Soccer 1:1

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,

According to the Social Science Research Network, approximately 65% of the population are visual learners.

That means they are more likely to remember and understand content if they watch it.

Of course, playing soccer will always be the most effective way for young players to learn.

But at the same time there are clearly benefits to watching the game at the highest level on TV.

And it’s a question I frequently hear from families. Should their child be watching more soccer? 

The answer is ABSOLUTELY and with the men’s World Cup around the corner it will be the perfect time to do so… school’s out!

The tournament is starting June 14 in Russia and the final will be a month later.

Sadly, with the USMNT not qualifying what can our kids do?

They could follow some of the top players and watch their matches.

The three biggest stars in men's soccer will be present… Neymar (Brazil), Messi (Argentina) and Ronaldo (Portugal).

If that...

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...

Parents and Friends,

With new families interested in our training program there are there two prerequisites before they can sign up.

Those are a phone interview followed by a field evaluation.

I screen because unlike other training programs I don’t want to help everyone!

I’m looking to establish early whether the family really wants help.

Simply because I know the perfect fit is a COMMITTED family that really wants their child to improve.

When chatting on the phone the problem the player is having is nearly always technical.

The parent feels their kid isn’t getting the PERSONAL ATTENTION they need and help with their game.

And that’s never a surprise because players can display significant technical limitations despite having played soccer for years.

Especially if the child is coming from an environment that prematurely focuses on team success and not individual player development.

If the phone interview goes well the next step is the field evaluation with...

Parents and Friends,

Thanks to all the families that showed up for the recent skills clinic!

As a coach I always enjoy meeting new parents and hearing about their soccer experience.

And of course on the field I LOVE the challenge of training new players and that’s what was so fun about the day. 

We had a whole bunch of super enthusiastic kids from different soccer backgrounds, teams and skill sets.

We had local players, players from outside SF and a kid who just moved to the city from NYC!

This is just the beginning as my goal is to help more kids and reach as many players as possible.  

Families these days are looking for OPTIONS and want their child to experience different practice environments.

And that’s what these clinics will be.

Supplemental technical training where kids will be picking up new skills and exposed to another approach.

Our next clinic is coming up on March 3rd in Presidio Heights at 12:30.

The focus will be increasing CONFIDENCE with...

Parents and Friends,

Working with many families and young players over the years one of the first things I mention is that we do weekly soccer homework.

The response is frequently what could that possibly be! 

I am always quick to explain that if they want help then homework is a CRUCIAL and integral part of that process.

Why? Because practice time is limited to a few hours a week (or less!) and I want to have an input on what players are doing outside of those trainings.

It's also an opportunity to be productive and get ahead especially when soccer kids these days are often IDLE for months on end. Sometimes for whole seasons.

The content of the homework can vary but typically it will be based on learning a new skill and increasing a player’s Soccer IQ.

I recently had the kids working on the backheel and they had to…

1) Study a technical handout on backheels.
2) Watch a video of Alexis Sanchez’s backheel assist against Brighton.
3) Answer five questions based...

Parents and Friends,

We’ve all observed kids practicing on their own at the fields and they are nearly always doing the same thing… they’re taking shots.

Then they chase the ball down to take another.

Sure, it’s fantastic they’re out there having fun but it’s pretty much useless in terms of quality technical training.

It’s essentially wasted time because it’s not PRODUCTIVE.

When chatting with new families one of the main concerns they have is their child doesn’t know how to practice on their own

Their kid has never been encouraged to do so nor been given guidelines on how to individually improve their game.

At Soccer 1:1 every player in the program receives a handout on footwork, fundamentals and ball mastery exercises specific to practicing on your own.

And I make it a requirement that they follow through. 

How? The kids maintain soccer journals with their practice days and I read them at every session.

This makes players...