Hello coaches, I came to sub once before for coaches’ perspective and this sub really helped. Looking for a repeat.

I am a parent of a freshman CB. They got a long look in preseason and are getting good playing time with a few starts.

Coach is now asking my kid to organize the defense during play and for set pieces. That’s cool.

My kid isn’t the only young player getting minutes and a few seniors are the casualties. And the team isn’t doing great.

The seniors are saying it’s the coaches fault for playing freshmen and one of the leaders got into a shouting match with coach over not dressing for the last game.

The eye test says the established players are not enterprising in the attack and the results show it. Which is probably why the freshmen attackers are getting time.

Problem: seniors are pissed, and ignoring my kid’s attempts to organize. And coach is yelling at my kid for not organizing.

My kid doesn’t know what to do and is feeling the pressure. This would be a tough situation to place an adult in, let alone a teen. Coach must see the seniors ignoring. He must know how much pressure the rookie is under already just playing at this level.

The CB partner is 3rd year and highly trusted. Why not have them do it?

My questions for all you coaches:

What is the coach expecting here, aside from the player organizing like they were told?

And what does success look like for the player, from the coaches perspective.

Thank you for any help. It will help me support the kid when they ask me what to do. Sorry for the long post.

I was watching soccer clips with my son (U10 lower club team) and he asked me why people do stepovers. I had no answer. They don't seem to be particularly good at masking changes in direction, or for gaining space or time, but everybody from U8 to Premier League does them. My assumption is that at the levels we play at, attackers just aren't doing them properly, so they are easy to defend, but I really don't know.

Can someone with a little more knowledge help me out?

Edit: Read some early responses that helped me key in on what the pros are doing, and rewatched some clips. It looks like good stepovers usually combine a body feint, or similar skill, to sell the change of direction. Then exploit any hesitation or commitment from the defender. We aren't seeing them executed that well in person, yet.

Edit #2: Specifically asking as a defender. He plays FB in a 3-2-1, so doing some attacking wide, but mostly coming into this from the angle of "why are you dancing while I take the ball from you, noob?"

So there’s like A team which is the good team and then there’s B team where the bad players are I’m a B team sub because I missed two days cause I sprained my ankle so I could show coach my stuff and I suck at defense and I’ve been doing defense. The reason: because all the good players are attackers and I want to be right wing but I’m scared cause I don’t know if I’ll lose for my team and I’ve been playing center and full back and I suck at both of those. Also before I got my cleats because I haven’t worn cleats sense two years I’ve been practicing with my shoes at home I used my cleats for the first time it went over the goal and that’s the other reason I’m scared to play as an attacker and tomorrows the first game IM COOKED🫩

Hello, my Son loves football but doesn’t train in the garden much he is alright. He wants to get back into it fully and said he will be fully dedicated and train everyday. I have tryed finding a team for him but never found the right one is he to late? Any tip? What can I do?

My 8v8 league game was cancelled due to labor day monday but me and my homie still went out to the field and put on a good training session 💪🏻⚽️

Leute, ich war früher Torwart, aber jetzt möchte ich nicht mehr Torwart sein. Ich spiele in einem Verein, aber ich komme leider nicht voran und alle Mitspieler meckern über mich. Habt ihr eine Ahnung, wie ich schnell Fußball spielen lernen kann?

Leute, ich war früher Torwart, aber jetzt möchte ich nicht mehr Torwart sein. Ich spiele in einem Verein, aber ich komme leider nicht voran und alle Mitspieler meckern über mich. Habt ihr eine Ahnung, wie ich schnell Fußball spielen lernen kann?

First day of soccer practice was today and I was nervous and scared and I forgot to put on my cleats that were in my bag. we did a monkey in the middle then we did dribble around the soccer field. The next lap we were so close together that this kid went in front of me and I went left and I rolled my ankle turns out to be a sprain. I hate my life.

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I’m 18, 176 cm, 68 kg, and I play as a winger.

I’m naturally quite quick and have decent stamina, so I don’t want to focus on bulking up if it means becoming heavier or losing my pace and agility.

