Elite Soccer Drills PDF
Ten thousand hours. That is how many hours of training the experts say it takes to become an elite-level athlete in any sport.
Soccer is no different. What the experts fail to mention, however, is that those ten thousand hours of training must take place in the correct environment, with the correct conditions, drills, supervision, and motivation.
This book provides information to help you create the elite environment your players need to accomplish their goals.
It includes many of the drills, activities, and philosophies I have used to help players become successful at the individual and team level over the past 20 years.
Whether your players want to make a club, high school, or college team, or the Olympic Development Program, the information in this book is invaluable.
Each chapter in Elite Soccer Drills is devoted to a core area of the game.
The importance of setting high training standards and routines is covered in chapter 1, as is the importance of improving players’ overall technical levels through self-training and small-group training.
By focusing on small groups of one to four players, and then expanding the numbers when appropriate, you can focus on individual players.
Chapter 2 focuses on speed, agility, and coordination, the core components of a player’s ability.
At all levels, the ability to jump, sprint, and change directions quickly is essential to success.
This chapter includes exercises that will help develop your speed, quickness, agility, and coordination, in a way that is very soccer specific.
The exercises can be done individually or with a group, and can be adjusted according to the level of difficulty needed.
Additionally, please note that throughout the drill chapters (chapters 2-9), the unit of distance given is yards.
International readers who use the metric system can substitute the same distance in meters.
For example, if the instructions use a distance of 20 yards, use 20 meters instead.
The focus of chapter 3 is juggling and how a regular juggling routine can help players’ overall ability with the ball.
The chapter includes juggling drills for one to five players and discusses ways to make juggling, alone or in a small group, competitive.
Variations address the use of various body parts and the height, distance, and spin of the ball.
The focus of chapter 4 is dribbling. While the ability to dribble is one of the most basic skills a player has, it is often one of the most overlooked skills when it comes to actual practice.
Many times, especially at younger ages (8-14), a coach will choose to focus on “team play” and passing, and sacrifices individual dribbling development in training.
Chapter 4 is full of exercises that will help players develop and refine their individual dribbling skills and ball control.
These exercises will help players improve their ability to beat defenders off the dribble, dribble to retain possession, and dribble to create space.
Passing and receiving are covered in chapter 5. Short, midrange, long, driven, and lofted passes are described and diagrammed.
The chapter also includes drills that improve the mechanics and technique required for executing these skills.
The ability to head the ball effectively, with skill and purpose, is something that players often lack. Chapter 6 focuses exclusively on how to develop the ability to head the ball.
The exercises in the chapter will help players with defensive heading, attacking heading (to goal), and with using heading to pass to a teammate.
Chapter 7 helps players improve the tactical side of the game by practicing small- and large-group attacking and defending.
On the attacking side of the ball, 1v1, 2v2, 3v2, and 3v3 tactical situations are covered in great detail.
Defending in similar situations, as well as improving players’ ability to read the game and anticipate the play, are also described in chapter 7.
Chapter 8 outlines the techniques, mechanics, and drills for the final and most crucial phases of play: crossing and finishing.
Methods for improving those areas through self-training and multiple-player training are detailed. The final chapter is devoted to conditioning.
From agility and quickness to aerobic and anaerobic fitness, all areas of fitness applied to soccer are covered.
The chapter includes drills for agility and quickness training with and without the ball, along with drills for endurance and speed training.
Finally, a number of fitness tests, and proper standards for each, are described.
The desire for self-improvement, on and off the field, is critical to success.
However, only by knowing how to apply the correct methods and techniques, and by understanding the subtle nuances, can real development occur.
We have used the methods and philosophies in this book to elevate teams and players to the highest youth and professional levels in the United States.
By utilizing the exercises in this book you will have a great chance of reaching your goals, whether they are to make your high school team, play in college, or make it to the professional level.
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