Soccer Fitness Training Tips

Soccer fitness training will help your players optimize their overall strength, speed and stamina. Such training plays a very major role in soccer and is in fact an essential component when it comes to coaching soccer. Let me give you a brief insight into different types of fitness training for soccer players.

Maximal Strength Fitness Training

In one momentary contraction, there is a specific level of force that a muscle group can generate. This optimum force of a muscle group is termed as maximal strength. Maximal strength plays a very important role in the game of soccer.

It helps the players hold off opponent and steal the ball from them. However, the objective of the maximal strength fitness training should not be just to enhance the maximal strength. Instead, the training should focus on enhancing both power and speed to optimum level.

Power Training - Plyometrics

This fitness-training program for soccer is highly effective in building both strength and speed in the players. What is more, unlike most people think, it is not a very difficult training process. The training becomes much easier when both the coach and the players follow the guidelines associated with the same religiously.

Plyometrics exercises are designed in a way to stretch the muscle of the players before the contraction and this simply results in more forceful and instant contraction. For example, one easy way to do this exercise is to keep jumping off the ground without bending the knees. However, one good way to maintain the speed and flexibility of the players is simply to follow a specific weight routine.

This is the best way to enhance as well as maintain the speed and strength of the players. Last, but not the least, there are certain cautions that you must take note of while you are doing the Plyometrics exercises. For example, it is not good to use weights ? no matter how light it is - while doing this exercise.

Some Examples Of Plyometrics Exercises

The simple yet best example of Plyometrics exercises is that you should run in slow motion, jumping on alternate feet. While doing this exercise, the players should aim to achieve as much height and distance as possible at each step.

Overall, there are various ways in which soccer fitness training can be organized. However, the only thing that both the coach and the players must keep in mind is that they have to follow the guidelines religiously.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of soccer fitness training. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.

Soccer Coaching: Teaching Offensive Strategies

In soccer coaching, to teach about the offensive strategies is as important as is the training about the defensive strategies.

Effective Positioning System

One of the best and most effective positioning systems is the four-four-two system. You should form your team, keeping in mind the following.

? For Defense: largest players

? For midfield: those players who have impressive crossing ability

? Upfront: the fastest players of your team

However, this is no hard and fast rule, but such formations usually work and eventually result in winning a match. If such a formation of your team is not working, you may go ahead and utilize the following formation, based on the size of the players.

? At the back: Largest Players

? Midfield: Fastest Players

? Upfront: smallest players

When you put players with small heights upfront, it can be very helpful when your team is looking for a penalty or a free kick. This is because it has been observed that referees are usually on the side of players with little heights.

Scoring A Goal

If you want to make sure that your team is able to score a goal, it is very important that you train them in a way that they know about each other very well. Mutual co-ordination is very important in the field while a match is on.

Therefore, you should construct your training session in a way that could give the players a good opportunity to share plenty of interpersonal information with each other. Actually, when it comes to scoring a goal, it is all about how the players are passing the ball to each other.

And, when the players know about another player, they are more inclined to pass the ball to them. Effective passing of the ball, saving it from the opponent team is the only way a team can score a goal.

Teaching Throw-ins

When it comes to coaching U-6 and U-8 players, one of the most difficult tasks is to train them how to throw the ball at a distance effectively while keeping both their feet on the ground. One good way to train them about effective throwing-ins is to have them cross their ankles while they attempt throwing a ball at a distance. This way, they do not need to jump up, and thus they can easily keep their feet on the ground while throwing the ball.

Overall, an effective soccer coaching is something that can give your team a winning edge.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of soccer coaching. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.

Soccer Psychological Coaching - Techniques and Strategies

With the individual and team goals set, the actual training begins. Physical training is not to be undermined but the important cognitive skills to be emphasized include relaxation techniques and task concentration. Handing down specific relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation is more effective than just telling them to relax. Equipping them with applicable means to follow your instructions instead of just expecting them to comply on every command is more effective.

