Soccer 1:1

Parents and Friends,

Exciting news! We are running indoor winter training classes in San Francisco.

These will be futsal-based, for 1st and 2nd graders, and run for 12 weeks.

The sessions will be held at Moscone Recreation Center (Mondays) and Hi5 Sportszone (Tuesdays) and start next week.

Sign-up today!

Families these days are looking for options and want their child to experience different practice environment.

And practicing over the winter is a great opportunity to get touches on the ball, receive technical training, and get ready for the spring!

Supplemental training is the key to getting better.

Simply because the specific amount of practice time and technical training needed to improve is significantly underestimated in our local area.

For example the United Soccer Coaches player development curriculum for children in Stage 2 (6-8 year olds) recommends..

1. That the kids play 2 to 3 seasons per year
2. Participate in 40-60 training sessions per year training twice a week (100-120...

Parents and Friends,

When traveling abroad you’ll see kids playing pickup soccer games everywhere and anywhere.

Pickup is essentially street soccer and all the youngsters need is a ball, some space and they’ll use their school bags, jackets etc. for goals.

Jumpers for goalposts!

It’s fantastic because they’re getting lots of touches and being creative in an environment where they’re free to express themselves.

That kids elsewhere are getting more touches on the ball outside of practice is something that’s not really acknowledged in U.S. soccer.

But it’s certainly one of the challenges!

That’s why I always encourage kids to TRAIN ON THEIR OWN and show them exercises such as passing off a wall.

Some players call this wall ball and these are my top 7 exercises for a great workout:

• Receive with the inside of the foot, pass with the inside of the foot.
• Receive with the outside of the foot, pass with the inside of the foot.
• Receive with the...

Parents and Friends,

Ball juggling is a fantastic exercise kids can do training on their own and it significantly improves ball control and touch.

But nobody ever said it was easy!

It’s you against the ball and requires dedication, mental focus and most importantly technique.

A nine-year-old I worked with recently said she couldn’t understand how it’s done. How do you keep the ball off the ground?

Here are my top SIX tips:

1) Let the ball drop low.
2) Don’t lift your foot up and kick the ball when it's high in the air.
3) Keep your ankle locked (not floppy!) so the ball is hitting a hard surface.
4) Your foot must be curled back towards your shin.
5) Make contact with your laces near the base of your toes.
6) Use little taps and try to get back spin.

Start off practicing the correct mechanics without the ball, then proceed to juggling once and catching it.

Once you get to a comfort level move on to two juggles catch and so on.

Set a monthly goal improving your...

Parents and Friends,

Receiving the ball in the air is a key technique to master especially with the federation prohibiting heading for U-11 kids and below.

Yet over the last few weeks I’ve observed quite a few youth games and players were really struggling when the ball was not on the ground.

Kids were shying away from these situations too and when you see that they probably haven’t been taught the mechanics of how to cushion the ball to feet.

Even if they have they may not have put in enough practice time and without sufficient repetitions players just aren’t properly prepared.

Of course, good soccer is about keeping the ball on the deck and completing passes.

But at the same time kids must work on scenarios where the ball is bouncing and off the ground.

If not then when there’s a long pass, clearance etc. they won’t be equipped to deal with it.

Here are my top FIVE tips for receiving in the air…

1) Move into the line of flight of the ball.
2)...

Parents and Friends,

When a ball is traveling at speed to a kid’s feet they will frequently let it hit their shin or kick it away first time.

It’s certainly alarming when a player wants to get rid of the ball!

Not to mention that they are displaying significant technical limitations and poor decision-making skills.

But it’s not a surprise because kids are often in environments where they are spending most of their time doing redundant drills.

They’re not being taught technique at every session.

And they’re not getting the touches they need to get to a comfort level that they can transfer to a situation such as a game.

It takes CONFIDENCE in your technique to get the ball under control quickly and keep it within playing distance.

But it’s under pressure that you’ll see poor technique exposed as players get overwhelmed.

The options for receiving a ball on the ground are the inside, outside and sole of the foot 

Using the sole has become...

Parents and Friends,

What is shielding in soccer?

It’s keeping possession of the ball away from a defender, a technique that doesn't receive much attention in the youth game.

But of course, there are many situations where a player has few options and must protect the ball.

Shielding is also a very CREATIVE way to slow down play and allow a defender to contain you while you are waiting for movement.

This generates time and space for support attackers to get into position before you pass.

In addition, you’ll see shielding being used in tight spaces on defense.

A defender will get into a battle with an attacker while shielding the ball out of play at the corner flag.

Knowing how to shield is key in soccer and that’s why I make it part of training sessions in our program.

But like any other technique it needs to be taught with the correct mechanics and lots of REPETITIONS!

Here are my top 7 tips for shielding the ball…

1) Make sure your body position is between...

Parents and Friends,

We’ve all observed kids struggling with the mechanics of shooting.

What you’ll frequently see is youngsters kicking the ball with their toe.

If they are scoring goals with that technique, it’s now a productive bad habit!

Shooting with your toe will only be successful at the very youngest age groups.

Striking the ball with the laces is the correct technique.

At Soccer 1:1 our players get the PERSONAL ATTENTION they need with the fundamentals.

On the field shooting is something we regularly do in finishing and combination play exercises.

Off the field the kids receive handouts on the mechanics of shooting to ensure they have a solid technical foundation.

Then weekly the players complete homework where they study goals from players such as Messi and Ronaldo.

In these goal reports they describe how and what occurred in the build-up play and the finishing technique used.

Here are my top 7 tips for shooting from long distance… 

1) The...

Parents and Friends,

We’ve all seen young players struggling with the mechanics of taking the ball from an opponent.

Trying to make foot contact with the ball to regain possession.

In soccerspeak we call this tackling.

New families who want help will frequently tell me their child is shying away from these 1v1 situations.

While the kids that do attack the ball often just run and attempt to kick it! 

Of course, 'get stuck in' can be great feedback for an adult soccer team but how do we actually get young players to tackle?

Like any other technique it needs to be taught by reversing bad habits, proper instruction and lots of REPETITIONS. 

There are three types of tackle: the block, poke and slide.

And our players work on these in sessions solely focused on defense.

These are my top 5 tips for the block tackle...

1) The non-tackling foot must be beside the ball.
2) Your tackling foot must be off the ground and directly behind the ball.
3) Execute the tackle using the...

Parents and Friends,

Thanks to all the families that attended our recent skills clinic!

I always like to hear feedback… especially from the kids.

One child said “everybody tried really hard”. They put in a shift!

Another comment was “it was fun, and I got a lot of touches in”.

That’s interesting because as we all know kids get bored very quickly.

They certainly don’t want to stand behind a cone waiting for a ball.

Unfortunately, kids are often in an environment where they are NOT getting touches.

There are too many stoppages, they are stuck in lines, listening to lectures or playing in mass scrimmages where they rarely have the ball at their feet. 

These elements tend to creep in when the emphasis is on team tactics and preparing for upcoming games and tournaments.

When that happens technical training and individual development take a backseat.

Kids will enjoy the game if they are given a solid technical base and are learning new...