Soccer Analysis

Courtesy: Finesoccer Organisation: Field: 40 yard Buffer zone: 5 yard on each end Players: 12 players start on end line (each with a ball) while other 3 players start 5 yards back (without the ball) Total 15 players. How to do: A coach signals for a start: 12 players must drible at full speed to the end line,the must get three touches on the ball in the far buffer zone The remaining 3 players should try to stop the 12 players; they should either 1. win the ball, 2. playing the ball away, or 3. by knoking the ball over the end line. Only players from the group of 12 who have succeeded to beat the opposition with three touches will go to the next round until a winner is found (1 player from the group of 12 who will remain). Any player from the group of 12 who fails to beat the opposition with 3 touches joins the the group of 3 to try to stop the remaining players from the group of 12. Coaching points Speed dribling Shielding Turning with the ball

Picture courtesy of Michuzi blog It is now almost two years since the Tanzania national team coach was contracted to coach for Tanzania national team. But recently there have been different views on perfomance of the team and capability of our coach, the brazilian Marcio Maximo. Some say our team is not perfoming well and the blame has been thrown to the coach. Of course some including me still say the team is doing well and the coach Marcio is indeed still our dose for long disturbing disease in soccer i.e the lack of recognisable success in the world of football. I do not know or even understand those who blame him. I do not know their base for the blames. What I understand is we have done well recently. Those who say Maximo has not done anything should ask themselves; where or what are they comparing his performance with. When did we succeed and his coming has destroyed that? What tangible achievement we had that now we have lost? I may be wrong but I like Maximo's approach in b...

One day I attended a soccer match organised by one of the popular youth academies here in Tanzania. I did not like the way the match was organised, the only thing that they did right was on officials. They used officials recognised by soccer body TFF; with that I was ok. I didn't like arrangements for the venue; there was confusion for that. The organising committee claimed that they booked the ground for the occassion,but it was found later that the ground was rented to another team for training. It was later discovered that this other team had a formal contranct with owners of the ground, to use that ground for their training for a period of three months and they paid in advance for that. The matches had to be postponed until the other team finished their programme for the day. Although the matches resumed but already this was a dissapointment to the players and the fans. One may say "They are just kids"; yes they are kids, yes they may not complain, but you have to und...

Material from Lawrence of Fine soccer. Ideally, when a ball is going to bounce just in front of the keeper, the keeper would try to get to it before the bounce, however, that is not always possible. The key to handling a ball on a hop is to get to it as quickly as possible. The quicker a keeper can get to the ball, the less they are effected by a bad bounce, If the ball takes a bad bounce, the further back from the ball the keeper is, the further it will get away. Not only does the keeper want to get to the ball quickly to deal with a ball that is bouncing to the side, but the keeper also needs to get over the ball in case it takes a quick high bounce. The best way to do this is with a forward dive so that when the ball bounces, the body is behind and over the ball and the hands/arms are under the ball. This will help keep the ball in front of the keeper and make it much easier to hold onto the ball and keep it out of the back of the net. It's extremely important to train for boun...

Material from Paul Cooper “Communication works for those who work at it” John Powell Communication is so vital on the football pitch. Communication can come in many forms and not just words. · Speech, giving commands and asking · Pointing · A shrug of the shoulder · With your eyes Verbal communication on the pitch can cover a number of things. · Asking for the ball – ‘Pete’s ball’ etc · Warning a fellow player - ‘Man on’ · Giving extra information – ‘Turn’ ‘Time’ Children our very often very quiet on the pitch, this could be down to nerves or confidence and is in stark contrast to the constant chatter before and after the game in the dressing room In contrast in a lot of adult football everyone is shouting for the ball, even when they are in a poor position to receive the ball. · Age Group U9s to adults · Pitch sizes 40 x 20 – or at the discretion of the coach. Number of teams – 2 · Team sizes – 4-6 · Bibs op...

You may be asking yourself "when is the right age to start training young ones?" What motivates children to play soccer? What puts off soccer kids? What is the right environment for children playing soccer? What should I teach? Answers to all these questions can be found in a properly put club or association strategy for soccer development. A child starts losing flexibility at the age of 4 years,then it is important to start training them before they lose their flexibility. It just like a swahili saying that if you want to fold a Fish then do it when it is fresh, for children this is the age that you teach them the moves. When they grow and reach an age of 10 years already they will be used to the tricks so then makes easier for them to develop. You will have a good number of players in your team if you will know what motivates them to play soccer; it be the company from friends, makes them to be seen as "cool" among other children etc. Children like to have fun,...

This material by courtesy of Worldclass coaching A coach want to create 1 V1 attacking opportunities for his team. The game begins with players passing and defending passively, a player who has the ball dribbles past the defender successfully. Each numbered player has a ball and they can pass to any lettered player. They call their name, pass the ball and close them down quickly and the lettered player has to beat them and score a goal by stopping the ball anywhere along the line where the numbered players begin. If the numbered player wins back the ball they score by stopping the ball on the lettered player’s line. This is a big area to be able to score on which improves the chances of success. Have at least three 1 v 1 ‘s going at any one time, players dictate when and where they do this depending on how many others are live in their 1 v 1’s. Players need to be aware of the positions of the other 1 v 1 confrontations so they do not clash with them. Ensure all players have the opportu...