The boys divisions of the final tournament of the fall were held last weekend so I didn't have any games on my calendar. For me the weekend was packed with home projects that have been neglected during the busy fall season. The one soccer activity I did have was the process of putting together my teams for the futsal season. Each of my four teams has entered two teams into the Futsal league. The rosters of each team range from 11 to 17. For each game I plan … [Read more...]
#216-Everything that Goes into My Winter Futsal Season
Last weekend was set to be a normal winter Futsal weekend. I had seven games on Saturday and I was all set for another five on Sunday. Overnight a storm came in and by 9 am it was obvious that it wouldn't be a good idea for anyone to be traveling if they didn't have to be. The league made the decision to cancel all games for the day. So what does a soccer coach do when all of his games are canceled? Write player evaluations! I have four teams this year with … [Read more...]
#172 Functional Shooting Activities
Last weekend I had just one game with each of my teams. Really not much to tell. The kids played well and are continuing to make steady progress in the areas we've focused on. Looking through my session plans I realized that I haven't done a shooting session in a while. Striking a Futsal ball is very unforgiving. If your technique is flawed in any way it's hard to generate any power. I decided this week was a good time to do a session that revolved around ball … [Read more...]
#171 Training the Key Elements of Attacking
My teams had their first Futsal games last weekend. I love the change in to a different form of soccer during the winter. What's the old saying, "A change is as good as a rest."? We'll I had a rest over Thanksgiving and now a change to Futsal from outdoor soccer. I'm very happy with the way my teams started the season. I'm fortunate this year because almost all of my players have played Futsal in the past so it's really been easy for me to build on top of what … [Read more...]
#092 Reviewing the Winter Season
Last weekend the US Youth Futsal Nationals marked the end of the Futsal season. This week we've started our spring outdoor training sessions. Then we go right into an outdoor tournament on the weekend. This makes for a quick transition between seasons but starting any season with a tournament helps to knock the rust off quickly and gets the team back in the flow of things very quickly. The challenges of the outdoor game are so different than those of … [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...]
#082 What’s the Best Form of Soccer Indoors?
It was great to have a week off from coaching for the Thanksgiving Holiday here in the U.S. It's always fun to catch-up with family and friends, eat WAY too much foot and watch WAY too much (American) football. But as always, I looked forward to getting back on the field and preparing my players for the winter leagues that are just about to start. I decided to make this week's Q & A the subject of the entire episode because it's timely and I've … [Read more...]
#043 Great Shooting Activities for the Winter Months
Lots going on this week at WORLD CLASS COACHING. We sent out a survey to all of our members so that we can send them exactly what they’re looking for in terms of coaching information. In exchange for the 60 seconds it takes to fill out the survey we gave them our latest eBook, ‘Modern Soccer Drills’ for free. If you’re a member you should have received an email about the survey and free eBook. If you’re not a member, you can become one and receive another … [Read more...]
#038 Indoor Attacking Training Session
In the last week our State Association has announced that the changes to age groups and small-sided game formats will be implemented at the beginning of the 2016/2017 soccer year. This was not a surprise to most coaches and administrators but it this announcement makes the decision official. As part of the announcement US Youth Soccer provided a number of documents to help player, parents, coaches and administrators understand the reasons for these … [Read more...]