5 Crucial Tips For First-Time Soccer Coaches

The start of the soccer season draws upwards of 19 million players to the fields - many for the first time. Among these soccer warriors are the moms and dads that volunteer to serve as coaches. These well-intended surrogates, many with no soccer or coaching experience, are central to the success of the season. Here are five crucial tips for first-time soccer coaches:
1. Team Meeting
Hold a team meeting with the parents. This is an important first step to establishing dialogue with the team. You'll figure out straight away who will be your staunches allies and who may become troubling families. During this meeting, you must communicate your expectations for the season. Explain that the kids are your central focus and that the goal is to make the season as fun and as developmental as possible. The goal is to develop players. Winning or losing just happens to be a part of this development, but is never the goal. Since you are only one person, ask for assistant coaches. These people fulfill the important roles that will otherwise distract you from coaching: tying shoelaces, blowing noses and holding a hand for a bump or a bruise. Finally, before you leave, gather the best contact information for each family as you will encounter many different situations including separation and divorce.
2. Plan your Sessions
Inexperience in the sport either as a player or as a coach means that you have to be more prepared for your sessions. Even experienced soccer players may be new to coaching young players. It is a different dynamic of holding the attention of young players that may or may not want to be at practice. While preparing:
a. Focus on the basics
b. Don't be afraid to experiment if your plan isn't working
c. Don't form lines. Lines are boring, allow only one player at a time to participate and will ensure players will lose interest.
d. Have a ball for every player. Soccer is an amazing sport that everyone can play at once to grow and develop. One ball per player is critical.
e. Talk for 30 seconds or less to young players. Quick short instructions are best.
f. Give frequent water breaks. This allows you to change the activity and keep the kids interest fresh.
g. Elevate your mind to the kids' level and talk about the game in terms they'll understand. Use references to superheroes or relevant cartoon characters to illustrate your points. You can't imagine the progress when you put the game on their level.
3. Praise - not Criticize
Invest some time into getting to know your players personally. It will pay dividends in motivating them. Kids at younger ages respond to positive enforcement at far greater levels than negative criticism. Use the "sandwich" technique when correcting an issue: 1 compliment, 1 critique finalized with 1 compliment. Kids will learn and grow at their own pace. Exercise patience in their skill development.
4. Make it Fun
If you make it fun, the kids will learn and grow. Why? If your players love soccer, they'll play it in the backyard with mom and dad and sister and brother. This is where the real development happens - in the backyard. Imagine how each player will want to show off their new move each week. As a coach, be as enthusiastic and positive as possible and you'll see the kids faces light up. Turn them onto the game! You'll be amazed at the results.
5. End of Season Party
Hold an end of season party and recognize each player with a "funny award." This would include things like "Biggest Hustler", "Craziest Headballer", "Most Enthusiastic" but should never include "Best Player" which only please one player and disappoint the rest. You (and the players) will find it extremely rewarding to see first hand the development over the course of the season. If the kids have had fun and you've turned them onto the game of soccer, you have successfully completed your job as coach.
Congratulations on your first (of many) successful soccer seasons!

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One Very Famous Soccer Player - Pele

Pele was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in October of 1940, and would become one of the most famous soccer players to ever play the game. In his native Brazil, he is lauded as the greatest footballer of all time, since they call the sport by its original name there.
Pele grew up in poverty in Bauru, and earned money working as a servant in tea shops. He could not afford a real ball, and practiced with a sock stuffed with newspaper, or a grapefruit.
In Brazil, Pele is a national hero. In addition to his accomplishments on the field, he has been declared the football ambassador of the world by FIFA, which is the governing body of international soccer. He has also used his fame to speak up for improvement of the conditions of the poor in our society. When he scored his 1000th goal, Pele dedicated it to the poorest children in Brazil.
Pele started playing for a local club at the age of 15, and was on his national team by age 16. He won his first World Cup at the young age of 17. European clubs wanted a chance to sign him, but the Brazilian football rules at that time helped Santos FC to keep Pele signed for almost twenty years, until 1974.
Pele played the positions of striker, inside forward, and what later would be called the playmaker position. His natural athleticism and technique were world-renowned, and he was praised for his excellent passing and dribbling, heading, pace and his ever-present goal scoring.
In 1977, Pele played in an exhibition match between Santos and the Cosmos. It was played in front of a sold-out Giants Stadium, and was seen on TV, on ABC's Wide World of Sports. At halftime, his number was retired, and after the game he ran around the field, an American flag in one hand and a Brazilian flag in the other.
Pele is in an elite group of famous soccer players worldwide, and he was the only footballer to ever win the World Cup with three different teams. Since he retired in 1977, Pele has remained an ambassador for the sport, and he has also taken on some commercial ventures and acting roles.
Though he was one of the all time famous soccer players, Pele had some trying times off the field. He married in 1966 and had three children with then-wife Rosemeri dos Reis Cholby, but they divorced in 1978. He remarried in 1994 to Assiria Lemos Seixas. She gave birth in 1996 to twins, conceived through fertility treatments.