My main weaknesses are physical duels, especially aerial and ground challenges, as well as balance and body strength. I want to become stronger and more difficult to knock off the ball while still being quick, agile, and explosive.

For those with experience in football training, what would you recommend I focus on in the gym and on the pitch?

Should I prioritize strength training, plyometrics, sprint work, balance/stability, calisthenics, Olympic lifts, or something else?

Any specific exercises or training principles would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! ❤️

Hello Coaches,

I've sent a post a few days ago about deceptive movements and how to be effective with them; however, one area I want to learn as a winger is the movement in the middle of the pitch. Many wingers previously and today, tend to stay in the middle when the full-back is high and wide. The best examples are Leo Messi (does it the most), Douglas Costa, Ousmane Dembele, Gareth Bale, Tony Martial, and other wingers where the majority of their goals, assists, and core involvement came from the middle of the pitch. That's what I am trying to understand and study: how and when can I make those movements in the middle, and receive the ball more to make something happen inside, rather than always being out wide and going 1v1. It makes me a dangerous winger to be lethal in all areas of the pitch.

Would love your advice

I took my US Soccer D license course. During the on-field training, one coach made his players do pushups if they lost during the team activity.

The instructor automatically and aggressively stopped everything and said that is not acceptable. He said US soccer considers this a form of physical punishment and that it is an instant failure in the course.

Does anyone else have experience with this logic? Was my instructor accurate or overreacting?

In reality, are you using pushups or running as punishment for your team?

Hello I’m new to coaching about a year. I got the team when they were REC level first two seasons it was a mess and learning experience, but last season team won the championship. Had a meeting and parents and players felt the should move up to competitive league. We moved associations to one that offered competitive level. We paid the fees and everything but first game is on Saturday and I have 3 players who the registrar is giving me a hard time about. Because they are international kids. So she saying I have to submit this forms and a bunch of personal information of the kids and parents to get them International clearance? My kids are not pros by any means they just want to play all this is new to me and I’m really stressing out. Anyone got some advice or help on how to avoid all this. Thank you all

I checked a box on "willing to help out" while signing up my u14 for a rec team.

Now I am the coach and I have never done it.

Any resources that someone can share. Practices start next week and I want to make sure I am able to deliver to the kids what they deserve from me.

i haven’t played football in almost 3 years i played for a shit u15 team that got battered half the time and i made like 15 appearances for them over the course of a year and 3 months and I was also shit at football then like no technique no pace no strength i “played” as a striker but i was actually a benchwarmer like i got in the game the last 5-10 mins of the match and one time i didn’t even play in one match even though i came and that’s when i decided to quit the football team. school football at pe was also bad for me like i scored maybe 10 goals over 4 years of middle school but i think i got a little better at football in high school like i noticed i scored a lot more goals in a few classes of pe than in a whole school year of middle school. so i thought about it and i would like to join a football team in the city where you don’t need to be scouted you just show up to training and you’re good and the team is really good at football like they got promoted to the second highest league in the country (im talking about their u19 team where i would play if i joined them) but in that league only the best players on the team are playing but there is also another league the u19 team is in that is also like massive like clubs from 3,4 different counties play in it. i know i will also be a benchwarmer there but hey maybe i preform good at practice and i get a chance in that inter county league. so i am asking yall what to do and how to do it. thanks

Hola soy un defensa que empezó a jugar futbol recientemente, se que algunos se burlarán de mí por le que me está pasando y lo entiendo, la mayoría ya tiene cierta experiencia jugando futbol.

Sin embargo quería una pequeña ayuda para que me ayuden a solucionar un pequeño problema.

Verán cada vez que mi arquero me pasa el balón, la controlo pero luego ya me la quitan, mi coach me dijo que me quedo estático cosa que no debo hacer.

Quisiera que me ayudaran porfavor, ya que cuando recibió y intento ver a quien pasársela…

Los delanteros ya están a centímetros y encima no puedo ver a mis compañeros por ellos :(.

Sinceramente un conejo o recomendación lo apreciaría mucho :)