Reviews of Coaching Books

Table of Contents

Philosophy

Fair Play Code for the Coach

Small Sided Soccer

Fun Games

Control I

Passing I

Shoot & Finish I

Dribbling I

Heading I

Goal Keeping I

Defending I

Control II

Passing II

Shoot & Finish II

Dribbling II

Heading II

Goal Keeping II

Defending II

2v1

2v2

3v2

3v3

4v3

4v4

REVIEW BY Eric Blommer:

The title of this work is also its best summary. It starts out with a listing of 20 fun games that cover the topics of Dribbling, Passing and Shooting. This is the sort of stuff you find in most coaching books. The games can be useful, but all too often the beginning coach has no idea how to organize the games into a coherent practice. That is what separates this book from so many of the others. The remainder of this book lays out 20 complete practices on the topics listed in the Table of Contents above. The practices flow from one to the other and get harder towards the end of the book. All of the practices start with a warm-up activity, include 2 or 3 skill related exercises and end with a small sided game. Each plan includes an explanation of the organization, the key coaching points to look for and a suggested amount of time to spend on the activity.

This would be an excellent book for a beginning coach who has just "volunteered" to coach any team of 8-11 year olds. You could simply follow the practices one after the other straight from the book and look like a genius. Or you could combine these exercises with ones from other sources while maintaining the basic structure of the practices. Either way, the book is a very good buy and leagues might considering buying a copy for each of their recreation coaches. Gordon also has a similar book for coaching 5, 6 & 7 year olds.

Table of Contents

Dribbling

Passing

Shooting

Heading

Restart Plays

Goalkeeping

Conditioning

Review by Eric Blommer

This work contains 180 drills for teaching the various aspects of soccer. It lists the drills one per page arranged by topic. Each drill has a Title, Objective, Number of Players, Area, Time, Equipment, Diagram, Organization, Instructions, Coaching Points and Variations. Since the drills are presented by topic it is easy to decide on the theme for your practice and then pick a selection of drills to work that theme.

The drills are well presented although plagued by numerous typographical errors. The drills are more elaborate than what you find in a lot of coaching books. They are really geared towards teaching patterns of play in addition to the basic skills that the chapter is emphasizing. I feel this is an excellent approach since the only reason to teach a specific technique is if it is useful for some tactical purpose. I would recommend this book mostly for coaches of players 12 and older.

Table of Contents

Combination Plays

Small Sided Games

Review by Eric Blommer

This work contains 180 drills for teaching tactical concepts. It lists the drills one per page arranged by either combination plays or small sided games. Each drill has a Title, Objective, Number of Players, Area, Time, Equipment, Diagram, Organization, Instructions, Coaching Points and Variations. Since the drills are presented in only two rather broad categories it is difficult to decide on the theme for your practice and then pick a selection of drills to work that theme. However, the drills are well presented although plagued by numerous typographical errors.

This is the second book in a two book series. The other book is on individual skills. The drills are more elaborate than what you find in a lot of coaching books. They are really geared towards teaching patterns of play. I would recommend this book mostly for coaches of players 12 and older. It is a very good book for finding drills that can be used to teach tactics.

Table of Contents

76 Games for Field Player Training

6 Games for Goalkeeper Training

Review by Eric Blommer

This work contains 82 games for teaching some aspect of soccer. It simply lists the games one after the other without much thought to page breaks. Each game has a Title, Objectives, Equipment, Organization, Directions and Coaching Points. This is the sort of stuff you find in most coaching books. The games can be useful, and are certainly fun, but all too often the beginning coach has no idea how to organize the games into a coherent practice. This book does not help in the organizing department at all. The games seem to be included in a purely random order. I would rather see the games grouped by the technique, tactic or fitness component they emphasize. Or, at least, provide a cross referencing index with this information.

Having said all that, however, I do like this book. The games are very well presented and the many I have used over the years have certainly been well liked by the youngsters. I feel that if a coach is uncertain about their coaching ability they should conduct their practices as a sequence of games and let the game be the teacher. It would be best, though, if all the games in one practice related to the same topic. There are enough games in this book that this objective could be easily met with a little effort from the coach. The bottom line is that I recommend this book as a second book for new coaches and for any coach looking for some fun ideas to liven up their practices. Even High School age players have enjoyed some of these games.

Table of Contents

Know Your Players

Eight Steps of Learning

Ten Steps of Teaching

Planning Considerations

Organizing the Practice

Dribbling

Using the Instep for Shooting

Ground Passing

Wall Pass

Controlling Ground Ball

Controlling Flighted Ball

Throw-In

Small Sided Games

Review by Eric Blommer

This book is written in comic book format which can drive you crazy but seems to be comforting to new coaches. It is probably the best book I know for a brand new "volunteer" to use to get started. It covers all the basics of starting and running a team. Background information and complete practices are included. My old league used to get this book for all its new coaches. This is the first book in a series of four, the others cover tactics, goalkeeping and parents. There is also a companion video that I think is still available.

Table of Contents

Our Beginnings: a Brief History of Soccer and the NSCAA

The Theory of Soccer

Developing a Soccer Coaching Philosophy

Teaching Soccer Technique: The Building Blocks of the Game

Goalkeeping

Developing Individual and Team Tactics: An Action Plan for the Game

Restarts

Preparing Players for the Physical Demands of Soccer

Sports Psychology

Coaching Women's Soccer

Getting Organized to Coach Youth Soccer

Coaching Indoor Soccer

Team Management

Review by Eric Blommer

If you are an advanced coach, or want to be one, or want to know what they think, or if you are going to take a national level license; you must have this book. This book is a collection of articles from "Soccer Journal" which is the magazine of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). It touches on almost every aspect of soccer coaching. The list of contributors reads like a who's who in American soccer.

