There won't be a podcast for the next two weeks because I'll be spending some vacation time with my family and working on updates to our WORLD CLASS COACHING Training Center. There are some exciting changes coming that I all of our members will benefit from. Last week I interviewed Wayne Harrison. We discussed the common thread that goes through all game formats from 4 v 4 to 11 v 11. He has some very interesting methods that you should consider using with … [Read more...]
#048 Do Your Players Lose the Ball Under Pressure?
I received an email from US Soccer Referees Department this week that included a link to US Soccer's Concussion Initiative. That link with allow you to download a PDF of the document. The US Youth National Teams and Development Academies will be implementing these new initiatives but it appears that each State Association and League will be able to make its own decisions about how to use this information. It covers new education guidelines for referees, … [Read more...]
#047 Finding the Moment to Go for It
I was listening to a podcast from Soccer Wire about the upcoming changes to age groups and small-sided game format. You can listen to the episode from this link. It got me thinking about all of the questions we have about the process and how the state associations, leagues and clubs will handle it. I'm putting together a round table discussion on the changes with an Executive Director of a State Association, a league administrator, and club director and … [Read more...]
#042 Training the Keys of Possession Play
Happy New Year! Our club took a two week break for the holidays. This is just as important for the players as it is for the coaches. It allows for everyone to spend time with family and friends and enjoy the holiday season. For the last 30 years my family has taken a trip to Glenwood Springs, CO between Christmas and New Years. If you're looking for a great place to teach your family to ski you won't find a better place than Ski Sunlight. I really … [Read more...]
#033 Three Sessions to Teach Combination Play
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...]
#032 How to Transfer Training into Matches
I think we all have experienced the frustration of running a session on a particular topic where the players performed well and appeared to understand the points we were making but then you don't see any of those ideas being used in the next game. This week I talk about this issue with Bob Warming, Head Men's Soccer Coach at Penn State University. This is the second time Bob has been on the podcast. If you haven't listened to our discussion in Episode #8 on … [Read more...]
#031 Training Session for Position Specific Possession
This week I will share a training session that will help your players make the connection between the work you do on possession in practice to the way they function within a team shape in the match. But first.... Congratulations to Sporting Kansas City for winning the 2015 Lamar Hunt Open Cup! As a coach with a Sporting KC Affiliate Club I've been fortunate to work with the first team staff on ways that we can help develop more homegrown players like … [Read more...]
#022 Developing Vision and Awareness
Training sessions have started in our area and it’s great to get back on the field with the players again. The summer provides a welcome break but I enjoy working with kids and watching them develop so I’m always excited to start a new year. I have a range of age groups that I’m working with again this year. The youngest are our U8 Pre Academy boys and the oldest is a U16 girls team. In between I have U10 and U12 girls teams. I enjoy coaching teams that play … [Read more...]
#012 Training Possession Play with Increasing Pressure
Thanks! We continue to receive a lot of positive feedback on the podcast. A ‘Five Star’ review on iTunes from ‘Flying Dave’ says, "I'm thoroughly enjoying this podcast. I find it hard to talk soccer coaching with other coaches. My wife is tired of me bouncing ideas off of her. I'm super pleased to hear about coaching from other coaches. thanks!" Thanks for the review and rating Dave! Another ‘Five Star’ review is from Arima 19 says, "Have … [Read more...]
#009 1 v 1 Training for Every Situation
In this episode I show you six practice environments that I use for 1v1 training. They focus on each of the key 1v1 situations that players will face in the game. Each of them gives you an opportunity to train both the attacker and defenders. They all allow the players to be very creative and free to try new skills. 1v1 situations are such an important part of the game that coaches at every level should be spending at least some of their valuable training … [Read more...]