This is a video highlight from a recent match which follows every touch of Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky. If you want to make better decisions in the middle of the park, watch the soccer decisions he makes. What positions does he take up? How does move to get open? When does he dribble and when does he play quick? When does he attack and when does he possess? How does he help defend?
Then incorporate your observations into your play in practices, matches, and at home.
What's most impressive for me is to see how many times his movement allows him to receive the ball with his back to goal and do a half-turn to be able to create or link an attack.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
No Trainings Tonight - Tech Training Cancelled
No Trainings Wednesday! All Sac United Trainings have been canceled because of Air Quality.
Technical Trainings have been canceled.
See everyone on Thursday.
Technical Trainings have been canceled.
See everyone on Thursday.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Need a Soccer Fix
MOTD has you covered. 1 hour of EPL Awesomeness!
For best results, (1) put on full screen (2) turn up sound.
For best results, (1) put on full screen (2) turn up sound.
Great Goals From the Weekend
If you were watching soccer over the weekend you saw some excellent goals, like this one..
Or my favorite, this stunner from the German First Division.
Or my favorite, this stunner from the German First Division.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Latest Juggle Test Results
Here is the latest Juggle Test Results. Juggle Testing concludes at the end of August.
If any player finishes all tests, I will buy them any pair of soccer shoes they want. I will also have prizes for the top jugglers.
The results are ranked by most tests completed at the top on down.
Congratulations girls your doing excellent.
If any player finishes all tests, I will buy them any pair of soccer shoes they want. I will also have prizes for the top jugglers.
The results are ranked by most tests completed at the top on down.
Congratulations girls your doing excellent.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Soccer Is Back
College soccer starts again. All the major European leagues start again.
Which also means my favorite TV program, Match of the Day, start again. It's the weekend round-up of the English Premier League with extended highlights of all the goals and major action.
It's Sportscenter.. for soccer and it's wonderful.
If you want to get better, watch the best.
Speaking of which...It's time for a new season of Showboat!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Howto: Be A Leader
There are many different types of leaders. On Thursday we will be voting to chose our captians for the fall NorCal season. This is a big responsibilty and one that is not given lightly. It is not a popularity contest. So before the girls pick captains for the next few months, I thought I would share a few perspectives about what makes a good teammate, leader, and captain.
Over the course of her four-year career at UNC, Carla Overbeck was one of the most improved players on the team. Her improvement came from her desire to become competitive in practice. She developed a passionate desire to see everyone on the field with her compete as hard as possible. This transitioned into part part of what Carla understood about everyone who plays the game: they can all make a decision to take their intensity up another notch.
From Vision of a Champion & Carla Overbeck:
And finally, here is a video of Chelsea FC and Englands "Captain Fantastic" John Terry. "Chelsea to the core and a true hero to the fans, John is the most successful captain in Chelsea history and in many eyes, he's the best central defender currently in action. As brave as they come and a superb reader of the game, sound technique and distribution make him more than just a defenders' defender."
From Vision of a Champion & Carla Overbeck:
…The first step is to be a voice on the field. Whether it's an instructive voice or not, just be a positive voice.
Why are girls silent on the soccer field? You want to be liked; you don't want to be perceived as someone who's bossy, and knows everything. While I always wanted to be helpful to my teammates, like anyone else, I also wanted them to have respect for me.
I think if you scream at people all the time, obviously that's not a very effective way to lead and get respect. That's why the tone in which you speak to people is extremely important. If you're constantly yelling and screaming, not many people want to hear that. Even if it's a negative, I think there's a way you can deliver your message in a positive way, just by the tone that you use.
From my past, I know that I have always tried to get to know people as people -- what makes them tick, and how to motivate each individual. That's just being a good teammate, being a good leader. I don't think that means you treat everyone the same. You handle every person and every instance differently…
…If you can understand and be compassionate for every person's position and role, it makes you more aware of what's happening on the field, and aware of the different personalities on your team. It might sound kind of silly, but you should simply treat people the way you would want to be treated. For example, imagine yourself playing for a coach who yells and screams all the time. Would you benefit from that? I certainly wouldn't.
I think it's also important to be a good person off the field. Others have a lot of respect for that. If you see a teammate struggling -- maybe to fit in -- try to support her. Always be willing to lend a helping hand, whether it's getting someone a ride to a game or collecting the balls after practice -- even something small like that.
I was captain of the National Team, but there have been a lot of veteran leaders. Julie Foudy is an example. She's a vocal leader, and she leads by example -- her work ethic is unbelievable. There are a lot of ways to be a leader. You could not say anything during a practice or a game, and work to exhaustion, and I think people would still respect that. That's definitely a way of leading. You gain a lot of respect from teammates with a strong work ethic. Kristine Lilly doesn't say a whole lot, but her actions on the field make her a great leader. There's another perfect example on my current team. Hege Riise, from Norway, doesn't say much, but on the field she works in such a manner that everyone is in awe of her. In every game, she shows up to play. She's a winner, and she leads. People want to follow what she does, because she makes such a positive imprint.
And finally, here is a video of Chelsea FC and Englands "Captain Fantastic" John Terry. "Chelsea to the core and a true hero to the fans, John is the most successful captain in Chelsea history and in many eyes, he's the best central defender currently in action. As brave as they come and a superb reader of the game, sound technique and distribution make him more than just a defenders' defender."
