Drills Archives - Page 28 of 38

Train the Striker: Up, Back and Through

In the clip below Schellas Hyndman, current Men’s Soccer Head Coach at Grand Canyon University, leads the Up, Back, and Through drill as part of his Exercises to Train the Striker demonstration. This very simple and effective drill focuses on several key points that will help your strikers (forwards) continue to improve and develop their skills. Coach Hyndman, who has over 30 years of coaching experience, has excelled at both the collegiate (Eastern Illinois, SMU) and professional (FC Dallas) levels.

This drill consists of six players that are set up in a rectangle shape. The two players on each end (four total) are the midfielders and the two players in the middle are the strikers (forwards). The drill starts with one midfielder passing the ball into one of the strikers (Up). The striker receives the ball and passes back to the midfielder (Back). Both strikers then spin and curl their runs as the midfielder connects a pass to one of them in space (Through).

Coach Hyndman briefly explains and shows how this works, then he makes a change and adjustment that is used throughout the rest of the drill. He instructs the striker to receive the ball from the midfielder, but instead of passing it back to this player, he wants the pass to go to the other striker. After making this pass, the striker continues their run to receive a pass back from the other striker into space.

The video clip is just a portion of a presentation that Coach Hyndman made at a Glazier Soccer Clinic. For information on how to obtain access to the entire presentation as well as hundrdeds of other clinic presentations click the link Glazier Clinics Vault. To find out about glazier soccer clinics scheduled near you click here

The video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site.

There are several great coaching points made during this drill:

1. Strikers (forwards) checking back to the ball

When the midfielder is making the first pass, the striker should always be checking back or moving towards the ball.This movement not only creates space away from a defender during a game, it opens up space behind the defender once they move towards the striker and ball. Most importantly, checking back to the ball is a good habit that youwant your strikers to learn.

2. Strikers (forwards) receiving the ball with their back foot

This drill is a great opportunity for strikers to practice receiving the ball with their back foot. This requires your midfielders to be accurate in passing the ball to the proper foot. The importance of receiving the ball with your back foot is that it teaches players to open their bodies up. Coach Hyndman discusses the angle of checking back to receive the ball with your back foot, which is also extremely important in this drill.

3. Combination play between strikers (forwards)

The simple “give and go” pass is used at every level and is very effective. If you can train your strikers to work together and as a group, you will be much better off and create more chances to score. A key point to this is that your strikers stay connected during a game. They should always be moving up and back together, as well as side to side on the field.

Soccer Speed: Improve Your Ability To Run Away From Defenders

Soccer requires players to speed up, slow down and change directions quickly. Players must be able to run forward, backwards and shuffle from side to side. Their ability to move effectively combined with great skill can make them a very good player.

While all types of movements are critical, nothing is more helpful than straight ahead speed. Most of the running in a soccer match is forward and in a straight line. By taking time to improve your players straight line, or linear speed, you can greatly increase their effectiveness on the pitch. The ability to run away from defenders or beat an opponent to the ball is simply devastating.

Their are two courses of action that will increase your players linear speed. First you need to implement a strength training program that will help them improve their power. Secondly, you can teach them proper form. Simply training the athlete to run correctly will increase their linear speed.

The video below is from the Renegade Soccer Training YouTube Channel and in it Coach JR shows 5 drills that you can utilize to teach your athletes to run properly. For other great soccer coaching tools visit Renegade Soccer Training

The Youtube video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is tuned on and that you have access to the site (Some schools block access to YouTube. If you are watching in a school setting and having trouble viewing the clip, please contact your network administrator)

The following is a recap of the 5 running form drills that Coach JR demonstrated in the video

1. Arm Form
90-degree bend in the elbow
One hand moves 1 ft in front of face
Other hand moves back next to hip (keeping the 90-degreee bend in the elbow)

2. Step Over and Down
Step up and over their opposite knee
Drive their foot down under their chin
Heel off the ground. On the front half of the foot.

3. Robot March
Combine arms and legs (drills 1 and 2)
Opposite arms and legs

4. A Skip
High knee skip

5. A Drill (High Knees)
Proper aggressive arm action
High knees with step over and down action
Forward upper body lean

Getting Players Excited About the Basics

This article was provided by Coaches Network

Fundamental skills are the foundation of each sport, but it can be difficult to make them exciting. In order for athletes to take their performance to the next level, they need to master the fundamentals of their sport, which often takes continuous work. You can take steps to prevent this important part of training from being boring. An article on Coachup.com provides strategies for getting your athletes excited about the basics.

When athletes see the value in learning the fundamentals of soccer they are likely to excel quicker than those who find it boring or are simply going through the motions. One of the first ways to motivate your athletes to work on the basics is by explaining to them that true progress is made when no one is looking. If they have an internal drive to improve, they are much more likely to put in the time, focus, and effort into every aspect of the sport.

