Don't overcomplicate your coaching By David Clarke

Don't overcomplicate your coaching
By David Clarke
Sometimes I think coaches can overcomplicate coaching sessions and warm-ups with young players.
Complicated pass, move around one cone then around another, up to the goal line.. you know the kind of drills I mean, just to get across a coaching point. And its the same with warm-ups before a game - I've seen coaches spend 10 minutes describing and explaining the drill just to warm-up players.
Often what young players need are simple left foot/right foot passing moves.
I watched some video clips of Liverpool training and Arsenal warming-up. They show you how simple it all can be. There are no complicated moves here, just simple left foot/right foot, jumping, running and passing.
It always serves as a good reminder of what young players need to accelerate their soccer education to check out what the big boys are doing.
To see the training/warm-up clip from Liverpool and Arsenal, and to read my blog click here.
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* The winning difference *
Combining bursts of speed with ball skills
By Michael Beale
This warm-up exercise is a good fitness test for players to practice short bursts of speed with the ball under control. It also tests accuracy of the pass or shot.
Exercises like this are excellent for fitness tests with a competition at the end. To make this competitive, players who miss the target balls must sit out, to make it easier/harder use more or less balls in the target zone.

• Arrange your players into two teams.
• You and a helper act as ball collectors.
• The two teams must compete against each other and try to be the first team to knock the balls off the cones.
• The players dribble at top speed into the shooting box and then try to hit the cones with a pass.
• The next player goes when the previous player has sprinted back to the group.
A fitness technique for body strength
The crunch is one of the best core strength exercises. It is better than a sit-up as the lower back stays on the ground making it safer and more effective.
• The player starts by lying on the ground with their knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• They place their hands touching the sides of their head but not supporting it. Slowly raise the shoulders up off the ground and pull in the abdominal (stomach) muscles.
• Keep their head up and eyes looking forward, keeping the neck relaxed.
• Holds the position for two or three seconds and then return to the start position slowly.
• A player should perform five to ten repetitions per set and then have a rest before repeating.
• If the player cannot maintain a good body position for all the repetitions then you should reduce the number in each set.
• Players should always perform crunches slowly and in a very controlled manner.
• Make sure the hands are not used to support the neck at any point.