FA Coaching Badges Explained: How to Become a Football Coach
FA coaching badges are the way to go if you’re looking to become a qualified football coach. The FA provide a series of courses that deliver the guidance and knowledge to transition from an average football fan to a qualified football coach. In short, FA coaching...
Reduced Thinking Time
Be sure to have a good ball supply. Reduce the size of the grid throughout to challenge the players decision making. Play this for 2 minutes periods. 7 blues aim to retain possession. Limiting players to one or two touch really tests the brain. Give a point for x...
Intense Pressure
Part 1 All blues and whites are restricted to their zones. They yellow joker can go wherever they like. Try to limit the touches as in one or two for them. The blues and whites must play off one or three touch. One touch will be a challenge its self. If one touch is...
Effective Warm Up: A guide for footballers & coaches
Effective Warm Up – A guide for footballers & coaches A warm up is a vital part of football preparation. At the elite level of football, the warm up protocol continues to evolve. A few minutes of stretching and touches on the ball is no longer considered...
The FA launches ‘Player to Coach’ scheme
Towards the end of last year (2016), the FA offered to assist selected ex-players with their UEFA A and Pro Licenses as a path into managing and coaching. Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole among others were all been contacted by the FA but...
Rondos Part 2: Different Style Rondos
Adjust the area to meet your desired outcomes. 3 equal teams if possible, adjust if needed. Deploy the defending team in the centre circle. The diagram shows the blues 4v2 against the whites. The blues must complete 8 passes before passing to either of the yellows in...
Rondos Part 1
Deploy three players in the middle of the centre circle with the rest of the team/squad around the outside. Players on the outside play off one touch. The three players in the middle try to regain the ball. If successful they join the outside players. The player who...
Crossing and Finishing
The ball starts centrally. The players work the ball one side and then to the other. This can be done either directly or by linking. There are many combinations. Once the ball has been switched the three players involved in the process run to the box to finish for...
Blocking Crosses and Shots
Be sure to have a good ball supply. You can find our range of footballs here. The first ball is played out wide which creates a 1 v 1 situation. The yellow player stays in his zone and the blue player cannot cross the line. Progress to allowing complete freedom....
How to Become a Football Scout
How do you become a football scout? What are the steps needed to go from regular fan to professional scout? How many of us can answer these questions? In fact, how many people would even know where to begin researching to find out those answers? Our article aims...
Are China a clear and present danger to the Premier League?
To anyone who dismissed the Chinese Super League as second-rate and nowhere near good enough to affect football on a global scale…you’re not laughing now are you? It’s taken a little while for things to really take off in China but any club that can afford to spend...
The rise, fall and rise again of David Luiz
As David Luiz sent a 30-year pile driver into the Liverpool net, it emphasised his revitalisation back at Chelsea this season. The sharp collective intake of breath in West London when it was announced the fun-loving Brazilian would be returning was profound. Had...
The myth of loyalty in modern football
There has been a lot of talk about footballers moving for money, player power and if the lack of player loyalty is ruining football. But when it comes to player loyalty, who should they be loyal to? The owner? The manager? Team mates? The fans? The club? The contract?...
An in-depth look into player power
Dimitri Payet has recently secured his ‘want away’ move to Marseille, which will see West Ham United pocket £25 million. The process is usually simple, a club make a bid for the player, the selling club fight to secure the best possible transfer fee and the player...
Has Wenger come to the end of the road at Arsenal?
It’s been almost 21 years since Arsene Wenger took over at Arsenal Football Club, a period of time during which the Gunners have changed beyond recognition, both on and off the pitch. The urbane Frenchman has been credited with keeping the north Londoners competitive...
Is the lack of player loyalty ruining football?
“We’ve got Payet, Dimitri Payet, I just don’t think you understand….,” is a refrain that won’t ever be heard in or around the London Stadium again. As Upton Park is turned to dust, so are the dreams of thousands of West Ham supporters who had religiously deified their...