4 4 2 Diamond Formation

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will go with his tried and tested diamond formation. It's a peculiar strategy since it offers little width and puts significant demands on certain players. We discuss it here in some depth.
The advanced player behind the front two should expect little room to maneuver as he will be marked closely by the holding midfielder from the opposition. Consequently, any attacking midfielder will not do. Those whose game is based on movement, particularly from deep, would find it difficult to impose themselves from this position.
Instead, a more intricate player is required, one who can thread passes after 1 or 2 touches. Pace and ball skills are of added bonus since this would induce free kicks in dangerous positions. In Chelsea's case, it may therefore be more effective to employ a player like Deco as opposed to Lampard in this role.
Note, playing one behind two front men is different from playing 1 behind a single striker. The later situation offers more opportunities for movement than the prior.
Width is important as otherwise approach play becomes narrow and predictable. This is not something to be overlooked as highly skilled teams can suffer from this. Arsenal, for one, have intentionally concentrated their play down the center, which has caused opposition teams to pack the midfield. Liverpool too, over the last 18 months have shown excessive dependency on the Gerrard-Torres link up.
One way to offset this is to send the middle two in the diamond into wide areas when the team has possession. This can be problematic as these players are unlikely to be effective down the flanks and more importantly leave large spaces in the event of a counter attack.
Ideally, you compensate for a lack of width via your full backs. This sounds easier than it is. Your first concern as a manager doing this is whether your full backs are physically up to the task. Can Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa sustain trips up and down the pitch for 50 games in a season? Your second concern is the end product of these players, if their crossing or final ball is poor than what exactly is the point?
Most academies will educate young players to force opposition play down the sides as any resulting cross should be dealt with by the defense. The compelling argument for playing the diamond is that this process happens naturally.

The Best Soccer Fitness Workout

Fitness is especially important for soccer players, as they will be called on in a match to run for up to 90 minutes, with no stoppage in time and only sporadic stoppage of action. When preparing for the upcoming soccer season, it is best to play the beautiful game of soccer as a way to get more fit, as there is no substitute for the game. Even small-sided games for 15, 20 and 30 minute intervals will help increase fitness and endurance.
As a separate workout away from the game, It is best for soccer players to alternate sprinting, distance and interval running during a fitness workout. With each workout, players should gradually increase repetitions and improve times.
Here are the best drills for a soccer fitness workout:
300's: On a soccer field, start out on the end line and sprint to mid-field up and back 6 times (50 yards x 6 = 300). High school players should try to run these in less than 70 seconds. After each 300, rest for two minutes and then repeat.
Hills: Find a steady incline hill (no "baby" hills)  Sprint up the hill and jog down. The jogging is recovery time, so this can be done slowly. Once players reach the bottom, the should turn around and sprint up the hill again. After five (5) hills, then take a two minutes rest and do five (5) more.
Cones: These are sprints. Place cones about five (5) yards apart for 25 yards.  Players should spring to the first cone and then back, then to the second cone and then back, and so on.  Five cones up and back is one repetition. Do ten (10) reps and then a one (1) minute rest. Then ten (10) more.
Challenged yet? We're just getting started...
30-30's: This is interval training.  Players should begin by jogging for a few minutes and then the fun begins. Next is to alternate 30 seconds of jogging with 30 seconds of sprinting.  Do a set of five (5) 30-30's, then rest two (2) minutes and then five (5) more.
120's: This is a full sprint of the length of the soccer field. High school players should try to do this in less than 20 seconds. After reaching the opposite end line, players should jog back, allowing 60 seconds to recover. Do 7-10 of these.
Cooling down and stretching: Players should always take fifteen to twenty minutes to cool down and stretch to conclude fitness training.
Want even more soccer workout information? Total Soccer Fitness is your complete guide to soccer conditioning, which features a free soccer fitness course.

