My teams are making the transition to indoor Futsal training this week. Some of them still have an outdoor tournament this weekend but our club always moving inside on the first of November. I enjoy the change of pace and the focus on different skills and tactics. Some coaches focus on training Futsal in isolation but I look at how the game as an opportunity to better prepare my teams and players for a return to the outdoor game in the spring. This winter … [Read more...]
#098 Creating a Cohesive Defensive Unit
Last weekend I had a game on turf Friday night, a game on very rough outdoor field on Saturday and then back to the turf for our match on Sunday. The grass field was so uneven that it made it very difficult to try to play the kind of soccer we normally attempt. I decided to take the pressure off my players and give them permission decide when they could play to feet and when to play more directly and just get the ball forward. They did a great job of making … [Read more...]
#081 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1? Klopp or Mourinho? You Decide
Over the last couple of week's I've been completing referee re-certification courses for both outdoor and Futsal. We all complain about the quality and shortage of referees. I think it's important that coaches don't just talk about it but do something to correct the problem. I'm not able to referee a lot but I pick up games when I have a gap in my coaching schedule. If every coach in the area just did a couple of games each weekend then we'd be able to … [Read more...]
#068 Developing Spacial Awareness
We started league play here last weekend. With only a few practices to prepare I just pick a couple of key points that I want to focus on because obviously there's a lot to improve at this point in the year. One of the most important things to do early is to help the players develop confidence and to understand that I believe in them and trust them. One of my favorite quotes is, "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you … [Read more...]
#062 Breaking Down the Champions League Final
We just finished up State Cup and a week of Pre Tryout camp here this week. Many of our teams have been off for a week or more after their season ended so this is a chance for them to get some touches before tryout this weekend. Last year at this time I did a podcast on our tryout process. You can go back and listen to Episode 16 to hear how we run tryouts for more than 2,000 players in one weekend. This week I talk to Sam Polak about the Champions … [Read more...]