Soccer Training Blueprints: 15 Ready-to-Run Sessions for Outstanding Attacking Play

By James Jordan

Are you a busy coach and time is tight? Would you like to get hands on with ready-to-use session templates quickly? Then this book is for you! Minimizing jargon and looking to maximize the limited contact time you have with your players, Soccer Training Blueprints is a must-read practical book for coaches of all levels.

Utilising a game-based approach to soccer – where individuals actually play games rather than growing old in semi-static drills – author James Jordan offers 15 detailed session plans (comprised of 75 cutting-edge exercises) to help coaches develop attacking mindsets and improved skills in their players, and, most of all, nurture a love for soccer.

Through his approach, James has won six High School State Championships and one Classic 1 Boys' Club Championship over the past decade.

Aimed at coaches of both young male and female players, from 5-18 years of age, and adaptable depending on age group and skill set, Soccer Training Blueprints combines game-based soccer concepts with contemporary ideas from educational research on training and preparation to develop players who can think for themselves, execute their skills, and work to a plan. This is not about coaches standing on the touchlines yelling at their youngsters – this is about developing footballers to love and play the game as best they can!

What the book offers:

> A specific topic (e.g., creating opportunities from wide areas).

> A detailed overview of the session including instructions on setting up the playing field, what players need to do, and scoring outcomes.

> What players will learn from the session.

> Coaching points for the session.

> Guided discovery questions.

Please Note: This is the sister book to The Volunteer Soccer Coach. If you already have a copy of that book, please do not purchase this one.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bennion Kearny
• Release date: Jun 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781910773352

Book preview

Soccer Training Blueprints: 15 Ready-to-Run Sessions for Outstanding Attacking Play

*

James Jordan

*

[Kindle Edition]

*

*

Published in 2016 by Oakamoor Publishing, an imprint of Bennion Kearny.

Copyright © Oakamoor Publishing 2016

ISBN: 978-1-910773-35-2

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that it which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Oakamoor Publishing has endeavoured to provide trademark information about all the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Oakamoor Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Published by Oakamoor Publishing, an imprint of Bennion Kearny Limited, 6 Woodside, Churnet View Road, Oakamoor, Staffordshire, ST10 3AE

www.BennionKearny.com

Table of Contents

Title Page

About the Author

Download The Illustrations

What is Game-based Soccer?

How Will This Book Help Your Players Create and Score More Goals?

Session #1: Dribbling to Keep Possession

Warm-up Activity: Tag

Activity #1: Introduction to The Gate Dribbling Game

Activity #2: The Gate Dribbling Game with Pressure

Activity #3: Unbalanced Possession

End of Practice Scrimmage: Half Field Scrimmage with Gates

Session #2: The Importance of First Touch

Warm-up Activity: Soccer Pong

Activity #1: The Circle Game

Activity #2: The Circle Game With Pressure

Activity #3: 6v6 Plus 6

End of Practice Scrimmage: First Touch Boxes

Session #3: Pass and Move to Create Space

Warm-up Activity: The Gate Passing Game

Activity #1: 4v1

Activity #2: Basic Possession

Activity #3: 2v1 Continuous*Wide

End of Practice Scrimmage: 2/3 Field Scrimmage

Session #4: Exploding Past Defenders

Warm-up Activity: Sharks and Minnows

Activity #1: 1v1 Grid

Activity #2: The End Zone Game

Activity #3: 1v1 to Goal with Goalkeepers

End of Practice Scrimmage: Beat the Defender

Session #5: Finishing in the Box

Warm-up Activity: World Cup

Activity #1: The Penalty Box Shooting Game

Activity #2: Outside In

Activity #3: 2v1 Continuous*Stacked

End of Practice Scrimmage: Two Touch Inside the Box

Session #6: The Give and Go

Warm-up Activity: Soccer Pong

Activity #1: The Gate Passing Game

Activity #2: The Nickens

Activity #3: 2v1 Continuous*Side by Side

End of Practice Scrimmage: Beat the Offside Line

Session #7: Introduction to Scoring Goals in Transition

Warm-up Activity: The Nickens in Transition

Activity #1: Target Ball in Transition

Activity #2: 2v1 Continuous*Side by Side

Activity #3: 3v2 Continuous*Stacked and Wide

End of Practice Scrimmage: Half Field Transition

Session #8: Scoring with the Laces

Warm-up Activity: The Circle Game

Activity #1: The Penalty Box Shooting Game

Activity #2: 6v6 Plus 6

Activity #3: 2v1 Continuous*Stacked

End of Practice Scrimmage: Half Field Scrimmage

Session #9: Creating Opportunities from Wide Areas

Warm-up Activity: Headers and Volleys

Activity #1: Introduction to the Crossing Game

Activity #2: 2v1 Continuous*Ball Starts Wide

Activity #3: 3v2 Continuous*Ball Starts Wide

End of Practice Scrimmage: Get it to the Wingers!

