'Soccer: Coaching the Small Sided Game' is is all about how to coach your team the tactics and skills in order to "play the beautiful game".

Traditional methods have failed to develop players. This Manual explains and demonstrates a completely new approach to coaching. Its based on new research and advice from top coaches like Arsene Wenger and Dario Gradi.

We believe that by reading this book your teams will not only improve, but your players will grow into intelligent footballers whilst you develop into a knowledgeable and successful coach.

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Example of content from the manual: INTRODUCTION (page1) and a

Simple Drill with diagram (page 57)

INTRODUCTION

We look at a player like Cesc Fàbregas at Arsenal and think, why can’t we produce one like that? But what sets him apart is his brain. (Trevor Brooking, Head of the FA)

This manual will show you how to develop your team and players by improving their decision making abilities, their footballing brain, and the skills they have. This is not just another coaching manual; the ideas and methods used are completely new and based on research and learning from top coaches and teams. This research, and quotes from top coaches like Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, are used throughout to back up the new ideas put forward.

Traditional coaching ignores this research, flies in the face of facts about the game, values size and speed above decision making and regards the best coaches as those with playing experience, ignoring other more important coaching attributes.

This introduction will start by explaining the coaching environment you need to create in order to allow players to develop their decision making powers and skill. It then outlines the biggest problem you will face as a coach, ‘the Winning TRAP’. It will go on to show you how to create a coaching environment and style of play that ensures kids learn and develop their skills and decision making. This is further developed in Section 1 which looks at specific areas of traditional coaching that have failed in these areas and introduces and shows you how to adopt a new type of coaching. The ideas and research behind this new coaching are developed in Section 2 which covers how to coach to ensure players learn to improve the decisions they make and the skills they have.

Section 3 looks at how to improve the amount of information players have about their surroundings in a game. This helps them to make the right decision.

Section 4 looks at 20 specific coaching strategies to help develop decisions and skill, with practical examples of how each method can be used. In Section 5 numerous facts about the game are outlined; if players understand the game they can make better decisions in the game. If a coach understands the game they can better judge player’s ability and decide what areas to coach. 

Section 6 outlines 14 key tactics that coaches and players should be aware of if they are to make the best decisions during a game. The section also gives specific drills to help develop understanding.   Section 7 demonstrates how to teach 10 skills to players. If players have skill they have more options available to them in a game, they can create space to pass, pass with both feet, beat a player. This section also has 16 fun ‘monster drills’ which you can use to develop skills with younger players.

EXAMPLE OF A SIMPLE DRILL TO HELP PLAYERS DEVELOP MOVEMENT

'Playing out from the back'

In this simple drill (see below) there are 2 forwards and 3 defenders who start at the large cones.

One of the forwards kicks the ball to the keeper (1). The keeper then rolls or kicks to the full back (2). We call forwards ‘2 Runs’ to highlight the fact they do one run to fool the defender and then another to get the ball. Player 3 has done this pretending to go to a cone but changing. The Full back looks to see where the forward is going then plays the ball.

This drill teaches the full back to look up for the run by the forward. The forward should try and have good body shape when they receive the ball.

The cones for the forward are just for initial guidance and can be removed.
In a game try to play the ball out from the back from as early an age as possible. To help players initially you can set up and area like the one on the right. Full backs only can go in to this space to receive the ball and then get one free pass. You may find some players use this others don’t.

As soon as possible this area should be removed. Keepers and others should be made aware that the opposition may push players up to stop them playing out via the full back and if this happens other spaces will open up and c should be used.