Soccer Practice Plans and Tips

Topic

Plan sessions with one specific topic in mind. Whether it is a basic skill such as passing, or an advanced topic such as attacking tactical play you should progress your session with the theme constantly in mind. It is essential to use a range of drills and games in a session to keep things fresh but ensure the topic and coaching points remain consistent.

No Resistance

The four stages of resistance used in coaching are no resistance, passive resistance, active resistance and full game resistance. No resistance is self explanatory and involves skills being learned under no defensive pressure. Players should focus on fundamental coaching points and incorporate a high number of repetitions to practice a skill. For example, in a passing session players could be in pairs 10-15 yards apart. Players could pass the ball back and forth with no defenders and practice the fundamentals of standing foot position, ball contact and follow through. Practice different versions of passing such as;

• Trap and pass.
• One time passing.
• Trap bouncing ball and pass.
• Left and right foot.
• Short range passing.
• Long range passing.

Passive Resistance

Passive resistance involves obstacles to avoid but the odds are stacked heavily in the favor of players performing a skill. An example of passive resistance is a defender who pressure, but makes no attempt to win the ball, or cones set as obstacles to avoid. An example of passive resistance is 4 players passing around with a passive defender. A passive defender will not try to tackle or intercept the ball but will put the player under pressure. A passive defender will be hit by passes that go right to him which teaches players to play passes away from defensive pressure and recognize where interceptions could occur. A passive defender also adds visual distraction. When a defender is closing them down a player must be able to focus on the ball rather than looking up at the defensive pressure.

Active Resistance

Active resistance is defenders who are making a full effort to win the ball. For example in a passing session you may progress to 5 v 3 keep away and have the defenders make effort to either tackle the player with the ball or intercept stray passes. If you wish to develop confidence you can adjust numbers so the odds are still in the favor of players while defenders still give active resistance. An example is adjusting the keep away to 5 v 2 or 4 v 1.

Full Resistance

A practice session should end with full resistance. That is skills practiced under full game conditions with even numbers and defenders playing full speed. A scrimmage is an effective way to offer game conditions. If you have large numbers it is best to play 2 simultaneous small sided games. In small sided games every player receives more touches on the ball and will therefore have more opportunities to practice the skills being worked on. It is a good idea to put restrictions on a scrimmage for the first 5 or 10 minutes to enforce the skill you are being worked on. In a passing session enforce a rule that a team must pass 5 times before scoring, or every player must touch the ball before a shot can be taken. Lift the restrictions to end the scrimmage but consistently encourage the behaviors you are looking for.

Action Plan

• Plan your sessions in blocks. It may be best to dedicate 3 or 4 sessions to one skill.
• Avoid dead time in sessions by planning a number of games and estimating times they will take.
• Incorporate water breaks into your plan.
• Ask questions at water breaks to ensure the coaching points you want are getting across.
• Maintain an upbeat and energetic attitude when delivering your session plan.