.
• Once you have it stable, balance it for as long as you can. When you begin to lose control, flick it up and catch it.
• Repeat this process until it becomes familiar and comfortable. The next step is to work on dropping the ball from waist height and catching it with your foot.
• Be sure to practice both feet. You will be glad you did as you get older.

Other variations include stalling the ball on your knee or behind your neck.

Around The World

This cool soccer trick gets its name because it looks like your foot rotates all the way around the ball. Ronaldinho made this trick famous in a 2002 Nike commercial and it has become a benchmark move of soccer freestylers everywhere. It is definitely one of the coolest soccer tricks.

• Start with the ball on the foot just like you are doing a foot stall. You can practice the around the world motion a couple of times before you do this.
• Lift your foot slightly and give it a little flick as it comes off the top of your foot.
• Rotate your foot around the ball as you begin to lift it.
• Complete your 360 degree revolution with either another foot stall or simply kick it back up and start juggling. The main thing you are shooting for is to keep it from hitting the ground.

Pancake

Pancake tricks are performed by planting your foot and allowing the ball to simply rebound off your planted leg. You can pancake off the top of your foot, use the outside of your foot, back of your heel, etc.

This is a pretty simple trick to master, but looks cool when you pull it off during the middle of a juggling routine.

Rabona

In soccer, the rabona is a method of kicking the a soccer ball where you wrap the kicking leg behind the back of your standing leg. In effect you kick the ball with your legs crossed.

There are several situations where this soccer trick can be useful. If you are moving to your left as a right footed striker, you may feel that you get more power and accuracy using this method for a close in shot.

If you are a right footed winger blasting down the left side of the field, you can use the rabona to cross the ball into the box without having to turn. This move can be used to get your cross in without having it knocked down by a defender.

The other situation for use is just when you want to show off your skills and abilities a bit. This is a tough trick to master and is always a show stopper.

Cristiano Ronaldo beats his defender

Cristiano Ronaldo is well known for his incredible speed and lightning fast feet. Two of his moves stand out though. Number one is the step over. Ronaldo uses both the step over & reverse step over to wrong foot his markers and blow right by opposing defenders.

For the step over, start by dribbling forward. Plant your right foot to the outside of the ball and swing your left leg around the front of the ball in a counterclockwise direction. Your foot will go from the right side of the ball to the outside (left) side of the ball. Plant your left foot and use the outside of your right foot to accelerate away from the defender.

His other signature move is the jump cut. Ronaldo typically uses this move while blasting down the line with a defender sprinting madly next to him. He then uses the back of his outside foot to flick the ball at a 90 degree angle to the inside while he jumps over it with his inside leg. This quick change of direction leaves defenders helpless to stay with him as he goes to goal.

Ronaldinho Elastico/Flip Flap

The elastico or “flip-flap” was invented by Brazilian soccer player Roberto Rivelino. It has been famous in recent years by Ronaldinho & Ibrahimovic. The move is made by pushing the ball sideways with your foot and then quickly planting the same foot ahead of the ball’s path.The ball strikes the planted foot and goes the other way.This move will tie your defender in knots if you can pull it off.

Now once you have mastered doing it quickly on the ground, try these variations:

• Starts on the ground, but lift the ball as your perform the move.
• Ball is flicked into the air in the second movement
• Reversed – inside cut, then outside cut. With this version it is easier to get the ball in the air
• Inside roll, then scooped up quickly diagonally forwards. This version is the easiest to pull off when running at speed

Zidane Turn/Marseille Roulette

The spin turn is a move that is designed to confuse your opponent by quickly switching the direction of the ball and player, without the ball handler having to move much.

Its inventor is said to be the late David Rocastle, an English football player who spent the majority of his career at Arsenal F.C. However, it is believed that the player who may well be most responsible for the popularization of the move is Diego Maradona.

It’s sometime referred to as the Zidane or the Zizou as he’s been one of the most skilled players at pulling this off in the middle of games, at times linking several together.

