Hi SoccerHelp, Well, our season is coming to a close with the last game this weekend. However, we have been using the Win the 50/50 Ball 1v1 Attacking & Defending Practice Game and the Shoulder Tackle & Strength on the Ball Practice Game at each practice the last couple of weeks, as well as working on field position and Aggressive Receiving, and it has helped quite a bit. We have noticed a lot of development and improvement in just 4 short practices. I think the concept of teaching them to "pressure" on defense has helped quite a bit; and the above strategies have helped them be able to go to the ball, pressure the ball-handler and either win the ball, or slow them down until backup arrives! Also, I took your advice on teaching them how to "mark" opposing players properly (Coaching Rule No. 3 from Premium) and the results were immediately phenomenal! I couldn't believe I had neglected this basic tactic - they immediately stole several balls in the game following our 1st practice where I had introduced the concept, and it completely changed the flow of the game during several long stretches. This resulted in our nearly tying what had been the best team in the league. While we lost 2 to 3, it was night and day compared to how they had played just a week or two before. We're still working on some of these basics but they have really come around in the last two weeks, so thanks for the advice and the great site - I hope to be able to play them a bit this winter indoors, and look forward to using SoccerHelp this coming year! Coach Charlie, Premium Member ----------------- Thanks for this great letter!!! Congratulations, I'm really glad for you. I think you now see that you can be a really good coach. I know it's a lot more motivating when you see results from your efforts. Please stay in touch and thanks for being our customer. David at SoccerHelp How to Quickly Improve your Soccer Team's Play
Results of Soccer Coaching Rule No. 3 (Teaching players how to properly "Mark" opponents)
How to Teach Soccer Players to be More Aggressive