With no games last weekend I had time to complete the individual player and parent meetings for my high school girls team. They're all freshman and sophomores getting ready to start high school tryouts. We discussed their feelings about the year, expectations for high school, interest in college soccer and plans for next year. It's such a great group and I've really enjoyed working with them. Fortunately, I have two or three more years with them since we … [Read more...]
#184 Three Ways to Structure Your Training Session
I finally had a normal week of training and games! A few more like this we'll be able get into the flow of the season. Two of my three teams are playing up an age group this season. The speed and physicality of the opponents is something that is going to take time to get used to. My goal is for us to be able to play our game against the increased pressure which should help us take a big step forward in our development this spring. There were two games for … [Read more...]
#138 Reviewing My Season Long Plan
Last weekend was US Youth Futsal Nationals. I know that talking about ‘National’ tournaments for youth players can sound a little over the top. There weren't teams from all over the country but there were some great teams from the midwest and east coast. Talking about it as a National tournament is really more of a way to describe the progressive nature of the competition. Team qualify through a Regional tournament and then progress to a National … [Read more...]
#136 The Responsibilities of an Effective Coach
For three weeks I've focused on fast footwork and lateral movement with my players. It’s been great to see their increased on comfort and confidence on the ball. Each practice I’ve given them ‘homework’ to do that related to the movements we did during training. Hopefully they’ll continue to do these exercises at home so that their development in this area will not stop with this MicroCycle. In the last two weeks of the season we’ll be focusing on playing a … [Read more...]
#123 Where We Go from Here
This is the last weekend of league play in our area. It's great to see the players really starting to understand the key aspects of the game that we've been focusing on. They're not always getting it right but seeing them work hard to play the game in the right way is always very satisfying. Not all of my teams will win the league this season. That's not the most important measuring stick. Seeing their progress and constant improvement makes the long hours … [Read more...]
#086 Arrival Activities for All Age Group
It's great to be back in the swing of things again after the holiday break. Watching the games last weekend it was great to see the players really understanding what it was that we were trying to do when attacking and defending. That doesn't mean that the players always executed perfectly but the intent was there. In addition to continuing to work on ball skills and possession play we also added a couple of set pieces to our arsenal. Nothing too complicated, … [Read more...]
#073 Drills or Small-Sided Games?
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...]
#070 Developing a Line-Up
This week I go on a bit of about punting. What's the point of having a podcast if you don't get to vent every once in awhile. You can have equal time if you think I'm off base. Just leave a comment below or leave a voicemail message on the number I give at the end of the episode. My main topic for the week is focused on developing a line-up for your team. Putting your players into positions within a system of play not only helps them be successful but … [Read more...]
#049 Preparing for the US Soccer Rule Changes
The focus of this week's episode is on the upcoming US Soccer rule changes that are affecting youth soccer teams throughout the country. As I mentioned at the end of last week's, I wanted to put together a group of Club Directors, Coach, League Administrators and State Association Officials to talk about the changes that have been either mandated or suggested by US Soccer and how to transition to these rules as smoothly as possible. I was fortunate to be … [Read more...]
#045 30 Scoring Methods for Small-Sided Games
In response to feedback we received from our recent survey to our members we've started to add more content to our YouTube channel. Each week Mike Saif or I will add an animated drills video that focuses on one of our favorite games or exercises. You can find our YouTube channel by clicking here. This week I talk about how using different scoring methods can change how your players approach small-sided games. I talk about more than 30 different methods … [Read more...]