FLASH THE CASH DOES SPENDING MORE MAKE FOR BETTER PLAYERS?
WEEKLY
SOCCER COACH
July 3, 2013 Issue 323 $4.99/£2.99
USA SPECIAL CLINT DEMPSEY & ABBY WAMBACH PLAY LIKE THE USA CAPTAIN & THE WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
5 FANTASTIC TRAINING SESSIONS BETTER ATTACKING • SCORE MORE HEADERS
Contents
Why USA Play 4-3-3 FLASH THE CASH DOES SPENDING MORE MAKE FOR BETTER PLAYERS?
WEEKLY
SOCCER COACH
July 3, 2013 Issue 323 $4.99/£2.99
USA SPECIAL CLINT DEMPSEY & ABBY WAMBACH PLAY LIKE THE USA CAPTAIN & THE WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
5 FANTASTIC TRAINING SESSIONS BETTER ATTACKING • SCORE MORE HEADERS
Soccer Coach Weekly Issue 323
Soccer Coach Weekly is published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford GU5 0AB, UK.
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Earlier this year I was working with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), giving advice to its members. It is an influential association and through it I have had many fascinating discussions with American coaches about soccer in the States. It’s certainly an interesting time for the American game and I have watched the progress of the USA men’s team with interest since Jurgen Klinsmann took over as national coach in 2011. He has an ambitious plan to revolutionise the way Americans play football – the aim is to have all teams playing in a fluid and attack-minded 4-3-3 formation. He sees this as the best way to achieve success and he wants this tactic to filter down to the grassroots of youth soccer, so much so that he has even become directly involved in the way that youth coaches are chosen and how US youth teams play. He has also tried to encourage the adoption of the system by all of the teams in the American domestic leagues, so that when players are picked for the national side, they are already well versed in playing 4-3-3. So far though, Klinsmann has had mixed results. The team has not taken as well to the formation as he would have liked and there is huge pressure on him as he aims for World Cup qualification. At least the team’s recent 4-3 victory over Germany provided the players with
In this issue...
3
AMERICAN BANDIT
Teach your players to time runs into the box like Team USA captain Clint Dempsey
4 SKILLS SLALOM
Encourage your attackers to control the ball and shoot on the run
5 THREE STRIKES
Players will have to be accurate at speed to win this game
6
COACH OF THE MONTH
Celebrating grassroots coaches with our Coach Of The Month for July
7
PASS TO PROGRESS
We asked our Coach Of The Month to share a favourite session
Can Klinsmann transform the way the USA play?
“Klinsmann wants his style to filter down to the grassroots of American youth soccer” a much needed confidence booster and they’ve had a good run of results since. The youth problem is another matter and not just for Klinsmann. I’ve just seen an England team get knocked out of the Under 21 European Championship with three straight defeats. It was awful to watch, but I have been contacted by some of the coaches I spoke to in the US who say their own youth teams are struggling just as much because they cannot handle the Klinsmann tactics. All I can tell American coaches is that I only wish the England manager had put as much effort into the youth set up as Klinsmann has done in the States, because given time, if 4-3-3 becomes
8 HEAD IT LIKE WAMBACH
England striker Ellen White explains why World Player Of The Year Abby Wambach is so deadly in the air
successful for them they will be head and shoulders above the 4-4-2 that the England boys are struggling with. There is a huge movement towards soccer in America and one day the United States will have a youth team that will grow into world-beaters. In the mean time, if any of you grassroots coaches in the US have the chance to experiment with the 4-3-3 formation, all I can say is try it. I have and my team absolutely love playing it.
David Clarke
TIP OF THE WEEK
9 HEAD FOR HEIGHTS
A simple heading session to get players generating power on the ball
10 HEAD ZONE
Coach your players to head the ball from crosses in all parts of the penalty area
11
SOCCER SURGERY
Your queries answered, including advice for a coach who has a player who refuses to play in midfield
12 THE BIG DEBATE
Two coaches debate whether spending more money can make your team play better
Check You’re Understood When you have finished speaking, always check that the players have understood what you have just said. Ask them for the key points of what you said and the instructions you gave them. Pick on players who often don’t listen properly and check that they have heard you.
