Dave Clarke is head coach and editor of Soccer Coach Weekly, providing thousands of subscribers worldwide with drills, insight and advice covering all aspects of coaching.
in Blog, Team Management
A couple of seasons ago I was asked to take over an Under 16s team that the club said were underachieving – they wanted the team to get more success than they were having. So I went along to watch them.... MORE
The winter break is nearly here... it's been a hectic few months of training and match play but now is the time to sit back and BREATHE! MORE
in Blog, Team Management
I have two players who recently came through our development squad who feel they are ready to join my team 6 months ahead of plan. It is a tricky decision as it adds to the pressure on match days when the number of subs would obviously increase. MORE
A good final ball can create a solid scoring opportunity. The aim of this session is to get players passing like Juventus and to create scoring chances for your own Cristiano Ronaldo MORE
in Email newsletters, Shooting
It can be a frustration when your players take their chances in training, but fail to do so when they play a match. To help mitigate this problem, I am always using sessions to help all my players to score goals, so if one player is off colour in a match there is always another one to score the goals. MORE
in Attacking, Set pieces
This was inspired by the Brazil national team. It needs space for the move to work, so think about it when your players are awarded a free-kick some 25-30 yards from goal MORE
This session will help school your players in defending against the many difficult situations that arise from opponents launching long balls down the pitch. MORE
in Attacking, Email newsletters
A couple of weeks ago I was on a course discussing what got youth players thinking during a game and how they could react to that. If their team has the ball what should they be thinking about and if they have lost the ball how should they react. MORE
in Blog, Tips and advice
I had a problem this week at training – not only was the pitch waterlogged and we were playing indoors but I had three sessions to choose from and I was scratching my head trying to decide which one we should use. MORE
It is all well and good if you have a goalkeeper who is confident enough to clear counter attacks or long balls over the defence – but that is a rare quality in the youth game. You have to put in plans to stop this kind of attack. MORE
Use this training session to coach your midfielders how to win possession by quickly closing down the opposition and pressing the player with the ball. MORE
in Defending, Small Sided Games
Reacting to quick transitions is key to this session, as is holding onto the ball under pressure. This includes using clever play to shield the ball and get passes away. MORE
I was watching a match on TV this week and there was a wonderful example of twin strikers creating space to score a goal. One striker ran towards the near post dragging the defence with him and the other targeted the back post heading into the net unmarked. It works well in youth football MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, Small Sided Games
Every young player in your team needs to feel comfortable to have the ball at his feet all the time - especially in tight areas of the pitch. The final part gives ownership of the session to the players. MORE
I spent a lot of time on the receiving moment in a match this week. There are two challenges for young players as they receive the ball. Where is the space? Where is the danger? MORE
Who doesn’t love to dominate the opposition with a lot of possession by intelligent short passes which in the end opens up the entire opponents defensive line? It is a fantastic tactic to use but remember you also need a plan to win the ball back when your team inevitably loses it! MORE
This training session is all about the ability to control the ball by passing in tight areas, taking advantage of moments of transition, and being coordinated to change the direction and angle of attack. MORE
in Attacking, Small Sided Games
The session splits the work into two parts: getting the ball wide and attacking in the final third. There are lots of individual responsibilities here, with the pitch in three parts and a job to be done in each zone. MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, Email newsletters
I'm not bragging when I tell you my Under 9 team scores lots of goals – they do but that's down to their hard work on the training pitch. And that is not to say they are all perfectly formed with a good shot on the player's favoured foot. My players use both feet... sometimes just to guide the ball into the net with their less favoured foot MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, Soccer dribbling drills
If you want your players to beat defenders with style, run this session. Getting young players to dribble and beat their opponent in 1v1 situations is vital to getting behind the opposition defence and creating goalscoring chances. MORE
in Blog, Team Management
I really like the idea of the respect line that the English Football Association has recommended clubs use to keep parents and supporters at bay during youth matches. It is a line that gives parents a clear and visual guide as to where they should be standing when a match is being played. MORE
in Attacking, Email newsletters
Scoring last minute goals can be due to the opposition tiring or suddenly becoming less attacking and sitting back hoping for the final whistle – but it can also be because your team is putting in a big effort to score a winner or to rescue a point with clever use of tactics. MORE
This session coaches two-touch shooting, one of the weapons Aaron Ramsey of Juventus uses on the edge of the area to control and fire in a shot. This is a fun game that gets players competing against each other in teams MORE
in Midfield, Small Sided Games
This game develops quick thinking midfielders like Christian Eriksen. Players like this can set up attacks by reacting quickly to moments of transition in a game, principally moving from defence to attack. MORE
