Prepare a soccer training session in less than 15 minutes!
We’re here to show you that preparing a productive and effective soccer practice for your team doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming!
In fact, with the right tools and a good understanding of your players’ strengths and weaknesses, it could take as little as 15 minutes!
So here’s what you need to know to quickly create a workout:
- Use relevant tools and resources to find your exercises
- Create a drill bank
- Make game summaries
- Allow yourself a distraction-free period to create the workout
1. Use relevant tools and resources to find your exercises
Before creating your own personal drill bank for your team, it’s important to find suitable drills.
Whether it’s Soccer Coach Weekly, Soccer Expert, Ertheo, Soccer Drive, there are plenty of resources where you can find exercises of all kinds for your team.
2. Create an exercise bank
Having a bank of soccer drills relevant to your team will significantly reduce your weekly research time.
What’s more, you can reuse your drills in practice.
As the season progresses, you’ll become more accustomed to certain soccer drills.
With the knowledge you’ll have developed and the drill bank you’ll have created, planning your workouts will be a breeze.
Whether it’s offensive & defensive possession drills, marking, long ball technique, 1-2, etc., having a bank will enable you to design varied practices and warm-up periods.
3. Produce match summaries
After each game, get into the habit of summarizing the aspects that went well and not so well during the match.
As a soccer coach, these game summaries will help you determine what you need to work on during the next training session with your team.
What’s more, they’ll help you save time in creating your practices. All you have to do is select drills that reinforce your team’s weaknesses or shortcomings from their last game.
Did the offense have trouble converting on their scoring opportunities?
Did the defense fail to implement the strategy it had developed before the game?
Simply refer to your list of categorized workouts to attack the problem.
4. Allow yourself a period without distractions to create the workout.
In your week, it’s important to plan a weekly repetition period to analyze and set up your workouts.
This predefined period will enable you to concentrate 100% and analyze your team’s needs.
By planning your workouts at the same time each week, you’ll be able to bring out the best in your team.
Although each workout is unique, we suggest the following structure:
- Medium-intensity warm-up
- Tactical exercises
- Match situations, based on weaknesses identified in the last match
- Competitive game to conclude practice
This training structure allows you to focus on the weaknesses identified in your team in an effective way, while adding a touch of fun at the end of the training session.
All you have to do is insert the exercises you want to focus on at each stage, allowing you to train quickly and based on your team’s needs.
Here are a few examples of exercises that can be performed during practice:
The warm-up circle :
This is a simple warm-up exercise.
The players form a circle and move according to the requests of the coach in the center.
Example of requests:
- “Go left”, players move to the left
- “Go right”, players move to the right
- “Go to the middle”, players must join the coach in the middle and return to their position.
- If the coach says “Go”, players must sprint across the zone to take the place of the player in front of them.
You can increase the difficulty by combining several instructions at the same time.
This warm-up requires players to be alert and adjust their footing quickly according to the coach’s instruction.
4-on-4 exercise:
This is a simple warm-up exercise.
The players form a circle and move according to the requests of the coach in the center.
Example of requests:
- “Go left”, players move to the left
- “Go right”, players move to the right
- “Go to the middle”, players must join the coach in the middle and return to their position
- If the coach says “Go”, players must sprint across the zone to take the place of the player in front of them.
You can increase the difficulty by combining several instructions at the same time.
This warm-up requires players to be alert and adjust their footing quickly according to the coach’s instruction.
4-on-4 exercise:
Position the cones in the goal area at a width of 2 meters, but without a goalkeeper.
There are no rules for this exercise, just let the players play and take this moment to talk about the rules of the game and point out what they do well or not so well.
When a goal is scored, return the ball to the center and show the player where to position himself to resume play.
Diamond training :
This 4-4-2 tactical exercise is ideal for practice with 11 players.
This technique allows your team to make fewer defensive errors and reduce the risk of finding themselves in a bad position in midfield.
Remember, the secret to successful practice is fun!
It’s with practice and training that your team will live up to your expectations throughout the season and continually improve for the end-of-season series and tournaments.
Although it’s a necessary task, planning a training session doesn’t have to be long and arduous.
In fact, with our tips, you should be able to put together a complete workout in just 15 minutes!
Don’t waste any more time, plan your team’s next practice now!
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Do you want your players to get ready before practice?
Place your training sheets in the “Documentation” tab of the MonClubSportif soccer club management software. They’ll be able to practice the exercises at home and be ready for the next training session.
Karl Demers