The move begins with the player facing the ball, with the ball just a step away or less. The player launches off with his weaker foot, extends his stronger foot, steps lightly on the ball with the tips of his cleats and pulls the ball along the ground towards himself. The foot should remain in contact with the ball only for a brief moment; once the ball is set in motion, the stronger foot continues in its original direction of motion and lands on the ground to provide support for the second part of the body spin.

The body spin actually begins at the same time as the foot drag back. The executing player throws his body forward and over the ball as it is being pulled back. Simultaneously he spins his body 90 degrees by turning to facing the side of his weaker foot.

The second part of the body spin commences as the ball approaches the player’s weaker foot; the stronger foot touches the ground and the player uses it to continue pivoting his body. He spins until he faces the the direction of his stronger foot back in his original position.

Sir Stanley Matthews Cut

Often regarded as one of the greats of the English game, he was the first footballer to be knighted (and is, as of 2008, the only player to have been knighted while still playing), as well as the first European Footballer of the Year and the first Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year. One of his signature moves was the inside/out cut.

Dribble forward and then with the inside of your right foot, tap the ball slightly to the left, as if you were going to cut that way.

Instead, plant and push off the left foot and take the ball back to the right with the outside off the right foot.

It is essential to add a “little hop” to the left (with both feet) when beginning this move while you are lightly touching the ball to the inside.

This will prevent your left foot from getting in the way and put you in a better position to accelerate away to the right side.

Johan Cruyff Turn

Cruyff was known for his technical ability, speed and acceleration, but his greatest quality was vision, based on an acute sense of his team-mates’ positions as an attack unfolded.

Learning the Cruyff turn only takes a minute, but to perfect it takes a lifetime.

Begin by dribbling the ball forward. Plant your left foot near the ball and wind up with your right left as if you are going to take a shot or cross the ball. Instead of shooting, bring your right foot down and chop the ball backwards and under your plant left. Your opponent’s momentum should carry him forward allowing you to get off a quality shot or service.

Pelé Bicycle Kick

A video clip of Pelé scoring with a bicycle kick for the Brazilian National Team was part of the opening video montage of the popular sports TV series ABC’s Wide World of Sports and was probably many Americans’ initial viewing of the sport. This acrobatic move still results in roars from the crowd whenever it is performed.

To execute the bicycle kick, you must keep your back to the target and your eyes on the ball. Bring the knee of your non-kicking leg toward your chest followed immediately with the same motion of your kicking leg. This movement is similar to the one you would make while pedaling a bicycle backwards. Extend your kicking leg to strike the ball while you are still in the air. Pedaling down with your non-kicking leg, kick through the ball. Flex your foot so that your ankle makes a right angle as you connect. Extend both arms and your palms facing the ground behind you to brace yourself. Keep your eyes on the knee of your kicking leg so that you don’t bang your head on the ground when you land.

David Beckham Free Kick

Beckham isn’t known for any specific dribbling move, nor is he called on to regularly beat defenders with the ball at his feet. Beckham’s strength and trademark has always been the ability to deliver excellent balls on set pieces.

When outside of shooting range, or while playing corners, Beckham has an uncanny knack for putting the ball right where it needs to be for the finish.

His highlight reel moments, however, are his free kicks. So much so that the phrase “Bend It Like Beckham” became the title of a movie and is pretty much well known in the mainstream. Beckham’s free kicks combine pace, accuracy and incredible swerve to put the ball out the of reach of opposing keepers.

It is important to build a strong foundation for your players. Work on each move with both feet and focus on getting down the fundamentals. Work on simple moves like the pull back before moving on to more complicated moves.

As important as it is to develop good touch on the ball and confidence while dribbling, it is also necessary to learn the proper technique for kicking the ball. Too often players develop great skill with the ball, but lack the ability to shoot with accuracy and power. They can get open, but can’t finish. Teach the players how to properly load, perform a v swing and follow through.

