Teaching your players the key elements involved in effective combination play will give them a framework to combine with their teammates in a free flowing game environment. Today I share three progressive training sessions that I've used to teach my players these key elements. These sessions represent a three-week MicroCycle that I used with a couple of my teams to teach them how to combine effectively. There are a wide variety of combination plays that can … [Read more...]
#014 Do Your Players Move Without the Ball?
This is a busy time for youth soccer clubs in the United States. Memorial Day weekend tournaments around the country last weekend lead in to State Cup this week in many states. Then tryouts for next year’s teams come right after that. This three weeks is kind of ‘The Storm before the Quiet’. The summer brings a much needed break but these few weeks are always crazy In this week’s episode I look at how to train your players to move without the ball. It’s … [Read more...]
#013 Training Session for Creative Combination Play
Learning to be Creative I believe that we need to teach our players a variety of individual fakes and moves in order to spark their imagination and encourage their creativity. By learning a few moves they will see what is possible and this will give them a framework for their own creativity. The same can be done with creative combination play. If we teach the players a few basic movement patterns, and the keys to making them successful, then this will … [Read more...]
#010 Training Session to Break Lines of Pressure
Thanks for joining me for episode 10 of the podcast. Last week I asked for feedback and suggestions. I received a number of good responses. One of them is focused on how to use ‘Free Play’ Tim asks, "How do you set up free play? Whenever you allow your players free play, how involved are you? I image you handle substitutions and try to ensure equal playing time, but is that where you stop? Do you do anything in regards to formations, positions, or any … [Read more...]