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.
Teams are at their most vulnerable in terms of losing the ball, in the first few seconds after gaining possession. It is this transition period that we are looking at, both in terms of winning the ball back quickly and then keeping it. The key is the first six seconds after losing the ball. In this game when a team loses possession they have 6 seconds to win the ball back (the coach counts this out).
Read MoreWarm Up and Cool Down are both important parts of any coaching session or indeed any game situation and should be included at all times particularly at a young age where doing so reinforces good habits in players. Due to the great need for players to have as much contact on the ball as possible to aid technical development, I recommend coaches get away from warming up and cooling down without the ball and introduce its use at every session they do, be it at a game or at practice.
Read MoreThis is a very simple set up to get the idea of the 3rd man run into the heads of the players. The third man run player makes the initially pass to start the sequence off. Here (1) makes the first pass to (A) coming short, who plays it off to (2) who plays (1) in ahead of the run. After the three runs (1) lays off a diagonal pass to (B) and the sequence continues.
Read MoreA three zone movement off the ball clinic focusing on zone 14 emphasizing movement back towards the ball to receive and play forward and the consequent interchange of players between the three units.
I really like this game you can bring in so many different ideas to the session and it all involves mental challenges to the players with regard to playing, moving and thinking quickly (and ahead of the ball).
This would be one of my regular training sessions.
Read MoreShowing how we can attack from the back through the right center back (5). The same can happen with our left center back. This is not an expected play so it can catch opponents out if we develop this idea.
We start with our attacking team shape of Phase 2 of the 5 phases. I am showing potential options of attack we can use and develop knowing we are covered behind so whichever center back gets forward they are confident they are covered. Here opponents play 4-4-2 then 4-3-3.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreAn easy introduction to teaching players to develop play from the back without the pressure they would get in a game situation. Builds confidence and composure in the players and you can increase the pressure as they improve.
Overload at the back. Striker can’t encroach into the 10-yard composure zone. Defenders pass ball across under no pressure until one is free to run it out, attackers can now try to win it back. Defenders can take the ball back into the composure zone for safety and this encourages spreading out and playing from the back. Be patient, keep possession; go forward at the correct moment.
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Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreA 2 v 2 game going to 4 goals. The team who scores stays on and must quickly defend the 2 new players coming in. We are working on Quick break and counter attack, Quick one and two touch passing and Positioning to open up passing lanes and getting between defenders to pass the ball in early.
Read MoreWith these drills our players are developing awareness of where the player they receive from is and where the player they pass to is. Because of this players begin to anticipate the pass to them and where it is coming from. Also they must look to where it is going to (where is the player they are passing to?). We are trying to create a situation where players are looking two moves ahead not just one.
Read MoreThis game is based on possessing the ball and the movement off it.
We have several progressions we can use to challenge the players these include:
A simple Warm up to get the idea going
Playing through the thirds with targets
Playing through the thirds without targets
Players must stay in their own thirds so we have 3 combination games going at once
We can add free players therefore creating overload situations
More!
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Read MoreThis is a wonderful way to teach your team how to move around the field with “one word commands” that are fast and simple and everyone immediately knows what to do per each call.
Read MoreA great drill for awareness on and off the ball. Passing and moving. Must be one touch and as fast as possible. This one is easy to do on and off the ball.
Objectives:
First touch development
Body positioning
Anticipating situations in advance of the ball
Finding space
Movement OFF the ball
Communication
Mental and physical transitions
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Read MoreHere we are showing how this rondo totally relates to the game situation so your training is REALISTIC in its concept development.
The following 4 v 4 + 3 Rondo allows players to understand the principles of width, depth and length to create passing angles and distances. Looking always to create diamond and triangle shapes in supporting each other to create numerical superiority. Here we show a rondo based on building from the keeper and / or building from the center backs. Its actually a very simple way to teach a complex idea.
Read MoreThe 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.
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.
Here 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.
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.
54 Pages
We want to stay with our own game plan as closely as possible; based on what we practice and to keep it simple for us; as we dictate to our opponents; and we impose OUR WAY on them.
But there will be many occasions where we must change the system of play and we may have to adjust to suit the opponents.
Here are some ideas for you to consider for your team starting with the 13313 and 14231 systems of play.
Teaching players to develop a "one touch mentality" in their game, to train the MIND.
To play in "Anticipation" of the ball; both on and off it by Scanning the field constantly to make earlier, faster and more successful decisions in the game.
How do we do this? Here are some sessions to use to help develop this ability.
45 Pages
Using the 1-3-3-1-3 system of play for this, we show how your players can find free spaces between opponents with inverted runs from outside to in. Including how to create freedom of movement within the team framework.
This 295 page ebook includes 17 game situational clinics focused on tactical play and target games. To achieve the given theme successfully, many of the situational games have set conditions to them to force the theme to happen consistently and to maintain the focus of it. As we will explain, a big part of teaching in ALL these games is developing a One Touch Mentality in each players brain. So the “general” theme around all of them will be establishing this thinking process no matter the “specific” theme being taught.
This book is also available to Elite and Premium Members in the Soccer Awareness Training Center. Access Here.
We produced the eBook "Tactical Thoughts on the Development of the 4 v 4, 7 v 7 and 9 v 9 Game Sizes" covering information on team shape and development. We now add this eBook to provide Curriculums in each game size to support the tactical games eBook.
What this eBook offers you:
Its all done here for you, paying attention to the ages of the players and the depth of teaching suitable to them.
As the program moves from 4 v 4 through to 11 v 11 the focus changes from individual teachings at 4 v 4, to small sided situations at 7 v 7, to Phases of play and tactical needs at 9 v 9; through to team tactical development at 11 v 11.
11 v 11 focuses on advanced training ideas to teach the “team”.
This eBook covers up to 14 weeks of training for each game size presented as one session per week.
All sessions have small sided games scrimmage set ups as close as we can get it to finish to reflect the theme of the session.
This eBook shows how these different size games can be taught and also shows different systems of play that might be useful to you.
The idea I am trying to cultivate is to find a pattern of development that goes from 4 v 4 to 7 v 7 all the way through 9 v 9 to 11 v 11 that educates the players VERY EARLY on how to ultimately play the 11 v 11, a common thread running right through the book.
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.