How to Turn Around a Losing Soccer Team in 3 Weeks
How a Winless Team Beat an Undefeated Team 3-1
How a Team of Average Talent is Becoming Dominant
Other coach couldn't believe how they controlled the game
Soccer Drills, Tactics & Motivation TipsThere are 3 articles that discuss this soccer coaching success story. In order, they are 20 Tips to Quickly Improve Your Soccer Team , Mid-Season Success Story - 2 Week Turnaround and How to Turn Around a Losing Soccer Team in 3 Weeks. SUMMARY of the STORY: Coach M is a U10 Girls Rec coach. He contacted me after his team lost their first game 0-3. He was worried because in 2 weeks they would play a team that had won 14-0. He started using the SoccerHelp Program (our soccer drills, tactics and motivational patches) and tied the second game 2-2 . They then lost 0-4 to the team that was killing everyone else and in their 4th game everything came together and they won 3-1. The 3-1 victory was 3 weeks (20 days) after he started using the SoccerHelp Program. There are many good tips in these articles from both me and Coach M. If you have a U9, U10, U11 or U12 Rec soccer team they are worth reading.
Note from David: I got the first email from Coach M 20 days before his winless team beat an undefeated team 3-1. His progress is documented at 20 Tips to Quickly Improve Your Soccer Team in 2 Practices and at Mid-Season Success StoryCoach M says the coach of the previously undefeated team said "he didn't have a girl who could stop my daughter and had never seen his team be dominated like this."
Coach M's team has gained great confidence and as he says: "I think we have one of the lesser talented teams out there but playing a game like this proves we can beat anyone in the league. What's most important is that the girls are having a blast."
He actually has other coaches calling him asking him for advice. He says "I am flattered when several coaches approach or call me to ask me what we are doing different from the rest of the league."
Coach M realizes that at the rate his team (and his daughter) are improving, his team might soon become dominant. That is great at first, but it is better for teams to face competition – that makes players and coaches better. For that reason, he is going to approach the league board about adopting the SoccerHelp program and patches for all of the coaches in the league. I have offered to set up a free subscription that all the coaches, assistants and volunteers in the league can share.
In case you want to try our motivational patches, here is a coupon for 5% off
fiveoff5
Hi David,
Our team played a team yesterday that was undefeated and we won 3-1. This was our first victory this season. We had lost 0-3, tied 2-2, and lost 0-4. We had given up 9 goals and only scored 2. There has been a big improvement in our scoring and in our defense. The game we lost 0-4 was against a team that had been winning by scores like 14-0, so we were improving even then.
Our girls were fired up to earn their soccer patches and all of them wanted to win their first game of the season to a team that is undefeated. We had patches that they could get if they were brave, great teammates, hustled, and everyone would get one if we won. I also told them if we played great defense, the ones that stood out would get a D patch. We came out and probably won almost every 50 50 ball in the first ten minutes and our girls took away countless balls from the other team. There were repeatedly instances when our girls would chase down one of the opposing players and literally just take the ball away from them. We had many chances on goal but their goalie was solid to her credit. My daughter scored the first goal because she was ready to take the pass from our CMF because she was pushed up like you told her. She received the pass and went around the defender on the left side and shot a beautiful ball high far corner from the left side. Our goalie never touched the ball the first half. Coaching Rule number three worked even though it didn't result in a goal. It helped us keep the ball on our attacking side.
The second half was pretty much the same. I think we played in our attacking half 80% of the time to this undefeated team. The only time they scored was when our defensive player needed a break and I subbed a girl in who had not played defense the whole game and of course, they scored on a breakaway. We played my co coach's daughter at Stopper and defense almost the whole game. She owns that position, I don't think she missed one ball that came her way. My daughter played CF and we rotated our midfielders out. My daughter ended up getting a hat trick and almost scored a fourth. She is on cloud nine right now and has never played this well in a game in her four years of playing. She did not take off her uniform and cleats for the entire day. ALL of our girls played amazing this game. I had to give a lot of bravery patches out along with hustles, and every defender and goalie got a defense patch. The other coach could not believe how we controlled the game. I could tell he thought by our record that this would be another win for him. He kept telling his assistant coach that he didn't have a girl who could stop my daughter and had never seen his team be dominated like this. All of your drills are being displayed on the field from the Shoulder Tackle & Strength On The Ball drill which has made them win almost all 50 50 balls, to the Dribble Around Cone & Pass Relay Race game, I must have yelled beautiful pass more yesterday than I did in the first three games.
