April 7, 2008

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Note From David. This week is Part 2 of "Most Important Things To Teach" from SoccerHelp Premium. There's never enough practice time, so you must make effective use of your practice time by staying focused on the things that are most important. I recently received a letter from a good coach who recommended a kick-off. It was similar to the one I used to teach and that I used to recommend on SoccerHelp. When I was a semi-experienced coach (just good enough to know some things but still wanting to impress other coaches) I thought it was important to have a sort of fancy kick-off and it worked well most of the time. The problem was the time it took to practice it. In hindsight I can clearly see that the time I spent on that could have been better used on other more important things. There was also the potential problem that the fancy kick-off (which involved passing the ball backward so Forwards had time to get down field) risked losing the ball in the Center of the field on my half. I now recommend that Rec teams simply kick the ball deep to the corner, pressure the ball and hope for a turnover on the opponent’s half. Guess what: An article in the July 2004 issue of Soccer Journal (the great magazine published by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and edited by Jay Martin, who is a great guy) said that in the 2003 Women’s World Cup most teams just kicked off deep. They have plenty of practice time, so I assume they kicked deep because they thought it wasn’t worth trying anything fancy and didn’t want to risk turning over the ball in the Middle Third of the field. The point of this story isn’t to criticize anyone for using a fancy kick-off – if you have time to practice it and the ability to execute it, Great! The point is that most coaches won’t have enough time to practice the most important things and to let those coaches know that a fancy kick-off isn’t critical. If kicking to the corner is good enough for women's national teams, it’s good enough for your Rec team. If anyone says otherwise, tell them this story. Have fun and remember to smile during practice - make good memories. David, SoccerHelp.

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SoccerHelp Tips

Most Important Things To Teach Part 2
DVDs I Recommend
Forum Topics

(The links below are to Premium. If you're a Premium subscriber, you should only have to log in once as long as you leave a link open.)

Most Important Things To Teach Part 2 (from SoccerHelp Premium):

  1. Proper Technique for Passing and Receiving with the Inside-of-the-Foot. 75% of all passes and receptions at all levels of play are with the inside of the foot, yet over 50% of all Rec players use incorrect technique. If a player has used incorrect technique for several years, it is difficult to correct. So, it is very important to start teaching the proper technique by age 7 or 8. See "Skills" for how to teach Inside-of-Foot passing & receiving.
  2. Basic Terminology So You Can Communicate With Your Players And They Can Communicate With Each Other. "Far Post". "Near Post", "Center of the Field", "Middle of the Field", "Cross the Ball", "Center the Ball", "Ballside", "Goalside", "Mark", "Throw In", "Goal Kick", "Corner Kick", "Our Goal" (the one that our Goalie protects), "Their Goal", "Go To Goal", "Clear The Ball", "Control", "Send The Ball", "Danger Zone', "First Attacker/Second Attacker", "First Defender/Second Defender", "Forward", "Midfielder", "Fullback", "Goalie", "One Touch", "Two Touch", "Push Up", "Rebound", "Penalty Box", "Goal Box", "Halfway Line", "Side Line", "End Line", "Center Circle" and "Win The Ball" are among the terms that are important to teach.
  3. Proper technique for an "Advanced Throw-In" and how to defend Throw-Ins so your opponent can't use them to create scoring opportunities. Throw-ins are important because both you and your opponent will get 15-25 of them in a typical game. Good throw-ins can create scoring opportunities for your team, but incorrect form will result in the assistant referee giving the ball to the other team. If you don't defend Throw-ins properly, they can result in scoring opportunities for your opponent. How to teach an Advanced throw-in is described at "Skills" and how to teach defense of Throw-ins is described in SoccerHelp Premium at "Quick Team Improvement Program" section 2. ( To teach throw-ins, play the "Throw-Ins Teaching Game" on Premium )
  4. The concepts of "Positions", "Support" and "Shift & Sag" teach teamwork and, when combined with a "Formation" and "Style Of Play", they provide the organization for your team's play and collectively are called your "System of Play".. Starting at U-8, you should teach your players the concepts of "Positions" (i.e., that there are "Forwards", "Midfielders", "Fullbacks" and a "Goalie"), "Support" (i.e., "First Defender/Second Defender" and "First Attacker/Second Attacker/Third Attacker") and to "Shift & Sag". These concepts are easily taught and, in essence, teach teamwork. They can make a huge difference in your team's play. How to teach "Positions" is explained in SoccerHelp Premium at "How To Teach Soccer Positions". How to teach "First Defender/Second Defender" is explained at "Quick Team Improvement Program" section no. 3, at "10 Defense Tips & Tactics" section no. 7 and at "Support" in the Dictionary. How to teach "First Attacker/Second Attacker/Third Attacker" is explained at "First Attacker" in the Dictionary, and In Premium at "Scoring More Goals" and "Attacking Plan". How to teach "Shift & Sag" is explained in Premium at "Quick Team Improvement Program" section no. 4 and at "Shift & Sag" in the Dictionary. On Premium, also see "How To Teach Soccer Formations", "Formations" and see "Styles of Play" in the Dictionary.
  5. A Lofted Kick. This is important so your players can clear the ball when on defense and so they can send lofted passes or take lofted shots when on offense. How to teach this is found at "Skills" and the "Chips / Lofted Passes" Practice Game in SoccerHelp Premium and links are provided to sites that show visual demonstrations of technique. It is important to practice this and to try to teach it to your players starting at U-8.
  6. Teach the concept of "Passing To Space" and the concept of "Movement Off The Ball" as a way to "Create Space". "Passing To Space" will greatly improve the speed and flow of your attack. It will also teach your players to think about the use of space and it will teach receivers that they must go to the ball and not wait for the ball to come to them. It is a superior style of play to only "Passing To Feet". How to teach "Passing To Space" and the 2 basic types of Movement Off The Ball that all coaches can easily teach players U-10 and older are described in SoccerHelp Premium in "23 Of The Best SoccerHelp Tips & Tactics" (see no. 19 & 20).
  7. Teach "Coaching Rule No. 3", Which Explains How To Defend The Opponent's Throw-Ins, Goal Kicks, Punts and Free Kicks. This is very important because there are so many throw-ins, goal kicks, punts and free kicks, and each one is an opportunity for your team to win the ball, or at the least your team should not give the opponent an easy goal-scoring opportunity. See "22 Coaching Rules" and "Quick Team Improvement Program" No. 2 in Premium for how to teach this.
  8. 1 vs. 1 Attacking and Defending. Many Premium Practice Games teach dribbling, shielding, ball control under pressure, defending and aggressive play.

