Soccer Coach's Choice Bookstore - Coaching

Coaching Kids to Play Soccer

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Synopsis:
Kurt Ascherman teams with Jim San Marco, a leading high school soccer coach, to deliver an easy-to-use guide to coaching soccer. Includes all the rules and fundamentals, from corner kicks to penalties. 50 black-and-white photographs.

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Synopsis:
Fundamental skills, offensive and defensive strategy, team offense and defense, conditioning and motivational techniques--every conceivable aspect of the game is discussed in this official coaching handbook from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Never before has so much information by so many renowned soccer authorities been collected in one volume.

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from Vancouver, B.C. , 09/17/97, rating=8:
Great book for any soccer coach!
There are a number of good soccer books on the market but it they are either too broad or too limited to one subject. Teaching Soccer Successfully contains all information that any coach should know - from motivational techniques to pre and post game analysis - in an easy to understand manner. The authors have also managed to iclude a number of interesting examples from their own experience that many coaches can relate to. The book can be read in one sitting which is a complement to their writing and soccer knowledge as the information that the authors present, even the very technical stuff, is never boring. I coach 13 year old boys soccer and have found a fountain of usefull tips, drills and motivational techniques that I have used and "tested" on my players. A must for any soccer coach!

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Ch. 1. Developing a Soccer Coaching Philosophy

Ch. 2. Communicating Your Approach

Ch. 3. Motivating Players

Ch. 4. Building a Soccer Program

Ch. 5. Planning for the Season

Ch. 6. Planning Practices

Ch. 7. Basic Defensive Skills and Positions

Ch. 8. Teaching Defensive Skills

Ch. 9. Teaching Defensive Tactics

Ch. 10. Basic Offensive Skills and Positions

Ch. 11. Teaching Offensive Skills

Ch. 12. Teaching Offensive Tactics

Ch. 13. Preparing for Matches

Ch. 14. Handling Match Situations

Ch. 15. Evaluating Your Players

Ch. 16. Evaluating Your Program

Index

About the Authors

About ASEP

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05/03/97, rating=7:
A decent book for beginners and intermediates
This is an okay book for beginner and intermediate level youth soccer coaching. There are two main problems with this book. One is that the illustrations are extremely crude, often reduced to literally stick figures. The other problem is that, having collected several other youth soccer coaching books and videos, I'm not sure that I actually learned anything new from this book, and so in retrospect, I don't think I would have gotten this book. For beginner coaches learning how to coach very young kids (i.e., ages 4-8), Karl Dewazien's "FUNdamental Soccer" is a better book in terms of the illustrations, and in its emphasis on how to handle these very young children. For a more detailed explanation of tactics and intermediate to advanced skills for older children (ages 8+), Alan Hargreaves' book "Skills and Strategies for Coaching Soccer" treats essentially the same topics in a much more thorough fashion. For teaching soccer dribbling "moves", Wiel Coerver's "SCORE!" is the ultimate book (although, as I noted in my review of that book, the companion videos, viewed in slow motion, are more useful). However, if you haven't gotten any soccer coaching books yet, and are looking for your first ever youth soccer coaching book for slightly older kids (ages 8+), this book might be useful. It does have a cookbook set of week-by-week soccer drills that will get you through your first soccer season, if you don't want to have to think too hard about what it is that you're going to have to do.

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Amazon.com:
Everyone's playing soccer -- from youth league matches to the Olympics and the World Cup. Players of all ages and at every level can use this book as a guide to improve their skills. Author Stuart Murray stresses individual play, creativity, and game-oriented coaching -- encouraging players to practice their skills in game situations as much as possible. With scoring the goal, Murray's expert advice helps move you down the field. Whether you play or coach, Go for the Goal! is invaluable.

Synopsis:
This timely book, written for the parents and coaches of soccer players under the age of 18, focuses on a wide range of topics, including equipment, safety, conditioning, defense and tackling, and teamwork and positions, and covers all aspects of playing and understanding both indoor and outdoor soccer. 75 photos.

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Synopsis:
More fun than drills, more focused than scrimmages, practice games are great for developing specific techniques, tactics, and fitness. Here are 80 of the best games from 51 of America's top high school and college coaches--complete with tips for improving performance and variations for adapting games to different ability levels and objectives. 86 illus.