HowTo: Be a Creative Midfielder
Individual Tasks During Possession- be open/available for a pass at the right moment
- pick up the ball from the defense/midfield
- pick up the ball from wingers
- cooperation with #6 & #8
- move into the open spaces
- stand wide
- control of ball possession/combination
- individual action
- capacity to score
- ground
- air
- high speed of play in tight spaces
- great insight related to space, depth, and finding the third player
- creative player
Monday, August 9, 2010
EPL - Watch more soccer
The English Premier League (one of the most exciting in the world) starts next week. If you have a chance, you should watch it. And this promo for the league is super cute!!
What It Takes -- Champion Sac United Player Template
At Sac United, we strive to maintain our reputation for playing attacking, attractive soccer. This is at the heart of everything that we do and believe to be successful, all our players have to have the ability to dominate the 1v1 situation.
Success in 1v1 situations comes from a combination of four aspects of soccer: Physical Ability, Technical Skill, Tactical Awareness, Mental Strength.
Through dedication, perseverance and time spent on your own these aspects can be molded into that of a top player.
Play & Watch soccer to gain tactical awareness. Spend backyard time so your dribble moves get sharp. Find a wall and smash 100 shots with right and 100 with your left then hit the grass and do some sprints. Compete at everything.
Practicing at home, on your own, builds the Mental strength you'll need to get to the top and stay there because you will confident in in every 1v1 situation.
One Club! One Love!
Monday, August 2, 2010
WPS Match Archive
They even to live webcasts of matches. The next WPS webcast will feature the Philadelphia Independence vs the Boston Breakers on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 5pm PT (although we'll have a match - which means you can watch it when you get home). The match will also be streamed to iPhones by accessing: http://wps.ollintechnology.com
WPS Action - Gold Pride vs Washington Freedom August 14th
I got a call over the weekend from the FC Gold Pride.
They have great discounts on group rates for their upcoming games in August.
Who wants to go August 14th? It'll be a good one!
<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=foxsports&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:f762e100-1794-4565-ae2f-793b1a8d9f42&showPlaylist=true&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videosearch&fg=RAMP" target="_new" title="WPS Highlights:FC Gold/Boston Breakers">Video: WPS Highlights:FC Gold/Boston Breakers</a>
They have great discounts on group rates for their upcoming games in August.
Who wants to go August 14th? It'll be a good one!
Weekend Round-Up
Players & Parents,
I wanted to take a moment to recap the weekends matches.
I think the tournament was a success overall. I could see the progress the girls have been making with their passing combinations & team understanding in attack. On the other side of the coin, our work on pressure/cover is slowly starting to pay off although we still need work dealing with teams that play direct.
It was disappointing to lose another final, but my hope is that this just adds more fuel to the competative fire. We came out strong, but we fell into a pattern of thoughtless passing & aimless kicking of the ball. The Velocity kept the ball better and the pressure wore us down. I still feel their goals were more our own doing then anything they created: The first was a long punt our defense allowed to bounce and then we failed to deal with the result; the second was a case of us panicing in defense - if we would have remained calm, we could have played out of pressure - but we got flustered and presented the ball to an attacker.
We will play that Woodland team again, the next time with our full compliment of players, and next time we will be ready for them.
I want to thank all the girls for their efforts this weekend. Everyone continues to improve with every week of training - this is a good thing.
I look forward to this weekends matches because it is another chance for the girls to get battle tested. Looking at the teams in our bracket there will be some really competetive matches and ones that will really test the girls.
Main Soccer Problems to work on in training:
(1) Passing Accuracy & power (avoiding the Umpa-Lumpa pass)
(2) Team defending - Pressure/Cover/Balance & forwards responsibilities when they have the ball
(3) Reading the game - Reading your teammates
(4) Heading
(5) Playing out of pressure
(6) Mental toughness
(7) Fitness
Bottom line - We are improving. The girls are playing better soccer and are making big improvements in understanding the game. I expect this to continue and our performances to reflect overall progress.
I wanted to take a moment to recap the weekends matches.
I think the tournament was a success overall. I could see the progress the girls have been making with their passing combinations & team understanding in attack. On the other side of the coin, our work on pressure/cover is slowly starting to pay off although we still need work dealing with teams that play direct.
It was disappointing to lose another final, but my hope is that this just adds more fuel to the competative fire. We came out strong, but we fell into a pattern of thoughtless passing & aimless kicking of the ball. The Velocity kept the ball better and the pressure wore us down. I still feel their goals were more our own doing then anything they created: The first was a long punt our defense allowed to bounce and then we failed to deal with the result; the second was a case of us panicing in defense - if we would have remained calm, we could have played out of pressure - but we got flustered and presented the ball to an attacker.
We will play that Woodland team again, the next time with our full compliment of players, and next time we will be ready for them.
I want to thank all the girls for their efforts this weekend. Everyone continues to improve with every week of training - this is a good thing.
I look forward to this weekends matches because it is another chance for the girls to get battle tested. Looking at the teams in our bracket there will be some really competetive matches and ones that will really test the girls.
Main Soccer Problems to work on in training:
(1) Passing Accuracy & power (avoiding the Umpa-Lumpa pass)
(2) Team defending - Pressure/Cover/Balance & forwards responsibilities when they have the ball
(3) Reading the game - Reading your teammates
(4) Heading
(5) Playing out of pressure
(6) Mental toughness
(7) Fitness
Bottom line - We are improving. The girls are playing better soccer and are making big improvements in understanding the game. I expect this to continue and our performances to reflect overall progress.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)