A Very Economical Warm Up Routine Randy Hanson My guess is that, like many coaches, your warm up routine includes a physical warm up as well as a technical warm up.  Most of the time, I tend to separate these two elements so that I can includ . . . keep reading 24 Defending Exercises Randy Hanson With pre-season beginning for many, the decision needs to be made as to where to start. Test fitness levels? Work on the attack? Defending? A high percentage of coaches start with defensive principles and team organization first. To do my part to help, I have compiled 24 exercises and small-sided games for defending. Some have been used with very young players and others up to and including the senior level. . . . keep reading Anatomy of an Effective Training Session Randy Hanson I recently was an instructor for a soccer coaching license. I love the environment in many ways, but in particular I enjoy the reminders ... the "getting back to basics". As I was going through the recent thinking in how to structure and progress an effective practice, it was a great reminder and incentive to really simplify and clarify this training session model for myself and other coaches. What follows is my take on one way a training session can be organized effectively . . . keep reading Fitness Standard Examples Randy Hanson With fall approaching, many teams will begin their preseasons. Setting up programs and testing athletes in the area of fitness tends to be a norm. What to test is beyond the scope of this article, but I did want to include some fitness standards that I acquired when involved with regional teams a few years ago. . . . keep reading World Cup 2010: Is This System of Play the "New" 4-4-2? Randy Hanson Although systems of play certainly aren't everything, the evidence concerning one system in World Cup 2010 is compelling. Not only did the winner of the tournament play this system, but so did the other finalist and also other notable teams such as Germany and Brazil. The 4-4-2 used to be the most common system of play in the modern era because it presented a balanced coverage of vital field space and had very flexible roles. Since the game in the current era has the midfield space the most important to occupy and still requires flexibility in roles, this system has emerged as the choice for many high level teams. It could be the "new" 4-4-2 . . . keep reading World Cup 2010, Trends: Two Defensive Midfielders Randy In modern soccer, and certainly in World Cup 2010, the most successful teams were organized with a similar idea - a solid defensive block behind a free flowing, flexible attack. The top four finishers in this World Cup Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Uruguay all set up this way as well as many other teams like Brazil and even the United States. This defensive block included a back four (sometimes even a back 3) and most of the time, two defensive midfielders. Today's discussion will include the systems these defensive mids were employed and will also touch on their organization and roles . . . keep reading World Cup 2010, Trends: The Lone Striker Randy Hanson One of the trends in World Cup 2010 is systems of play that include one forward or "lone striker". The reasons can vary. Many teams defend with nine field players that includes four defenders and five players designated to occupy the midfield. This leaves one "specialist" up top to create counter attacks, get into scoring positions and also hold the ball so teammates can transition forward. What follows are some diagrams and general philosophy on how to effectively employ a lone striker. . . . keep reading World Cup 2010, Trends: The Rise of the Back 3 Randy Hanson In soccer coaching circles, there is skepticism around whether a system of play with 3 backs will be effective at the highest levels of the game. In recent European championships and in the most televised professional leagues, a back 3 is not utilized often. Well, apparently quite a few teams from Asia, Australia and especially South America didn't get the memo. In the first two rounds, teams using a back 3 played 16 games, losing 4. I have included diagrams below that illustrate how each team has chosen to configure their team along the sides and in front of the back 3. . . . keep reading World Cup 2010, Round 1 - Systems of Play Randy Hanson I love the World Cup. A full month of matches just about every day? Awesome. One of the things I enjoy most is seeing what the latest trends are regarding style and systems of play. Although there have not been as many goals in Round 1 as in past World Cups, the systems of play used are as diversified as there have been in a major tournament in recent memory. . . . keep reading Do Your Players Truly Trust You? Randy Hanson Here's the setting. I asked my players a simple question with these parameters. "What does it take for you to trust a coach?" List 3-5 things and put in your priority order. The players were college women, ages 18-21 and all answers were anonymous. Luckily, I didn't have to stop there. I also lead an organization at our university that consists of three representatives from all sports and both genders. That means males and females in sports like American Football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, swimming, track and more. 23 separate teams. I asked them the same question under