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USA SPECIAL x Dempsey is a goal scorer for Spurs and (inset) for the USA team
American Bandit Teach your players to time their attacking raids into the box so they can score crucial goals like the USA captain and Tottenham midfield star Clint Dempsey
H
aving made an incredible 99 international appearances for the United States, midfielder Clint Dempsey is soon set to become the 14th centurion in the history of the men’s American soccer team. An indispensable goal getter for his country, the new USA skipper has an impressive scoring record, making him as vital to his country as England’s Frank Lampard, Germany’s Mesut Ozil and the Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder are to their own national sides. The Texan-born player has scored 35 goals in 99 internationals, giving him an average of better than one in three games. Along the way he has shown himself to be a man for the big occasion. When he scored against England at the 2010 FIFA World Cup he became only the second player (after Brian McBride) to score at two different World Cups for the States. Dempsey’s key attribute is the way he ghosts into the penalty area, avoiding detection by defenders before appearing around the six yard box to tap the ball home. A fine example of this was his goal against Ghana at the 2006 World Cup –
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he timed his run perfectly to get beyond the defence and slot home DaMarcus Beasley’s left-wing cross. The training exercises on the following pages will help both your midfielders and your forwards to learn exactly the right time to burst into the box on an attacking raid, something that Dempsey does so masterfully. These sessions will also help to teach your wide midfielders how they can perform outside the usual ‘winger’ role and get into the box to score. With his accuracy and pace, Dempsey remains a goal scoring threat despite the fact that it is not uncommon for him to play as a right-sided midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur or start of the left for the United States. Whatever position he plays, he has an uncanny ability to get into the box at just the right time – and the goals keep coming, such as the two he scored last month in the surprise 4-3 victory over Germany. It’s not just for the USA that Dempsey has been a consistent scoring threat. Since moving to the Premier League from New England Revolution in 2007,
he has managed an impressive 57 goals in the top division for Spurs and Fulham. In his debut season for Spurs he scored 12 goals and made seven assists in 43 games, bolstering his reputation as a player able to make a difference in the final third. It led his club manager Andre Villas-Boas to admit that Dempsey “has the instincts of a deadly striker”. Run the following sessions and your players could be as deadly as the USA captain.
Words by:
Andy Greeves Activities by:
David Clarke
“When you look at Clint you see a guy who isn’t afraid of anything. He doesn’t shy away from a challenge. So when you talk about wanting as many guys with real character on your team, Clint is certainly first on that list” – Roma midfielder Michael Bradley praises the qualities of his international captain
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USA SPECIAL
Skills Slalom A useful training drill to encourage your attackers to control the ball and unleash a shot when they are on the run, just like USA captain Clint Dempsey
WHY USE IT
One of Clint Dempsey’s favourite routines is running into the penalty area with the ball under control and skipping past defenders before shooting. Try this activity and your players could do this too.
Strikers must dribble through the poles and shoot on the first touch after clearing the last pole
SET UP
Use the penalty area of your team’s age group. In this session we’ve used eight players. You will need balls, poles and a goal. If you don’t have enough poles, use the ones you have for the striker’s run. If you have no poles, use cones.
Goalkeepers race through the poles to get to the goal before the striker Change the angle and direction of the run. Here it is a curved run from outside the penalty area
HOW TO PLAY
The striker must dribble the ball through the poles and shoot with one touch after clearing the last pole, while the other player has to run through his set of poles in order to get to the goal and try to save the shot. You can add or take away poles to time the keeper so he arrives at the goal as the striker is about to shoot.