No matter what you do, make the process fun. Use lots of games to keep your player’s interest level high and challenge them. Don’t just tell them to perform a move, give them a fun objective.

For example, have them dribble through a series of gates while performing moves. See how many they can perform in 60 seconds. Then repeat and see if each player can beat their first count.

As always, the more touches you can get your player’s to get on the ball, the quicker they will develop as soccer players. Repitition is the key so that players can perform the moves while watching the ball as little as possible.

Don’t underestimate the power of an early start as players should have most of the basic soccer moves down by the time they reach age 12.

The objective of this move is to simulate a change of direction to the outside. Start by dribbling forward, plant your right foot to the outside of the ball and swing your left leg around the front of the ball in a counterclockwise direction. Your foot will go from the right side of the ball to the outside (left) side of the ball. Plant your left foot and use the outside of your right foot to accelerate away from the defender.

Be sure to use your upper body to sell the fake. Use your shoulder drop to get the defender leaning the wrong way. You can perform multiple quick step overs while going right at your opponent to try to throw him off balance.

Step Over/Reverse Scissors

Like the scissor move, the objective here is to simulate a change of direction, but this time to the inside. Start by dribbling forward, plant your left foot behind and the the left of the ball. Swing your right leg over or around the ball from the outside right to the inside left of the ball.

Push off your left foot and take the ball with the outside of the right foot. Accelerate away from the defender quickly. You can use this move with a defender on your back to perform a 180 change of direction.

Pull Back

Start this move with the ball between your feet. Perform a fake to the top of the ball in a kicking motion, but stop it with your cleats on the top of the ball. Use your foot to pull the ball back to get it rolling towards you.

This move is one of the easiest to teach to young players. Be sure to only use it in the attacking third of the field. If used in your penalty area against an alert forward, you could give up an easy shot opportunity.

Chop

You start the Chop move by dribbling forward. Touch the ball forward and plant your left foot as you would when shooting. Wind up with your right leg and opposite arm as if you are going to shoot or cross the ball. Instead of completing the shooting motion, chop your left down and cut the ball across your body with the inside of your right foot.

You will want to be sure to make a very sharp cut to avoid the defender and initiate the quick change of direction.

Stop and Go

The Stop and Go is a change of pace move. You want to force your defender to hesitate so that you can blow right by him.

Begin by dribbling the soccer ball quickly in a straight line.

Quickly put the sole of your foot on the top of the ball to stop it. Roll it forward and accelerate away from your defender. You can also use your instep to start the dribble again.

There is another variation where you hop on the ball with one foot while toe poking it forward with your other foot. This move is much tougher to pull off, but it is a very effective fake.

V-Cut

You will need to perform this move from a stationary position. Start with the ball in front of your left foot with your right foot on top of it. Pull the ball back so that it is right underneath your right hip. Quickly pivot your hips and push the ball with the inside of your right foot towards 2 o’clock. The ball should follow a V like path.

This move is most effective if your defender lunges or stabs at the ball right before you perform your pull back.

Even some of the soccer’s greatest players like Ronaldo (Brazil) & Ronaldinho have struggled a bit when they weren’t at peak fitness.

If you’ve played soccer at any level, then you have felt the frustration of going totally jelly-legged after busting a couple of full own sprints down the field.

The better your conditioning, the better you will be able to perform. Teams that follow a quality structured conditioning program will have a huge competitive edge. I was speaking with a friend of mine the other day who won two State Championships at his Florida High School. His coach was a fanatic about their fitness and he said that they won a ton of games by scoring in the last 10 minutes of the match.

He owed it all to the fitness regime his coach put them through.

At every level of soccer you run into players that are a bit lacking in the skill department, but whose physical condition and training make them very effective. There is little substitute for soccer skill, but with hard work and a good plan you can make sure that you never lose because of fitness.

Total Soccer Fitness will show you how to become a stronger, faster, fitter, more consistent player.

