By: John Klessinger – South River High School (MD) Originally Published in: A Coach’s Manual Provided by: Championship Productions “Great players and great teams want to be driven. They want to be pushed to the […]
1v1 Defending Drill Progression with Colby Peek – McKinney Boyd HS (TX)
Watch as Coach Colby Peek explains and shows practice video of this 1v1 defending drill progression. The drill utilizes cones as the player runs to the cone, working on pressing to a specific direction. The […]
Are You Trustworthy? with Dr. Timothy Baghurst – Florida State Univ.
Watch as Dr. Timothy Baghurst explains that trust is the #1 factor in building culture. It all starts with you and if the players, assistant coaches, and staff don’t trust you, it does not matter […]
Assistant Coach Checklist
By: Denise Corlett – (Retired) Stanford University Originally Published in: Winning Ways of Women Coaches Provided by: Human Kinetics ☐ Always be loyal to your head coach, staff, and school. At some point you might […]
Roles of the First Defender with Ian Barker – United Soccer Coaches
Watch as Coach Ian Barker discusses the roles of the first defender. The first defender must apply pressure to prevent penetration and delay the ball until the defense can set. The defender’s speed and angle […]
Fear Is Powerful, but It Is Better to Build and Not Break with Kate Leavell
Kate Leavell explains that fear is a powerful tool that works as a short-term motivational tool but requires more and more overtime to be effective. Eventually fear does not work, as the recipient tunes it […]
Pre-Practice and Post-Practice Suggestions with Vince Ganzberg – US Club Soccer
Watch as Coach Vince Ganzberg discusses pre-practice and post-practice plans. He suggests handing out or posting daily practice plans to players and giving them time to look it over. Always use positive and welcoming language […]
Goalie: Footwork Saves with James Crowder – West Texas A&M
Watch as Coach James Crowder explains, and goalies demonstrate this footwork saves drill. The goalies line up behind the mannequin and on command take small quick steps around the mannequin to receive a shot, making […]
Communicating Your Vision with Dr. Alex Auerbach – Toronto Raptors
Watch as Dr. Alex Auerbach discusses setting goals on a vision. Great coaches have the ability to communicate to an individual or team on what they can accomplish and convey the belief that they can […]
Elements of a High-Performance Culture
By: Carla Nicholls, Lead of Paralympic High Performance – Athletics Canada (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada), CAAWS Leadership Facilitator at the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS), and Former Head […]
Channel Game: 1 Touch 1 Defender with Brian McMahon – (Retired) Palm Beach Atlantic Univ.
Watch as Coach Brian McMahon explains, and players demonstrate the Channel Game: 1 Touch 1 Defender Drill. The degree of difficulty increases with 1 touch and players must think quickly, keeping the ball on the […]
What Do You Want to Achieve? with Donna Fishter – Donna Fishter Consulting
Watch as Donna Fishter discusses achievement and what you want to achieve regarding your team goals. Make this part of the team culture and decide how to reinforce the goals. Set the team goals and […]
Self-Awareness Test
Provided by: Raise Your Game Self-Test Despite the “self” in self-awareness, to ensure accuracy it is important to solicit intentional and purposeful feedback from those who know you best (your inner circle). As comedians know, […]
Cross Step and Sprint with Alan Yost – Capital Univ.
Watch as Coach Alan Yost explains, and players demonstrate this defensive cross step drill. The defensive player must cross step and sprint to a cover position and drop step. It is important to keep your […]
Be Able to Lead Yourself Before You Try to Lead Others with Jeff Janssen – Janssen Sports Leadership Center
Watch as Jeff explains how kids can start to ‘check out’ if their expectations are not met and how this can make it hard for them to demonstrate leadership. He discusses that kids need to […]
Throw-Ins: Technical/Tactical Topics with Mike Melton – US Naval Academy
Watch as Coach Mike Melton discusses the technical/tactical aspects of throw-ins. A major issue for most players is the lack of training and practice for the art of throw-ins. He explains in detail examples of […]
Goalkeepers Pole Drill with Paul Rogers – FC Cincinnati
Watch as Coach Paul Rogers explains, and players demonstrate this goalkeepers pole drill. The poles are set up 3 to 4 yards apart as that is the distance a goalkeeper should make 100% saves. The […]
Visualize Success with Jay Martin – Ohio Wesleyan Univ.
Watch as Coach Jay Martin discusses visualization skills and the positive effects on successful performance. Players should visualize doing something good in a game or practice using all their senses to make it real. Make […]
Taking Charge
Provided by: Raise Your Game The true test of a great leader is revealed not in what he does but what his people do without him. How does your team act when you’re not there? […]
Crazy 8’s Drill with Marcus Wood – Dallas Baptist Univ.
Watch as Coach Marcus Wood explains, and players demonstrate the Crazy 8’s Drill. The drill is usually used on a travel day or days between games to remove lactic acid after a long time traveling/being […]
Mentoring Your Leaders in Practice Sessions with Donna Fishter
Watch as Coach Donna Fishter discusses the importance of monitoring your team leaders in practice sessions. She gives an example of, as a coach, approaching a leader and pointing out a player who may be […]
Mindfulness for Sport: Capture the Most Important Moment, the Present Moment
By: Danny Ourian Provided by: www.hoopsminded.com What is the most important play in any game? We often say “the next play.” Miss a lay-up, fumble the football, get out on a pop fly ball. As […]
Two-Player Horizontal Finishing Drill with Jay Hoffman – Centre College
Watch as Coach Jay Hoffman explains and players demonstrate this midfielders two-player horizontal finishing drill. The drill emphasizes a hard touch and going to the goal with pressure.
3v1 Transitional Rondo with Marcus DiBernardo – Monroe College New Rochelle
Watch as Coach Marcus DiBernardo explains and shows video of this 3v1 transitional rondo exercise. The blue group has possession and after three passes, can transition the ball to the grey group. Make sure the […]
Why Play a Back 4 Defense? with David Newbery – Institute of Youth Sports Leaders
Watch as Coach David Newbery explains that a lot of teams play with three players up top so defending with 4 players makes a lot of sense. Defensive strategies for playing a back 4 include […]
Back Foot Defense with Alan Yost – Capital Univ.
Watch as Coach Alan Yost explains, and players demonstrate defending with the back foot. Goalkeepers are taught to defend the near post, and the back post is the responsibility of the first defender. The first […]
Culture: Vision and Habits with Kevin DeShazo – Culture Wins
Watch as Kevin DeShazo explains that if you want to change, you need to create new habits while replacing old unhealthy ones. You also may need to replace healthy habits that are not good for […]
Motivating Players to Improve: 10 Ideas
By: Oscar Collins Provided by: Amplified Soccer Now that sports are getting back into full swing, what can you do to spur your team to victory? It’s your job as a coach to restore your […]
Over the River Game with Derek Pittman – UTSA
Watch as Coach Derek Pittman explains and shows diagrams and video clips of the Over the River Game. This is a 5v2 fast-paced exercise with three teams of five and a fourth team on the […]
Build a Culture of Character with Stephen Mackey – 2Words Character Development
Watch as Stephen Mackey explains that great coaches use sports to develop young men and women to be successful in life. When you develop the person and not the player, you build champions that can […]