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...]
#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...]
#242 Club and Team Culture
This was my last week of 'Summer Training'. It's been great to get the players back out on the field. I thought it was important to do something this summer to get them started. These sessions have also turned into a bit of a Pre Season for my teams. They gave the players a chance to train once a week after not training together at all for months. This was great for them in all areas of the game. It was also good for me. I missed being on the field with my … [Read more...]
#241 Debating the 4-3-3 vs 4-2-3-1
I've just finished my third week of 'Social Distancing Practice'. To be honest, I'm really missing high fives and pats on the shoulder. I didn't realize how much those simple acts helped me connect with players. Nothing can really replace those. We tried, 'foot fives' but those seem awkward and forced. It may not happen for a while but I can't wait until I can high-five my players again. That time seems to be moving further away now that schools in Kansas … [Read more...]
#240 Sun Tzu Soccer: The Art of War in Soccer
I'm sorry there wasn't a podcast last week. I'd forgotten that it was the Fourth of July holiday. With family in town I didn't have time to put the episode together. With everyday seeming like the day before I'd really lost track of where we are on the calendar.It was great to have a bit of time off and enjoy some golf, bar-b-que and family time. This is the end of the second week of, 'Summer Training' for my teams. After the long quarantine period my … [Read more...]
#234 Using Play – Practice – Play vs. Progressive Training Method
The discussion I’ll share this week is pretty long, like last week, so I’ll give you a quick update and then get right into the conversation. I feel that my players are experiencing a lot of, 'At Home' training fatigue. It's only natural since they've been stuck at home for two month without a chance to play. Training without playing would get old pretty fast for anyone let alone youth players. The trick shot videos that I asked the girls to create last … [Read more...]
#232 Using Game Design in Training Sessions
One week is looking a lot like the last these days; lots of Zoom meetings with teams and coaches as well as a constant stream of webinars. I can feel my players starting to get a bit tired of isolated training at home. I'm trying to do everything I can to switch things up and come up with fresh ideas. This week I have my teams doing a juggling challenge. They're working on their juggling all week and then recording a video to upload to Flipgrid.com on … [Read more...]
#225 The Art of Using Guided Questions
My games last weekend were really a tale of two entirely different days. On Saturday my teams played well and were very successful. Part of that could have been due to the fact that we played teams that were were just better than. On Sunday the games were very challenging. Especially the game with my U12 who played a very good U13 team. There's such a big developmental difference between U12's and U13's that it was like young women playing little girls. It was … [Read more...]
#222 The Importance of Normalizing Errors for Your Players
The Futsal Nationals took place in Gardner Kansas last weekend. I had two teams competing. One team missed out on the semi-final due to a close loss in their third game. The other team reached the final but lost on penalty kicks. I go into detail about the weekend in this episode. It was a great event that included teams from across the country as well as at least one from Canada. Our preparation for the tournament went well. The focus on defending that … [Read more...]
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