Total Soccer Fitness and Total Soccer Fitness for Juniors were written and developed by Phil Davies. Phil has a first class honours degree in Exercise Science and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He has worked with hundreds of soccer players of all ages and abilities from children as young as 6 to collegiate players, semi-professional and professional players.

Phil co-wrote the ICA’s Soccer Fitness Course for Coaches and has coaching awards from the English FA. He is also a Certified Personal Trainer, a member of the National Strength & Conditioning Association and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Having implemented this program for my own team, I can personally attest to how effective it has been in getting our players to perform at their personal best level.

I’ve included the table of contents for this guide below so you can see how comprehensive it is:

Aerobic & anaerobic endurance conditioning

• Energy systems in soccer
  • The aerobic energy system
  • The anaerobic energy system
• 1.2 Aerobic endurance conditioning
  • The five key principles of training
  • Continuous & interval training for soccer
  • Sample continuous training drills
  • Sample interval training drills
  • Recovery training
  • Cross training (for the off season)
• Anaerobic endurance conditioning
  • Sample anaerobic endurance drills
• The annual soccer endurance program

Strength & power conditioning

• The different types of strength in soccer
  • Concentric strength
  • Eccentric strength
  • Isometric strength
  • Maximal & relative strength
  • Strength endurance
  • 2Explosive power
• The four kinds of strength conditioning in soccer
• The periodization of volume & intensity
• Foundational strength conditioning
  • How to select the correct load
  • When does foundational strength conditioning occur?
  • Avoiding over-training
  • Foundational strength training basics
  • Sample foundational strength programs
• Maximal strength conditioning
  • Keep sets, repetitions & exercises to a minimum
  • The speed of lifts
  • It’s not the same as bodybuilding!
  • When does maximal strength conditioning occur?
  • Maximal strength training basics
  • Sample maximal strength programs
• Strength endurance conditioning
  • Circuit training for soccer
  • Keep exercises soccer-specific
  • The speed of exercises
  • When does strength endurance conditioning occur?
  • Strength endurance training basics
  • Sample strength endurance programs
• Explosive power conditioning
  • Plyometrics… the bridge between strength & speed
  • Different plyometric exercises…different intensities
  • When does explosive power conditioning occur?
  • Plyometrics guidelines
  • Sample explosive power programs
• The annual soccer strength program

Speed & agility conditioning

• How to increase your speed
  • Make speed & agility training soccer-specific
• SAQ conditioning
  • Sample soccer speed drills
  • Sample agility & quickness drills
• The annual speed & agility program

Flexibility conditioning

• The different types of flexibility
  • Dynamic flexibility
  • Static-active flexibility
  • Static-passive flexibility
• Different types of stretching
  • Dynamic stretching
  • Static-passive stretching
• Stretching for soccer
  • General stretching guidelines
  • Sample static stretching routine
  • Sample dynamic stretching routine

Warming up & cooling down

• Warming up for soccer
  • To stretch or not to stretch?
  • General warm up guidelines
  • Sample pre-match warm up routine
• Cooling down
  • General cool down guidelines
  • Sample cool down routine

Testing soccer fitness

• Fitness testing guidelines
  • When is the best time to fitness test?
• Aerobic endurance testing
  • VO2max – A soccer player’s aerobic power
  • Aerobic endurance tests for soccer
• Strength testing
  • Maximal strength tests for soccer
  • Strength endurance test for soccer
  • Explosive power tests for soccer
• Speed & agility testing
  • Speed tests for soccer
  • Agility tests for soccer
  • Speed endurance tests for soccer
• Flexibility testing
  • Flexibility test for soccer
• A sample soccer fitness test battery

Planning your soccer conditioning program

• The conditioning phases of a soccer season
  • Closed season conditioning
  • Early pre-season conditioning
  • Late pre-season conditioning
  • In season conditioning
  • Weekly conditioning guidelines
• Sample soccer conditioning programs
  • Closed season programs
  • Early pre-season programs
  • Late pre-season programs
  • In season programs
• A step-by-step guide to developing the total soccer conditioning program
• Starting midway through the season

So check out Total Soccer Fitness and take your team to never before seen levels of strength, speed, agility & endurance!

