Recent developments in the soccer world have seen a lot of grass soccer fields being replaced by various forms of synthetic turf.  Utilizing rubber pellets as “dirt” and green plastic strips as “grass”, these turf fields are much easier for caretakers to maintain and leave athletes with a quality field for every game.  But is [...]

Player development is very important in youth soccer, and many coaches will stress dedication and hard work so that their players develop into professional stars, but such an ethic must be taken with a grain of salt.  Especially in youth leagues below the U-10 level, soccer needs to be primarily focused on fun.  Yes, everyone [...]

I can remember my first pair of boots (cleats) like it was yesterday, I was so proud.  They were purchased at a little mom and pop shop called, “Dunn’s Sporting Goods.”  My dad took me on the trip and I stared at all the boots lined up on the wall.  So many brands and colors it [...]

With the sport of soccer reaching all-time highs of interest around America, aspiring professional soccer players should do everything they possibly can to better their skills and get noticed by colleges and scouts.  One way to boost your skills is to spend a week of summer at a soccer camp.  There are many reasons why [...]

The other day I sat in on one of the NSCAA free webinars called “10 Ways to Play Like Barcelona” presented by David Clarke.  It was an absolutely brilliant webinar that I personally gained a lot of useful ideas.  One topic that caught my eye was allowing your players to play freely without fear.  Too often [...]

Soccer goals are really big, especially at the high school and professional level.  In shooting at the goal, sometimes such a large target can prove difficult in the amount of options it presents.  Should a striker try to aim for the middle and simply blast it through the goalkeeper, should they aim for the upper [...]

Most kids love to play sports and that is great!  Good exercise and gratifying moments of joy combined with valuable lessons about work ethic and how to be a part of a team are all wonderful things that sports like soccer can provide for young children.  The same cannot always be said about academics and [...]

The strangeness of human life has left most people with a dominant hand and foot.  In soccer, most players are right footed and often have very little skills with their left foot.  Personally, I was a lefty but had the same issues playing with the ball on my right foot.  As any coach will probably [...]

The idea of taking on a new coaching role and a new challenge is exciting!  Today for the first time I will be meeting with my new team of high school boys soccer players.  They have no idea who the coaching staff is and us coaches have never met the players (or seen them play).  This is [...]

I remember from my youth a particular gym coach in middle school who once gave the class resounding speech basically telling all the students to forget about any dreams of becoming a professional athlete.  She declared that the odds of ever getting drafted in the NBA or NFL were roughly 1 in a million.  She [...]