TECHNIQUE
Add an extra pole if you want to make it harder for the keeper to get into goal before the striker shoots
When the shot has been fired the keeper must retrieve the ball and join the queue of strikers
Make sure players use both feet as they run through the poles. Trying to beat the keeper in a race also adds realistic pressure. Players need to get the ball out of their feet as they exit the slalom and hit a good shot at goal. Make a note of which part of the goal the keepers go to, as they should be central.
Player movement SoccerCoachWeekly.net
After shooting, the striker becomes a goalkeeper
Ball movement
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USA SPECIAL
Three Strikes In this fun and challenging training exercise your players will have to be accurate at speed to win the game and play like Clint Dempsey
WHY USE IT
d 1y
ds 4y ds 4y d 1y
d 1y ds 5y
s 10yd
d 1y
Set up an area of 10x10 yards with three cones at one end and with a ball on each cone. At the other end you need two cones one yard in at either side, plus two more making a one-yard wide gate. We have used six players but you can use more – just add more balls on cones.
ds 2y
SET UP
d 1y
Accuracy and pace are very strong attributes in the attacking toolbox of Clint Dempsey. There are decisions to be made in this game and a lot of ball control is involved.
Play starts with a dribble to the gate by the red defender, who stops the ball and runs around the cone to try to get in front of the attacker
The white attacker takes over the ball from the defender and dribbles at speed, knocking a ball off a cone before the defender can catch him
The position of the turning cone can make it harder or easier for the defender – the closer to the gate it is, the less ground the defender has to cover
HOW TO PLAY
Split players into two teams of three. One team stands by the gate ready to try to knock balls off the cones, and one team is made up of chasers. They do battle in a series of 1v1s. The chaser dribbles to the gate and stops the ball with the sole of his foot – this is the trigger for an attacker to pick up the ball and run with it to knock a cone off. The chaser, who carries on his run around the turning cone, then tries to get back to defend. Players take it in turns trying to knock a ball off a cone – then swap the teams.
The striker must get as close as possible to the cone before knocking the ball off
The top target cone is the hardest to get because it is nearest to the defender, so the attacking team must talk tactics about which of them goes for which ball
TECHNIQUE
A great game for improving accuracy, this session is not as easy as it looks. Testing accuracy under pressure while dribbling at speed is a good way to improve a striker’s all round play.
Player movement SoccerCoachWeekly.net
Ball movement
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COACH OF THE MONTH
Meredith makes her coaching fun
Coach Of The Month
Each month Soccer Coach Weekly recognises grassroots coaches who have given more to the game than they have taken out. This month we celebrate Meredith Rilley of Connecticut Meredith Rilley Age: 48 Coaches: New Fairfield Red Storm U12 Girls Qualifications: E license, the first level of soccer coaching certification in the USA Meredith Rilley has been coaching for nine years, many of which have been spent coaching two travel teams at a time. She has been nominated for Coach Of The Month because of the good work she has been doing with her Under 12 girls team and for bringing a sense of fun to soccer training.
could do better. Even if they’ve had a horrible game, as everyone does once in a while, we find a way to authentically make them feel good about themselves. Also, as a woman coach I can hug my players without worrying about all the crazy awkwardness that men coaches have to deal with these days.”
> WHY I COACH: “I played in college but when my oldest daughter started playing, I tried to avoid coaching until the soccer board persuaded me to. Since then I’ve coached for so many reasons, including the time it allows me to spend with my daughters and for the love of the sport.”
boys and girls – and even years later one of the boys, Tyler, would come up to me with a big smile, saying ‘Hi Coach’ every time he saw me. This is so important to me because he died last year at 15. Knowing that I had a lasting impact on his life is more than I could ever ask for.”
> COACHING AMBITIONS: “I used to want to coach at high school level, but as I get older I’m ready to wind down and watch. I’ve got four more seasons with my youngest daughter before her team go to high school and my greatest ambition is that we prep them to be the strongest incoming freshman class the high school has every seen.”