The downside of the book is that it is a collection of stand-alone articles. This means that the style and quality vary quite a bit. There was apparently no effort made to clean up the original errors and typos in the articles. But the depth of knowledge is so great that the mistakes can easily be forgiven. This is really the first place I turn whenever there is a question about soccer coaching. I recommend this book very highly to anyone beyond the beginning stage of coaching. It will be a resource that you will turn to year after year.

Table of Contents

Index of Games

Index of Primary Emphases

Index of Primary and Secondary Emphases

Index of Contributing Authors

Games #1-160

Review by Eric Blommer

This work contains 160 games for teaching some aspect of soccer. It lists the games one per page in alphabetical order. Each game has a Title, Area of Primary and Secondary Emphasis, Number of Players, Equipment, Formation and Procedure along with a diagram. This is the sort of stuff you find in most coaching books, but all too often the beginning coach has no idea how to organize the games into a coherent practice. This book tries to help in the organizing department by providing a cross referencing index with information about the primary and secondary focus of the game at hand.

The games are well presented although I would like to see a section listing the coaching points to look for. Most of the games are drills that have been recast as games. This is a very important quality. Even though drills are not especially motivating, the numerous repetitions are important for solidifying a skill. Thus, if one can take a drill and turn it into a game you can create a situation that is productive but also self motivating. Furthermore, I feel that if a coach is uncertain about their coaching ability they should conduct their practices as a sequence of games and let the game be the teacher. It would be best, though, if all the games in one practice related to the same topic. There are enough games in this book that this objective could be easily met by using the cross referencing index. I would recommend this book mostly for coaches of players 12 and up although younger teams could use most of the games without harm. Basically it is a good book for any coach looking for some fun ideas to liven up their routine drills.

Table of Contents

Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditioning

Strength Conditioning

Flexibility Conditioning

Goal Setting and Conditioning

Planning Your Conditioning Programme

Diet and Nutrition

Mental Preparation for Performance

Review by Eric Blommer

One of my frustrations with the USSF licensing program is that they never really deal with the subject of conditioning in an adequate way. Furthermore, they don't even touch on the mental aspects of the game. I thought surely at the B level they would, but they didn't in the course I took. Thus I have been looking for books to help me. This one, from a British University that specializes in studying soccer, is pretty good at the intermediate coaching level.

From the Table of Contents you can see that they cover all the basic material. They give a moderate amount of detail and the whys and wherefores for each facet of conditioning. They give enough tables, facts and figures that you could put together a serviceable conditioning program with this book alone. Then they tie it all together into goal setting and defining a year round training program. I was particularly pleased to see the last chapter on mental preparation since that is really what separates the players at the highest levels.

My main complaint about the book is the cost. The publishers filled the book with zillions of color photographs that really don't contribute much to your knowledge but certainly drive the cost upwards. Overall, though, the book is a good introduction to an important aspect of the game for coaches of post-pubescent players. It would also be appropriate for reading by older players who might even enjoy the photographs.

Table of Contents

Passing and Support Play

Forward Runs

Dribbling

Crosses

Heading for Goal

Shooting

Creating Space

Winning the Ball in the Attacking Third

Attacking from Set Plays

Key Factors in Defending

Defending at Set Plays

Goalkeeping

The Winning Formula

Direct Play - the Analysis

Review by Eric Blommer

You either love this book or hate it, I have done both. The main source of contention is the philosophies of the author. Charles Hughes was the F.A. Director of Coaching and Education. He did a video study of 109 international matches to determine how the 240 goals were scored. From the study he developed a game strategy he calls "Direct Play." His detractors claim he simply advocates "Kick and Run," although he specifically denies this in the book.

His primary statistical conclusion was that most goals (87%) came after five consecutive passes or less. From this he developed a strategy he calls "The Winning Formula." This formula spells out the best strategies to adopt on attack and defense as follows: "In attack this means going forward as quickly as possible - direct play - and in defence it means attempting to win back the ball as soon as possible and as near as possible to the opponents' goal."

The book takes this formula as its guiding principle and then works out the tactical implications. Hughes looks at each tactic needed to support direct play and then discusses the techniques needed to support the tactic. The result is a book that covers all aspects of teaching the game in a very unified fashion. Techniques and tactics are not taught as isolated circus acts but become part of the bigger picture of winning games. I feel that this is the strongest part of the book. You will not find specific practices, which is why I said the book is for advanced coaches. However, the book will help you understand the teaching of the game as a coherent whole. You don't have to subscribe to his total philosophy to find the book helpful and even enjoyable.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Philosophy

Modified Soccer

Sports Medicine

Organizing a Practice

A Good Coach

Goal Setting

Motivation and the Soccer Coach

Parental Involvement

Stretching

Dribbling

Passing

Shooting

Control

1v1

Dribbling II

Shooting II

Passing II

Control II

1v1 II

Dribbling III

2v1

Passing III

Shooting III

Control III

1v1 III

Dribbling IV

2v2

3v3

Shooting IV

Review by Eric Blommer

The title of this work is also its best summary. It starts out with some general information that is important to a new coach such as how to organize a practice and how to get parental involvement. The heart of the book lays out 20 complete practices on the topics listed in the Table of Contents above. The practices flow from one to the other and get harder towards the end of the book. All of the practices start with a warm-up activity, include 2 or 3 skill related exercises and end with a small sided game. Each plan includes an explanation of the organization, the key coaching points to look for and a suggested amount of time to spend on the activity.

