Preseason Training Resources

Preseason Training Resources

With preseason for most teams just around the corner, we have pulled together a collection of preseason soccer training resources to help you prepare your team to be at their best when the season starts. Resources come from professional, college and youth coaches and include fitness tests, full plans, strength programs and more!

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Soccer Awareness 5 v 2 Rondos Using 1 and 2 Touches

Soccer Awareness 5 v 2 Rondos Using 1 and 2 Touches

This exercise is what the Barcelona thinking model of passing and movement is built on. Adding a Neutral player to play thru. 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.

Please read to understand the “attention to detail” required to do this correctly. Its not just a passing around the square game, it is so much more than this. We build it up to make it work with real pace and accuracy; as again; it speeds up the mind and body in decision making. 

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The Art of the Breakaway Safe

The Art of the Breakaway Safe

The breakaway save is a tough technique to learn for a soccer goalkeeper. A breakaway occurs when the attacker with the ball has penetrated the last defender. The goalkeeper becomes the only opposing force available to stop the attacker from scoring. Timing and bravery are key aspects of making this type of save at the strikers feet. Here are three drills from Soccer Champions Coaches’ Clinic to get you started.

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Change of Direction Individual Training

Change of Direction Individual Training

Change of direction is the ability to accelerate, decelerate, stop and re-accelerate in any direction without losing speed and balance. These drills from Soccer Champions Coaches’ Clinic will help you work on your player’s ability to change direction in soccer specific training.

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Sideways on Soccer Vertical Corridor Exercise

Sideways on Soccer Vertical Corridor Exercise

This is an exercise where the field is divided into several vertical channels. Initially none of the players may leave the channel they are in. The most important condition is that the ball CANNOT be played forward to a team mate in the same channel. The ball must be played into an adjacent channel. This simple condition guarantees angled passes and sideways on reception.

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1 v 1 Introducing Individual Zonal Positioning Concepts

1 v 1 Introducing Individual Zonal Positioning Concepts

The key defensive skill we are practicing here is for the defending player to always be able to see the ball and the attacker at the same time. The defender must gauge whether it is possible to intercept the ball and, if it is not, then must adopt a position behind the attacking player’s receiving foot.

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Intercepting the Play Activity

Intercepting the Play Activity

The aim is for the players along the center line to stop the ball getting transferred from one side to another (cutting off the through ball). The middle team gets a point for intercepting the pass. The outer team gets a point for playing through the middle of the team. This is perfect to lead into a screening phase of play.

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Developing 6 v 6 Team Shape With One Word Commands

Developing 6 v 6 Team Shape With One Word Commands

The difference between defensive and attacking shape is just the spacing between players and between units. Defensive shape is short and tight, attacking shape is wide and long. To help the players when you do this initially keep the same spacing between players and units as they move around the field to get the concept across. As they get better you can move on to increasing the spacing such as when we get possession of the ball and we need to have the players go wider and longer in their spacing between each other.

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