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These 5 Exercises Will Make Any Soccer Player Faster Immediately

When it comes to increasing the speed of a soccer player, there are 5 drills or exercises that a soccer player can learn and do which will make them faster immediately. One of the more common mistakes soccer players make when it comes to exploding to the ball is covered here!
Exploding to the ball or accelerating to the ball is key for all soccer players. If they can consistently get to the ball faster than their opponent, success on the field is theirs for the taking.
These 5 drills or exercises will make a soccer player faster and increase their speed almost overnight.
One of the most common mistakes soccer players make when accelerating is that they are standing too tall or too upright. They must drop their hips and be in a forward lean position to accelerate. The forward lean puts the players feet slightly behind their hips and forces the player to explode from and land on the front part of their foot when running.
Falling Start: Here the soccer player starts in a stationary position. They have their feet in an athletic stance (about shoulder width apart). They have their hands open and relaxed, their arms are at 90 degree angles and are in front of them. They go up on the front part of their feet and fall forward. At the last second, they thrust one of their feet out in front of them. They should be landing on the front part of this foot. If they thrust out their left foot first, their left arm (staying in that 90 degree angle) drives backwards and their right hand drives upward and out (opposite arm/opposite leg). By creating that forward lean, with the players feet behind their hips, now forces the arms to pump faster in order to move their legs faster so that the player doesn't fall over.
This in essence forces and teaches the body how to accelerate quickly and explosively. Have the player practice these falling starts over a 10 - 15 yard acceleration area. Players should do between 8-10 repetitions.
1-2-3 Gears: Here the soccer player starts in a stationary position. They have their feet in an athletic stance (about shoulder width apart). They have their hands open and relaxed, their arms are at a 90 degree angle and in front of them (just like in the Falling Start Drill).
Now they start driving their arms forward and backward. First gear is real easy, second gear they pick up the pace and third gear they are pumping their arms as fast as they can (still maintaining good form). Approximately one to two seconds after they have reached third gear they are given a go command to go.
With their arms pumping quickly, in order for them to go, they need to have their legs catch up to their arms so to speak. By doing this, the soccer player is working on pure acceleration from a stopped position. This quick arm drive forces the legs to play catch up which in turn generates tremendous power and speed. Players should do between 8-10 repetitions over a 10 - 15 yard area.
Fast Feet: With this drill, the player is up on the front part of the their feet and moving their arms in a third gear fashion (like the drill above). This time however, they take very quick but little steps forward. These little steps are about 4-6 inches long. The players should go in fast feet mode for 5 yards. This drill enforces and continues to teach the players body to move their arms faster thus making their legs go faster too! Players should do 4 - 6 repetitions of this drill.
Fast Feet into High Knees: For the first 5 yards, the player does the fast feet training drill, once they get to this 5 yard mark they start to raise their knees up, still maintaining a forward lean and also trying to maintain fast feet. As they do this their stride length will open up naturally. Once they get to the 2nd 5 yard mark, they should look to run another 10 - 15 yards as fast as they can, again trying to maintain a forward lean along with higher knee lift and fast pumping arms. A soccer player should do between 6 - 8 repetitions of this drill.
Forward Broad Jump to a Rolling Start: Here the soccer player jumps up and out in a (broad jump format) landing softly on the front part of their feet with their knees bent and hips dropped down. From this position, they roll forward (similar to the falling start) and quickly pump their arms forcing quick leg turnover as well. This jump with a rolling start helps create lower body power for the soccer player (through the jump and land) and also works on the acceleration technique. Players should 8-10 repetitions over a 10 - 15 yard acceleration area.
These 5 exercises will help all soccer players gain speed and get faster immediately. Remember, speed is a skill that can be taught (these 5 exercises) but more importantly learned. Once a soccer player learns these skills, they will become faster and more explosive out on the soccer field.
Have a great day!

How to Increase a Soccer Player's Speed in Just 7 Days!