Session #10: The Overlap

Warm-up Activity: The Circle Game

Activity #1: The Nickens Plus One

Activity #2: 2v1 Continuous*Overlap

Activity #3: 3v2 Continuous*Overlap

End of Practice Scrimmage: Half Field Scrimmage

Session #11: Short, Short Long

Warm-up Activity: 5v2

Activity #1: Over the River

Activity #2: End Zone Game with a Target

Activity #3: 3v2 Continuous*Stacked and Level

End of Practice Scrimmage: Half Field Scrimmage with Bumpers

Session #12: Switching the Point of the Attack

Warm-up Activity: The Circle Game With Pressure

Activity #1: Target Ball

Activity #2: The 6 Small Goal Game

Activity #3: 3v2 Continuous*Stacked and Wide*Ball Starts Wide

End of Practice Scrimmage: Full Field Scrimmage

Session #13: Introduction to Converting from Crosses

Warm-up Activity: Flying Wingers

Activity #1: The Crossing Game*Progression #1

Activity #2: The Crossing Game*Progression #2

Activity #3: 2v1 Continuous*Wide*Ball Passed in

End of Practice Scrimmage: 18s Extended Out

Session #14: Introduction to Using a Target Player

Warm-up Activity: The Circle Game With Defensive Pressure

Activity #1: End Zone Game with a Target Under Pressure

Activity #2: 6v6 Plus 2 Targets

Activity #3: 3v2 Continuous*Double Stacked

End of Practice Scrimmage: Hit the Targets!

Session #15: Introduction to Getting Numbers in the Attack

Warm-up Activity: 5v2*Outside

Activity #1: End Zone Game with Targets and Goals

Activity #2: The 2 Zone Game

Activity #3: The 3 Zone Game

End of Practice Scrimmage: Get Over the Halfway Line!

The Final Whistle

Other Books from Bennion Kearny

About the Author

James Jordan is an educator and a soccer coach. He holds the NSCAA Premier Diploma, USSF National Youth License, and a Doctorate in Education. Using Game-based Soccer techniques developed over the past decade, his teams (boys and girls) have won six high school state championships and one Classic 1 boys' club championship.

James blogs at: www.jamesedwardjordan.com

Download The Illustrations

Some of the illustrations in this eBook might be a bit hard to read on an eReader. As such, a free PDF of the various illustrations can be downloaded from www.BennionKearny.com/Jordan.pdf  [Please note this URL is case sensitive]

What is Game-based Soccer?

This book is composed of 15 session plans, all of which are based on the concept of Game-based Soccer.

Game-based soccer training is the philosophy that all practice activities can, and should, be turned into a game. By game, I mean that there are winners and losers. The players can compete against themselves, each other, in teams, or all together against a target.

There should always be consequences for the losing person/team in this approach. It does not have to be a big consequence, nor should it have to be a physical consequence, but the players should develop a mindset in which it pays to win. Consequences should depend on the activity/game, as well as the age group, but they can range from resetting the balls for the next game, to the winning team getting their water first, to 10 sit-ups to a short sprinting exercise. The goal is not to punish players and discourage them from thinking of physical activity as a negative, but it should be just enough to motivate the players to try harder to win next time!

A Game-based Soccer approach recognizes that soccer is a dynamic game, where the variables are many and the stoppages are few. In order to be successful, players need to understand and be able to play in all positions on the field. As this particular book focuses on developing attacking players, attacking concepts will be emphasized.

In essence, Game-based Soccer encourages coaches to create an environment in which every player is incentivized to compete at his or her highest level. This is where the biggest developmental gains are made, both individually and collectively. How do you set up an environment where players are always incentivized to give their best? Make everything a competition with consequences for the losers.

As the coach, it is up to you to determine the most productive ways to define competition for your team; for example, some games are more suited to competition against an external target, a player competing against his previous best score, or two individuals/teams facing off against each other. The goal is to make the consequence just enough to incentivize the losing player/team to try harder next time and also to encourage the winning team to up their game so that they don’t have to do the consequence. Obviously, with younger players, you don’t want the consequence to be seen as a punishment and to destroy their love for the game. If in any doubt, allow the winning team to get water first, while the losing team resets the balls/picks up the cones, etc.

How Will This Book Help Your Players Create and Score More Goals?

Creating and scoring goals is something that all coaches of all teams strive to accomplish. If you implement the session plans in this book, your players will create and score more goals for the following reasons:

- Each session has a single focus

Often, we, as coaches, get caught up in trying to coach everything. This frequently leads to confusion and detracts from what we are trying to accomplish. Thus, every activity for every session in this book directly relates to the topic/focus for the day.

- Each session’s activities follow a logical and efficient progression

This way, you are not wasting time setting up new grids. In many cases, you can simply repurpose the old grid by moving a few cones and/or adding goals. Additionally, each session moves from simple activities to more complex ones, so players find success early and the learning process is accelerated.

- Each activity includes progressions

This allows you to repeat aspects, or a complete session multiple times throughout the season without having to do the exact same session. Your players will already know the basic setup and so you can move more quickly through the progressions. Some groups will love some activities/progressions and you will be able to use that activity as a vehicle to accomplish different goals throughout the season. For example, one season, I had a group that just loved Target Ball, so I used it many times to teach different concepts. 

- Each session is centred on the Game-based Soccer philosophy

Utilizing a Game-based Soccer approach will help