Two weeks ago three of my teams participated in a tournament. That meant that I had 10 games from Friday to Sunday. It's not a huge physical challenge to coach 10 games in a weekend. But it is a mental challenge because you're focused and intense for each of those games. It can be an emotional challenge to if you get too carried away. Last weekend one of my teams traveled to Omaha for NPL (National Premier League) games. They only play one game a day so I … [Read more...]
#251 Soccer’s Biggest Problem
I had a pretty easy schedule last weekend. With just four games over three days. One game on Friday and Saturday as well as two more on Sunday. That's almost a weekend off by my usual standards. One of the games was on a grass field. It's the first game I've had on grass in years. Fortunately, the fields were great because they haven't been used. We had to play on grass because of the limited space on the turf fields. One whole complex we usual use was … [Read more...]
#250 Training Players to Recognize and Create 2 v 1 Situations
What is it about round numbers that make them more meaningful to us? Getting to 200 episodes was huge and now 250 seems like another milestone. I suppose it is but I'm looking at it as being halfway to 500. That's my goal at the moment. I had two teams in a tournament over the weekend. Both teams are playing 11 v 11 so I didn't have any small-sided games over the weekend. My 2005 group when 4-0 winning their games 1-0, 1-0, 1-0 and 1-0. They scored late … [Read more...]
#249 Training Team Concepts with Young Players
My teams were back to a full schedule of games last weekend. On Friday evening my U12 goalkeeper broke her hip taking a goal kick. It was the strangest injury I've ever seen. I watched the replay on the Veo recording and it look like it happened when she landed on her right foot after striking the ball. She can be seen collapsing after landing. She's going to be out six to eight weeks which pretty much ends the outdoor season for her. I go through a … [Read more...]
#248 Playing with a Triangle in Midfield
The season started quickly and we've packed a lot into the first six weeks. When I was planning the season I decided that Labor Day weekend would be a good one to take off for all of my teams. The break would be just as important for me as it for the players. Getting the teams up and running at the same time as working on the recreational league took a lot of time and energy so a chance to recharge my batteries over the long weekend seemed like a good … [Read more...]
#247 The Solution to Recording Soccer Games without a Camera Operator
As I write this post it's Thursday evening which marks the end of another week of training for me and my teams. I feel very fortunate to be able to train with my teams on the field because I know where are some places in the U.S. that haven't been able to start their fall seasons yet. I was reading an article about how the clubs in New York can't get permits to use the soccer fields despite the fact that the parks are open to the general public. Other places … [Read more...]
#246 Interview with Exact Sports
I've been focusing my teams on a few key areas at the beginning of this season. Our attacking focus has been on finding 1v1's, 2v1's and through balls. I think you can break down just about every attacking situation into one of these. I want the players to have a plan BEFORE they have the ball. This is becomes more important the more challenging the game is. You just don't have time to think about what you want to do when you're on the ball; you have to have … [Read more...]
#245 Coaching Conversation with John Murphy
We had our first 11 v 11 games of the year. Two teams played in the preseason tournament. The first is a 2009 team that's playing up with the 2008's. These were their first games in the larger format. Luckily we were scheduled on one of the smaller full sized fields in the area. This gave the girls a chance to experience their first 11 v 11 games in a more controlled environment. It would be great if all of our games were on a 3/4 sized field but that's not … [Read more...]
#244 Creating Confident Female Players
Last weekend my teams were finally able to get back on the field and play games. My youngest two teams played three games each as a way to get a jump start on the season. There was definitely a lot of rust but they both played better and better throughout the weekend so it was a good start. In our second week of outdoor practices I'm finding it more and more uncomfortable to coach in a mask. It's so difficult to connect with players. I know it's something … [Read more...]
#243 The Pros and Cons of Counter Attacking Tactics
Tonight was the end of my first week of training with my teams. My schedule is a bit crazy this fall. I'm at the fields every night until 9 pm expect Thursdays when I come home to record the podcast. Being on the field for three to five hours every night is going to take some getting used to. I'm really enjoying the chance to work with the players on the field again. Three of the team train twice a week. One team, the U16's, trains three times a week. I … [Read more...]
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