This would be an excellent book for a beginning coach who has just "volunteered" to coach any team of 5-7 year olds. You could simply follow the practices one after the other straight from the book and look like a genius. Or you could combine these exercises with ones from other sources while maintaining the basic structure of the practices. Either way, the book is a very good buy and leagues might considering buying a copy for each of their recreation coaches. Gordon also has a similar book for coaching 8, 9, 10 & 11 year olds.

Table of Contents

Introduction The Waitersway Roles of Participants The Tactics The Howe Way Appendix

Review by Eric Blommer

This is the book that defined Micro Soccer (3v3). The first of the book justifies the use of 3v3 by describing the characteristics of 6, 7 and 8 year olds. Then the actual rules of 3v3 are presented. The meat of the book's first half is a detailed description of 10 practice activities for teaching Micro Soccer. There is even an eight week practice schedule laid out using the 10 activities. The first half finishes with a discussion of the roles of the three players on the field and a general discussion of basic team tactics. The second half of the book contains 10 fun games that can be used with this age group even if you are not playing Micro Soccer.

This is a good book if you are coaching the targeted age group. Many leagues give it to all their coaches as their basic coaching manual. If you are a new "volunteer" and have no idea what to do, this is an excellent place to start.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Howe Way

Mastering Techniques

The Waitersway

The Age of Skill

Simple Defending

Appendix

Review by Eric Blommer

This book is a continuation of the first book in the series that defined Micro Soccer (3v3). The first half of the book illustrates Howe's concept that "the game is the teacher." After discussing methods of coaching and the rationale for playing 3v3, he fully describes 10 fun games for learning basic technical and tactical concepts. The second half of the book describes some games by Waiters that also teach basic techniques and tactics.

This is a good book if you are a beginning coach in the targeted age group. I think it may be too simplistic if you are coaching a competition team, although you can certainly use the activities to good effect. However, if you are a new "volunteer" and have no idea what to do, this is an excellent place to start.

Table of Contents

Team Organization

Greater Expectations

The Balancing Act

The Competitive Cauldron

Understanding How and Why

Respecting Opponents

Having An Effect

Training

It's Okay to Compete

The Off-Season

Fit For Life

Player Management

Leading Women Athletes

Your Role With The Reserves

Organizing Team Chemistry

Protecting the Take-On Artist

Tactics

The Value of the Three Front

Field Organization

Appendix

Manager's Stat Pack

Computer Analysis

Recommended Reading List

Review by Eric Blommer

This book is not full of drills and games but it is essential reading if you are coaching women's soccer. This book relates Dorrance's philosophy on how to create great teams. He talks about how women play differently from men and how this effects your coaching. We very rarely see discussions of the psychological side of the game (for either men or women) and I think that is one of our biggest weaknesses in our training programs. This book goes a long ways towards curing that deficiency. The other nice thing about this book is that each chapter is written almost as a stand alone article so the book is very easy to read in bits and pieces such as at a tournament. But once you get started you will probably find, as I did, that you can't put the book down.

Table of Contents

Space: The Central Concept

Organizing the Attack

The Individual Attacker

Team Tactics

Defending at the Ball

Organizing the Defense

Defensive Team Tactics

Introduction to Set Plays

Goalkeeping Basics

Basic Soccer Skills

Review by Eric Blommer

This is a coaching book different from any other coaching book you have read. There are no practice plans full of Xs and Os. Instead the book tries to present the theory of soccer. Catlin's contention is that Space is the central concept for understanding the game. Attackers try to create and use space, while defenders try to deny space. From this basis the book develops offensive and defensive tactics. The result is a system that does not involve playing players in fixed positions. Rather, everyone must be aware of the principles of the game and adjust their positions continuously. This could lead to a beautiful flowing game that epitomizes the Dutch concept of Total Soccer. This is a book I try to review about every two months just to remind me of where I am trying to take my team. The only thing I would like to see in this book is a series of practices that would implement the system, but that would probably triple the size of the book. Or maybe there is a sequel in the works? A bonus feature in this book is that it is interspersed with quotes from the ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu taken from his book "The Art of War." Such gems as "Defend when you are weak and attack when you are strong" liven up the book and spur numerous discussions of soccer strategies. If your faded and jaded from too many years of coaching, try this book for getting the creative juices flowing again.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Key Considerations

The Practices

Putting it all Together

Some Finer Points

Review by Eric Blommer

If you have a goalkeeper on your team, you need this book. This is one of the most straight forward books I have seen on goalkeeping. Most of us really aren't sure what to do with our keepers. This book first discusses the age specific characteristics of keepers. Then it presents the 12 key considerations for keeping. Having covered the theory in a very easy to understand manner, Waiters then presents a series of practices. He starts with basic skills then moves to combined skills and finally decision making situations. Yes, there are books with a lot more detail, but this one hits all the essential points in a simple manner that gives us coaches enough confidence to actually go out and work with out keepers instead of just throwing them in goal to be shot at.

