Sometimes young coaches feel they have to correct every little thing on the practice field, and all too often they take this approach at games too. “Be slow to correct and quick to commend.” – John Wooden I’ve seen coaches get frustrated with an 8 year old player that hit the ball with a karate [...]

Here is a little advice from an all-time great on the best training tool out there: Dennis Bergkamp, the great Dutch striker said that when he was a young player at Ajax, they had little three foot high walls. He would knock the ball against it for hours. Every time he hit the ball, he [...]

Imagine a 4 year old soccer player; he’s watched his sisters play soccer since he was born. His dad coaches all year long and he’s been dribbling and kicking a ball from the time he could walk. It’s his first organized game with his “team” and coach. He’s fired up. The grandparents have come, even [...]

In order to create a positive learning environment on the soccer field, it is imperative that you take into consideration where your players are Developmentally (psychomotor, psychosocial and cognitive stages). Expecting too much from your 8 year old because they don’t understand the “theory of attacking” or the logic behind the “covering defender” only leads [...]

This past season I had put together a team of U-8 players comprised of approximately 50% girls and 50% boys to play in a co-ed indoor league at the Bladium in Alameda. The boys on the team were 6 years of age and the girls 7 years of age. I had one girl that was [...]

David Ferreira was injured last year in a game against Vancouver and missed the rest of the season. He’s been “healthy” physically and participating in drills, but hasn’t participated in scrimmages. Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said, “One of the problems he’s running into is the mind; he’s still worried about how strong he is, or [...]

Hands down the best coaching course I’ve taken. The theory is extremely rich and provides a solid foundation for why  and how to create developmentally appropriate training sessions and youth programs. The week is definitely demanding because it gets coaches out of the normal “coach centered” approach of running a practice and introduces the concept [...]

The below was taken from the CYSA May 2011 newsletter. Submitted by Philippe Blin, CYSA ODP Technical Director One of the difficulties that players face is realizing how coaches are assessing their talent and potential as a student-athlete. How you perform under game conditions sets the yardstick on how you will be measured. The game [...]

Dan Coyle is the bestselling author of “The Talent Code” a book that discusses and highlights the learning recipe he’s found necessary to create talent. Those things are: Deep Learning (10,000 hours) Immediate feedback Repetition Coaching to oversee and direct the learned behavior   Here is a quick video of his presentation for U.S. Soccer. [...]

These five principles of defensive play are the key to good team and individual defending at all levels of the game. Pressure/delay – To prevent attackers from penetrating your defense, the first defender (the player nearest to the ball) should apply immediate pressure to the ball carrier. His objective is not to win the ball, [...]