OK so this is the time of the year that we review the year just ending and set our goals for
next year. We all start the new year with resolutions, but how many of us stick to them?
The problem with setting goals is that they are so easily brushed aside once we get into the
meat and gravy of the year.
OK, so if you have read Tip #1 regarding equipment and Tip #2 regarding the Warm Up, your
players should be organized, in the right gear and warmed up ready to go.
Now if you are coaching club players, high school, college etc, you will then go into the "meat"
of the practice and work on technical and/or tactical (functional) sessions.
OK, I have written 5 Tips for a new coach about to carry out the first soccer practice. I know
that it is a daunting task running a soccer practice for the first time, I ran my first practice 26
years ago!
Tip #1 concerned equipment and also covered a couple of ways
of taking control of the practice as well as setting the tone of the
practice.
OK, so you volunteered to be the soccer coach of your kid's team, only problem is, you've never
coached a soccer team before...YIKES!
Not to worry, we are here to help.
I will be posting 5 Tips to help you get through your first practice...
Here is the first one:
TIP #1 Equipment
Cleats must be soccer cleats, no baseball cleats.
So here we are waiting with bated breath for the FIFA World Cup Final to begin tomorrow.
Can you imagine how the players are feeling right now? I wonder what they are thinking and how
they are preparing both physically and mentally. Can you imagine being in their shoes right
now?
So, if you are preparing your team (at whatever age or level you coach) what kind of things do
you do to prepare your players?
Last night's practice was a little disappointing. It is amazing to me how much I must be aware
of the level of motivation and effort both at each practice and throughout the practice.
The players seemed to be going through the motions a little too much and it started to have an
atmosphere as just a kick around and a fun scrimmage.
Last night at practice I put together a drill that worked on 10 different topics:
1. Side foot driven pass
2. Sprint
3. Body shape
4. First time lay off
5. Movement after the lay off to follow up
6. First touch
7. Driven shot
8. Rebounds and first time finishing
9.
Saturday saw my college players win 7-0 against conference rivals. We made the decision over a
week ago to devote at least half of each practice to finishing and set plays. As a result we have
scored 12 goals and conceded 4 in our last three games.
I have a number of effective and demanding drills for shooting and finishing and the players
really enjoy them.
After losing on Wednesday 1-0 away from home, we decided to dedicate Thursday and Friday's
practices to shooting and finishing...boy did that idea pay off!!!
We played away against a school who had a record of 19 wins and 1 loss against us over the last
10 years. In that time we only scored a total of 4 goals to their 80 goals!
In order to control the soccer ball successfully every time here are the 5 Easy
Steps:
1. DECISIONS:
TO CONTROL OR NOT TO CONTROL?
Before you attempt to control the soccer ball, decide if you even need to control the ball in
the first place.
Here are the 5 important steps to beating a player in soccer:
1. ANGLE OF APPROACH
As the player with the ball approaches the defender, he needs to look for the space he wants to
exploit. Remember to dribble with the head up. Then the player attacks the defender with such an
angle of approach away from the desired space so that he makes the desired space even bigger.
I just had to let you know about this as soon as possible.
Ever heard of the book and the movie, "The Secret?" Remember how it suddenly took the world by
storm and taught people how to think better, how to take control of their lives and totally change
how people managed their lives, remember "Thoughts Become Things?
I have been asked many times by players of all ages and abilities. "How Can I Improve My Soccer
Skills." Well, the old saying still applies, "Practice Makes Perfect." The great
thing about soccer is that you don't need any expensive equipment or a coach or teammates to help
you get better.
OK, so we are now on our official 48hour countdown to our first game on Thursday. Today we had a
decent practice, working on our midfielders and finishing.
We had to cancel tonight's practice due to the fires here in L.A. so we had a chalk and talk
session regarding attacking set plays.
Here are some useful facts about attacking set plays:
1.
OK, we just completed our second day of pre season soccer training.
Here is the format:
8.15am-10.30 Practice #3 Topic, Running with the Ball and Beating Players
1.00pm-2.00pm Team Meeting #3
2.30pm-4.30pm Practice #4 Topic, Crossing and Finishing
7.00pm-8.00pm Team Meeting #4
The format for the team meetings were as follows:
Housekeeping
Review of the previous practice including Key Points
Briefing on the upcoming practice
Watch 20 minutes of a tape of Man Utd's Treble Winning Season 1998-99
I can outline the practice plans for both of the above, simply send me an email and I will share
them with you.
Firstly I want to apologise for the lack of posts over the last month or so. I have had a very
busy summer and I have had some health issues to deal with as well.
I am now back fully in the swing of things and this time of year I am doubly focused on soccer.
The English Premier League has recently kicked off and alongside that, my college soccer team
reported for pre season training yesterday and we had our first practices today.
I'm pleased to present my first guest post, and it's by my brother David. He's been playing pickup
soccer every night so far this summer and developed the following survival mechanism.
When picking sides in the neighborhood pick up game, spotting the player that will end up hogging
the ball, talking inordinate amounts of trash, and eventually storming off the field can be a great
advantage.
There comes a time in everyone's life who is either in college, doesn't have the money to pay for
multiple TV packages, or is just too damn lazy, that they want to watch some soccer online. Yes
this may mean that you have to watch a game in quality so low the ball disappears into the certain
parts of the grass and you have to guess where it is by where the pixilated players are perusing.
Disclaimer: this information is not medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, or treatment.
IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN. If
you believe you have any other health problem, or if you have any questions regarding your health
or a medical condition, you should promptly consult your physician or other healthcare provider.