Table of Contents

General Goalkeeping Information

Organizing the Practice - Seven Steps

Necessities for a Good Practice Session

Goalkeeping - Seven Step Approach

Ready Position

Semi-Kneel Save

Standing Save

Below Waist Save

Above Waist Save

Securing

Distribution

Modern Training Ideas

Bonus: Modified Laws of the Game

Review by Eric Blommer

This book is written in comic book format which can drive you crazy but seems to be comforting to new coaches. It is the third of a four book series on FUNdamental soccer. It is probably the best series I know for a brand new "volunteer" to use to get started. It covers all the basic concepts for goalkeeping. Complete practices are included for each of the goalkeeping techniques. The book is targeted at young children but if you know nothing about training keepers it is useful even if you coach an older team.

Table of Contents

Your Child and Soccer

You, Your Child and the League/Club

How Safe is Soccer

The Parents Role

The Leagues' (Clubs') Role

The Coach

The Manager

The Referee

Understanding the Game

Learning Soccer Together

Playing the Game

Before, During and After...The Game

Modified Laws

Review by Eric Blommer

This book is written in comic book format which can drive you crazy but seems to be comforting to new coaches. It is the fourth of a four book series on FUNdamental soccer. It is probably the best series I know for a brand new "volunteer" to use to get started. This book is a little different than the others in this series in that it is addressed to the parents of young soccer players. It assumes they know nothing about the game and tries to teach the basics. I found it useful for preparing information for my first meeting with parents at the beginning of a new team. You might wish that all parents had to read this book in order to sign their kid up, but it ain't gonna happen. So, you read the book and pass the information on at parents meetings and in newsletters. You might carry the book with you to games to lend to some of the more "helpful" parents. I should note that I think this book has been reprinted with the title "Fundamental Soccer Guide."

Table of Contents

General Tactics

Action Plan for Attack

Action Plan for Defense

Bonus: Modified Laws of the Game

Review by Eric Blommer

This book is written in comic book format which can drive you crazy but seems to be comforting to new coaches. It is the second of a four book series on FUNdamental soccer. It is probably the best series I know for a brand new "volunteer" to use to get started. It covers very basic tactical ideas for both individual and team play. No complete practices are included but critical concepts are well described so that you can pass them on to your team with confidence. It is best used by beginning coaches with young teams. More experienced coaches and teams will need something more advanced. I especially recommend this book to coaches who have never played the game themselves.

Table of Contents

The Offside Law

Do We Need Offside?

Teaching Offside

Tactical Use of Offside

Conduct

Linesmen

Review by Eric Blommer

If this is the first year your team has to play with the offside law then this book will get you started fast. The book explains the offside law and then shows you how to teach it to your players in a progression from 2v2 to 11v11. The book also discusses some of the tactical considerations of the offside law.

Table of Contents

Elements of Effective Coaching

Progressive Coaching

1st Man Offense Player with the Ball: Control

1st Man Offense Player with the Ball: Passing

1st Man Offense Player with the Ball: Shooting

1st Man Offense Player with the Ball: Dribbling

1st Man Offense Player with the Ball: Heading

1st Man Defense Player Delaying the Ball: Denying the Point of Attack

2nd Man Offense: Player Supporting the 1st Man Offense

2nd Man Defense: Player Supporting the 1st Man Defense

3rd Man Offense: Players Creating and Utilizing Space

3rd Man Defense: Players Denying Space

Goalkeeping: The Specialist Position

Set Plays

Review by Eric Blommer

This book is different from your run of the mill coaching book. This book tries to present the coaching of soccer in a unified framework. The authors call it the ripple system because it radiates out from the ball. The player on the ball is the first attacker and all ball skills are taught relative to this position. The Closest player helping out is the second attacker. He is usually behind and to the side of the first attacker. His job is called support. All the other players on the attacking team are called third attackers and their role is to create and use space. On the defensive side of the ball, the player closest to the ball is the first defender. His job is to pressure the ball handler. The defender backing him up is the second defender and his job is to provide support. All the other defenders are third defenders. Their job is to deny space to the attacking.

For each of these positions the authors provide a training progression. The progression goes from: No Opposition, Passive Opposition, Positive Opposition, Small-Sided Game to Team Tactics. For each exercise key coaching points are given. I found this book to be an excellent aid not only for developing practices but also for understanding how the game should be played. The beauty of this system is that it teaches technique within the context of tactics so that both make a lot more sense. While I think this book may be a little too deep for beginning coaches, the concepts in it are essential if you are going to advance to the next level.

Table of Contents

Preparing to Coach

Ethics and Coaching Philosophy

Individual Coaching Strategies

Group Coaching Strategies

Skills and Techniques

Coaching Collecting and Controlling

Coaching Passing

Passing Games

Coaching Dribbling

Coaching Tackling and Defensive Skills

Coaching Kicking

Coaching Shooting

Coaching Heading

Coaching Goalkeeping

Coaching the Throw-In

Tactics and Teamwork

Understanding Team Play

Team Formations and Systems of Play

Tactics at Corners and Free Kicks

Coaching Tactics and Teamwork - Methods

Coaching Tactics and Teamwork - Practice Situations

Team Management

Physical and Mental Preparation for Games

Handling Problem Players

Fitness for Soccer

Review by Eric Blommer

If your serious about coaching, and are at the beginning or intermediate level, then this is the book for you. This book covers the whole range of coaching challenges from developing a coaching philosophy to dealing with problem players. But it is not just theory. Along with the big picture Hargreaves presents complete practices for each of the basic techniques. The neat thing about the practices is that he gives examples for beginning, intermediate and advanced players. This is a nice change from the one size fits all approach of most coaching books. This book, combined with a book of drills, could get you through your entire youth coaching career. However, the book is so well written that after you are done you want to keep learning. Highly recommended.

