I love this young woman, Indi Cowie, who works so hard and so passionately at controlling a soccer ball. Her dedication and skill led her to perform in front of 76,000 fans in one of the biggest matches of the year…ManU vs Chelsea. Amazing! Best advice?

“You have to be dedicated. You have to have that drive to learn how to do that. Don’t give up. You have to keep going and going and going. And then once you get it, it is one of the most amazing feelings.”

Soccer Classroom

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and they have to have the names on the back

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I have tried for a very long time to help players understand the importance of rhythm in the game. The team that can establish and maintain this has the upper hand.  The problem is that the players all have a different interpretation of the game and now that my older boys are  just finished with high school, it is impossible to establish a rhythm in practice.

The boys all looked at the Champions League game today between Barcelona and Arsenal. The rhythm of play was a joy to behold. No simple pass is overlooked, and just when you think there is nowhere to go, the penetrative pass shows itself. The players are constantly moving and making adjustments. I am amazed that the players do not try to replicate this, because they all talk about how amazing the players are to watch.

The problem is certainly not with all the boys, but there are a few bad DJs on the pitch.  The ball moves with one or two touches through midfield and then it finds the bad DJ, who is guaranteed to break the rhythm. The movement of everyone else is negated and the collective trend of thought is destroyed.

The boys think this is funny, but I challenged them not to be the bad DJ at practice. I asked them to imagine being at a club. The music is flowing and everyone is dancing. Some idiot falls on the turn tables (showing my age) and there is a huge scratching noise as the music grinds to a halt. The crowd roars in disapproval.  Don’t be that idiot! Let the music play.

There are three steps to developing rhythm in the game. Players obviously need the technical skills to handle a one and two-touch game. Players need to be very comfortable possessing the ball as a team. Finally players need to be put into situations in practice that foster rhythm and flow.

I love watching the game played beautifully and I want to give you as a coach as many tools as possible to help your team achieve a high level of play. Please take a few minutes to watch the special video presentation we have put together for you.

In it we describe our thoughts on what changes need to be made in how we coach the game. We also provide you with a great solution to give your team a strong soccer foundation.

Click here to watch the video

Click here to watch the video

Related posts:

1. The Role of Trust in Soccer – Part 1
2. Should Coaches Play at Soccer Practice?
3. Better Soccer Team vs Better Soccer Players

Ultimate Soccer Coaching

By Sheldon Cipriani

I had lunch with a friend of mine a few weeks ago. He is a college coach still involved at the youth level, so we discussed a wide range of issues. The one that sticks out is the topic of mimicking. Young players all over the world learn through imitation and this only takes place through observation. Some of our young players do not look at soccer, and as a result, they have no frame of reference.

I remember growing up in my country and looking at soccer every weekend on television. I looked at players like Maradona, Careca and Alemao when they played for Napoli in Italy. I looked at Platini, Boniek, Zidane and Del Piero at Juventus. Marco Van Basten, Gullit, Baresi, Maldini, Donadoni, Ancelotti,and Rijkaard at AC Milan. To this day I still look at the game almost every day.

As a young player, this is what I took to the fields. I tried to be these players in my mind. This was the base from which my imagination grew. I did not have a coach until I was almost 14 years old, so I had to take responsibility for my fundamental development. This took place through observation and imitation.

The players today at my club that have some personality on the field all have a favorite team in Europe and they all pattern their play after their favorite player. Xavi Hernandez, Messi, Iniesta, Pato, Robinho, Neymar, Pedro, Ronaldo, Kaka, Rooney, Ozil, Robbin, and Schweinsteiger are just a few names. These players bring something extra. They do not rely only on coaching. They have their own ideas and a different level of game intelligence. Many spend time daily watching games or checking out their favorite players on YouTube.

