Planning Practices and Training Sessions:

All the hard work in soccer is done during the training session. We must work on physical and mental conditioning, while developing them technically and tactically. We should carefully plan all sessions.

Each session should emphasize one or more specific components of soccer in an order that will allow gradual improvement.

The Master Plan:

Working off a master plan that lists all the components is a good idea. You should create your daily training sessions off of your master plan. The daily plans should emphasize practice economy by combining as many components as possible. Small-sided conditioned games are a good way to combine these components.

The training sessions should be challenging, enjoyable and provide all players with a certain amount of success. We practice to remember success.

Training Emphasis:

You should expect the players to report in somewhat good physical condition. This should be done by you giving out an off-season training program for the players to do. The player’s concept of being fit and the coaching staffs concept will be different. Therefore, physical conditioning during the early part of the season is necessary.

The challenge is to get the players ready without causing injuries. At the same time, you must develop your players technically, and to do at least some work on individual tactics and team tactics. This depends on the age group you are coaching (see training curriculum).

The Components of Soccer:

The major components of soccer are Physical Development (conditioning), Technical Development, Tactical Development, and Psychological Development.

At the beginning of a season we would spend more time on conditioning and very little on tactics. As we progress in the season we spend less time on conditioning and more time on individual tactics. By the end of the season we work to develop team tactics. From the beginning of the training season to the end of the season, we always work on technique improvement.

We suggest that the purely physical work be done at the end of your training sessions. Players are less tired and have better concentration during the technique and tactics phases. However, if your training session is to develop speed, this should be done after the warm-up and stretch, at the beginning. Speed development is best done when the player is not tired. Note-any speed development should not be done too early in the season. Players must have a good physical base before working on speed development to avoid injuries.

The Daily Practice Plan:

During the beginning of the season you should develop you daily plans from your master schedule. Once the match season starts you should prepare your daily plans based both on your master schedule, and also based on review of the last match. For older teams the plans may be developed through scouting reports of the upcoming team.

No matter what time in the season all training sessions should include conditioning and technique development. All training session should include a warm-up and static stretching along with a scrimmage at the end and a warm-down with a stretch.

Note-always include your water breaks and your work to rest ratio in your training sessions.

Do not allow dead ball shooting by your players before the session starts. Hard shooting can cause severe injuries if done before a proper warm-up.

Make your sessions positive and challenging. Never spend too much time on talking. The players want to play, so make your coaching points, briefly and accurately. Don’t over coach and coach to the subject you are working on for that session.

Practice is very important to soccer. Make your sessions efficient and effective. Practices should be economical and must combine the major components of soccer. Small-sided, conditioned games usually satisfy those principles. The players must achieve at least some success in overcoming challenges. Finally, the sessions must be enjoyable.

Economical Practices:

The soccer game-once the opening whistle in the match sounds, coaching stops. Except for injury or tactical substitutions, halftime instructions or adjustments, the coach can best serve the team by observing calmly and confidently. Quiet confidence will be transmitted to the team. The observations made in the match will usually set the theme for the next training session. The training sessions should duplicate match conditions. Design small-sided conditioned games that highlight a technique or tactic the needs attention. This method is the whole-part whole-method. Observe the whole, see the problem and design a realistic game that allows the players to work on the problem. Once the players master the problem in the small-sided game, take it back into the match, the whole.

Small-sided games: Conditioned games are a very good coaching tool. The number of players that will be involved will be based on the component that is being improved. Example: You may start with a 2 v 1 situation as an example. Lets say you are working on defensive support, two defenders verses one attacker could show how you want distance and angle of support.

Small-sided conditioned games are match related. They allow players to practice a technique or tactic under match like pressure. Pressure can be controlled and added to. A small-sided, conditioned game must include opposition, a counterattack and a goal. They can involve as few or as many players as you see necessary to achieve the objective.

Examples of Small-sided games:

1 V 1- coach individual technique and tactics, both offensively and defensively.

2 V 1- coach the attackers to beat the lone defender by dribbling or by passing. You could work wall passing, through passing, back passing, takeovers etc. or the lone defender could be coached on positioning or marking space.

3 V 2- coaches could instruct the offense to create width and depth or the coaching could be on the defenders support, space marking and role switching.

3 v 3- coaches may work on mobility and innovation by the attackers or communication by the defenders.

4 v 3, 4 v 4, 5 v 4, 5 v 5, - allows players to work not only on the technique and tactics, but also on position-related specifics, width, depth, player distribution, compactness and transition.

Note- Small-sided games players touch the ball more often, and the situations you want to work on occur more often. The game is much easier to coach and for the players to understand. Everything that happens in an 11-a-side match happens in a three-versus-three game.

Conditions: The coach may also want to put conditions on the game. For instance, if the team is practicing combination plays in a three-versus-three game, the coach may specify that every goal will count, but a goal scored after the execution of a wall pass will count for 2 or 3. or a goal resulting from a through pass will count for 2, or a takeover may count for 2.

These are just a few examples- Almost any technique or tactic can be coached within these games.

Successful Practices:

Mastering a realistic challenge motivates players. All sessions should present these challenges to the team and to the individual player. All sessions should conclude with a reasonable amount of success.

At times you may present a challenge that somehow doesn’t seem to work.

Did the players understand what you wanted?

Did you demonstrate it clearly?

Did it conflict with earlier challenges?

Did you try to coach too many techniques or tactics in one session?

Was there too much pressure, or was there too little space?

Was the number of players correct?

Not having success at a certain endeavor is a coaching problem, not a player problem.

Enjoyable Practices:

If you gave players a choice of what to do at a session, they would all vote for a two-hour scrimmage. They want to play the game of soccer.

Sessions can be challenging and fun when you present players with realistic challenges and allow them to have a good time overcoming them.

If your practices are dull and without much purpose the team will be discontented, tired and become bored.

Your preparation, good use of time, positive attitude, and the ability to praise and compliment even minor successes will create an enjoyable atmosphere. In this atmosphere, it is much easier to work on the serious parts of the session.

Having success is easy if you plan for it.

Suggestions would be as follows:

·         Plan and prepare every session.

·         Vary your practices, (don’t work something to death).

·         Make it economical, by keeping everybody involved.

·         Make sure each challenge you present provides some success.

·         Explain the purpose of each practice, and how it relates to the game.

·         Keep things positive and light-hearted.

·         Make sure you are enjoying yourself.

·         Keep things in perspective, soccer is a game.

The Master Plan:

The following is only an example of a master seasonal plan. The master plan for the team should be developed form the age appropriate training curriculum.

Sample of a Season –use of a Master Plan:

The plan below would be an example of progression for an older team. From this plan the weekly plan would be formed. The training curriculum for a specific age group should be the theme to develop a master plan for a team.

·         Conditioning

·         Technique development (throughout the season)

·         Principles of defense

·         Principles of attack

·         Compactness

·         Defending and attacking on corner kicks

·         Defending and attacking on direct and indirect free kicks close to the penalty area.

·         Defending and attacking on direct and indirect free kicks away form the penalty area

·         Tactics for the throw-ins. (possession or penetration)

·         Tactics used for the kickoff (opponents and ours)

·         Distribution from the goalkeeper (possession or penetration)

·         Building up from the back.

·         Midfield tactics

·         Setting the offside trap

·         Beating the offside trap

·         One-on-one tactics

·         Combination play

·         Runs off the ball

·         Crossing plays, both long and short

·         Penalties

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