Table of Contents

Coaching Foundation

Coaching Plans

Coaching Defense

Coaching Offense

Coaching Matches

Coaching Evaluation

Review by Eric Blommer

If you coach High School age or older teams, you need this book. This is one of the best new coaching books to come out recently. It covers everything involved in building a complete soccer program that will remain in the community for a long time. Yes, it has its share of Xs and Os but everything is presented at a higher level than most books. The chapters on offensive and defensive tactics were especially helpful to me when I was taking my B license. Highly recommended.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Roles of the Team Player

The Coach and the Methodology

The Practices

Additional Games

Appendix

Review by Eric Blommer

This book is geared towards teams that play 11 aside but it is still good reading for other coaches that want to understand the duties of different positions. Rereading this book for the review I was struck by how close this book follows the instruction given in the USSF B license. The difference is that this book makes the concepts really easy to understand.

The book starts by discussing the general qualities of a good player. Then it takes each position and discusses the offensive and defensive duties in each third of the field. This is great information for helping your players understand their role in the team. It also makes it a lot more fun to watch games when you can focus on a certain position and see how they react to different situations. Once you understand the roles of the players the book shows you how to set up practices to improve the needed skills. I think this is one of the better books for a coach making the transition from recreation to competitive soccer.

Table of Contents

Aims, Objectives and Teaching Hints

Organizational Tips

Juggling and Warm-Ups

Passing and Control

Ball Handling: Dribbling

Heading

Shooting and Volleying

Goalkeeping

Ball Winning and Defense

Throw-Ins, Goal Kicks, Corners, and Free Kicks

Game Drills and Positional Play

Team Formations

Summing Up

Appendix I: Basic Laws of Soccer

Appendix II: Successful Soccer

Appendix III: Ten-Week Season Plans

Review by Eric Blommer

OK, your kid really wanted to play soccer; sure they didn't have a coach; but why, oh why did you say you would coach? You and hundreds of "volunteers" across the country are now asking themselves what are they going to do. Start by getting this book. This book contains the essence of everything you need to know to have a successful season. If you are truly desperate, the final appendix contains 10 week practice plans for the age groups: 7-10, 11-14 and 15-19. Pick the right one and go for it. Hopefully, though, the book will get you excited enough and confident enough to want to really learn all the material in the book. You too, can and should, get on the field and try the exercises in this book. They really are simple enough that a fat, forty year old can learn them and have fun in the process. I sure did. This book is not as deep as Hargreaves' book philosophically, but it contains all the practical material you need.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Man to Man or Zone

Defining the Zones

Defender's Responsibilities - Marking

Defender's Responsibilities - Marking and Covering

Defender's Responsibilities - Marking, Covering and Balancing

The Complete Back Four

The Flat Back Four - Or Is It?

Appendix

Review by Eric Blommer

In the US coaching ranks zonal defending has become a hot topic. This book is an attempt to give a simple explanation of the concept, at least as it applies to the back defenders. With a lot of illustrations and a bit of text, Detchon explains the zonal concept and builds it up from 1v1 through 3v3 and finally to a flat back four zonal system. If you have never seen these ideas before this is a good introduction. If you want more detail, including the role of the midfield and forwards, you should try the book "Coaching The Italian 4:4:2."

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Mind Body Connection

Five Steps to Becoming a Champion

Handling the Pressure of Competition

Developing Championship Concentration

Thinking Like a Winner Developing a Positive Attitude

Developing Self-Confidence

Big Game Preparation: Using Mental Rehearsal for Peak Performance

The Principles of Peak Performance

Conclusion

Review by Eric Blommer

One of my pet peeves with the USSF licensing program is that they pay almost no attention to the psychological side of the game. Yes, they always list it as one of the four pillars of soccer, but then they ignore it altogether. Even at the B level, I was very surprised to see that nothing was really said about training mental toughness. This book will tell you what they don't. Furthermore, this is one of the first books I have found on mental toughness that directly addresses soccer. I have others that are very similar but all their examples are from tennis or they try to be generic. With its focus on soccer, this book is much easier for us and our players to relate to.

So what does the book do? First the book convinces you that the psychological side of the game is just as important as the physical side. Then it convinces you that mental toughness can be learned and developed. Finally it lays out step by step procedures for developing "the mind of a champion." I know it sounds like a bunch of puffery. In fact, while reading the book there were times I just wanted to gag as the sugar was poured on so deep. But that is the nature of the psych business. The trick seems to be to get the nay-sayer out of your head and start acting like a winner even before you are one. Listen to your inner voices while you coach or play and I think you will be surprised how hard you are on yourself. Certainly developing a positive inner voice will make you feel better even if you don't win more games.

I have yet to try the methods in the book with a whole team. What I have done is give copies to individual players and let them decide how much they want to use. Those who have actually started practicing the methods seem to be improving their mental toughness noticeably. With my next team I may try to get everybody doing the exercises. I should mention that there are also some audio tapes available that cover the same material, but I prefer the book.

