Last week was our final weekend of league play which came just in time because the weather is due to get much colder this weekend. Since I don't have any games this weekend I scheduled my recertification courses for outdoor and Futsal refereeing. It's always interesting going into a room of referees as a local coach. There's an adversarial relationship between these two groups that can't be avoided. I think I'm pretty quiet when it comes to dealing with the … [Read more...]
#116 Drills Don’t Make Players Better
Our club has started a program called, 'RecConnect' to provide a resource for recreational coaches. Five of our club's premier coaches have 'adopted' a 2nd grade boys or girls division. We send out weekly tips and suggestions, make ourselves available to answer questions and attend the games on the weekend. This helps create a stronger link between the rec and premier side of our club and shares the experience of the premier coaches with parents who may not … [Read more...]
#060 Coaching In Short Phrases
In the last few weeks I completed my review of how you can use formations for player development. On Episode 57 I looked at 7 v 7 for U9/U10 teams. On Episode 58 I reviewed the different formations for teams playing 9 v 9 at U11 and U12. Last week on Episode 59 I looked at the transition from small-sided games to full-sided 11 v 11 matches. If you missed any of those you should check them out. Last weekend my teams finished up their league seasons. Two of my … [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...]
#008 The Triangle Training Method
As I mentioned last week our latest set of books was released this week called, Smedley’s Soccer Drills Volume 1 – 4. Many of you took advantage of the free eBook that was offered. If you did then you also received an email about release of the four volume set. If you didn't then you can find that link on the show notes of Episode 7. The books include more than 600 drills that cover every technical and tactical topic you can imagine. There’s a lifetime of … [Read more...]