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.
Soccer Awareness: Basic Principles of Development (One Touch Play)
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.
Awareness One Touch Theme Developmental Training: Incorporating Movement Off the Ball
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.
Passing Game for Spatial Awareness Development
Players have the ball at their feet for approximately 5 minutes out of 90. What do they do the rest of the 85 minutes? They must learn to move off the ball and to move into open passing lanes to be open at all times to help the player on the ball or the next player on the ball. Here is a great session to teach this.
We can use many upright cones to represent opponents rather than mannequins. We set the cones up in triangles and diamonds. We ask players to position between the cones in the best space available. Try to balance their position to find the best space in the middle of the triangle or diamond of cones (opponents). Players beyond the ball try to position in triangles and diamonds of support also.
Youth Soccer Training & Development: Myelin & Training - The Scientific Concept in Skill Development
In this article, I explain the scientific background to the Soccer Awareness training method. A previous article introduced Awareness Training and explained how it helps players develop skills more rapidly than traditional training methods. In this article I want to explain the scientific background to Awareness Training and how the approach speeds up and improves decision making and the thought processes in soccer.
Quick Transition 2 v 2 Rondos
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).
How to Teach Freedom of Movement for the 4-2-3-1
Attacking and Defensive Positioning; and Covering for Each Other in Brief
To play such a fluid and imaginative style of play as we do; where players are offered such freedom offensively all over the field; there is always a "weakness" to this we need to address. In this case we look at the defensive consequences for which we need to cover and correct.
A Square Passing Rondo Introducing Brain Centered Awareness Training
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.
Testing Players Awareness
Coaches are trying to develop the concept of the player recognizing options before receiving the ball. This exercise is a very simple idea and tests the players to see if they looked over their shoulder away from the ball or not before they receive the pass.
Directional Awareness Four Team Passing Game - Training Center Exclusive
Objective: Awareness of Teammates and Opponents Positioning on the Field in Advance of Receiving the Ball
We are working on: When and where to pass, Looking before receiving, Awareness of player positions before receiving the ball, Awareness of options on the ball before receiving it, Awareness of Opponents positions before receiving the pass and Maintaining possession of the ball
*Membership Required
Off the Shoulder Movement and How to Combat It
(3) Watches the ball and allows the wide player (B) to get beyond him. A ball in behind always beats him. Centrally the centre back (4) does the same, he watches the ball and the striker comes off his shoulder and he gets caught with the ball in behind him. This will cost us in unless we work on it with the team.
This often goes wrong. Here’s how you can fix it.
Developing Attacking Play in the Opponents Defending Third
The attacking team has the ball. This is the start position of the game situation.
The idea is to have this phase, being the attacking one, and working on various ideas of movement, rotation and interchange to try to score.
You can focus on this until success is achieved from an attacking point of view.
Quick Transition Directional Play Promoting Passing and Movement Off the Ball
This session improves quick decision making, tight control because the spaces are small to play in, and thinking in advance due to the switch in direction of the play. You can also work on the defending players.
Academy Level: A Fun Awareness Warm-up for Improving Peripheral Vision
Use this warm up to work on awareness of where other players are (in this case all the other players are defenders trying to win possession of your ball) whilst maintaining possession of the ball ensuring players are looking around away from their own ball.
Competitive Directional Three Team Awareness Game Introducing Goals As Targets
Here is an interesting way to work on awareness training and passing, movement off the ball, fitness and looking for the penetrating pass. Add triangular goals to score through, this means the game continues after a goal is scored as the ball must be received and possession maintained by another player on the other side of the triangle to count as a goal. This ensures continuous play.
Awareness “Look, Think and Decide” Challenges with Players in 2s and 3s
These simple ideas are designed to get (forces) players to look away from the ball but at the same time be able to control and pass the ball accurately when it comes. It can be 1 touch or 2 touches. This prevents them from just being focused on the ball as it is arriving and therefore not being aware of their immediate options.