Table of Contents

Rules

Running a Preseason Meeting

Helpful Tips for the First Time Coach

Coach's Tough Task: Medical Emergencies

Common Soccer Injuries

Introduction to Soccer Tactics

Approach to Practices

Soccer Stretches

Basic Soccer Skills

General Purpose Games

Games to Teach Trapping

Games to Teach Headers and Throw-ins

Games to Teach Shooting

Games to Teach Passing

Dribbling Skills

Games to Teach Individual Tactics

Games to Teach Position Play

Goalkeeping Basics

Goalkeeping Games and Drills

Set Plays

Development Stages and Coaching

Game Analysis

Roster

Review by Eric Blommer

Catlin wrote another book called The Art of Soccer that I really like. That book is a theoretical treatment of soccer without any practices in it. This book is full of games and drills, although I think they are at a simpler level than the theory in the other book. The exercises are grouped by topic. For each one Catlin lists: recommended age, purpose, number of players, playing area, duration, procedure and variations. The book also contains supplemental information as detailed in the table of contents.

I like this book as a handout for a league to give its coaches. In fact, judging by the tag line at the bottom of each page I think the Minnesota Soccer Association uses it for exactly that purpose. Used in conjunction with a basic coaches clinic this would satisfy any league's requirement to provide training to their coaches. The only thing that could be improved would be to provide at least a few complete practices so that new coaches could see how a practice progresses from warm-up to scrimmage while staying focused on one theme.

Table of Contents

Understanding Plyometrics

The Basics of Plyometric Training

Designing a Plyometric Training Program

Plyometric Exercises

Sport-Specific Drills

Review by Eric Blommer

Plyometrics are exercises aimed at linking strength with speed of movement to produce power. It became very big in the track and field sports and is now spreading to other sports at their highest levels. At its simplest, it is a series of jumping exercises. This book explains the physiology of the method then describes numerous specific exercises. Finally it lists a program for specific sports including soccer. I have never used this as a complete program but I have incorporated some of the jumps into my normal conditioning program. If you have heard about the method and are curious this is supposed to be one of the best introductory books on the subject. Please read it carefully before proceeding, especially the section dealing with the necessary prior strength training. For highly competitive, older teams, this may be the physical edge you have been looking for.

Table of Contents

Systems of Play

Why Goals are Scored

Pressurising

Key Factors in Defensive Play

Creating Space

Support in Attack

Attacking Opponents With and Without the Ball

The Do's and Don'ts of Passing

Shooting

Defending at Set Plays

Attacking at Set Plays

Goalkeeping

Fitness for Association Football

Review by Eric Blommer

This is the first book I have by the colorful but controversial British author Charles Hughes. At the time of writing this book he had been coaching the England Amateur Team for nine years. This book tries to sum up what he learned during this period about the proper coaching of soccer. The nice part about this book is that it is organized around what he identifies as the five reasons for goals being scored:

1. Lack of pressure on the man with the ball.
2. Lack of support for the challenging player.
3. Failure to track players down.
4. Giving the ball away.
5. Set Plays.

Hughes develops the rest of the book based on the implications of these five primal causes. It turns out to be a good organizing principle. This book is very good at helping you understand soccer tactics both on offense and defense. No it is probably not the very best book on soccer tactics but it is clearly written and has merit even as an historical document. I like it. If you read it in a sequence with his other two books, Soccer Tactics and Skills and The Winning Formula, you can see how his thinking evolved over a twenty year span. Maybe I'm just weird for finding this interesting.

Table of Contents

Skill Drills

Passing, Receiving, and Controlling

Heading

Dribbling, Feinting, Screening, Rhythm Changes, and Dribbling Tricks

Shooting

Defense and Tackling

Goalkeeping

Basic Patterns

Moving Passing

Small Group Passing

Special Situations

Corner Crossing and Corner Kicks

Throw-in

Direct and Indirect Free Kicks

Training Games

Small-Sided Games and Team Games

Review by Eric Blommer

True, this is a drill book but it is not simply a random collection of drills and games with cute names. Rather it is a carefully chosen selection of drills that strive to refine players existing techniques and put them into the context of game situations. Because of this higher level focus I rate this book as better suited to intermediate or advanced coaches working with players 12 or older. The author is a college coach and the subtle sophistication of the drills reflects this. At first glance the drills seem fairly simple and common. Upon closer inspection you realize that they are actually combining multiple skills into patterns of play that are very useful in developing a team style of play.

The whole concept of patterns is worth a short diversion here. It is true that soccer is not like basketball or football where the coach devises a playbook that the players memorize. However, the play of high level teams is not purely random. If you study carefully, you will notice that certain passing and moving sequences occur repeatedly. These movements are known as patterns of play. The theory here is that if you extract these patterns and teach them to your players they will raise their play to a higher level. The point being, that these patterns provide good solutions to common situations.

That said, we now return to the book. This book presents its drills as basic patterns. So the players not only refine their skills but also develop good habits of movement. I know drills have developed a bad reputation in current coaching circles but they do serve a valuable purpose. The purpose is to provide numerous quality repetitions to the point that the actions become automatic. The modern game is too fast to allow a lot of time for thinking. The author clearly states that the drills should not consume more than a quarter of your practice time. If this rule is followed the collection of drills in this book can really help take your team to the next level.