E. If you define "important" as teaching good sportsmanship and fair play, we agree 100%, but you don't need our help to teach those things and your players will learn a lot by watching their Coach and Assistant Coaches.


SoccerHelp Forum Topics: (The links go to the forum article)


DVDs I Recommend: (The links go to the Detailed Review of the DVD)

For U-4, U-6 Coaches: View Video Clips of The Coach Doug Soccerhelp Method of Coaching U-4, U-6 and U-8

For How To Teach Skills: Anson Dorrance & Tom Stone Soccer Clinic DVD, Soccer Success One On One Coaching (Basic and Intermediate Skills) DVD, Mia Hamm Soccer Secrets DVD and Gold Star Sleeve Ties, England Skills Uncovered DVD, Training Girls and Women To Win 3-DVD Set

For Motivation, Fun and Foot Skills (experienced and travel players age 9 and older): GOL! (Brazilian Soccer Foot Skills and Ball Control Training) DVD

For Rec Girls: Mia Hamm Soccer Secrets with Gold Star Sleeve Ties

For Moves: Watch Video Clips from SoccerHelp Foot Skills and Soccer Moves Training Program (Motor Memory Training and Aerobic Workout) DVD, Coerver Play Great Soccer 2-DVD Set, GOL! (Brazilian Soccer Foot Skills and Ball Control Training) DVD

For Travel Team Players: Watch Video Clips from SoccerHelp Foot Skills and Soccer Moves Training Program (Motor Memory Training and Aerobic Workout) DVD, GOL! (Brazilian Soccer Foot Skills and Ball Control Training) DVD, Coerver Play Great Soccer 2-DVD Set, England Skills Uncovered DVD, Training Girls and Women To Win 3-DVD Set.

For Serious Coaches, Tactics, Attacking and Defense: Anson Dorrance & Tom Stone Soccer Clinic DVD, 404 Great Goals DVD, Coaching Set Plays 2-DVD Set, Keeper! 2-DVD Set, Modern Defending 3-DVD Set (German Training Program), Systems of Play DVD, Zonal Defending DVD, Soccer Tactics - Defending and Attacking 4-DVD Set


Watch Video Clips

Premium Attacking Navigation Page (there are over 40 articles about attacking on Premium)

Soccer Incentive Patches

Alphabetical List Of DVDs

Money-Saving Combo Deals (these are listed by price, with the lowest priced ones first)

Read about SoccerHelp Premium. Premium now has over 800 pages, 3,500 internal links, over 200 pages about Formations (4v4, 5v5, 6v6, 7v7, 8v8, 9v9 and 11v11), over 150 pages about Positions and Styles of Play, and a Forum where Members can ask questions to Members and David at SoccerHelp.

Dear Newsletter Subscriber, you can change your email address or unsubscribe from the SoccerHelp Newsletter by using the “Manage your Subscription" link at the bottom of the newsletter. The SoccerHelp newsletter is free and we never share our mailing list or give your email address to anyone.