You want these drills to be performed at full speed and intensity. Make sure that players have adequate rest periods before their turn. Add these to your arsenal and your team will increase its soccer dribbling speed.

Soccer Ball Speed Drill #1

Start at midfield with the ball. Line up two players against each other on the midfield line. It is a good idea to match up players with comparable speed.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

The server stands behind the players and sends the ball on towards the goal. The players sprint all out to the ball with the first player taking possession and heading to goal. The second player quickly picks up on the defensive side.

Soccer Ball Speed Drill #2

This drills simulates the type of movement that you often have to make on the soccer field. Sprint, control, dribble & sprint.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

Your five cones should be 30 yards apart. Start at marker 1 and sprint to marker 2. Dribble from 2 to 3. Sprint from 3 to 4. Dribble from 4 to 5. Walk back replacing the balls on markers 2 and 4.

Split the team up into two lines near the top of the penalty box. The game starts with 1 player standing at the top of the D. The Keeper throws the ball out to this player who has 5 seconds to beat the keeper and put the ball into the net.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

Whichever team had more goals after 5 minutes wins. You can give extra points for players that finish with their non-dominant foot.

3 vs. 3 Scoring Drill

The game is played three vs. three with two goalkeepers added. Each team stays in their own half of the field. The keeper serves the ball to one player who either shoots or sets up another player to shoot.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

The defending team will attempt to block the shots. If the ball goes out then the goal keeper serves a new ball.

The Shooting Game

This one is known by my team simply as “The Shooting Game.” Split your players up into two team. Have each team line up at an opposite corner of the goal with plenty of balls.

Created using SoccerTutor.com Tactics Manager

On your command the players go one by one to shoot on goal. They must shoot by the time they reach a center dividing line of cones. Shots taken past the cones don’t count. The next player in line cannot go until the player in front of him has shot. Play to 10 goals.

Fartlek, which means “speed play” in Swedish, is a form of conditioning which puts stress on the aerobic energy system by keeping moving without stopping for a long period of tim.

There is a bit of a difference betweek Fartlek training and regular continusous running training. Because of the varying speeds involved, you will also tax the anaerobic system just a bit.

Most fartlek sessions last at least 45 minutes and have everthing from aerobic walking to sprints. In any event, fartlek sessions are a great form of soccer endurance training.

Fartlek Session Example 1

• Warm up with a steady jog for 10 minutes
• Run hard for 3 minutes, jog slowly for 1 minute
• Repeat 6-8 times
• Cool down at a steady pace for 10 minutes

Fartlek Session Example 2

• Warm up with a steady jog for 10 minutes
• Jog for 60 seconds
• Run hard (3/4 pace) for 90 seconds
• Jog for 45 seconds
• Sprint for 10 seconds
• Jog for 30 seconds
• Run backwards for 30 seconds
• Walk for 30 seconds
• Run hard for 60 seconds
• Repeat 3-4 times
• Cool down at a steady pace for 10 minutes

If you need help developing a successful soccer conditioning program, then you must take a look at Total Soccer Fitness.

Total Soccer Fitness and Total Soccer Fitness for Juniors are focused on developing comprehensive soccer fitness programs that train you and your players to develop the physical attributes you need for soccer: speed, conditioning, endurance, agility & flexibility.

I’ve made plenty of mistakes over the years as a coach. Most of them weren’t fatal, but having a good understanding of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them will help you have much more fun as you develop your own winning team of soccer studs.

Mistake #1 – The No Fun Youth Soccer Coach

Members of the media call the NFL the “No Fun League” because the commissioner has outlawed the celebrations and other things that really make the game entertaining. Unfortunately, the same can be said of the majority of youth soccer coaches.

Remember whom you are coaching. Remember their age and think about how kids this age see things. Put yourself in their shoes if you can and always ask yourself “Would I have enjoyed this when I was a kid?”

