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.
Book Endorsement from The Institute for Jugendfussball
The 4-2-3-1 is the favored formation of many top teams in world soccer at both club and national team level. This fluid, attack minded system has come to the forefront thanks to its success at the highest levels. Most notably, Spain utilized the 4-2-3-1 in winning both the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup. Top club sides Arsenal, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich have also had success with the system. In this book, Wayne Harrison breaks down the 4-2-3-1 and discusses the principles, player roles and responsibilities, variations and adjustments based on the opponent´s strategy.
From The Institute for Jugendfussball:
Today we want to recommend an online-book that covers the 4-2-3-1 System.
Pages: 284 – Author: Wayne Harrison.
Wayne Harrison is the guru of the 4-2-3-1. He uses his experience to compare the system with others. In addition, he analyzes team play at professional level relative to the 4-2-3-1.
INSTITUTE FOR YOUTH SOCCER 06. JUNE 2013
Description:
The 4-2-3-1 is the favored formation of many top teams in world soccer at both club and national team level. This fluid, attack minded system has come to the forefront thanks to its success at the highest levels. Most notably, Spain utilized the 4-2-3-1 in winning both the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup. Top club sides Arsenal, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich have also had success with the system. In this book, Wayne Harrison breaks down the 4-2-3-1 and discusses the principles, player roles and responsibilities, variations and adjustments based on the opponent´s strategy.
He also offers a complete coaching plan to implement this system including specific training exercises complete with detailed diagrams and coaching points. This is the most comprehensive coaching manual dealing specifically with the 4-2-3-1 ever written.
Regularly presented in the MYSA “SOCCER TIMES” state newspaper and on the MYSA Coaches Emailing Service.
Book Review - Soccer Awareness: Developing the Thinking Player
This is a review from Amazon on the book: Soccer Awareness: Developing the Thinking Player
As a long time coach (not of soccer though), I took to the task of coaching my daughter’s travel soccer team. It’s not difficult to find drills for dribbling and passing and small sided games and such. What is difficult is getting the kids to look around and play the game. These drills provide dribbling and passing practice, but also awareness training.
This is a review from Amazon on the book: Soccer Awareness: Developing the Thinking Player
As a long time coach (not of soccer though), I took to the task of coaching my daughter’s travel soccer team. It’s not difficult to find drills for dribbling and passing and small sided games and such. What is difficult is getting the kids to look around and play the game. These drills provide dribbling and passing practice, but also awareness training.
This book details drills that get the kids heads up and checking out the game. I think you could run practices the entire year with stuff from this book and little more. Before long, the kids start to “get it” if you will. They start to think a play ahead of the game and are looking around for options. Players start to make runs to get the ball from a teammate. Before this I had a kid with the ball and the rest were watching the game.
One simple idea was having kids call out who they plan to pass to before they receive the ball in a pass and move drill. So simple yet so genious. Works great to get the kids heads up and looking around. All the drills are geared toward kids looking around the field.
Jose Mourinho - Real Madrid Head Soccer Coach
I Wrote to Jose “The Master” Mourinho; as he bought my first book in 2002.
Recently, I have had the chance to to send Mourinho my latest two books.
I am rather delighted; first the fact he actually replied; which shows a humble and human side to him, as I am nobody to him, plus his comments below inspire me to keep trying to improve myself.
Wayne Harrison: sent two of his books to Jose Mourinho to see what his views on them were.
They were “Soccer Awareness: Developing the Thinking Player” and “Coaching the 4-2-3-1”.
Here is what the best tactician and coach in the world, Jose Mourinho, said about Wayne Harrison’s coaching –
”You think the training process very well…the point after that is the way you put in practice with the players organizing a training session.
The way you think and the way you make your exercises is very good.”