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Score! : Soccer Tactics & Techniques for a Better Offense

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03/15/97, rating=8:
The ultimate youth soccer coaching book for doing "moves"
This book is intended for the serious youth soccer coach interested in teaching "moves" to his/her players. The book is simply filled to the brim with pictures of young players executing one after another series of these moves. To this extent, this book was indeed what I was looking for - however, be warned that if you are not yourself familiar with how to do these moves, that it is very hard to follow the sequence of the footwork described in the static pictures and in the text for many of the moves. Eventually I ordered the companion videotape "Play like a Soccer Legend" from Charlie Cooke/ Coerver Coaching, and this tape (with the help of the frame-by frame viewing button on my VCR remote control) was much more helpful than the book itself in demonstrating how to execute the moves, although the tape is somewhat more cursory in its treatment of the moves. Soccer Learning Systems carries the full set of Coerver Coaching videotapes that are the original companion set to this book.

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11/05/97, rating=9:
A better book than I thought originally

I agree with Rick Siler. In re-reading my review of this book, I realized that it sounded rather lukewarm. Actually, this is one of the best overall books on youth soccer coaching that I have found so far. There are a lot of useful tips on technique, and a very good section on defense.

from Port Orchard, WA USA , 10/03/97, rating=10:
A must for all youth soccer coaches.
I picked this book up about two years ago after I earned my "D" license for coaches from Washington State Youth Soccer Association. This book follows an excellant process for preparing practices in all areas of soccer. It is the most useful book I have read about soccer for use as a coaching manual. Youth coaches are generally new parents to the game and coaching of soccer. They need to be provided with a good manual on how to coach youth soccer. This book provides all the essentials for new and experienced youth coaches to teach players and teams the basic skills and strategies required for young players to develope into exceptional players. I have recommended this book to many new and experienced soccer coaches. They have responded quite well to its value. In fact one coach recommended it to their soccer association (after he read my tatered copy) and the association reviewed the book and provided a free copy to each coach in the club this year. You cannot ask for a more complete soccer coaching manual. I highly recommend that all youth soccer clubs provide this book to their coaches. Thank you for the book, Rick Siler

09/04/97, rating=9:
A better book than I thought originally
In re-reading my review of this book, I realized that it sounded somewhat lukewarm. Actually, this is a very good book for beginner and intermediate youth soccer coaching. There are a lot of useful tips on technique, and a very good section on defense. Weaknesses remain in advanced areas such as how to deal with set plays and offensive movement.

04/18/97, rating=8:
All-around book for beginner to intermediate soccer coaching
This is a decently written book for beginner to intermediate youth soccer coaching. It probably would be found somewhat lacking in details for advanced coaches. The author was a former defensive player in England, and this is reflected in the structured nature of the coaching style that he advocates, as well as in the solid chapter on defensive play. He has a lot of good advice on how to handle players and parents as well. Offensive schemes described in the book are fairly conventional, which is probably where this book could be improved the most.

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Card catalog description
Take ten steps to better practices and game performances. Soccer: Steps to Success shows you the way with drills and instruction to help you learn and improve key skills. The book's sequential lessons and the 135 illustrations highlight each important skill and show how to correct errors. The 94 drills include performance goals and a list of key points for proper execution. Many of the drills include instructions for increasing or decreasing their difficulty. Part of the highly popular Steps to Success Activity Series, this book will give you the skills and confidence you need to win on the field.

Table of Contents

Preface

The Steps to Success Staircase

Soccer: A World-Class Sport

Step 1. Passing and Receiving: The Essence of Teamwork

Step 2. Dribbling, Shielding, and Tackling: Individual Ball Possession

Step 3. Individual Attack and Defense Tactics: Going One-on-One

Step 4. Heading Skills: Playing the Air Game

Step 5. Shooting Skills: Finishing the Attack

Step 6. Goalkeeping: The Last Line of Defense

Step 7. Group Attack: Creating Numbers-Up Situations

Step 8. Group Defense: Pressure, Cover, and Balance

Step 9. Team Tactics: Attacking and Defending as a Unit

Step 10. Team Organization: Systems of Play and Communication

Rating Your Total Progress

Glossary

About the Author

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Synopsis:
Promoting lasting good habits and reactions in players, the 264 drills included create game-like situations in practice, resulting in direct interaction among small groups of players in the area of the ball.

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