I’ll give you a key hint here…Kids want to have fun playing soccer. They enjoy the game more when they get to touch the ball A LOT! They don’t want to stand in line.

Mistake #2 – The Survivor Youth Soccer Coach

The basic premise of the hit show Survivor is that a group of people are left on a deserted island to fend for themselves. They are given a couple of items when they arrive, but are not allowed to bring anything with them. I have witnessed numerous coaches that come to practice with that same philosophy. They hardly bring any equipment with them at all.

Fortunately, you don’t need a ton of gear to run a quality soccer practice. With that said, having the right equipment can make all the difference between a losing team and one that gets better every single week.

There are certain must-have items in your kit that so that you can go quickly from drill to drill and keep your players motivated and attentive.

Be sure to bring plenty of balls and cones to every practice and things will run much more smoothly.

Mistake #3 – The Cool Hand Luke Youth Soccer Coach

One of my favorite movie lines is from Cool Hand Luke where Strother Martin says, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” Most coaches and parents have this same problem. Establishing a clear line of communication with your soccer parents can be the difference between a fun-filled season of soccer and a descent into the depths of hell.

Soccer moms and dads can be your strongest advocates or worst nightmare. If you set up a good phone & email system ahead of time, you can bet that coaching your team will take less time, be less frustrating and be much more productive!

Mistake #4 – The Drill Sergeant Youth Soccer Coach

Most of the drills that you find in coaching books take way too long to setup, don’t hold your kids interest and have your players standing around too much of the time.

Good drills should feel more like games to your kids. Your team shouldn’t spend all of their time waiting in line to kick the ball. They should be actively involved in the drills, get lots of touches and be on the fast track to becoming better players.

Look for drills that involve most of your players at the same time. Look for drills that minimize standing in line and maximize time with the ball at your players feet.

Mistake #5 – The Nutty Professor Youth Soccer Coach

I am constantly amazed at the coaches I see that just show up with a bunch of balls, some orange cones and NO plan. They either forget what they were going to do, or don’t have any idea in the first place.

In order to get the most out of your weekly practices, you need a solid plan for each practice. Ever see a coach who’s team is running around all out of control? If you don’t have a plan for your team, they will quickly develop a plan for you.

Players should move from drill to drill and spend the majority of their time actually playing soccer. Designing a good practice plan can take a lot of time, but it is worth it. Make sure that your players get a good warm up, individual skill time, group skill time& group game time in each and every practice.

In Conclusion

What kind of coach do you want to be? A frustrated, pulling your hair out babysitter? Or a fun-loving coach that is developing awesome youth soccer players on a weekly basis?

Should You Stretch?

The debate has raged between soccer coaches for quite some time now as to whether pre-game stretching is beneficial or not.

Traditionally the wisdom was to stretch out before games to prevent injury and improve flexibility. More research has show that pre-game stretching actually reduces speed, endurance, power and performance.

The problem lies with static stretching. Static stretching is the good old fashioned touch your toes kinds of stretches.

Peak performance comes with dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching involves doing movements related to your sport to warm up the muscles and prepare them for the soccer game.

Dynamic stretching is much more effective when it comes to preventing injury as the muscles and joints are put through full motion, specifically related to the tasks they will be forced to perform when the game begins.

Static stretching does have its place, but only after the game or training session. This is a good time to work on improving your flexibility and preventing soreness.

Here are a couple of good soccer warm up drills that you can use with your team:

Lunge Walk – this is good for loosening up the hips, improving leg drive and strengthening the butt and hamstrings. Clasp your hands behind your head and assume a lunge position and step forwards into another lunge. Keep your chest up, look straight ahead. Pause for a moment at the bottom of each step.

Walking Knee Stretch – this is good for loosening up your hamstrings. Step forward with your left leg and then using your hands pull your right knee up to your chest. Hold this position for a 2 count and then step forward with the right leg and repeat with the opposite leg.

