Soccer training, soccer drills, articles, soccer training videos and more from Wayne Harrison/Soccer Awareness.
Soccer Awareness training develops SELF THINKING players who are not coach driven; but coach guided, and within this they are allowed to make mistakes without criticism; but rather; encouraged to learn from them.
Welcome to the Soccer Awareness Coaches Corner. Browse through soccer drills, small sided games, tactical thoughts, full sessions and a variety of resources. Posts marked “Training Center Exclusive” are for members only.
Often players position to receive the ball with their back to play. These session plans show some ideas on how to position and instead "Face Forward" or at least Half Turned or three quarters turned rather than positioning square and facing back.
Read MoreHere are 9 ways to distribute from the keeper and play out from the back. We owe it to the players to teach them this as Young as is possible.
I work on this initially practicing all ways to get out. Have opponents only intercepting passes to begin. Then let it go free. When opponents win it back we work on the defending team condensing and defending correctly.
If three or four ways to develop play are done very frequently then it becomes a subconscious decision to move into position so no decision making required as such.
Read MoreLinking foot preparation, body position and mental preparation to the technique involved in making a one touch pass leads us to a discussion on one touch play and its benefits.
One touch play teaches the value of being able to take your eye off the ball when keeping your eye on the ball can be a disadvantage.
To make this work, players need to have good teamwork and positional sense and therefore must work hard for each other.
Read MoreWorking with three teams (numbers depends on how many players you have, e.g. it can be 4 v 4 + 4 or 5 v 5 + 5 etc). Teams (1) and (2) work together to keep the ball from team (3). If team (3) regains possession the team who gave it away becomes the defenders. The defenders reward is they keep the ball and link with the other team.
Read MoreIn this game we are working on finishing, dribbling and breakaways. This is a great activity to work on both attacker and goalkeeper skills.
Read MoreJust a one-word signal can organize a defense, so everyone on the team knows what to do and reacts together as a unit. Also midfield players close by can react off the call too as can strikers. These One-word calls ensure everyone will know quickly and effectively what they should do as a unit and as a team. Hence the back players (and the keeper) can organize their movement as a unit (and therefore influence those in front of them) from Five VERY simple one-word commands. The momentum is triggered from the back and runs forward through the team to the strikers. We must have a very vocal and confident leader at the back organizing this and making the decisions.
Read MoreHere are 3 simple drills to help your players develop good technique for shooting at goal.
Read MoreDevelopment of the mental side of the game in terms of the Awareness program, i.e. seeing situations quickly and acting upon them is very important to the player to help him or her have success by scoring goals. The shorter and sharper the practice then the less time the players have to make the correct decisions to be successful, the more important it is to train them to be able to cope with these pressure situations.
Read MoreIn this session, we are ensuring there is timing between the players in terms of the pass and the run to receive. We are doing simple passing in two’s back and forth, first two touch, then one touch where possible. Ask the players to look into “each other’s eyes” as they pass and NOT at the ball to see if they can keep possession between them. This will be difficult at first but it helps to teach them to look up and not down at the ball. during games and hence helping their “Awareness” development as players.
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Read MoreIn this warm-up, players pass, receive and move off the ball at GAME speed. We are getting them mentally and physically prepared for the speed of the game.
Read MoreWe are excited and honored to be invited by the professional English FA to add my work to their Professional Player Insight Group. Paul Holder, a legendary figure in youth development at the English Football Association, has reached out to invite Soccer Awareness to be part of the English F.A.’s player development program. Exciting times ahead for Soccer Awareness. Read his message below:
Wayne,
The English FA is continuing to develop world class experiences for Coaches and teachers across the game and for all ages and stages.
We have put together a “player development insights group” which is focusing on developing resources and best practice that would help coaches understand those big issues in any players’ ‘journey’ from their first touch of a football to a world cup final.
We are looking closely at ‘skill development’ and what constitutes ‘skillful play’, how coaches in the first instance recognise it and then how to coach, develop and maintain it.
What it looks like for an individual, a small group and how it would impact on team performance. The rationale behind it all is that if the individual skills and tactics are weak, the unit (small group) will stutter and so, the team will eventually fail.
All that great work you have done over the years , particularly on the importance of ‘awareness’ ‘fits perfectly’ with our aims and objectives.
The group is impacting on courses, CPD (Coach Professional Development) events and on clubs coaching programmes and coaching philosophies.
We work mainly to serve the professional game but it is a ‘whole game message, which is going out to grassroots as well.
It would be great if we could tap into your knowledge, experience and expertise in these areas.
This would mean us forming a real collaboration which would benefit all of us. It would mean sharing ideas, best practice and of course, futures trends, all of which we would filter out to the game in a variety of mediums.
The details of how it would work, we can deal with later.
Let me know your thoughts.
Best wishes;
Paul Holder
Professional Game Team – The English FA
This is a great session to teach the players and shows how they can push opponents back even when THE OPPONENTS have the ball.
We will try to push them back without even touching the ball ourselves. We start on the edge of our box we try to get our back three up to the half way line. Set Conditions will help us do this to start the process off.
Read MorePlayers are generally all very good at playing using many touches; that is; dribbles, turns and running with the ball, that is more technical training / playing.
But often not so good at one touch quick thinking and quick decision making training, that is more skill training / playing.
Hence why we must increasingly do this training with them.
Read MoreWe are looking to get the ball wide in this phase of play so overlap work comes in. Primarily working with wide players and how they create positions to cross the ball from. For your preparation you can play against a back four or a back three depending on what the opposition play like (better to plan for both).
Read MoreSome of the best forward runs in soccer are deemed “third man runs” often made from a position that is blindside of the opponents. The third man run player can start the passing sequence; or not, but invariably they are on the end of a forward pass often beyond the back four of the opponents.
The set up in the first game is as it would be in the attacking shape of a 4-2-3-1, so you can take this small sided game to represent the 11 v 11 in a particular area of the field making the same types of plays. You can also use this for any team shape set up you might use in an 8 v 8 or 11 v 11. If you play with two striker s then play 7 v 7 and two up front for example or even change the shape behind.
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Read MoreSoccer Awareness developmental training focuses on the concept of the THIRD EYE of Awareness, Imagination and Anticipation in Performance. Soccer Awareness is a highly innovative concept which aims to develop the thinking coach and player. Soccer Awareness focuses on the creation of a player centered environment which encourages autonomy and an ability to make correct decisions within a game specific context.
Soccer Awareness Training Center provides unlimited access to Wayne Harrison's Soccer Awareness systems, training sessions, drills and more. Wayne's system helps the development of all levels of soccer players and teams in a systematic and imaginative manner that guarantees performance at the highest level of competition.
This video is an example of a “One Touch Mentality” game situation U14 boys.