One play sticks in my head from this past weekend. It was a bright spot to an otherwise dismal performance from one of my younger teams. We won a free kick and one of our players had the presence of mind to take it quickly. Another player in an advanced area saw his teammate break from the flank and instructed the kicker to find him. We created a great chance from this, but all of the players were not on the same page. These boys have obviously seen this done at the professional level, because at 12 years of age we do not spend much time on restarts.

Too many of our players are only good at following the coaches directives. Not enough of them have a feel for the game…a framework of reference based on observation. The result is players without personality for for the game.

As coaches it is important that we encourage our players to watch the game. Fox Soccer channel and ESPN carry tons of professional games from Europe. As I mentioned above, YouTube is another great resource for watching the pros at their best.

Equally important is putting your players in environments that foster game intelligence and creativity. Laps, lines and lectures will not develop players. Putting them quickly into situations that resemble soccer and allow players to find the answers is the surest path to intelligent players.

We have put together a soccer coaching guide to help coaches make this change in perspective with their teams. Ciplified Soccer 2.0 teaches this new methodology of coaching and includes tons of activities (drills) and practice sessions to help your players develop their skills more quickly.

You players will enjoy the opportunity to play more soccer and stand around less. Motivated players improve more quickly, and improving players get better results on the field.

We have put together a special video presentation that explains the thought process behind Ciplified Soccer 2.0 and describes what is contained inside of the guide.

Click here to watch the video.

Related posts:

1. When Should Soccer Players Specialize?
2. Evolving Soccer Coaches Produce Evolving Soccer Players
3. About Us

Ultimate Soccer Coaching

On Saturday March 26, Chivas USA will host the Colorado Rapids at the Home Depot Center. Both teams are looking forward to quick starts in the 2011 MLS Season. This will be the second regular season match for Chivas and Colorado Rapids, the defending MLS Cup champions.

Check out MLS betting lines Odds at online sportsbooks.

Since this is only the beginning of the season, the pre-season results are good indicators of the form of each team.

Chivas U.S.A. finished the pre-season poorly, with embarrassing losses to the Canadian U-23 National Team and UCLA. However, Chivas U.S.A. can take some confidence from the victories against MLS teams San Jose Earthquakes and FC Dallas.

In their season opening game, Chivas lost 2-3 to Sporting Kansas City. Despite the loss, Chivas looked to be in better shape than in the pre-season. Newcomer Chivas captain Jimmy Conrad scored a goal against his former team in the 55th minute. Midfielder Ben Zemanski scored the second goal for Chivas, which came late in the game.

The Colorado Rapids had a solid pre-season record of 3 wins, 2 losses, and one draw. They defeated the La Galaxy, Columbus Crew, and Vancouver Whitecaps.

In their first game of the season, the Rapids pleased the home fans with a 3-1 victory over newly formed MLS team Portland Timbers. The Rapids got off to a quick start at Dick’s Sporting Goods Stadium by finding the back of the net three times in the first thirty minutes of the game. Colorado’s top striker Omar Cummings scored a goal and also set up the play in which Jeff Larentowicz scored the game’s first ball. Scottish International Jamie Smith nailed a bullet with his right foot from long range. In online sports picks watch odds for this matchup.

Premiership Betting

I was approached by a parent today at the fields.  He wanted to know if the coaches should be teaching dribbling moves to the players. His son is a U15 player and had an unsuccessful tryout with the Olympic Development Program (ODP) this weekend. He said that the players at the weekend  tryout were so good on the ball and could beat players almost at will. I pondered for a while and before I responded.

I told him that the players he was admiring this past weekend probably were not taught moves, but were mimicking players they admire. I asked him if his son ever looked at highlight videos on YouTube of Messi, Ronaldo, Robinho or Ronaldinho. It is not about teaching moves at U15. It is about recognizing when to apply the appropriate skill at the right time during the game to the benefit of the team. This occurs through constant play and trial and error.

I explained to him that I never had anyone teach me anything fundamental. I learned through observation and experimenting when I played in the parks. My first coach was at U14. I do not remember a single session that taught us moves. I do remember playing 1v1 games though.