Table of Contents

The Principles of Player Roles in Soccer

Dribbling and Development of the First Attacker

Passing & Receiving and Development of the First & Second Attacker

Creating Space and Development of the Third Attacker

Principles of Attack and Functional Training in the Defensive Third

Functional Training in Midfield

The Strike and Functional Training in the Attack Third

Principles of Defense

Keeper Instruction - Techniques and Decision-Making

Special Situations

Team Tactics Coaching

Short-Sided League Games & Indoor Training

Continuing Growth in Developing Soccer in the United States

The Prepared Coach

Finishing Activities Using the Two-Sided Goal

Using the Medicine Ball in Developing Technique

A Plan for a Soccer Training Complex

Suggestions for a Typical Effective Practice

Match Behavior & Analysis

Bibliography of Recommended Books, Journals, & Tapes

Review by Eric Blommer

This book is a first introduction to soccer tactics. It is similar to the book by Ditchfield and Bahr but concentrates mostly on tactical concepts with little on technique. This book presents the coaching of soccer within the unified framework of first, second, third attacker and first, second, third defender. The player on the ball is the first attacker and his role is to penetrate. The closest player helping out is the second attacker. He is usually behind and to the side of the first attacker. His job is called support. All the other players on the attacking team are called third attackers and their role is to create and use space. On the defensive side of the ball, the player closest to the ball is the first defender. His job is to pressure the ball handler. The defender backing him up is the second defender and his job is to provide support. All the other defenders are third defenders. Their job is to deny space to the attacking team.

For each of the attacking positions there is a separate chapter. The main functions of the role are discussed and some practice exercises are presented. Then attacking team tactics are discussed for the different thirds of the field. Defending is only given one chapter in the belief that attacking needs to be emphasized when working with youth teams. Then there is a chapter on basic goalkeeper decision making, followed by one on set play situations. After this the book has small sections on a variety of topics.

Overall, this book is a very good introduction to tactics. If you have not been exposed to tactical concepts before, this is a great place to start. I don't think it covers everything, especially defending, but it will prepare you for a more advanced book like Ditchfield and Bahr's. Also, if you are preparing for a licensing class, this book gives you a good head start.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Level 1: 5 to 8 Years - Technical-Tactical Development Program

Level 2: 9 to 10 Years - Technical-Tactical Development Program

Level 3: 11 to 12 Years - Technical-Tactical Development Program

Level 4: 13 to 14 Years - Technical-Tactical Development Program

Level 5: 15 to 16 Years - Technical-Tactical Development Program

Level 6: 17+ Years - Technical-Tactical Development Program

Soccer Development Program

Review by Eric Blommer

This is a book I really want to like, but just can't. The author's concept is excellent. He sets out to present an entire coaching program progressing from age 5 to 18. The program he developed is quite good but the book needs some serious editing. I think the length could be cut in half if all the silly white space was removed along with the redundant text and figures. The diagrams also need some attention. Some of them are so full of lines and arrows and squiggles that I really can't figure out how the drill is supposed to work. Some of the picture sequences are even out of order.

So do I hate this book? No, actually. If you have the patience to dig through it there are some real gems to be mined. Complete practices are presented for each topic covered, of which there are 56. I can't recommend the book to a general audience. However, if your club is trying to design a complete program to advance the players from beginners to pros, this is the best place I know to get started. I hope a second edition is produced after extensive editing because this guy is definitely on the right track.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Preparing for Fitness Training

Warming Up

The Training Programme

Reaction Training

The First Touch

Passing and Ball Control

Introducing the Team

Defending

Playing Systems

Defining Roles - The Sweeper

Set Plays

Modern Attacking Skills

Ball Control and Possession

Further Attacking Skills

Play Within the Shape

Finishing

Offsides and the Half-Field Format

The Goalkeeper

Review by Eric Blommer

I can't really do justice to this book. I just finished reading it and am still trying to sort it out. The author has some rather different ideas on how soccer should be taught and played. The book covers a lot of ground from philosophy to complete practice sessions. The author is very big on drills involving patterned play through cones. Team play centers on the use of a 1-4-4-1 formation. It's hard to say what level the book is aimed at: numerous photographs show young kids playing but the text seems more appropriate for high school and older players. Maybe after a second or third reading I will be able to write a more precise review. For now I would have to say that the book can be recommended for those who are looking for some new ideas to think about.

Table of Contents

Free Kick Tactics

Free Kick Plays

Corner Kick Tactics

Corner Kick Plays

Throw-In and Kickoff Tactics

Throw-In and Kickoff Plays

Review by Eric Blommer

Yes, the entire book is filled with restart plays, 116 of them. Sooner or later someone was going to take their notebook of favorite plays and get it published. If you want some new ideas you are bound to find some in here. Or at least, it will trigger the creative juices and you will come up with some clever variation.

Table of Contents

Coaching for the Future

Ball Control

Ball Feeling

Fast Footwork

Basic Movements

Feinting Movements

One-on-One Moves

Dominating in One-on-One Situations

Kicking Technique

Passing, Receiving, and Playing the Ball into Space

Combination Play

Overlapping

Small Games

Creating Chances and Finishing

Heading

Shooting

Offense: Techniques and Application

Games

Technique: The Foundation of Soccer

The Future of Soccer

Summary

Review by Eric Blommer

This is the second book by Coerver and the better of the two. Coerver is a Dutch coach that developed a system of coaching that is centered around learning a zillion movements with the ball. His contention is that superb ball skills are necessary to play attractive, attacking soccer. His first book was almost completely filled with intricate solo movements with a ball. The choreography rivaled some ballets. As a consequence, some people have condemned the program as not being relevant to the real game. Even the Dutch soccer association tries to distance themselves from this method with the argument that soccer is best learned by playing soccer. In this book, Coerver tries to show how his footwork exercises can be built up into actual game situations. At the very least, his exercises make very good warm-up drills.