For a soccer player to gain speed or get faster on the soccer field, learning these seven skills will help them develop blinding speed. Running faster is a skill that once learned will pay dividends for years to come. I have taught the following 7 skills for over the last 10 years to help soccer players get faster on the field. Practice these 7 skills every day and in one week you will be faster than you were a week ago. I hope you enjoy them and can use them to help yourself or your team get faster.
If we look at how a soccer player runs, there are 7 skills they need to learn in order to get faster. Developing proper running mechanics can increase a player's speed almost immediately.
As an example, if you look carefully at how a soccer player runs, you will see that changing, perfecting, modifying their mechanics can have a drastic change in their performance. So let's look at it more closely.

Proper running mechanics starts with proper arm drive.

Thirty percent (30%) of a players power comes from their arm drive. Proper arm drive starts with creating quick, powerful movements with your arms. Keeping the arms locked at 90 degrees and have them drive straight back (simulate reaching back for your back (hip) pocket and thrusting if forward to shoulder socket height will create the proper arm drive. One important key to getting faster is this, the faster you move your arms, the faster your feet will go. Increasing stride frequency will increase a soccer players speed.

In addition to proper arm drive a player needs to be relaxed when they run too.

Relaxing the face, shoulder and hands allows for a soccer player to become faster as well as they are not fighting themselves when they run. The more relaxed the upper body is, the faster a soccer player will run.

Along with proper arm drive comes forward lean.

In order to accelerate to the ball, a soccer player must create a forward lean where their hips are slightly in front of their feet. A good way to work on this skill is to do a wall drill. A wall drill is where the soccer player stands approximately 2-3 feet away from the wall and places their hands on the wall (shoulder height). Have the soccer player run in this position for up to 5 seconds will simulate how the body should be leaning forward while they are accelerating.

Proper Knee Lift is the next skill to learn.

Driving the knee up to near belly button height assures that the soccer player is getting the best possible stride length possible. Proper stride length is one of the keys to increasing speed. Even adding 2-4 inches to a stride length can allow a player to cover an extra 2-3 feet over 10 strides. These 2-3 feet could be the difference in scoring or defending goals.

If the Knee is up, then the Toes should be too!

Having the toes up when you accelerate allows the foot to land on the front part of the foot. This is critical for a player to be explosive and to get faster.

Ground contact.

As we just learned having the toe up (dorsi flexing the foot) allows for the soccer player to have their foot strike the ground on the front part of their foot. When a soccer player accelerates, if they land on their heel first (or flat footed for that matter), all of their energy went right into the ground through their heel plus it takes more time to have the foot roll forward and then push off the front part of the foot. Landing on the front part of the foot initially saves a lot of time plus is way more explosive.

Linear Symmetry.

When a soccer player runs, they should be running so that the toes, ankles, knees and hips are all in a straight line or linear motion. Gaining proper linear symmetry will enhance any players speed. In other words there will not be any wasted movements from the player, allowing them to run at their greatest potential.If a player works on these 7 skills every day, in one week they will be a faster, more explosive soccer player!
Have a great day!

Gary Christopher
http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com
To get free weekly insider coaching tips delivered right to your inbox, go to my website http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com and register. Every week I'll send you players and coaches reports and insights on developing soccer skills and speed skills along with some great audio interviews you can download for free.

The Greatest Football Player of All Time

Football is one of the most popular sports in America today. But do you know who the best football player of all time is? Pele is the best football player of all time for his remarkable performance in his key role in two of Brazil's first three World Cup victories.
Some personal information about him is that Pele's full name is Edson Arantes Do Nascimento. His childhood nickname was "Dico." This great man was born on October 23, 1940 in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. He has humble beginnings. As a boy he helped his family's financial condition by cleaning shoes at the local train station. In 1956 at the age of 16, he began playing soccer in Brazilian minor league teams such as Bauru Athletic Club and was coached by the former Brazilian international Waldemar de Brito, who played for Brazil during the 1934 World Cup.
Pele played for the clubs Santos and New York Cosmos and his best position is being striker. He had won 3 World Championships for Brazil, 2 Intercontinental Cups, 2 Copa Libertadores, and a Brazilian Championship for the club Santos and for the club New York Cosmos; he had won the US Championship once. This guy is honored as the IFFHS Player of the Century. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in the year 1993 and named as IOC Athlete of the Century in the year 1999.
There is no doubt that Pele is the best football player of all time because of his significant contributions in the world of football. Ney Blanco de Oliveira, Pele's personal friend for more than 40 years, admires him for being a kind person who has the heart to help other people and organizations that help children around the world. He mentioned that, "Edson is not only the greatest soccer player the world will ever know, but he is also one of the most sensitive, generous and noble human beings that I have ever known." Two of the famous lines from this great person: "I was born for soccer, just as Beethoven was born for music," and, "Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string."