> THE BEST THING ABOUT COACHING: “It’s the relationship with the kids, as many of them think of me as their second mom. In my first season I coached both
> MY COACHING PHILOSOPHY: “Every player must feel valued! We make a point of telling each player what they’re doing well, especially when coaching them on what they
> TRAINING REGIME: “I think conditioning and strengthening are crucial to developing as a player. If you’re wiped out and weak in a game, how will you ever be able
to match your opponents? Last season we started every practice 30 minutes earlier than our field time allowed, but we went straight to a hill by the field. The kids and I would sprint up the hill or do some other crazy stunt that I’d dreamt up until they cry mercy.” > A WORD OF ADVICE: “Add fun into every session. A kid who goes home laughing is a kid who can’t wait to come back. Remind them that a focused session will be rewarded with fun for the last 10 minutes. That is gold to them.” > COACHING HERO: “My hero is my dad, who started coaching in 1977 when the New York Cosmos were in their brief prime in the US. Soccer was a joke to most people here and this new ‘foreign sport’ was one my father immediately volunteered to coach. He was a trailblazer and he paved the way for my eventual love of soccer.”
If you know someone who deserves to be SCW’s Coach Of The Month, or if you want to nominate yourself, let us know why. Send your Coach Of The Month nominations to editor@soccercoachweekly.net SoccerCoachWeekly.net
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COACH OF THE MONTH
Pass To Progress Coach Of The Month Meredith Rilley shares an activity that is all about moving through the thirds and keeping hold of the ball with good passing and movement
WHY USE IT
It has a great progression through different overload numbers and helps teams move the ball upfield.
The session starts with a pass from the server into one of the two attackers in the near zone
SET UP
s 10yd s 15yd
s yd 20
Set up a 45x20-yard area split into three zones. We’re using 14 players with the coach as server. You need bibs, balls, cones and a small goal.
s 20yd
These attackers must make three passes before they can link up with the attacker in the middle zone and move to support him
HOW TO PLAY
Start with one defender and two attackers in the near zone; two defenders and one attacker in the middle; and three defenders and one attacker in the end zone with the goal. Defenders must stay in their zones. The attackers in the near zone make three passes before they can pass to the attacker in the middle zone, joining him to make a 3v2. After three passes in this zone, the three attackers can pass into the final zone to link with the attacker there and go 4v3, making three passes before taking a shot. If the defenders win the ball or it goes out of play, the original two attackers must go to the back of the queue and two new attackers enter the first zone. All players go back to their original positions to restart apart from two new attackers in the near zone.
In the centre zone using a 3v2 attacking overload, the attackers must again make three passes before they can progress
Once three passes have been made the players pass to the attacker in the final zone before joining him for a 4v3
TECHNIQUE
It has a great focus on players keeping the ball and making passing moves, with the final movement putting the ball in the net.
Player movement SoccerCoachWeekly.net
In the final zone the attackers make three passes and then shoot at goal to complete a successful move through the thirds. Rotate the players so everyone plays every role
Ball movement
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USA SPECIAL Abby winning Olympic gold at Wembley
Head It Like Wambach World Player Of The Year Abby Wambach often scores with her head. England striker Ellen White explains how your players can learn from Wambach’s heading brilliance
A
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a good understanding with her teammates, so she knows when to make her move. She plays with no fear and isn’t afraid to put her head in somewhere, even with the possibility of getting clattered. To be a great header of the ball like Abby, your players will need to be brave and learn how to move their head to the ball. They can practise just that in the exercises on the next couple of pages. A lot of youngsters close their eyes and duck out of the way when going to head the ball, but if they learn to head a ball properly, it won’t hurt them. Your players need to be watching the flight of the ball and when they jump, they need to use their arms and legs to give them a good leap and power in the header. Their arms especially can help for balance and power to direct the ball where they want it to go. Abby’s ability in the air doesn’t just result in goals but it also brings others into the game. She is a master at winning flick-ons and the training sessions that follow will also improve heading so
your players can create goal scoring opportunities for team-mates. Making the right movement, heading the ball on the correct part of the forehead and putting appropriate power into the ball takes practice. We will all make a mess of a header from time to time but as with any other skill, getting your team to regularly practise drills like these will help players experience success in the air, just like Abby Wambach.