Today’s professional athletes are often admired for the spectacular things they can do with their bodies. Though they are great at showing off their advanced skills, it is their mastery of the fundamentals that allows them to do so. Young athletes look up to these professionals and want to emulate their talent as quickly as possible, but to do that, they have to trust and fall in love with the process. Practicing the more advanced skills can be valuable, but it’s also essential to build a proper foundation.

One of the best ways to get athletes to focus on the basics is through 1-on-1 training. But this isn’t always realistic for team coaches who have to train the fundamentals in a large group. In order to get your entire team motivated and excited to work on basic skills, consider using these training strategies:

Incorporate fun games that focus on the core aspects of the sport. By adding an element of competition, athletes will be more likely to get excited and show sustained interest in their training. Make sure that the games are simple and inclusive so that everyone on the team, no matter their skill level, has a chance to participate and work on their skills.
Set specific goals for each practice to hold your athletes accountable. Whether that means each person has to make a certain number of shots, complete a certain amount of passes, or run a specified distance, these goals brings an added level of motivation to each training session. Completing these goals can be woven into other practice activities so that training does not become monotonous.
When having your athletes complete a specific fundamental exercise, time them and track their progress. This can motivate them to either compete against themselves and continually decrease their time, or compete against each other. Either way, this adds another element of competition while also showing them their progress. When athletes see themselves getting better they will be more motivated to continue working hard.
Provide incentives for giving a full effort and completing a drill with perfect fundamental technique. Promising to reward your athletes with a rest day or a fun activity if they work hard is a great way to motive them through what might be a boring fundamental drill. Try to come up with creative ways to incentivize them so that they will continually be pushed to focus on the basics.

Click here to read the article.

Two Functional Finishing Drills

There are many different scenarios that lead to scoring opportunities. There are also many different ways or methods to finish and score. You may take the ball out of the air with your head or foot. You may beat your defender with a move a score with your right or left foot. You might receive a pass along the ground and simply use one touch to finish. The point is that as a coach you must constantly put you players in position to use a variety of skills to finish in a variety of situations.

Below is a video clip from a Glazier Clinic Vault featuring Lee Cullip, Sporting Director – Technical Intitute. In this clip Coach Cullip demonstrates two different functional finishing drills that are simple to set up, effective and easily adaptable.

You can click on the link above to learn how to gain access to Coach Cullip’s entire presentation entitled Player Centric Development in a Group Environment. The vault also contains many other presentations from some of the finest soccer coaches in the country. In addition, Glazier also conducts a number of camps around the country. Click the link Glazier Soccer Clinics to see if there is a clinic near you.

The clip below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on.

The first activity consists of two lines of players stationed near the center of the field facing the goal. The distance from the goal may be varied depending on your individual needs. Two passers are placed a few yards in front of and between the two lines. The players on the right side will make a move to the outside and open up to receive a pass from the middle passers. They will then push pass to the outside (around a mannequin or pole) and strike the ball towards the goal.

The left side line will open up and receive a pass from the middle passers and then fake to the outside, make a move past a mannequin or pole, push the ball to the open middle and strike the ball towards the goal.

The second drill begins by placing two mannequins in the middle of the field. Two offensive players are placed with their backs to the mannequins. A ball is served over the players head. Once the ball is over their heads, the players spin out and around the mannequin. Their goal is to use the inside of their foot and only one touch to put the ball in the back of the net. The two lines compete against each other.

Midfield Attack

To be successful in the attack, you need more than just your forwards making attacking runs. Your midfield players need to expose the space from the opposition’s back line as well. Jay Hoffman, Centre College Head Women’s Coach, believes that “if you win the midfield, you are going to win games”

In the video clip below Coach Hoffman explains a drill that he uses to train his three-player midfield and two outside backs to combine and connect to his three forwards to attack successfully. The drill is played 5v2 in the midfield, 3v1 in the attacking third and a goalkeeper.

The drill is from a complete DVD designed to help you train your midfielders to help break the last line of defense and create a numbers up situation going to goal. The DVD includes the following:
1. Learn a unctional warm-up for midfield play that focuses on splitting defenders with the pass and making overlapping runs
2. Learn the movement and supporting angles needed to link the midfield and forwards together
3. Learn how to train players to read defensive players and make decisions based on their positioning

For more information regarding this DVD please click the link Using the Midfield to Break the Last Line of Defense

The YouTube video below has sound so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. (Some schools block access to YouTube. You may need to contact your network administrator)

Coach Hoffman’s drill is set up as follows. Three forwards are placed in a a 15 yd side zone that begins about 20 yds from the goal. The three forwards must remain in their zone unless a ball is played behind them and they can run into to score. There is just one defender in the box with them plus a keeper in goal.

Beyond the 15 yard wide box, he places two attacking and one holding midfielder in a triangle and places two outside backs along each sideline.

The drill begins by having the goalkeeper play a long ball that the midfielders must knock down and posses. They will then play 5 v 3 in the midfield looking to make a pass so that one of the forwards can make a run.