Whether you are an attacking minded or defensive minded coach or player, defensive tactics in soccer needs to be thought of. My college soccer coach, Butch Lauffer is one of the best coaching minds. He put focus on offensive and defensive tactics, but defense was the first focus. Our goal as a team was to press the whole game! Coach…
Read More
First touch passing drills are different from first touch trapping. Both are very important to know. If your coach says your first touch needs to be better, maybe ask them if they are talking about your passing or trapping. I typically think of trapping first and think most coaches are talking about trapping in these cases. In this post, I’m covering…
Read More
You might often hear or see an agility ladder – like this and think of speed. The reason is because many people use the terms speed and agility. What do you think athletes should learn first, speed or agility? I believe agility should be taught/learned first because players become coordinated and can change directions much easier. Speed can come later,…
Read More
Have you ever been taught how to step and cover when defending in soccer? First of all, don’t just think of defenders. Remember that forwards and midfielders are also defenders. Forwards are actually the first line of defense. When forward and midfielders know how to step and cover the whole team will be better. Defenders need to learn how to…
Read More
There are thousands of soccer drills to practice for youth and adults, it’s just some are better than others. Then of the good ones, game like ‘opposed’ soccer drills are different from ‘unopposed’ passing or dribbling drills. In this post I share how players will improve in game like opposed situations going 1v1, 2v1 and 2v2. Meaning 1 player vs…
Read More
One of the most exciting things for a soccer coach is choosing which formations in soccer to use. Younger players don’t play with as many players on the field, so that makes it different from ages 10+ to adults. More conservative defensive minded coaches will field more defenders, whereas aggressive attacking style coaches will play with more forwards. A lot…
Read More
In this article you’ll learn why and how pro soccer players train different from you. When pros train on their own during off-season it’s mostly to keep up with their fitness/light running. During the season team sessions are lots of small sided games and possession with a little activation drills. Sure, you might see a tag on social media that…
Read More