Bre Caygle asked:

MY SCHOOL HAS JUST GOTTEN A HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER TEAM. WHAT IS THE BEST WORKOUTS AND DRILLS TO START? TRYOUTS IN OCTOBER!!!

Steve’s answer:

Does a marathon runner make a good soccer player simply because they can run 26 miles? No, of course not. Far better to work on your technical ability and general fitness. If you're practising on your own, it's hard to stay motivated. If you can find a... Continue reading »

Deanna Call asked:

how do you improve the speed of a 9 year-old -- needs to be more explosive as well as faster

Steve’s answer:

There's some conditioning drills and games here:

http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/conditioning.drills.htm

Fred Freeman asked:

I am a first time soccer coach. Looking for great practice formats and drills. do you know a good free site to find tips ?

Steve’s answer:

IMHO, you can't find a better free site than footy4kids:

http://www.footy4kids.co.uk

Especially:

http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/soccer_drills.htm

Oscar Mancilla asked:

how can I as a coach to motive my players to be more agrecive?

Steve’s answer:

Like others, I don't like the term 'aggressive' but if you want your players to be more determined to win the ball, there's a few drills on footy4kids that might help:

http://www.footy4kids.co.uk/physical_contact_drills.htm

Keith Burchell asked:

Dealing with the parents

Steve’s answer:

As a youth soccer coach, I have found a pre-season meeting an essential aid in avoiding conflicts like this one. Getting parent and player buy-in to your policies and coaching 'philosophy' from day 1 is vital.

You can see an article on this subject (... Continue reading »