Words by:
Ellen White Activities by:
David Clarke
“Scoring goals or going up for headers, I’m prepared – your neck muscles are ready for it. If your neck muscles are strong enough and you’re anticipating some sort of impact you’re able to counter force that”
Interview: Andy Greeves
bby Wambach has scored an incredible 160 goals in her 207 games for the USA, scoring four goals in one game against South Korea last month to break the national record of 158 set by the great Mia Hamm. I played against Abby prior to the 2011 World Cup. I had to mark her from corners and it has to be said, she was quite a handful. She’s one of those old fashioned types of centre forward that you don’t see many of these days. She is strong, powerful and will throw herself in front of the ball for the cause, even if it hurts. She also comes up with crucial goals time and time again – and everyone will remember her goals at the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics in particular. Nearly half of Abby’s goals for the USA have come from headers and this ratio doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. At just under six foot, her height is obviously a big help to her in the air, but it’s her technical ability that has seen her get all the goals she has with her head. She reads the game very well and has
– Abby Wambach discusses her incredible knack for scoring with her head Issue 323
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USA SPECIAL
Head For Heights In this simple heading session players generate their own power on the ball and soon they will be heading like FIFA Women’s World Player Of The Year Abby Wambach
WHY USE IT
Some young players can be timid about heading but this session helps them overcome that fear. It is also very good for movement in relation to the server’s throw.
The exercise starts with a run to the farthest cone in the triangle in front of goal and then a backwards run to the next cone 3yds
Set up an area of 10x10 yards. You need a cone at the far side of the area, a triangle of three cones three yards from the goal in the centre, and a gate on the nearside next to the goal. We’ve used five players in this session. You need cones, balls and a goal.
3yds
s yd 10
SET UP
John!
s 10yd
As the attacker comes around the second cone, he calls out the server’s name indicating he wants a ball thrown for him to run onto
By timing his run the attacker should be able to meet the ball with his forehead and guide it into the net
HOW TO PLAY
Play starts at the cone on the far side. The player runs to the farthest cone in the triangle, goes around it and then runs backwards to the next cone and around that before running forwards to the cone in front of goal. He must keep his eyes on the server at all times. As the player turns around the second cone he calls to the server to throw the ball and he runs to head it into the net. Once he has headed, he retrieves the ball and becomes server, with the server joining the back of the heading queue.
Accuracy is the most important thing and once players have this they can try to get more power using back and neck muscles
To progress the session, add a goalkeeper
TECHNIQUE
This is a great way to get players used to running onto a ball in the air and using their heads to score, generating power for the header by timing the run into the box and connecting well with the ball.
Player movement SoccerCoachWeekly.net
Once the attempt is taken the attacker reclaims the ball and becomes a server. The original server joins the back of the heading queue
Ball movement
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USA SPECIAL
Head Zone Use this session if you want to encourage your players to meet crosses well and head the ball into the net from all parts of the penalty area
WHY USE IT
This is an important session as teams develop because it covers attacking heading and finishing through good movement in the box and good finishing technique.
s yd 10
SET UP
The coach serves a ball to one of the teams in the centre zone. The players must stay in their zones
s 18yd
Use two teams of seven. There is a 3v3 in the middle zone and each team has an attacker in the zone in front of the goal and two wingers, one in each of the side zones. Players stay in their zones and keepers stay in the six-yard box. Start with a serve into the middle zone, where players must win the ball and make three passes before passing to their target striker. He then plays to one of the wingers, who takes a touch and crosses, unlocking the zones for the attacking team so more attackers can run into the goal zone. Any headed goals count double. Players return to their zones to restart.
s yd 10
HOW TO PLAY
s 25yd
s yd 20
Set up an area of 50x40 yards, coned off onto seven zones. We’ve used 14 players in this session. You need balls, bibs, cones and two goals.
