Soccer drills, games & coaching advice

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Coach your players with our lesson plans

How well do you and your players know the Principles of Play? Give your players lessons online. These unique online classes will help your players master the basic tactics and skills used in the Attacking and Defending Principles of Play MORE

Return to play

Return to play: Short or long

If you are social distancing please observe your local rules. This is very easy to set up and can be used for different distances, long and short passing coupled with a one-two skill. It is a simple unopposed activity but it needs good coordination. MORE

Blog

Can we still shoot!

You can say one thing for certain… the players I coach are thrilled to be back out training even though they are having to be aware of distancing and not trying to tackle their teammates. So what are they doing....? MORE

Arrival activities

Arrival activities

Warm up circle

Great for any age group, getting brains warmed up with gentle running and getting players to concentrate and think about what they have to do. Simple but very effective. MORE

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Start games strongly

What I love about my U9s team is that when I come out to warm them up before a match they are all ready and sitting there waiting for me... with a cheer they all descend on the bag of training balls and start warming themselves up. MORE

Warm Ups

Dribble turn

This simple and fun activity is perfect for use on match days, allowing you to warm up your players with a quick burst of movement and a focus on technique MORE

Rondos

Line breaking passes

The key rondos passes can be used in tactical play during matches to play between the lines with the key play splitting lines of defence to create goalscoring runs MORE

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I use Rondos every session

When I am planning my coaching sessions or thinking about warm ups before a match I always start by planning in a Rondo. It is a great way to get players ready for training or for a match – and they never complain about doing it because they love it. MORE

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Stop match day mayhem

It was the first matches of the season in youth leagues up and down the country in the UK this week and it has been interesting to see the different reactions from the coaches I know. Most have been excited but some have been back to the “same old thing” with players turning up late and not being ready to play a match. MORE

Warm-Ups

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How are you starting your coaching sessions?

I cannot second guess when we will all be out of this strange way of coaching with no opposed sessions but hopefully it will be fairly soon. To that end I continually remind myself that I will be going back to getting my players warmed up in a different way to how I am doing it at the moment. MORE

Warm Ups

Agility square

Get brains and muscles into gear with this quick warm-up for training. It works on movement, agility and vision. MORE

Warm Ups

Player positions for support

Use this fast-paced training game to get two centre midfielders and a defensive midfielder moving quickly into positions to support each other, just like they would in a match. MORE

Small-Sided Games

Defending

Overload your defence

This is an effective training session to teach your wingers to drop back into defence to help the team in order to double up on attackers and win the ball MORE

Hit wide areas

This session focuses on hitting wide areas with the use of group attacks and switching. It works on the basic play used to develop attacking moves to get from one third to the next to create goal scoring chances. MORE

Throw for broke

A long throw when teams are in the attacking third of the pitch can be as effective as a corner kick or a free-kick. Use this session to identify a couple of players who can perfect the technique. Set up You need balls, bibs, cones and two goals. Set up an area 30 x 20... MORE

Soccer Skills

Return to play

Return to play: Changing direction

Return to play

Return to play: 1v1 striker test

Return to play

Return to play: Lone striker

Return to play

Return to play: fast combinations

Soccer drills and skills

Technique in Tight Spaces

Return to play

Return to play: wingers

Practice Plans

Practice plans

Diagonal run and shot

Even the best defences will be breached if your forwards make diagonal runs from wide and receive a well-timed through pass. This shooting drill will help your players perfect their timing when making diagonal runs and getting a shot at goal. MORE

How to coach Spanish style football- part 1

Practice plans

Olé football

Spain and Barcelona mesmerise their opponents when in possession of the ball. Improve your players’ composure when they have the ball to emulate the Spanish. This session will help your players retain possession and if the opposition do not have the ball, they cannot score any goals. MORE

Practice plans

Shoot on sight

A snap shot at goal can be the difference between two teams on match day. When the chance to shoot arises, your players need to take advantage of the opportunity. MORE

Coaching Advice

Tactics

Closing Down Opponents

Central defenders and supporting players have a vital role in stopping the opposition’s build up play. Players will work on the defending angle of approach to try and force the attacker away MORE

Tactics

Compact your team in midfield

This session places an emphasis on midfield units staying compact and being hard to penetrate when out of possession. It identifies specific defensive roles for midfield players making them more compact and difficult to penentrate MORE

Defending

Create cool defenders

A fun game that will encourage your defenders to be calm on the ball and confident in their passing. Having a defender cool enough to keep calm under pressure is an asset. This activity will help stop your defenders from panicking. MORE

Tactics

How to stop clever attackers

Use this session to help defenders to decide whether to hold up play or win the ball when outnumbered, often the attacker will have their head down looking at the ball – the defender can hold a goalside position so the attacker has to look up which is the best time to force a mistake MORE

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07/7/2020

Return to play: Skills curriculum

I have found using sessions from my Skills Curriculum is a great way to keep within the latest rules for youth sport and to give my players a good learning experience at the same time MORE

07/2/2020

Coaching your goalkeeper

At the younger age groups I have always found it a difficult job filling the position of goalkeeper. I've done various things, put my own son in goal, had two goalkeepers so one half they play outfield the other in goal but were never subbed – it helped but didn't totally solve the problem. So what do you do? MORE

06/30/2020

Return to play with your striker

What the return to play rules allows me to do is to concentrate on certain aspects of the game in a different way. Normally with shooting I would play small sided games with plenty of chances to score but always with pressure from defenders. MORE

Brett Demetriou, Campbelltown Collegians FC, Sydney, Australia

“With the introduction of new ideas picked up from Soccer Coach Weekly, the squad were exposed to new ideas and training drills. This makes a long season easier to remain focused and more importantly help maintain the enjoyment of playing soccer.”

Brett Demetriou, Campbelltown Collegians FC, Sydney, Australia

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Dave Scragg, Quinns FC, Western Australia

“As a volunteer coach with the time constraints of a full-time job, I’ve found it so much quicker and easier to plan my sessions since subscribing to Soccer Coach Weekly.”

Dave Scragg, Quinns FC, Western Australia

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“Soccer Coach Weekly has improved my training sessions for adults and I instruct my other coaches to use them with kids. I must say that I am happy with what I receive and I will continue my subscription.”

Ivan Casha, Marsa FC, Malta

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Martyn Rushmore, Cedar Stars Academy, New Jersey, United States

“We have weekly meetings and the ezine is printed out on the table for our coaches to read and use. If our coaches are ever short of ideas they can always pull one out to help with drills.”

Martyn Rushmore, Cedar Stars Academy, New Jersey, United States

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