Don’t just dig out your boot bag the day before training is due to start and polish your boots… there’s more to getting ready for the new season than that. Do you need to shed some holiday baggage or get your legs pumping again? Whatever your needs you can map out your pre-season fitness blueprint for you and your players.
Getting, and staying, fit for the first part of the new season is vital to a successful coaching strategy. If your players are not fit enough to play the way you want it will be a pointless beginning to your campaign. You need fun games, lots of touches and plenty of running around.
Start with Sprint to it, a running game that will have your players panting for breath but enjoying racing each other to get to the ball.
Another great session for individual work is the Agility Square. It’s a high tempo game that will wake up brains and give muscles a work out.
I also like to use sessions based purely on fitness work without a ball so that players can push themselves without having to think about moving the ball. The Fast footwork fitness test is one I use when preparing my teams for the tough season ahead. It doesn’t need a ball but has an element of competition that makes it fun for the players. I also find The Flower is a good option for individual fitness.
For a team work out I like to use games that work on fitness and also have a tactical element to them. Three ball pressure is a great session for getting players to press at high tempo, creating a game based on the tactic of winning the ball back wherever it is on the pitch.
And finally use 4-player pre-season support for a game that combines all the elements of individual and team play at a high tempo.
Increasing the sprinting speed of your team will have them reaching the ball faster than their opponents all over the field and can change the outcome of a match. MORE
Getting players back to fitness after a lazy summer is an important part of any pre-season checklist. This fun speed and agility exercise is great for developing quick footwork, acceleration and speed. MORE
This training session is designed to develop your players’ facility for intensive endurance. This could give you the advantage you need to win more matches. MORE
This is all about teamwork and teammates using the ball or stopping opponents from winning it. Press hard and the defenders will win the three balls in the fastest time MORE
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
My team has scored goals from lots of different areas this month but the main source of goals has been by passing the ball wide or switching play so the ball is coming from the wings, but they also score from corners and free-kicks. MORE
Moments of transition and how players react to them are vital to having a successful team. Former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho thinks reactions to transitions are the most important part of the game. He coached his teams to react quickly to winning and losing the ball which led to them dominating games MORE
The 4-3-3 is a great system to study if you are looking for a system of play for your team. No matter the age or the numbers of players involved the principles are the same. Good width, good support play, and fantastic attacking moves. MORE
My Under 9s team won a match that when you look at the result it seemed like a big win but that didn’t tell the story of the game. Both teams played well and had some great combination play but my team had an end product which unfortunately the visitors didn’t. MORE
It brought it home to me last Saturday when one of my Under 9s had played a fantastic match creating three goals and generally running the game... "but I didn't score!" he said with a face fighting back the tears. Kids don't appreciate the importance of an assist. MORE
Dribbling is the key to unlocking an opponents defence creating space to score goals either by crossing to a team mate or shooting themselves. Beating a man with a quick drop of the shoulder or with tight control is fantastic to watch not only with the top players but also with your own players – but the skill takes practice. MORE
“I took a free trial and I was blown away by the drills; it made my training sessions so much easier. ”