A team must make three passes in the centre zone before getting the ball to the striker
s 25yd
The striker must pass the ball to one of the two wingers in the wide zones
The winger takes a touch and then crosses, releasing his team-mates from their zones. Any headed goal counts double
Whether a goal is scored or not, once the shot has been taken the players go back into their zones and the coach serves to the opposite team
TECHNIQUE
You are looking for good movement in the box. Players must run into different positions, with some hanging back waiting for a loose ball to be played back in. As it is an unopposed session you want to see good technique with attacking headers.
Player movement SoccerCoachWeekly.net
Ball movement
Shot
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Soccer Surgery
Your Problems Fixed THIS WEEK: Advice for a coach struggling with team members who are easily distracted, and how to solve the problem of a player who refuses to play in a certain position
One of my team Q “ refuses to play in midfield and we’ve reached a standoff. What can I do?
Answered by Tom White, a psychology lecturer from Stafford
Picture: Malden Youth Soccer
A
”
The refusal of a player to play in a certain position sets a really bad example to the rest of the team, and it’s important you don’t give in to these demands or you’ll be increasing the chances of other players taking the same stand. In youth soccer it’s really important that every player gets a taste of the demands of each position – keepers included. It broadens not only the individual’s skill set, but also enables each player to understand better the roles of their team-mates. Explain these positives, remind him it’s a temporary measure, and ask the player whether he wants to become a more rounded, more talented footballer. Try referencing great players who have adapted their games to multiple positions and have been much better players for it – Gerrard, Essien, Mascherano or goal scoring Mexican keeper Jorge Campos. Why would a youngster not want to emulate those heroes? Furthermore, tell him he’ll play in midfield but he can still adopt the mindset of his natural position. For instance, if he’s usually a striker, let him shoot from long range; if he’s usually a defender, let him drop back from midfield to help out; if he’s a winger, encourage him to go wide. If, after these attempts, you’re still being met with a blanket refusal by the player, you may want to chat informally to his parents to see if they can help.
Under 15s love to play matches
Q “ How do you manage to keep a team of
Under 15s happy on the training pitch when all they want to do is gossip and play matches?
A
Distracted players? Lazy players who want to do all the good stuff but not any of the boring bits? Welcome to the world of what I like to call the ‘mid teen’! What you’re experiencing is, of course, nothing unusual. All that energy, enthusiasm and willingness to impress that this same set of players showed you when they were seven or eight has slowly withered away over the years. Now you have complacency, resentment and apathy… although it needn’t be like this. And to be honest, it’s for you, as coach, to restore in them that spirit of old. You’ll only do that by keeping things fresh. If you’ve got players who have been around the same team for a few seasons with the same coach, they may become bored. You need to keep changing the coaching proposition, replace and tweak practices so they have an edge that
”
15-year-olds will like (perhaps a physical test, for instance), and ensure players stay alert by offering individual challenges. Keep instructions brief, keep lines short, show enthusiasm, and ask your players to dictate elements of the session so they feel involved and in control of how it develops. You’ll soon get them back onside. In terms of playing a match, you should always reward a good training session with a smallsided game at the end. It’s important players practise what they’ve learnt, and you can use that end game as a carrot to dangle in front of them. Train well and they can play a longer game at the end; train badly and it’s a standard 15 or 20 minutes before you pack up. Answered by Lionel Graham, a licensed disability coach from Isleworth
GET YOUR SOCCER PROBLEMS SOLVED Use Gerrard as an example
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If you have a coaching problem or a training dilemma that you want the experts at Soccer Surgery to cure, send your queries to Soccer Coach Weekly…
editor@soccercoachweekly.net Issue 323
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THE BIG DEBATE
Does Spending More Make Your Players Better? THIS WEEK’S DEBATE: Does spending more money on training equipment, facilities and even playing kit for your team mean that your players will perform better in training and, ultimately, on match day?
