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.
The following is the introduction to a presentation on Teaching a One-Touch Mentality presented by Wayne Harrison, Founder of Soccer Awareness, at the international 2017 Derbystar Youth and Amateur Trainer Congress.
Read MoreIn this session, six outfield players plus a keeper are playing against nine outfield players. The six defending players are 2-0 up and need to maintain the lead. This is going to build up into a 10 v 11 game situation eventually.
Read MoreUse this session to work on team shape, movement in wide areas, use of one word commands and more in a 9 v 9 set-up playing a 3-1-3-1 system.
Read MoreIn the practices illustrated here both back fours operate on defensive and attacking aspects of their game in the same practice. The coach may choose to work with one of the back fours specifically or may work with both back fours in the same practice.
Read MoreThe session is designed to show how to work on team shape building up from a back four only. Side cones are 25 to 30 yards apart as are the defenders and the coach. The coach moves with the ball and the defenders mirror the movement maintaining the distances between them.
Read MoreThe ultimate goal in coaching is helping each player develop his or her talents and abilities to the fullest. With this in mind, we created this Unique Soccer Awareness philosophy of developmental coaching and training. It simply means training the mind before the body.
Read MoreWork on shooting and receiving with this long distance shooting drill from the Soccer Awareness Training Center.
Read MoreThe game encourages playing from the back as the keeper can’t kick it long over the goals. Because of the unusual pitch lay out and goal positions it really makes the players think.
Read MoreUse 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.
Read MoreIn this warm-up, players are keeping the ball away from the central player while working on passing and maintaining possession. Use different number of touches (try 2 touches to start). Body position and foot preparation is vital when playing one touch.
Read MoreThis exercise is what the Barcelona thinking model of passing and movement is built on. Players start at 7 years old and use it right thru the ages; and even at senior level it is a staple practice for the players.
Read MoreThis is a breakaway 1 v 1 situation with the striker running at the defender in a straight line towards goal and kicking the ball past them and chasing it down. The defender must be “side on” already with their body turned back and ready to run towards their own goal. Defender must increase their speed dropping back; running almost side on and backwards (but head facing forwards watching the striker and the ball until it is played pass them, then they have a full turn and chase) as the striker kicks the ball past them and must start their dropping run early enough to give themselves time and space on the striker.
Read MoreHere the players work to get free of their markers by their movement off the ball; they create space for themselves and / or for their teammates.
Read MoreHere the attacking player can make a run and the zone allows them to lose their marker. If players struggle to keep possession in a small sided game this is one way to help them and thus have them relax on the ball, knowing they cannot be tackled.
Read MoreHere we are looking at players 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9; 10 and 11 of the 11 v 11 and we will look at them in this particular formation of 1-3-3-1-1. You could of course use different formations at 9 v 9 but I'm basing it on this one because it’s closer to the set up of the 11 v 11 so it transitions easily into it.
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.