Top 5 Important Soccer Skills You Need to Know

In soccer, there are many moves that one can learn to play effective soccer. In fact, through soccer training, you will learn that there are hundreds of soccer moves. This article will focus on the top 5 skills or soccer moves that you will need to know to elevate and take your game to the next level.
Dribbling is one of the most basic skills in soccer. It is the ability of the player to move the ball on his own up and down the field. Sounds easy? Well, to dribble the ball with precision and using skills such as feints, moves, changes of direction, it takes a lot skill. Without competence in dribbling you will not be an effective soccer player. There are times when you will be in tight areas and need to dribble around the defense to get the ball moving forward again. Dribbling can be in fast break situations, or high traffic situations. You might be caught on the corner or bringing it out of the box. Whatever your situation is getting the proper training for dribbling the soccer ball is key to effective playing.
First touch of the ball is another skill that must be learned by soccer players. Whether you are a striker, midfielder, defense, or goalie, your first touch on the ball needs to be precise. If it is not precise you may lose the ball and worse it may lead to a goal. First touch is defined as the very first touch you make on the ball when receiving it. As the ball comes to you, you want to make sure that the ball stays near you. A lot of times people can refer to first touch as trapping. When practicing trapping or first touch the ball may seem to bounce in weird directions but as you get better and better at this you will be able to keep the ball close and dominate your opponents.
Push Passing is a term used for the most common type of passing. It is the type of pass you see taught to the wee little ones of age 5 on up. It is the most accurate type of pass you can make. It is made with the inside of the foot while striking the ball dead center on the inside. You can also use the outside of the foot although accuracy is lost a little. Your plant foot will help you guide the ball where you want it to go.
Long Ball Passing is a term used when you have a teammate across the field or up the field quite some distance and you need to get the ball to them. When you want to pass the long ball you approach the kick from an angle, keeping ankle locked, make sure you have a v in your knee and have a full swing and follow through to the ball. Strike the ball with the instep and make sure you follow the ball through when kicking the long ball.
Finishing is a general term used to describe scoring goals, or finishing the play off. It encompasses shooting, volleys, headers, and any situation that ends in a goal. Finishing is a very important aspect of the game and all players benefit from learning finishing skills.

At http://www.BetterSoccerNow.com you will find free tips and tricks to dominate your soccer game, resources for players, coaches, and parents. Go to http://www.BetterSoccerNow.com to see training tips that will take your game to the next level.

Who Has Scored the Most Goals in World Cup Soccer History?

Almost every culture around the world has some type of connection to the history of football/soccer. Such cultures as the Ancient Greeks, Persians, Vikings, The Chinese, Japanese, and much more, played a game that is much like today's football/soccer. For instance, The Chinese played "footballer" games dating as far back as about 3000 years ago. However, it was in England that soccer / football really began to grow in popularity. After becoming popular in England, soccer became a widely loved sport throughout the world. The celebrated FIFA World cup led the way to the rise of soccer stars, and conferred world soccer records holders such as the player who has scored the most goals in world cup soccer history.
Brazilian professional footballer Ronaldo Nazario de Lima has scored the most goals in Fifa World Cup history. Ronaldo Luís Nazario de Lima, more generally known as Ronaldo, was born in September 18, 1976. In 1993, Ronaldo began his professional soccer/footballer career playing for Cruzeiro. In his single year with Cruzeiro, he accumulated 12 goals in 14 games and led the team to win their first Copa do Brasil championship. After playing with Cruzeiro, in 1994, he joined with the Dutch football team PSV. In 1996, in his final year with PSV, Ronaldo aided the team to win the Dutch Cup.
Ronaldo is also an established national footballer for Brazil. He has played in 97 international games, accumulating 62 goals and standing 15 goals away from the Brazilian national scoring record. He was a member of the Brazilian team that won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups. During the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo became the highest goal scorer in the history of the World Cup with his fifteenth goal.
Nicknamed 'O Fenômeno,' which is translated as ""The Phenomenon" in English, Ronaldo made the number 9 famous and made it tantamount with the position of center forward. During his footballer career in Europe, Ronaldo became one of the most celebrated 'strikers' throughout the world after he won his first Ballon d'Or as the European Footballer of the Year in 1997, and then once more in 2002. He is also one of only two players to have won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times. In 2007, he was named as one of the best starting eleven of all-time by France Football and was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest footballers compiled by his fellow Brazilian soccer star, Pelé.
To many contemporary footballers, Ronaldo is a living icon who has been credited with encouraging a stronger marketing interest in soccer throughout the world, particularly because of his relationship with Nike who had in the past spent their marketing resources and time primarily on Basketball.
The soccer that we know today was shaped during the 1960s. Increased media coverage and TV broadcasts has made the game more popular than ever. With soccer stars such as David Beckham in the spotlight, the popularity of soccer will continue to grow.

