Last weekend was weird for me because I didn't have any soccer games! The first month of the season can be a very busy time so this break was a welcome one for me and the players. As I talked about in #071 The Importance of Recovery Sessions, it's important to balance stress and recovery so this short break could help the teams take an important step forward in the coming weeks. The players did seem a bit rusty in their first training session of the week. … [Read more...]
#071 The Importance Recovery Sessions
Now that we've been playing for more than a month of the season I have an update on Episode 58 where I talked about formations for 9 v 9 soccer. I had originally thought I'd go with the 3-1-3-1 or 3-2-3 I ended up taking the advice of our club's technical staff and have been using the 4-3-1 formation. At the start of the episode I talk about why I've done this and why I think it was the right choice. I had a question recently about recovery sessions. … [Read more...]
#067 Training Your Brain
I had a fantastic week in Florida. It was actually a break from the heat we've had back here in Kansas City. I talk about my takeaways from the week and give you a sample CogiTraining session during this episode. You can also find the diagrams and descriptions in the Show Notes. But first I look at last week's controversy at USYS Nationals. I describe all of the details in the episode but the basic facts are that in the U18 G game between Carlsbad Elite (CA) … [Read more...]
#030 More than 20 Adjustments to Small-Sided Games
This week I discovered that the training session I did on give-and-goes helped my young players better understand how to stay onside. The coaching point for the wall passer is to stay on the shoulder of the defender. This creates an angle to receive and pass around the defender. When one of my players was offside a couple of times during the game I told him to, 'Stay on the shoulder of the defender until the ball is played just like in the give-and-go.' You … [Read more...]
#029 Getting the Most Out of Uneven Match-Ups
As we reach the midpoint of the fall season here in the Midwest my training sessions are becoming more focused on small-sided games. Early in the year I spend a lot of time on technical training and individual skill development. This provides a foundation of understanding for dribbling, fakes, passing, receiving and shooting. The players have heard the coaching points from me over and over so we have a kind of short-hand that makes it easy for me to help them … [Read more...]
#028 Organizing Your Training Sessions
As I mentioned last week I took some of my teams to a Labor Day tournament over the weekend. Taking three teams made for a busy weekend but the teams played well and I enjoyed spending time with them away from home. My younger teams played in traditional tournaments brackets with the top two teams playing in the final. My high school age team just played three teams of similar ability with no final. I think this is a great way to format the tournament for … [Read more...]
- Prev Page...
- 1
- …
- 7
- 8
- 9