Relaxation technique is crucial to performance because stress and anxiety is inevitable in every competition so the individual members should learn to handle this. Many distractions also arise in actual games so the members should learn how to block out unnecessary factors including negative feelings from inside and just stay focused on the actual task. They have to learn not to try controlling the uncontrollable factors during the game and not to put too much emphasis on winning or losing as this is the root cause of most of the players? stress. These require paramount mental effort and so, an adaptation of appropriate mind set is necessary. Staying positive about one?s abilities and having faith in his teammates is one. Teaching the ?here and now? rule is another which basically means anything that is not part of the task should be set aside. Learning the connection between stress and level of performance would probably be helpful too. The higher your stress is, the lower your performance goes.

A good coach should also be able to help the players understand that there is nothing to lose by trying instead of opting to be paralyzed with anxiety. And last but not the least, conditioning the athlete?s minds to view adversity in a positive way, however difficult, will ease the transition from being a novice player to a more professional and successful athlete.

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Success Lessons From Soccer - How To Win or Lose In The Game Of Life

Soccer matches are all about scoring goals and being winners. As a result, soccer can hold up a mirror to life since many humans also want to achieve goals and to be winners in the game of life. There is much to be learned about life in general from soccer players, managers and commentators.

When you listen to commentators on soccer matches, the key words they use again and again when teams are winning are words about character and attitude like belief, excitement, confidence, effort and so on. Soccer skills and strategies are important but mean little without the right attitude. Team managers urge their players to show focus, determination and maximum effort. They tell them they should expect to win and not to show too much respect for their opponents no matter how famous they are. I love listening to the comments of the great soccer managers. They have all been to hell and back. They are praised and popular when their teams win. They are criticised and even sacked when their teams fail to win. They know the heights of elation and the depths of despair. They have to find ways to deal with both and to keep motivating their teams to win. Gordon Strachan took over as manager of Celtic, one of the top two clubs in Scotland, in 2005. It was not long before he experienced "the worst night of my life" Bratislava beat Celtic 5-0 in the Champions league, the top European competition. His watch stopped after the match and he still wears it to remind himself that it was the worst night of his life. Celtic, the pride of Scotland, had been humiliated by a less famous team. Other failures seemed small to him by comparison. We can all learn to deal with difficult situations by reminding ourselves of worst situations in our past or by imagining how much worse our lives could be than they actually are. None of us knows for sure what will happen to us tomorrow. We could be seriously ill or even dead. Gordon has faced this possibility already. He told the media that on his gravestone he would like these words carved: "This is better than that night in Bratislava." He uses the humour of exaggeration to deal with the criticisms of the media when things go wrong. A reporter commented when his team lost a match in Scotland: "Bang, there goes your unbeaten run. Can you take it? " "No," said Strachan. "I'm just going to crumble like a wreck. I'll go home, become an alcoholic and maybe jump off a bridge. Hmmm?.

I think I can take it, yeah." He knows the importance of positive thinking if you wish to achieve success. One reporter foolishly asked: "There's no negative vibes or negative feelings here?" Strachan replied: "Apart from yourself, we're all quite positive round here. I'm going to whack you over the head with a big stick; down negative man, down." Strachan often speaks with disarming honesty and schoolboy cheek. He is ready to admit that he and his players are not always at their best. He is ready to face reality. Facing up to reality is a key characteristic of the successful. When he managed a team in England, a reporter asked him: "So, Gordon, in what areas do you think Middlesbrough were better than you today?" Strachan replied: "What areas? Mainly that big green one out there...." Strachan has had his defeats but recently he has led his latest team, Celtic, to undisputed victory in the Scottish Premier League. He is widely accepted as a great manager. Another great manager now works in the English Premier League. He is Jose Mourihno, the manager of Chelsea. He came to England in June 2004 and soon showed his confidence in himself and his players. He wants only to be judged by the results. A good manager wins. A bad one loses: "I'm not a defender of old or new football managers. I believe in good ones and bad ones; those that achieve success and those that don't. Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one" He soon proved himself to be a 'special one' in England as well as in Portugal, his native country. As the name 'the special one' suggests he believes in himself in a big way. A key factor in his success in England is his self-belief and a rich Russian backer who allows him to buy the best players in Europe. You can safely bet money that Chelsea will win almost all their matches. The odds are not great but you could put ?100 on Chelsea to win and make an easy ?26 from your bet. Of course, this does not always work out. No team is perfect! Mourinho is passionate about soccer but retains his sense of perspective and humour. Recently he was asked in London if he was concerned about losing the championship to his main rivals, Manchester United. His reply was typical of him: "No, I'm more concerned about bird 'flu."

