The first full weekend of Futsal for my teams is always interesting because it's first time some of my players have been in a Futsal game. Some are surprised how much they enjoy the new experience while others aren't as sure. It's just too different than what they were used to with arena soccer. I think most coaches would agree that they'd like to start the season with an easier game so that they can really work on the new skills and tactics that they've … [Read more...]
#128 Futsal Techniques and Tactics
My Thanksgiving holiday week was full of family, american football and too much food. It was a great break and chance to reset. I usually have my teams take the first week of Futsal off because that gives them a two-week break between the end of the outdoor season and our first Futsal game. This also gives me a chance to have more practice time with them before our first game. It also compresses our season so that we have fewer midseason breaks which … [Read more...]
#120 Don’t Look at the Ball
I had another tournament with some of my teams last weekend. It's been a crowded schedule lately which I think contributed to a slow start for a couple of teams. I could tell early on that they just weren't up for it the way that they usually are. They just weren't competing with the other team. They were trying to do the right things but the intensity level wasn't there. Once we talked about it at halftime I saw a steady improvement throughout the … [Read more...]
#101 What to Do When You Need a Goal
First of all, thanks to everyone that sent me an email, left a comments on the site or provided a rankings and reviews on iTunes about the 100th episode of the podcast. I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to listen each week and I love hearing from you when you have a question or comment. Doing this podcast has forced me to evaluate what I do and your feedback has helped me improve the way I coach my teams. THANKS! We're not moving into the … [Read more...]
#085 Developing Your Style of Play
I hope everyone enjoyed a great holiday season. It was a welcome break as our club always takes off the weeks of Christmas and New Years to give players and their families time to enjoy the holidays, spend time with their family and recharge for the second halve of the soccer year. I like the break from the weekly training sessions and games but I’m looking forward to getting back to working with my players again. They're really starting to understand the … [Read more...]
#083 Stealing Our Player’s Learning Opportunities
Last week I talked about the different options for playing soccer indoors during the winter. My teams played their first Futsal games last weekend. The beginning of the Futsal season is always a challenge because the players haven't adjusted to the speed of the game. They usually try to play too fast and think too slowly. The games can turn into a frantic game of 'turnover soccer' where neither team can keep possession and there's no flow to the game. It can … [Read more...]
#080 Why are We Doing this Coach?
It's hard to believe that this is the 80th episode of Coaching Soccer Weekly! That's more than 38 hours of training sessions, commentary and interviews. I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to listen and especially those who contribute to discussions in the comments section of each episode, review the podcast on iTunes or send me emails with questions and suggestions. Hopefully the information I share here helps you and your players get more … [Read more...]
#077 Five Keys to Youth Soccer Success
Everything is easy when you're playing on good fields. Last week I had a game on an aweful field in a wicked wind. We started off the game trying to play our normal game but it quickly became apparent that it was going to be an exercise in frustration. I explain the change I made and why I was concerned if it was the right thing to do. This episode is a bit of a long one because I had a great discussion with Mike Saif, President and Founder of WORLD … [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...]
CSW Extra 6 – CogiTraining
This week I've been in Florida observing a camp being put on by Michel Bruyninckx, the developer of CogiTraining. The CogiTraining Method is based on research regarding cognitive neurology, neuropsychology, neurobiology, kinesiology, posturology, neuro pedagogics and didactics. The main goal is to understand how the brain is organized and to find out how human performance can be improved. The method includes that use of the SenseBall to improve the player's … [Read more...]