I want to share a training session that is intended to build confidence and encourage creativity. I've always spent a lot of time training 1 v 1 skills with young team so this is not a new concept for me but I was surprised at the impact this session had on my players. This training session works on the tool necessary to be creative and skillful but more than that it develops the mentality of the players to go for it and be confident when facing these … [Read more...]
#039 The Foundation of Effective Defending
Last week I enjoyed a great break over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Lots of time spent with family and friends. It also gave me a chance to catch up on podcast episodes that I hadn't listened to. I try to keep up with the latest episodes of Youth Soccer Evolution, Winning Youth Coaching, Coach Your Best and a new one I discovered called, Coach Bain Mused. It is hosted by Alistair Bain. The episode I listened to was a conversation between Coach Bain … [Read more...]
CSW Extra 3 – All In One Exercise
I won't have a full podcast for this week because of the Thanksgiving Holiday here in the US. I planned to share one of my favorite exercises but I forgot that I included it in the Fourth of July episode earlier this year. If you missed that, here it is again. I like this exercise because it incorporates passing, receiving, change of direction moves, 1 v 1 moves and shooting in a competitive environment that the players really enjoy. The first player … [Read more...]
CSW Extra 2 – Explosive 1 v 1 Exercise
I won't have a full podcast for this week because I'm spending some down time with my family during the July 4th holiday weekend. I don't want to go a week without putting anything out there so here is a 1 v 1 exercise that we use toward the end of our 12-week Technical Training curriculum. I like this exercise because it incorporates passing, receiving, change of direction moves, 1 v 1 moves and shooting in a competitive environment that the players really … [Read more...]
#009 1 v 1 Training for Every Situation
In this episode I show you six practice environments that I use for 1v1 training. They focus on each of the key 1v1 situations that players will face in the game. Each of them gives you an opportunity to train both the attacker and defenders. They all allow the players to be very creative and free to try new skills. 1v1 situations are such an important part of the game that coaches at every level should be spending at least some of their valuable training … [Read more...]
#004 Training Session to Prevent Turning
When we're working on a certain technique or tactic it’s important that we focus solely on that aspect of play. In my last training session I presented a practice that focused on turning. Once I began to add pressure to the turning attacker I didn't tell the defender HOW to pressure or make any corrections to what they were doing. I continued to focus on teaching the attacker to turn and beat the defender. I didn't want to pull the player’s focus away from … [Read more...]