The assembled press started laughing. "Seriously; it's that swan in Scotland that concerns me. It's not that far from here!" (The swan was the first creature with bird 'flu in the UK in 2006) Over the last few weeks, his team, Chelsea, have been criticised for having players sent off for breaking the rules. When Jose was asked about his success away from home against West Brom, he commented ironically: "Maybe we won because we played with ten men. That is our best tactic at the moment." However, he realises that the main reason Chelsea win so often is as follows:

"We have top players and, sorry if I'm arrogant, we have a top manager." Public confidence is so rare in the UK that it is often mistaken for arrogance. Jose does not believe in having favourites; he believes in the power of the team rather than the individual: "I don't want special relations with one of them (his players). I hate to speak about individuals. Players don't win you trophies, teams win trophies, squads win trophies." Another great manager is Harry Redknapp of Portsmouth. He commented about his players in a match with Burnley which ended in a 2-2 draw: "When the crowd was on their backs no one wanted to try anything in case they got booed. They were defensive and wanted to avoid mistakes." Harry understands human psychology. If we are too worried about appearing foolish or making mistakes we will fail to make things happen and we will not make full use of our abilities. We go into our shells and play safe. I remember feeling like this when I played cricket at school. I tried to avoid being anywhere near the ball in case I dropped a catch. It was many years before I realised that I was quite good at catching! A commentator remarked: "Harry knows how to get his teams going and how to restore their confidence. Now they expect to win at Fratton Park (the Portsmouth ground). They firmly believe they will win." Recently they have won three games in a row and are on their way to escaping relegation to a lower division. Another manager, Stuart Pierce, of Manchester City also knows the importance of confidence: "We need to go out and really believe we can play a bit." What key success lessons can we learn from the above? Skill is important but attitude is even more important. We should expect to win and not show too much respect for the obstacles in our path whether they are human or otherwise and whether they are real or imaginary. We need to believe in our own ability and expect to win even if this makes us seem arrogant. We should handle failures by reminding ourselves that things could be much worse. Retaining our sense of humour also helps. Teamwork is a key factor in many types of achievement. We should not be worried about making mistakes whether we are playing soccer or cricket or the game of life. We need to face up to reality and be willing to be judged by the results we achieve as well as the effort we put in. On the whole, I think, that the effort we expend is more important. We cannot always control the results but we can control the effort we put in. The same manager can lose with one team and win with another. He is still the same person and he still made the same efforts. I'll leave you with a final quote from Gordon Strachan who has been both a winning and a losing manager: A reporter asked: "Gordon, can we have a quick word?" "Velocity", replied Gordon as he walked off. About the author John Watson is an award winning teacher and fifth degree black belt martial arts instructor. He has recently written several books about achieving your goals and dreams. One of these can be found here http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree martial arts instructor. One of his motivational ebooks can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

Junior Soccer Defending - Directing the Play

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Do your players know whether to show an opponent inside or outside when they are defending?

You may want to consider this tactic when coaching your players. There are two schools of thought on this; One says that your defenders should show the opponents outside towards the touchline.

The reason for this is that if your player does get beat then the opponent will still have to get a cross in. Also, they should be at a more acute angle to get a shot on target if they have been successfully pushed outside.

The alternative to this is showing the opponents inside, towards goal. If this is to be your style of play then the players need to be organised so that there is strength inside. This can be a risky tactic if players are not switched on or don't know where to best position themselves.

Showing them inside would be a good tactic if you where playing with five in defence with a good sweeper.

If your team lacks some direction on this tactic, then it will be very difficult for them to get an organised shape and take a position which is best suited to holding up or breaking down an attack.

Both young and older players can be coached on this.

As players get older, and become more tactically aware & proficient in defending techniques, they will be able to influence the build up play and therefore your defensive line can react, and adjust, by taking the lead off the first defender.

Build this simple tactic into some small sided games in training and watch the beneficial results on match day! For more Junior Soccer help, drills, exercises and coach development visit http://www.juniorsoccercoach.com and join the free junior soccer tip of the week. Or send a blank email to: mailto:tips@juniorsoccercoach.com