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Dear Coach, As a motivational reward iron-on patches are making all the headlines. The message is if you want to encourage your players to work harder, concentrate, be better behaved and try their hardest to learn new skills these patches are all you need. They are very cost-effective as well so it's not going to cost a lot to add a bit of fun to your training session. The patches have excellent results with young players. Yours in Soccer, David Clarke, Editor 
 Corporate Member of the
National Soccer Coaches Association of America | |
| | ALSO IN THIS ISSUE -
Blog: Playing in windy conditions -
Reader feedback: "I strongly believe that my team and my coaching have benefited from your drills" -
Inspirational quotation: Roberto Martinez
Patches make great rewards Motivation is vital to keep individuals happy and ensure they put their maximum effort in for the whole season. Being able to motivate young players to work hard makes your life as a coach much easier. You can improve the skills of any "average" player who is prepared to work hard but it's very difficult to coach a skillful player who doesn't put the effort in. And lazy players can de-motivate the other players in your team, especially if the others see them getting praised for their skills despite their lack of effort. Motivational patches are an amazingly powerful way to motivate young soccer players. They work on the same principles as the patches you might have received in the scouts or girl guides, or perhaps when you learnt to swim. The motivational patches are based on the proven psychological theory of positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is catching a child doing something you want them to do and rewarding it. The child gets attention and reward as positive reinforcement for doing the right thing and will focus on repeating that behaviour. So, for example, if you award a child a patch for providing an assist in a match or training session they will try to repeat the action because of the approval it attracts. Other players will also try to replicate the behaviour (the assist) because they want to be rewarded in a similar way. Children want to be good - you just need to make sure you reward them for being so. Tangible rewards such as patches are better than saying 'well done' because children can take patches home (or to school) where they can show them to their friends and parents. And that's very important to them. It's worth remembering that positive reinforcement works best when it isn't a once-in-a-while thing; the more it happens, the more effective it is. 
* Soccer coach blog * Playing in windy conditions By David Clarke It's pretty horrible playing in the wind. You have to think about your tactics because goalkicks, long through-balls and clearances will all be affected. I have a load of tips for playing into the wind on my Better Soccer Coaching website. I thought about them this weekend as my team struggled in the wind. Whether your players are kicking into the wind, or with the wind, follow these tips to keep youngsters’ shots, passes and goal kicks accurate. Playing into the wind tips Tell your players to keep it tight — short passing skills are needed into the wind. Any long balls will be held up by the wind and they will soon find the ball coming back towards them. In training drills practise holding the ball up — get your players to play balls into the attacker with his back to goal, creating opportunities for your midfielders to make supporting runs to receive the ball. At goalkicks, tell your goalkeeper to play out to the sides — a long kick down the middle would be suicidal. Playing with the wind tips Tell your players to resist the temptation to blast long balls into the opposition half — your forwards will soon get tired of the ball going straight out of play. But do let your goalkeeper unleash some long balls – get your forwards to cause chaos with the bouncing goalkicks by heading them towards goal. Tell your forwards to test your opponents’ goalkeeper with high accurate shots. Click here to go to my blog and see some clips of teams struggling in the wind and rain
* The winning difference * End zone alleys By Michael Beale The defenders in this drill must have a 'noone shall pass' mentality in order to stop the attacker and have a chance to attack themselves. 1v1 defending should be seen as an important part of your coaching programme. You will find the players will respond better on match day when they know how to tackle 1v1 situations. The only way they will do this is to practice them over and over again. Of course this can get very repetitive so you must make it more fun. I think this session is great fun for the players: Set up an area with two 30 x 10 yard alleys with end zones. You will need a few balls - try and get one for each player. 
How to play it -
The attackers attempt to dribble past the defender to the opposite end of the alley. -
If successful they wait and join the line coming in the opposite direction. -
However, if they are tackled then the roles are reversed with the defender joining the line and attacker becoming the new defender. -
It's really important to keep the tempo high. This makes the session much more fun as the attackers try - and often fail - to remember to defend if they have been tackled. What to call out -
"Pressure away from the end zone." -
"Force the play to one side." -
"Be patient, don't over commit." | * Editor's choice * Perfect Defending Our defending manual by Michael Beale was launched in February 2009 and contains 67 easy to coach drills for marking, tackling and blocking. The manual is divided into sections covering: - Individual Defending.
- Defending In Twos.
- Defending In Small Groups.
- Team Defending.
- Fun Defending Games.
Click here to read more, download a free sample drill, and order your copy today. |
* Wise up * A great 4 v 2 game to close down space By David Clarke
If you watch the best defenders in the world playing, they don’t give away space easily. Attackers know they are going to have to get the ball under control quickly if they are going to have a chance of getting past a top defender. Space is an attacker’s friend but it’s a defender’s enemy.
This is one to work on primarily with your defenders, but all players
should be able to close down space when an opponent is receiving the ball.
Timing and anticipating by the defending team is everything, this will stop the need for a sliding or last ditch tackle which can mean giving away dangerous free-kicks. The defender needs to be able to see the ball and any possible movement by the opponent - and then make the challenge when the opportunity presents itself. 
What defenders must do -
Try and anticipate, before the ball reaches the player. -
Wait until the right moment presents itself before making a tackle - note the position of team-mates. -
Tell your players to stay on their feet at all times. How to play it Tell the four attackers to pass the ball about inside the square and the two defenders to try and either win the ball or simply clear it out of the square. Key coaching tips Tell your defenders to work together, so that as the first attacker passes the ball, one of the defenders follows the ball and quickly closes the receiver down, and the second defender moves to anticipate the next pass. It’s tiring for the defenders so change them often. In my publication Soccer Coach Weekly, I have lots of games to help you coach young players. You can find out more by clicking here.
* Reader Feedback * "I strongly believe that my team and my coaching have benefited from your drills" Says Dan Cimermancic, U9s coach, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada  | | Dan (tallest coach) with his U9 team winning a tournament in Canada. | I coach a U9 boys team. I'm a strong supporter of your 64 Small-Sided Sided Games Manual. The diagrams and explanations are second to none, making the drills very easy to implement. I've used many of the drills, as well as variations thereof. I strongly believe that my team and my coaching have benefited from your drills. There is certainly a lot of variety which keeps my players interested, on their toes and improves their soccer sense intelligence. I echo my remarks about your other publications that I've taken advantage of - Soccer Attack, Soccer Coach Weekly, The Ultimate Soccer Warm-ups, and Perfect Defending.
* Inspirational quotation * "The next three goals were unacceptable basic defending errors and failure to take responsibility in one-on-one situations and we really got punished. " Roberto Martinez talking about goals 2, 3 and 4 as his Wigan side went down 9-1 away at Tottenham | | | | |
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