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These 6 Exercises Will Make Any Soccer Player Fit and Fast

Any soccer player who does these 6 exercises will increase their soccer fitness and their soccer speed in less than 21 days. It is a great pre-season soccer conditioning and soccer speed program. This soccer conditioning program will make any soccer player fast and fit very quickly.
Because soccer is such an explosive sport where players are expected to have great speed and agility too, designing a conditioning and speed program that focuses on these needs is quite important. So with that said, here are the 6 speed and conditioning exercises soccer players should be doing. Also, I have included a brief explanation of the exercise and why it is important.
These 6 exercises should be broken up into 2 groups of three. I have also included suggested groupings. One group of three exercises should be done 2 times in one week and the other group should be done one time during the week. On the following week, switch it up so that the one group of exercises that was done just once the previous week is done twice this week, and the group of exercises that was done twice the previous week is done just once this week. Keep this similar rotation for the three weeks. Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday training days work best.
It is also recommended for the soccer player to warm up their body and stretch themselves out sufficiently to do these exercises. Any player considering this program should consult with their doctor before embarking on it.
All of these exercises are done as fast as a player can go.
The First Group of Exercises are:

5-10-15 Yard Shuttle:

This 60 yard shuttle is designed to enhance a soccer player's acceleration speed and change of direction performance. The game of soccer is a game of quick bursts of speed and quick change of direction. This shuttle will help all soccer players gain this edge. Players should do 4-6 repetitions of this exercise with a one minute rest in between.

20-40-60 Yard Shuttle:

This 240 yard shuttle now taxes the soccer player's fitness with short and medium distance explosiveness. This exercise will help all soccer players gain excellent conditioning. Players should do 3-4 repetitions with a 2 minutes rest in between.

200 Yard Shuttle:

Here a soccer player runs 100 yards, stops and runs back to their starting point. The player is working under one minute starts. That means if it takes a player 40 seconds to complete this shuttle, they have 20 seconds of recovery (rest) time before they run the next 200 yard shuttle and so forth. A player is working on building up to 10 runs in 10 minutes. This is an excellent exercise to gain a solid conditioning foundation.The Second Group of Exercises are:

10-20-30 Yard Shuttle:

This 120 yard shuttle is a beefed up version of the 5-10-15 yard shuttle. It presents training at an anaerobic level making any soccer player explosive and powerful throughout the course of the game. Players should do 4-6 repetitions of this exercise with a 90 second rest in between.

30-60-90 yard Shuttle:

This 360 yard shuttle not only adds great conditioning for a soccer player but is also adds mental toughness as well. This exercise is excellent for many players but especially for midfielders. Players should consider doing 2-3 repetitions of this exercise allowing for a 3 minute rest in between.

300 Yard Shuttle:

This shuttle is a staple in many soccer conditioning programs. Place two cones 25 yards apart. The soccer player then runs out to one cone and then runs back and repeats this (up and back) 6 times to complete the 300 yards. It is an excellent conditioning and change of direction exercise. Players should consider doing 2-3 repetitions with a 3 minute rest in between.This program is an excellent pre-season program for any higher level soccer players (U15 and above). It will help them become very fit and very fast which will make them a valuable player to their team.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this speed and conditioning program for soccer players.
Have a great day!

Gary Christopher
http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com
To get free weekly insider coaching tips delivered right to your inbox, go to my website http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com and register. Every week I'll send you players and coaches reports and insights on developing soccer skills and speed skills along with some great audio interviews you can download for free.