Excellent site with easy to navigate pages.
Hello all! My kids aged 9 and 7 are very slow when compared to their peers of the same age. They don't seem to fight for the ball and get and watch others play their game. They seem to lack the urgency (heart) needed for the game. (They LOVE football). How can make them move around and react faster. Any help you are able to provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks O
Hello, I am currently coaching an u9's boys team and a majority of them are well behaved and want to play football, but the odd 1or2 tend to mess around at training which distracts the others. I have sat them out in training and spoken to the parents but still this goes on. Do I decide to kick them out of the team altogether or does anyone know the miracle cure to stop this happening?
I took over a under 8s team 2 years ago unfortunately soccer is not my game and I did as there was no other option other than to fold. Im a good coach in terms of developing a good team (discipline, teamwork , sportsmanship fun etc) but I think my lack of knowledge about the game is holding the team back . I have a 12 players who are about to move up to the under 10s level , they skill level ranges from timid to very skilled, I try to give each player equal time and the lower skilled players are improving (just not at the same pace as the opposition). Unfortunately the opposition we face seem to be light years ahead in terms of playing a scheme and we are often found out during games (i have used a basic zone defense to try and stop the team becoming ball magnets). I think its a mixture of me insisting all players get equal playing time and the fact I dont know enough about the game to be able to coach an effective scheme and to react to opposition schemes. They are good kids and I want to give them a taste of success (you can only say it was bad luck so many times) but cant seem to get our club to take it to the next level. The drills on sportsplan are helpful but a lot of drills are too complicated for the kids age or can simply go wrong very quickly in reality. We dont get thrashed in games but we cant seem to eke out a draws or wins (I know its not all about winning but try explaining that to the kids when they lose on a regular basis)Any suggestions
Disciplining for misbehaviour? 8-11 year olds, they dont really get bored because i know that sometimes that can be the cause. How or what can i apply a bit of strictness into the team.
I run a U11 team that is reasonably successful and plays with confidence and spends a lot of the time on the front foot. However we seem to get caught week after week by the simple long ball over the top and would welcome some tips/drills to help the lads improve this part (it's driving me mad!). Thanks in advance.
Hi, My team plays in a mini soccer league which is 7v7. Whats the best formation to play in the environment. We have played 2-3-1 all season but i was looking at 3-1-2 this season using the left and right backs as wingers aswell. Any one got any thoughts? Cheers
My team have conceded 18 goals in 3 games and they have all been the same kind of goals. We always try and get the back 3 upto the halfway line when attacking which mean naturally my midfielders are further up the pitch. Here lies the problem, when we lose possession we are simply not quick enough at getting back, a long ball over the top or some quick play we seem to be overloaded and concede quickly, iv tried getting my goalkeeper starting position improved to cut out the long ball but he's not confident doing that. Should I abandon the need to get to the halfway line as quick as possible and maybe drop 15 yards leaving less space behind. In possession we are a good team but out of possession we have become easy to score against. I as a coach need to be more vocal during games and possibly do a bit more in-game coaching as iv always believed it's best to give instruction and challenges before games and at half time. Any advice would be appreciated
where on the field can I play a slow player
defending the long ball
I coach an under 12s team and although in training we do lots of passing and shooting drills, using both feet, when it comes to a game situation (in training or on Sunday) they all go back to only kicking using their stronger foot.
We have a tall strong player in our under 12 team, he is well built but we are not sure what his best position is ie out and striker or centre back he tends to go on long runs and can withstand strong tackles but he does try to do too much and can tire, he doesn't always pass when he should and often will shoot wide where placing his shoot would be better any suggestions ?
Hi has anyone got a good warm up routine for a under 18 team before a match?
During a match, my team seem to stand back and let the other team take control. Is there anyway I can get them to be first to the ball and compete to win?
We have a group of 10 year olds (10 of them) and wanted to make our scrimmage more effective by working forwards and defenders at the same time.My thought was to have 2 teams%3A team 1/forwards%3A score on goal and team 2/defenders that get a point for regaining the ball.Any better ideas?
can u suggest warm ups before training and how long between drills thanx
...where it will list and describe playing terminology such as shave, tackle-back, steal, forehand.
How do I teach players about positioning in a 7 a side game
My under 10's defenders keep getting caught forward when the opposition counter attack and we concede goals because we don't get back quick enough. How can I improve this please?
I have a U12 girls that play8v8 with ofsides.Often times they want to hang on the 18 and wait for the attack. Despite practice. It seems some prior coaches that have coached at the varsity level feel that keeping your back line in a V formation with the center toward the goal is the best. To me having a line pressing will allow the wings and mid to get back and help. Keeping the defense back I think is bad medicine as well as creating space in between the center back and mid fielder. Allows the attack to then pass between defenders and to space. No offside advantage either. What is right. I have been able to get them to play up at least but the v formation seems to cause the advantage to the attacker. Are the higher up coaches wrong or are they trying to implement a tactic that works better with 11v11?
How do I get my keeper to kick hi and longer goal kicks. Thanks Asked using Sportplan Mobile App
in more ways than one
Possession without purpose is pointless. These drills combine ball retention with physical conditioning to create teams that dominate and outlast opponents.
Teams have just 6 seconds to exploit a turnover before defences reorganise. Learn how to train your players to attack with speed and purpose.
The U10 age group is the golden window for developing ball mastery. Miss it, and you're playing catch-up forever. Here's how to get it right.
Coaches from around the world look to Sportplan for coaching confidence.