Thursday practice 8-21-25
We will be moving the Wednesday 5:00 indoor practice to Thursday at 6:30. I will be coaching our Rec team from 5:30-6:30. KCL Liverpool from 6:30-7:30.
Mighty Kicks: 5:30-6:30
Liverpool: 6:30-7:30
Loation: Swarner Park, Shawnee, KS (North Field)
Coming off the Mariachi Tournament we are focused on improving off ball movement. Instead of being in a position to receive a pass, players are bunching together. We will focus on making passes in front of the other teams goal, and acting quickly when in scoring position. There are 5 drills below that we will be choosing from to improve in the needed areas. We also have to spend some time on basic fundamentals.
- Try to pass or shoot within 3 seconds of getting ball when near the goal
- Keep head up when running drills or performing moves
- Pass before going in for the 1v1
- Always be scanning… What does scanning mean? Not just the ball but where your teammates are, and where the defenders are.
Soccer Fundamentals
We will try to focus on some fundamentals from time to time. Hopefully we can work on forming a wall this week and work on the other the following weeks. If there are any other fundamentals that we need to work on, please let me know.
- Goal Kicks
- Forming a Wall
- Kickoffs
- Corner Kicks
We won’t have time to focus on all of these on Thursday but these are some basic fundamentals for our 7v7 league.
Here are 5 drills that we are going to be choosing from to focus on off ball movement. Ideally we will have 2 or 3 coaches helping run at least 2 drills at once on opposite sides of the field.
Drill 1: Overlapping Run & Through Ball
We are going to add finishing to this drill.
Coaching Points:
- Keep your head up to see passing options.
- Communicate with hand signals or verbal cues.
- Pass/shoot within 3 seconds
- Finish with shot on goal
Drill 2: 3v3 Live Scenario
Setup:
- 3v3 with neutral balls at the coach’s feet.
Execution:
- Coach plays a live ball in.
- Players play normally, but on the whistle, freeze play.
- Adjust positioning:
- Where should support runs be?
- Who should check to the ball?
- Who should stretch the field with depth?
Coaching Points:
- Emphasize movement into space, not just standing still.
- Look for triangles of support.
- Reinforce head-up decision-making: pass, dribble, or move.
Drill 3: Básico Drill
Starts at 3:09
Execution:
- Receive ball across body (down field foot)
- Game speed
- Lots of talking from player receiving pass
Drill 4: Scanning before receiving Pass
Starts at 3:03 (Demo at 4:00)
Drill 5: 4 Points 3 players, center defender
We ran this drill last week. Players needed to slow down and actually move to receive a pass, instead of just moving because they are going in a rotation.
Execution:
- Don’t move until you are in a blind spot
- Change directions and alternate passes
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Protecting the Ball
We had a small number of players that were playing extremely physical. Others still need to work on positioning. Here is a drill that we will be running in the coming weeks.