the same conditions. They are ages 18-22. The results were both interesting and enlightening . . . keep reading Is Everything Just a 4-4-2? Randy Hanson In this video, the discussion centers around the flexibility of the 4-4-2 system play. I have often wondered if many other systems are merely adjustments from a traditional 4-4-2. Many of these adjustments are discussed as well as three suggested philosophies to take when making them. Hopefully ideas are generated in how to tailor this system to your players or to a particular tactical scenario in a match . . . keep reading Overview of the 4-1-4-1 System of Play Randy Hanson The 4-5-1 system of play has become more prominent in modern soccer. With the 4-3-3 being a popular choice as well, the 4-1-4-1 was born. But is it a predominately defensive system? What type of players are needed to play it? What disadvantages are there to overcome and train? Although not a complete study, the following video is a relatively comprehensive overview to help coaches decide whether the 4-1-4-1 is right for their team. . . . keep reading Thoughts On Team Leadership Randy Hanson For competitive teams, developing leaders can be very important and could even be said to be a necessity. A teams internal leadership will affect it's success potential and a coaches overall effectiveness. Also, if you are a coach who believes that there is more to sports coaching than wins and losses, developing leaders brings more significance. You have the opportunity to teach your athletes skills that can positively impact themselves and others for the rest of their lives. This article discusses three important areas for athletes to focus on to be an effective team leader. . . . keep reading A New Season "Blueprint" Randy Hanson For many teams, the state tournament is currently going on and will be followed by a new season. There are many articles in SoundSoccer.com that have been created along the way to assist a coach with their season. Rather than have one search through the archives, I have done that for you to create a sort of "blueprint" for a soccer season. Although certainly not totally complete, there are some guideposts and good food for thought to help a coach organize and get the most out of their new season. . . . keep reading Video Tutorial: Crossing and Finishing Randy Hanson When observing my own teams and recent club games, the crossing and finishing looks like it needs some development. The technique and variety of crosses, placement and timing of runs, caliber of finishing and decisions made could use some sophistication and refinement. What follows is not a practice, drill or small-sided game, but a tutorial to set the stage for the techniques used and decision made in training and matches. . . . keep reading Creating Exercises From the Game: "Diagonal" 1v1 Randy Hanson I have been having fun lately re-examining the things I train and the way I train them. I am really putting them under the "is this actually what happens in a game at the highest levels" microscope. I think sometimes we teach soccer the way we were taught. We may even think about the coaching points we want to come out and then create or adjust an exercise to bring out those coaching points. The drill or game works really well and the players get better at the exercise we are teaching, but does it replicate what will happen in the real game? . . . keep reading First Touch Theory Randy Hanson In the Discussion Forum, a member inquired about how to improve his players 1st touch, especially under pressure. You can find the initial answer given by myself and other members there. I have also decided to expand upon the idea in this article. One of the things I love most about SoundSoccer.com is that, in preparing a topic to present, I learn nuances and details that will improve my own training of players in the future. . . . keep reading A Different Look at Leadership Randy Hanson Many recent coaching conversations I have had with colleagues center around their players lack of leadership skills. Some of us incorporate leadership training into our programs where we can to further develop our players. I have come across a presentation recently that has a slightly different take on leadership and how it can be greatly influenced by the "first-follower". It is so impactful, that it will be a part of all of the future leadership training I provide . . . keep reading 4-3-3: Tactics for 3 Forwards, Part 2 Randy Hanson As coaches, many times we can think about organizing the three forwards in a 4-3-3 with a "two forward mentality" based on the forwards mobility and interchange with each other. There may also be merit in positioning the wing forwards wide a high percentage of the time to utilize the possible mobility of the attacking midfielders. What follows is a discussion that explores ideas where space is opened up by the forwards to encourage interchange of players vertically . . . keep reading 4-3-3: Defending Wide Areas Randy Hanson Defending the wide areas in the 4-3-3 is always an topic up for debate. Do you force the play inside or outside? What are the choices for the outside back? What do the other players do? What follows is a tactical discussion regarding these questions and more. The focus will be on defending the wide areas in middle and defensive 3rds of the field. . . . keep reading More