December 30, 2021

Soccer Awareness: Basic Principles of Development (One Touch Play)

December 30, 2021/ Wayne Harrison

Linking 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.

December 30, 2021

The Three Team Awareness One Touch Game

December 30, 2021/ Wayne Harrison

Working 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.

September 01, 2021

Awareness One Touch Theme Developmental Training: Incorporating Movement Off the Ball

September 01, 2021/ Wayne Harrison

Players 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.

July 27, 2020

The Importance of Developing Players Through Teaching Rondos

July 27, 2020/ Wayne Harrison

Rondos are a great way to prepare players for the game situations and especially the fast decision making needed within the game. Though the foundation of the basic rondo stays the same, it can be made more difficult or easier by the number of touches players are allowed for example so it benefits ALL players who practice with them.

June 13, 2020

Ball Control and Dribbling Skills Ideas

June 13, 2020/ Wayne Harrison

Dribbling is a ball skill that's crucial in soccer. The best soccer players in the world can control the ball when sprinting at full speed and avoiding defenders. Better dribbling skills allows players to create space and time and therefore better control the ball and make plays. Here are two drills you can add to your practices to improve your teams dribbling skills.

June 13, 2020

Diagonal Runs Without the Ball in a 6 v 6 Game

June 13, 2020/ Wayne Harrison

The theme is making diagonal runs with or without the ball to receive or create space for a teammate. When it is a forward diagonal run the player making it must avoid running offside in a game situation.

May 29, 2020

Playing in 5 Corridors and 3 Zones Using the 3-3-1-3 for Attacking and Defending Team Shape

May 29, 2020/ Wayne Harrison

Using Corridors is a great way to work out individual and collective field positioning as a team both offensively and defensively and it also gives players real a “focal point” to work off. We use “Corridors” width wise and then introduce “Zones” lengthwise later. These “focal points of reference” I believe are a great way to really teach players to understand the differences between attacking and defending team shapes both widthwise and lengthwise. A great session to help players identify positional variations, the 4 lines are used as a clear guide widthwise.

April 06, 2020

Quick Transition 2 v 2 Rondos

April 06, 2020/ Wayne Harrison

This is a 2 v 2 game going to 4 goals. The team who scores stays on and must quickly defend the 2 new players coming in (one from each goal that the opposition defends).

March 15, 2020

A Square Passing Rondo Introducing Brain Centered Awareness Training

March 15, 2020/ Wayne Harrison

The goal of this exercise is to help program movements into our players while also helping them develop proper habits to read the game and play in a creative manner.

January 23, 2020

Warm Up: Angled Support and Sideways On Positioning

January 23, 2020/ Wayne Harrison

Soccer is a sideways on sport -- players will have much more success when they are able to receive the ball at an angle. Being sideways on allows players, in advance of the ball, to be able to see peripherally advancing defenders. This warm up gets the players moving, working on their decision making, spacing, angles and more.

January 20, 2020

How We Set Our Teams Up At 8 v 8

January 20, 2020/ Wayne Harrison

This is a recommended set-up to relate the field positions of the 8 v 8 players in the 3-3-1 to the 4-2-3-1 formation for the 11 v 11.

October 06, 2019

One Touch Weight and Accuracy Passing Drill

October 06, 2019/ Wayne Harrison

The emphasis in this drill is on executing one-touch passes with the correct accuracy and weight. If players can't pass and receive the ball in soccer, they will not be successful. The coach of youth players should emphasize technical training while also having a basic understanding of correct technical execution.

September 12, 2019

How to Develop a Rondo Over Time and Increase the Challenges

September 12, 2019/ Wayne Harrison

This presentations shows the basic Rondo. It is none pressured, unlimited touches, and presented in a simple way to allow the players to easily begin the process of education. It is the attention to detail that is paramount in the learning process. The Ball must be passed around the square not across it. Players adjust their position based on the ball. They use the cones as positional points of reference.