NO, IT DOESN’T
YES, IT DOES
Arjan Patel
Birmingham Blues Under 12s
“If you’re unwilling to invest properly in your players, what kind of message does that then send out in terms of them, in return, investing in you?”
“
For me it’s a simple case of what makes kids tick. If you give one child a brand new replica shirt for his favourite team and another child last season’s replica shirt, which one is likely to feel more positive and confident about playing soccer? Yes, it’s pure psychology, but if you empower players in terms of equipment and their surroundings, they’ll go the extra yard for their team-mates and for you. Youth soccer is all about investment. If you’re unwilling to invest properly in your players, what message does that then send out in terms of them, in return, investing in you? The simple fact is that the more quality equipment you have and the better your playing conditions, the more efficient
HAVE YOUR SAY
your sessions will be. Kids would rather be attackers, firing free-kicks past mannequins than having to spend half of that same session lining up as the defenders in the wall! My mind was really made up on this one when one of the players in our league was injured when he fell back on a splintered wooden target goal during a training session. Since then I’ve always invested in good equipment for players. It frustrates me to see other coaches persisting with worn out balls, slalom poles that fall over and cones that have really seen better days. Not only are some items dangerous, but in my opinion sub-standard pitches and equipment produce sub-standard players.
”
Does Spending More Make Your Players Better? Visit our Facebook page and log your vote at www.facebook.com/SoccerCoachWeekly or email your thoughts to editor@soccercoachweekly.net SoccerCoachWeekly.net
“
Henry Smith Ashford Under 12s
“The beauty of soccer is that in its purest sense, you need only one thing – a football. We need to remember its simplicity, rather than complicating it”
“
A bad workman always blames his tools, as does a bad coach. In the past I’ve heard coaches blame heavy defeats on everything from bumpy pitches to sudden gusts of wind! Even if those things were true, the conditions are the same for both teams and even the vastest array of equipment won’t make any difference to the results if the basics of the game haven’t been coached. It’s not training equipment that holds kids back. They will more likely find their soccer development stunted by poorly maintained boots, an unhealthy diet, or parents who can’t get them to training on time! But what really pains me here is that if coaches listen, they’ll find the kids aren’t crying out for ladders or mannequins or
multicoloured training vests. A bit like the neglected child who is compensated with a bedroom full of toys, what these kids really crave is the attention and investment of their soccer coach. They don’t need fancy equipment to do that, just the knowledge of their leader. The beauty of soccer is that in its purest sense, you need only one thing – a football. We need to remember the simplicity of the game rather than trying to complicate it with fancy equipment and complex ideas. Some might say equipment can act as a distraction from the matter in hand – coaching kids on how to play. I know a lot of coaches who should deliberate less and coach more – they’d be better for it and so would their players!
HOW YOU VOTED
”
Here are the results of a poll we ran in a previous issue of Soccer Coach Weekly, when we asked the question: Should a coach change teams each season?
29% said yes 71% said no Issue 323
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CREATE YOUR OWN SOCCER DRILLS WITH
a «PASS AND FOLLOW» CIRCUIT
SET UP / HOW TO PLAY Starting with 2 balls at player A and player E. Players have to follow their pass. A passes to B, B to C, C to D, D to E. E passes to F. F plays it back to E, who gives the ball into space for F. F crosses to G who shoots at the goal. Player movement
3x12 minutes
Ball movement
x14-20 players
Shot
SPECIAL
OFFER
95.90€ 81.60£
+ 200 goalkeeper pictures
+ 500 player pictures 360° 3D-pictures rotation
Choose from 3 versions
WWW.PROTRAINING-SYSTEMS.COM
1/2 area