Putting politics aside, what is in this book? Basically it is the script for his three videos called "1-2-3 Goal." The book is about 90% pictures that try to show the various moves and drills. In my opinion, you should buy the videos. I cannot figure out a lot of the moves from the book. On the tape you can use slow motion to get things exactly right. The book might be useful if you have already watched the videos and simply need to refresh a particular sequence in your mind. Don't judge the method just by looking through this book. You have to see one of the videos to really understand how amazing some players can become after practicing this program.

Table of Contents

Club Organisation

Team Management

The Partnership of Coach and Team Manager

Coaching

Soccer Skill Learning

Motivation

Communication

Team Spirit

Individual and Team Performance Analysis

Review by Eric Blommer

This is not your typical coaching book. It is a professional level work focused on management issues as opposed to coaching issues. It is one of the few coaching books that deal with the "soft" issues like motivation, communication and team spirit. Because it addresses professional teams, it does not appear to be real useful to the youth coach at first glance. However, teams are teams. Professional or youth they all require motivation, communication and team spirit. I would not recommend that this be the first book on coaching you read. But after you have things moving you may want to read this book to see how to keep the team progressing as they get older.

Table of Contents

Systems of Play

Principles of Learning and Coaching

Creating Space (1) as an Individual

Creating Space (2) as a Team

Passing and Support

Attacking (1) Flank and Diagonal Crosses

Attacking (2) Central Positions

Shooting (1) Attitude, Technique and Skill

Shooting (2) Speed, Skill and Combined Play

Goalkeeping (1) Shot Stopping and Supporting the Defence

Goalkeeping (2) Crosses and Distribution

Defending (1) as an Individual

Defending (2) as a Team

Set Plays (1) Defending

Set Plays (2) Attacking

Review by Eric Blommer

This is the second book (of three) I have by the sometimes controversial British author Charles Hughes. It is the most practical of the three in that it is full of practice plans. What I like best is that it teaches techniques within the context of tactical purposes. After all, we are training soccer players not circus performers. Thus, the practices Hughes describes are created by taking a little piece out of the game, developing and perfecting it, then working it back into the full game. The approach is most appropriate for players twelve and older. There is also an excellent set of video tapes produced by the BBC that correspond to the book. Be sure not to confuse these tapes with the "Winning Formula" tapes.

Table of Contents

The Game of Soccer

Attractions of the Game

Game Characteristics

The Team

The Player

Soccer Training

Definitions and Principles

Type of Training

Different Phases of the Training Process

Guiding the Training Load

Dividing Training Schedule into Periods

Interaction of Techniques, Tactics and Physical Fitness

Techniques and Training

Soccer Specific Techniques

Technique Training

Physical Fitness and Fitness Training

Power and Power Training

Speed and Speed Training

Endurance and Endurance Training

Flexibility and Flexibility Training

Co-ordination and Co-ordination Training

Tactics and Tactical Training

Influence of Tactics

Tactical Maneuvering Tactical Skills

Tactical Training

Team Tactics

Group Tactics

Individual Tactics

Game Position and Tactics

Tactics of a Standard Situation

Tactics for the Day

System of Play

Style

Equipment and Accessories

Training Equipment

Accessories

Preparation for Competition

Nutrition

Motivation

Overcoming Pre-Game Stress

Warm-up and Cool Down

Review by Eric Blommer

If your a rocket scientist like me you will probably like this book, otherwise well..., it might be pretty thick going. The author is a university professor and this book seems to be written as a textbook for teaching soccer to physical education majors. The book is full of charts and tables, even lots of process models! The book is written with typical German thoroughness. If you are willing to study it, there is some excellent information. Certainly not a beginners book, but good for the serious coach.

Review by Bill Ault

A real buffet style of a book -- a little of everything but written in an infuriating (to me in any case) point form style. It sits here on my shelf and I pull it out and try to digest it in tiny morsels and then I find it's full of tiny morsels -- just when I really get interested in a point the section ends. A very intellectual approach -- maybe I'm just not an intellectual -- it's a fascinating book but a frustrating read -- I think that's what I'm trying to say.

I must also add it was an excellent help during my Level III Theory course. It's worth having on the shelf....

Table of Contents

What is Soccer?

Youth Soccer Players

Learning How to Play Soccer

Coaching Young Soccer Players

Reading the Game

Soccer Training - A Question of Plays

Technique in Soccer

4 Against 4 / Better Soccer, More Fun

Why 7 Against 7

Goalkeeper Training

Conditioning is Soccer Training - Soccer Training is Conditioning

Tasks and Functions

Youth Players Within the Soccer Club

Didactics and Methodology in Youth Soccer Training

Review by Eric Blommer

This is another one of those coaching books that benefits from a thorough study. As the level of coaching in the U.S. has improved, so has the sophistication of the coaching books. No more do we get the comic books with the "aw shucks, anyone can teach this stuff" attitudes. This is a serious book for serious youth coaches. The book is an official publication of the Dutch soccer association and presumably reflects their view of the game. Their emphasis for the last few years has been on using 4v4 as the primary basis for training. This book has very good sections on how to play 4v4 and how to modify it for various coaching topics. It is not easy to read the book all at once. But taking it one chapter at a time and really thinking about what they are trying to do can be very rewarding. I think maybe this book is meant to be used in conjunction with a coaching course. At any rate, if you are a more experienced coach, you may find this book to be an interesting look at how another country sets up their youth training program.