Read Chapter 1 - The Relationship Coach - from The Future Coach, by Tom Bates here... * I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou * Seeing the world through the…
Category: Football and Soccer Coaching
Goalkeeper Training Drills
In this excerpt from 65 Goalkeeper Training Exercises, Andy Elleray offers two highly effective goalkeeper training drills. * Back Ball/Knees Explanation The aim of the game is for the designated goalkeeper, with any kind of ball, to touch their opponents on the middle of the back with their ball. This…
Soccer Tough by Dan Abrahams | Chapter 10: Kevin’s 10,000 Hours
It wasn’t a gift from birth that helped him score 62 goals as a youth team player in a single season. It was Acton Park, or more precisely the thousands of hours he spent there with his two brothers practicing and playing football. The park in Acton is just a…
Soccer Brain by Dan Abrahams | Chapter 1: The Roots of Creativity
An excerpt from: ‘The Wizard’ glared at his players. This was first practice, he knew what to say: “I'm not going to like you all the same. You won't like me or each other all the same either. Nor will I treat you all the same.” At first glance this…
The Future Soccer Player by Gerard Jones
An excerpt from: Click on the cover to learn more * When working with a player today, prepare them for the game of tomorrow. Often in education, like in the coaching of sports, we only prepare the learner based on the world of today… not tomorrow. The danger is that…
Coaching Psychological Skills: Introduction and Sample Soccer Coaching Exercises
From the top-rated soccer coaching book: * The Role of Psychology in Football Once again you’re stood, frustrated, in the technical area as the ball nestles into the back of the net. Despairingly you gaze up to the sky before looking back to the pitch to see your opponents celebrating…
Coaching Psychological Skills in Soccer: Sample Football Exercises (Part 2)
From the top-rated soccer coaching book: * << page 1 Introducing the ‘5Cs’ of Soccer Psychology It should already be clear that there are a wide variety of behaviours and responses on show during training and matches, and not all of them are desirable. One of the main aims of…
Early Specialisation in Soccer (Chapter 10)
Taken from the Matthew Whitehouse bestseller: Click on the cover to learn more * “Early specialization is a phenomenon created by self-interested and financially motivated adults” Mike Boyle. In the past few chapters we have looked at the golden age of learning, issues with the technical development of young players, and concerns about…
High School Soccer Programs: Pregame Mental Preparation
An excerpt from How do you address your soccer team before a game? Is it laced with the word ‘winning’? Should it be? In our sports-minded society, it seems winning is the only thing that’s important. Players and coaches are judged on whether they win (or not) and coaches are…
High School Soccer Programs: Do You Trust Your Players?
Are you able to trust your players in a game situation? Do you give them opportunities to make mistakes? Do they know you trust them? Or do you feel the need to be in control of practically every situation? I witness coaches, every day, who scream instructions continuously from the…