Last weekend I had a game on turf Friday night, a game on very rough outdoor field on Saturday and then back to the turf for our match on Sunday. The grass field was so uneven that it made it very difficult to try to play the kind of soccer we normally attempt. I decided to take the pressure off my players and give them permission decide when they could play to feet and when to play more directly and just get the ball forward. They did a great job of making … [Read more...]
#096 Play Quicker!
Last week I talked about what you should and sometimes shouldn't say during your team talks. Planning that episode made me realize that most of my effective pregame, halftime and postgame team talks followed a similar pattern. If you didn't have a chance to listen to the show last week I'd suggest that you go back and listen if you can. This week’s question is from Tony Tony says: “One aspect with my team I've been having trouble finding consistency … [Read more...]
#094 Check Your Shoulder!
Technical Training for our club started this week. Once a week all of the teams, U12 and below, complete the same training session. It's focused on a particular technical topic. I talked about how we structure our technical training back in episode 18 - Creating a Technical Training Plan. It's a great way to make sure all of the team in an age group are being exposed to the same instruction on the most important technical topics. Our spring outdoor league … [Read more...]
#090 VERY Small Training Sessions
I really enjoyed the conversation with George about the coach / player relationships last week. It made me much more aware of all the interactions I have with my players. I'm paying more attention to what I say and how I say it. For example, after one of my teams gave up a goal last weekend I decided not to focus on the mistake but instead I told the player who made the mistake not to worry about it and move on to the next thing. There are times when we … [Read more...]
#088 Balanced Shooting
Last week's episode on the qualities and habits of the world's best coaches was the most popular episode we've had in a few months. If you missed it, I'd suggest that you go back and listen because there's some great food for thought there. We can all incorporate these qualities into our coaching and become much more effective and successful coaches. This week’s question is from Dennis and concerns how his team defends. Dennis gave me some background … [Read more...]
#086 Arrival Activities for All Age Group
It's great to be back in the swing of things again after the holiday break. Watching the games last weekend it was great to see the players really understanding what it was that we were trying to do when attacking and defending. That doesn't mean that the players always executed perfectly but the intent was there. In addition to continuing to work on ball skills and possession play we also added a couple of set pieces to our arsenal. Nothing too complicated, … [Read more...]
#084 How I Start My Season
With the indoor season in full swing it was a very busy week. I coach five different teams that are divided into eight Futsal teams. The smaller teams give the players a lot of playing time but it makes for a lot of games to coach. They've made great progress since the start of the season and some of them are incorporating great combination play along with excellent individual skills. It's fun to see them pick up the concepts of the game that we've been … [Read more...]
#080 Why are We Doing this Coach?
It's hard to believe that this is the 80th episode of Coaching Soccer Weekly! That's more than 38 hours of training sessions, commentary and interviews. I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to listen and especially those who contribute to discussions in the comments section of each episode, review the podcast on iTunes or send me emails with questions and suggestions. Hopefully the information I share here helps you and your players get more … [Read more...]
#079 Training Players to Communicate on the Field
The end of the fall outdoor season is a great time to evaluate the progress of your team. I had one of my teams finish the season 8-0. That might sound great but I think it also begs the question: Where they in the right division to maximize their development? There are many factors that go into the proper placement of a team in a league or tournament. If you put a team in a division below their ability they won't be challenged so they won't grow. If you … [Read more...]
#076 Breaking Down and Teaching Skills
The weather was really unsettled last week. We ended up having to cancel a number of practices. Outdoor training sessions in the midwest each spring can often be interrupted by bad weather but it's not usually an issue in the fall. Luckily we didn't have a busy weekend of game scheduled so it didn't affect us too badly. I've been seeing great progress in my teams recently. It's great to see things we've worked on it training sessions showing up in game … [Read more...]
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