Butt Kick – this will help to stretch out the quads and prepare them for action. While jogging slowly, kick your heels up and try to strike your buttocks. This is a quick motion that is aided my moving your arms in concert with the kicks.

Skips Across the Body – warms up the outside of your legs. Skip forward bringing your knee up and across your body. Be sure to keep a good upright position and move your knee across your body, not just your foot.

Carioca – warms up and stretches out your lower back. Run sideways crossing your legs first right over left and the left over right. Do not twist your body, stay forward and let your hips do the work. You can hold out your arms to maintain your balance.

Get more tips for pre-game warm ups here.

Almost 90% of soccer set plays in the attacking third are the result of direct positive play and the pressure that is immediately applied to the defending team. Teams don’t typically go about their play to try to draw fouls and get set plays. However, they do come as a product of aggressive attacking play. They are the consolidation prize for failing to score from your direct attacks.

There are 5 basic advantages in attacking from set plays as opposed to attacking in the normal course of fluid play:

1. The kick or throw is always made with a ball that is still; control problems are therefore eliminated.
2. The opponents should be ten yards away from the ball. There is therefore no pressure on the kicker.
3. A large number of attackers can move forward in advanced positions without incurring risk.
4. Players can be placed in pre-determined positions to maximize the use of individual abilities.
5. Rehearsal can produce high levels of timing and coordinated movement.

The Nutmeg Free Kick

This was one of my favorite free kicks that we ran with our high school soccer team this past season. For some reason, the guys kept screwing up the nutmeg part, but when they executed it correctly, they always got a good look at the goal.

This play can be used in an Indirect Free kick situation, but also works with direct kicks as well. P1 is going to rapidly approach the ball and really sell a fake shot. The wall is to think that P2 will just step on the ball so that P1 can take a strike at goal. Usually the wall will flinch as P1 goes by. Instead, P2 will toe poke the ball between P3′s legs. P4 will run onto it and strike for net.

The Stop N Go Corner

This is a corner kick that I run all the time on my adult league team. It has yet to fail us when it comes to getting a quality opportunity on goal. In fact last week we were able to win a PK in a game that would determine first place for the league. We converted and took the 1 goal win.

The play begins with A2 sprinting to the corner and calling for the ball. Make sure he yells for it nice and loud and gestures to his feet. His defender (D1) will make a mad dash to stay with him. Right as he is about to reach the corner, he should stop, yell nevermind and act like he is going to drift back into play. I guarantee his defender will relax just a bit.

Right then A2 will pour on the speed down the goal line while A1 hits him with a lead pass. A2 should take the ball on the dribble as far as he can down the line. If a defender shows (which he usually does), then he can hit A4 at the spot or A5 at the top of the 18. If no defender steps up, he should take it all the way to goal. A3 will frame the back post and pick up an errant shots.

Well, nothing can be further from the truth. Keepers need very specific individual training drills and sessions to develop the skills that they need to be effective in the net.

Having played as a goalkeeper and coached the goalkeepers on a high school team, I can tell you that they need as much focused attention as any other player on the field. With keepers you need to work on reflexes, distribution, diving techniques, catching, 1 vs 1 and jumping just to name a few.

Set up time each and every practice for you keepers to have individual work. There are a ton of really easy to set up drills that you can run to get the fundamentals on lock down for your netminder.

If you are looking for inspiration, take a look at Print & Go Practice Plans – Goalkeeping. (look at the upper right hand corner). The site isn’t the prettiest, but the drills and practice plans for goalkeepers are incredible. I really like the fact that I can print sessions that work on specific skills and just take them with me to practice to run. Great stuff!

I’ve included the table of contents from the Print & Go Practice Plans Goalkeeping below.