I can't thank you enough. Your guidance and patches have been such a big difference maker with our season so far and our experience. I really think that Mia Hamm DVD helped, it is an amazing DVD I love the style and also am a big Mia Hamm fan, but just the fact that you recognized and thought of my daughter gave her a big boost of confidence. I think we have one of the lesser talented teams out there but playing a game like this proves we can beat anyone in the league. What's most important is that the girls are having a blast. Everyone of them were so proud of how well we did and how much they improved already and we still have five more games left in the regular season. I am approaching the board this week on adding your program and patches to all of the coaches of all of the age groups of our league.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Coach M
Hi Coach M,
First, thanks for approaching your Board about the SoccerHelp Program. If they want us to, we will set up a free subscription that all the coaches, assistants and volunteers in the league can share. I applaud you for recognizing that if the other teams play better, that will be good for your team too and especially for your daughter. I believe your daughter is going to be a great player - she is improving at a rapid rate. She will benefit from better competition in the league AND it will be great for her if you can stay her coach. She can become great without having to join a travel team.
Sometime toward the end of the season when you are playing an easy team, it would be great if you took some video of your daughter and posted it on You Tube - I would like to see it and put a link to it.
Tell your daughter that I recommend she watches parts of the April Heinrichs Training Girls and Women to Win 3-DVD Set. Specifically, the sections about Goal Setting on DVD 1, Mental Toughness on DVD 2 and Affirmations on DVD 3. A Detailed List of Contents minute-by-minute is at www.soccerhelp.com/shshop/product_reviews_info.php/products_id/249/reviews_id/22. April was Player of the Decade for the 1980's and there is an interview I did with her on SoccerHelp at www.soccerhelp.com/April_Heinrichs_Interview.shtml
Wow!!! What a great story. I am proud of you and your daughter. You are really having great fun and building a great team. Stories like yours are very gratifying for me.
I'll bet your players parents are thrilled.
You are becoming a great coach and will get better. At some point, during the off season buy the Anson Dorrance & Tom Stone Soccer Clinic DVD for Serious Coaches and Advanced Players and watch it and let your daughter watch it if she wants to - it is more advanced but she might enjoy seeing the older girls. Anson is the most successful college coach ever and has won 20 NCAA titles There is a review of it at www.soccerhelp.com/shshop/product_reviews_info.php/products_id/513/reviews_id/34 and video clips at www.soccerhelp.com/Soccer_Video_Clips_Anson_Dorrance_Soccer_Clinic_DVD.shtml
One thing that is clear is that your girls are having fun and gaining confidence. It is also clear that your girls are starting to "get it" - it is like the light bulb has turned on. They can see that if they do the things you tell them to do, they will get great results, so now when you tell them to do something, they will do it because they are confident that doing it will produce a good result. I'm sure you know that this is teaching them great life skills about the benefits of trying their best and teamwork.
I can tell there are many things that made you proud of your team:
- "We came out and probably won almost every 50 50 ball in the first ten minutes and our girls took away countless balls from the other team" "Our goalie never touched the ball the first half." "The second half was pretty much the same. I think we played in our attacking half 80% of the time to this undefeated team." It sounds like the Shoulder Tackle & Strength On The Ball Game really worked.
- You can see the importance of a great Stopper.
- You can see the importance of "Shifting & Sagging" and positioning by your Forward
You are on the right track but I recommend you keep playing Dribble Across A Square Game as a warm-up, twice with the Square 8 to 10 steps wide (use a "step" the length of your players steps) AND TWICE MORE with the Square 15 to 17 steps wide.
ALSO, play the Dribble Around Cone & Pass Relay Race game a lot and use it to teach Aggressive Receiving and One-Touch Play . Those skills will help your players score more goals. Teach them to be aggressive about GOING TO the ball AND one-touch play - those 2 skills will help your team SCORE LOTS OF GOALS.
You are using the motivational patches very effectively.