Every Training Session Of 2016
The official free guide to all the Louis Lancaster football training sessions of 2016. We have compiled all the training sessions by UEFA Pro License coach Louis Lancaster into a simple downloadable document.
Passing and pressing 3 vs 3
Players: 12 players + 2 Goalkeepers What you’ll need: Cones, balls, bibs and 2 goals. Exercise description: Red team play the ball to blue team and then they will go to press. Blue team can play together or they can pass to the pivots and attack. The aim is to score a...
Passing and pressing 2 vs 2
Players: 8 players (4 inside + 4 outside) + 1 Goalkeeper What you’ll need: Cones, balls, bibs,1 goal and 2 mini-goals Exercise description: The reds start with the ball and pass it to a player on the yellow team Reds will press the ball to avoid the attack Yellow team...
Turning to advance
Players: 4 players + 2 Coaching Assistants split into 2 groups Playing area: One half of the pitch What you’ll need: Cones, balls and 4 mini-goals Exercise description: Player 1 passes the ball to the coach assistant and runs towards him The defender runs behind the...
Win the Ball – Exercise 3
Players: 4 players + 1 Goalkeeper Playing area: Zone 1: 2 Defenders Zone 2: 2 Attackers What you’ll need: Cones, balls, bibs and a goal Exercise description: Players will be 1v1 in each zone. Goalkeeper kicks the ball to the zone 2. Defenders in zone 2 fight for the...
Win the Ball – Exercise 2
Players: 4 players + 1 Goalkeeper Playing area: Zone 1: 1 Attacker, 1 Defender and 1 Goalkeeper Zone 2: 2 Attackers What you’ll need: Cones, balls, bibs and a goal Exercise description: Coach throws the ball with his hands to the defence and the attacker (zone1). If...
Pep Guardiola Career Timeline
Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola is a quite private man and happily keeps it that way with a simple life with his wife Cristina Serra and their three children. Shielding his family from the public eye and not one to flash his wealth, the extrovert Pep we see on the touchline is...
Win the Ball – Exercise 1
Players: 3 players + 1 Goalkeeper Playing area: Zone 1: 1 Defender and 1 Goalkeeper Zone 2: 2 Attackers What you’ll need: Cones, balls and a goal Exercise description: 1. Coach throws the ball with his hands to the defence (zone 1). 2. The defender clears the...
Man City – a product of Guardiola’s philosophy
5 Premier league games. 15 goals. 4 against & maximum points. A convincing qualification to the champion’s league and an unbeaten record in the group stages highlight the immediate effect Pep Guardiola has had on Manchester City’s dominant start to the 2016/17...
A letter from Poppies 4 Kits
Poppies4Kits is working with support of the Royal British Legion to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal. After seeing the Premier League stars raise thousands by having their shirts embroidered with the poppy emblem, we thought it would be a fantastic idea if all youth...
Top 5 Golden Boot Contenders
In a footballing world whereby the traditional 4-4-2 formation is a somewhat of a distant memory, and where most of teams nowadays boast a more possession based, 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation. The pressure on a team's goal scoring is placed even more upon a clubs 'Target man'...
The battle of the managers 2016/17 season
Mourinho, Guardiola, Conte, Klopp, Wenger, Pocchetino and Ranieri, the names just roll off the tongue. The premier League boasts an array of arguably the best managers in world football, but who will win the battle of the managers? This blog will compare the managers...
Paul Pogba – Returning Home
Some are calling it the signing of the summer. A world record fee of £89 million has seen the French international Paul Pogba re-sign for Manchester United Football club from Italian giants Juventus. Age 23, 6’3 in height, the mobile long legged midfielder who the...
Respect the Ref
Football is changing. The biggest sport on the planet has had a significant amount of new rules and regulations that have been implemented by FIFA within the last decade. From the introduction of goal line technology which was way overdue but desperately needed, to...