This same parent came to me about bullying at practice. He said some players were “bossing others around on the field and getting on each other when they made mistakes.” I observed a few of the practices to see what was happening. I saw the passionate players demanding more from their teammates. I saw leaders trying to lift players around them. I explained to him that it was not about the tone, but the content of the message.

This same parent wanted me to do extra sessions on Sunday to prepare players for ODP (he really meant his son), but guess who never showed up? I also run optional training on Fridays and we allow the kids to play in a 6v6 tournament environment for 90 minutes. Freedom of expression is the theme of the day. Guess who does not show up to that either?

It’s all about putting in the time and effort to get better and improve. As I mentioned before, YouTube is a great place to go to find moves and skills. There are other resources for those that wish to invest in their soccer games through a more structured program. Our friend Matt Smith has put together a program called “Epic Soccer Training” for players that want to work on their games outside of practice to improve. You’ll learn the same routines that Matt put into play to go from a high school bench player to a college All-American. Click here for more about Epic Soccer Training.

I guess some people can’t accept when their kids simply are not good enough or do not devote enough time to the sport . It is always the fault of someone else.

Related posts:

1. Individual Soccer Drill – Receiving with Creativity
2. Is YouTube making better soccer players?
3. Soccer Coaching Tips – Soccer Parents…Your Best Friend Or Worst Nightmare?

Ultimate Soccer Coaching

by Sheldon Cipriani

We played a team from a bigger city this past weekend, a.much bigger city. They fielded two teams in our age group and we played them both on Saturday. We played the “B” team first and beat them 3-2. It was not a very good performance from us, especially when we did not have the ball which is something we have been working on for a few weeks. We were much better in the second half and really deserved to win.

The afternoon game is always a problem, because the boys have just eaten and they are usually sluggish. We warmed up as usual and we spoke about what we wanted to do when we were not in possession.

This is huge for us because it helps us attack quickly. We try to invite the keeper to play the outside backs, then we press. It is a collective effort and we are not as interested in winning tackles as we are creating ball winning situations. I want  the boys to understand that the best time to win the ball back is when the ball is traveling from player to player.

They have this habit from high school to dive in when the ball is already at the feet of the opponent. These kids were all quite good on the ball and a few were very very good individually, so we had to make them uncomfortable by limiting time, space and options.

We were fantastic as a unit. We did not give them any time on the ball and we were in their half for most of the game. We had  one break-down in the second half, when my outside back decided to take a break and a switch found his man unmarked on the blind side.

He had enough time to settle and pick his spot.  We were almost perfect defensively…I am very critical, so trust me, this was an amazing effort. The opponents could not get into a rhythm, nor could they complete more than three or four passes. This team, by the way, has a player who has been invited to the U17 National Team Camp.

To make a long story short…we tied 1-1. We were clearly the better team. They had better players, but did very little collectively. I think we have turned the corner. Eyes have been opened and people will have to respect us.

Related posts:

1. When Should Soccer Players Specialize?
2. Is YouTube making better soccer players?
3. Soccer Coaching – How to Defend When Your Team Lacks Speed

Ultimate Soccer Coaching

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Sports Training Product Review

Ive been gymming since April 2009, i joined the gym to lose weight and so i also joined a mixed martial arts class. I lost around 30 pounds and toned up significantly. The change in my body shape is obvious as i am more built now and have dropped 4 jeans sizes. I also have been playing soccer for 7 years now, keeper for 5 (i am 18). I play at a division 4 club as well as my university. I recently hurt my right knee tendon, and was out for 3 months, i had my first training session 2 days ago.

I felt abit out of form which was certainly was going to happen, and so i would like to change my gym workout to one that is suitable to goalkeeping. By that i mean work on my speed, jump, agility, etc… (i gym 3 times a week and train 3 times a week, rest on sunday)

And so if anyone can help by providing a workout that is suitable for soccer/football goalkeepers i would appreciate that greatly.

Thank you and sorry for the long detail.

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