Introduction
Coaching Philosophy
Usage Recommendations
Practices Summary Matrix
Season Practice Sequences

Print & Go Practices
• # 1 Catching, Diving, Breakaways, Distribution
• # 2 Reaction, Flexibility, Diving, Wall
• # 3 Diving, Jumping, Corners, 1v1
• # 4 Jumping, Diving, Abdominals, Pass Backs
• # 5 Strength, High Balls, Goal Kicks, Reading Play
• # 6 Ball Handling, Leg Strength, Dives, Crosses
• # 7 Reflex Dives, Leg Strength, Distribution
• # 8 Agility, Change of Direction Dives, Penalties
• # 9 Continuous Diving, Reaction, Organizing Play
• #10 Catching, Back Dives, Angles, Long Balls

Warm Up Drills
• # 1 Catching, Diving
• # 2 Flexibility, Coordination
• # 3 Coordination, Catching
• # 4 Jumping, Abdominal Strength
• # 5 Jumping, Flexibility
• # 6 Ball Handling, Reaction
• # 7 Leg Strength, Catching
• # 8 Agility, Catching, Recovery
• # 9 Catching, Jumping, Diving
• #10 Catching, running, Passing

Technique/Skills Drills
• # 1 Diving, Distribution
• # 2 Reaction Dives
• # 3 Jumping, Diving
• # 4 Backward Dives
• # 5 Diving after Motion
• # 6 Turn & Dive, Bouncing Balls
• # 7 Reflex dives
• # 8 Change Direction & Dive
• # 9 Continuous saves
• #10 Diagonal Backward Dives

Fitness Drills 43
• # 1 Diving, Recovering
• # 2 Circle Dives
• # 3 Jump from Lying Position
• # 4 Jumping & Diving
• # 5 Run-Jump-Crouch-Throw
• # 6 Sideway Hops & Dive
• # 7 Sprint-Jump-Dive
• # 8 Balance-Sprint-Dive
• # 9 Triple dive-Recovery-Dive
• #10 Rapid Fire

Tactical Drills
• # 1 Breakaways
• # 2 Setting Up A Wall
• # 3 Corner Kicks
• # 4 Pass Backs
• # 5 Goal Kicks
• # 6 Crosses
• # 7 Wide Distribution Throws
• # 8 Penalty Kicks
• # 9 Organizing Play
• #10 Long Balls – Incoming

Scrimmage Drills
• # 1 4v4 from two sides of goal
• # 2 4v2 in penalty area
• # 3 4v2 or 1v1
• # 4 3v3 on two goals
• # 5 3v3 with 2 balls
• # 6 crossing and 4v2 in penalty box
• # 7 4 x 1v1 in penalty box
• # 8 GK in 1v1
• # 9 4v6
• #10 2v5 in penalty box

• Coaching Soccer – 5 Tips for Game Day Coaching
• Practice Players vs Game Players
• Soccer Coach Training – What Separates You From the Rest?
• Soccer Coaching – 5 Tips to Becoming a Better Soccer Coach
• Soccer Coaching – How to Defend When Your Team Lacks Speed
• Soccer Coaching Books – 3 Tips for Choosing the Best Soccer Drill Books
• Soccer Coaching Drills – How Can They Be Implemented to Develop Individual Competence?
• Soccer Coaching Skills – Top 5 Skills for Soccer Coaches
• Soccer Coaching Tips – Soccer Parents…Your Best Friend Or Worst Nightmare?
• Soccer Drills
  • Soccer Drills – Dynamic Warm Up Keepaway Drill
  • Soccer Drills – Dynamic Warm Up Passing Drills
  • Soccer Drills – Technical Relay 1
• Soccer Practice Drills – Should You Be Using Neutral Players in Your Drills?
• The Impact of Culture on Soccer Player Development
• The Structure of Soccer in the United States
• Youth Soccer Coaching – What Happened to Those Winning U12 Players?
• Youth Soccer Coaching Drills – How to Run a Fun & Effective Soccer Practice
• Youth Soccer Coaching Tips – Are You Coaching Soccer Tactics Too Early?
• Youth Soccer Drills – What Important Phase of Training Do Most New Coaches Miss?