Stopper -- When you play easier teams, experiment with letting your Stopper come into the attack AND try to train a back-up Stopper - your Stopper will need to be subbed some, especially if she comes into the attack.
Have a Parent Coach your Fullbacks and Goalie During Games -- Remember to try to have a parent "coach" the Goalie and your Fullbacks during the games to keep them motivated and shifting and not falling asleep - your defenders will get bored since they have little to do - it is hard to keep them in the game so they are alert and ready. The best way to keep them in the game is to teach them to shift from side-to-side with the ball.
Are you doing the Team Goal Celebration? That is important so all your players AND subs get to participate in the cheer when a goal is scored. Tell your daughter that it is important for her to give a "high-five" to everyone who assisted in the goal AND to NEVER showboat like soccer players to TV - that is a very bad idea because it makes it look like they were solely responsible for the goal - it can make the other players feel jealous and underappreciated. The scorer always gets lots of glory - it is important for you as a coach to share the glory and congratulate EVERY player, event the subs who are cheering on your team.
Sometime toward the end of the season when you are playing an easy team, it would be great if you took some video of your daughter and posted it on You Tube - I would like to see it and put a link to it.
I really appreciate your feedback - that is how I learn and it is motivating to me too. Stories like yours remind me that SoccerHelp is worth the effort.
Best,
David
Hi Dave,
SoccerHelp is well worth the effort. You have been such a big help to our improvement this season.
I have April's Heinrich's DVD and I love it. I will have to go back and watch it this week. I will also purchase Anson's video too. My daughter absolutely loves the Mia Hamm DVD. That is really good way to teach the girls and we both can watch it together.
We are the only team in the league that does a team goal celebration. One of the great things that I saw on Saturday was that after every goal you could not tell who scored the goal because every girl on the field was equally happy. I have taught the girls not to showboat. Also, my assistant coach and I probably high fived and hugged all of the players at least twice at the end of the game.
We will continue to the Shoulder Tackle & Strength On The Ball Game, Win the 50/50 Ball or be the First Defender 1v1 Attacking and Defending, Dribble Across A Square Game, and the Pass to Space Run with the Ball and Shoot game which by the way worked well as the other coach called me on the phone yesterday first to ask what separate training I was doing for my daughter and what we did to get our players to move in position to take the shot. She commented and said we are the only team in the league to have so many players attacking the goal smart. She was impressed at how there was always a girl at far post ready to take the pass or jump on a deflection. The great thing about your drills is that the more we do the more the girls buy into all of them. A couple of them used to complain that we were doing the same thing but the more success they see on the field, the more enthusiasm they are putting forth in all of the drills. I always use a player or two as an example. For example, I will say "in the first game, Nancy had trouble dribbling pass any opposing player. Now she has the ability to dribble around the toughest opposing players sometimes two at a time."
The only challenges are minor. One I had was when one of my best defenders and youngest player started to tear up because she did not want to play defense anymore. I think she was bored because we were controlling the ball so much. I made her a deal and told her if we had a good lead she could play midfielder for the rest of the game. We managed to get her in for the last third of the second half. She was happy and I think and hope that the big D patch I awarded her at the end of the game helped.
Thank you thank you thank you! You are awesome, my friend for all that you have done. My players and parents could not be happier with how the season is going. I am flattered when several coaches approach or call me to ask me what we are doing different from the rest of the league. My daughter absolutely loves playing soccer and her success on the field has carried over to her schoolwork and her gymnastics. I think it is time for the league to be introduced to SoccerHelp. I will let you know on the board meeting after Thursday.
Best,
Coach M
Hi Coach M,
You know you are doing something right when other coaches call to ask how you are getting your players to play so well.
- I think your approach is great in every respect! You are an excellent coach and motivator.
- You mention: one of my best defenders and youngest player started to tear up because she did not want to play defense anymore. I think she was bored because we were controlling the ball so much. Yes, that is a challenge. I think you handled it perfectly. Think about a SPECIAL: patch ONLY for the Fullbacks and Goalie - you are correct that it is easier for them to get bored now that your team is dominating games.
- I love it that the focus and confidence you daughter is learning in soccer is carrying over to her schoolwork and her gymnastics. That is FANTASTIC!!!!
Best,
David
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