Author: Alan Merrick

I provide content, curriculums, topics and detailed coaching points to the MOTI Soccer Training Platform.  I am pleased that a product like MOTI Soccer Training Platform is now available to all players, coaches and soccer enthusiasts.

How simple can a practice be? How effective?

Young players need structure and an environment that allows them to succeed in their soccer skills development.  To that end coaches need to set up small playing areas or grids made with cones or pinnies/vests that give players visual reference points of boundaries that reassure them of their surroundings. Smaller working areas also ensures players get many more touches on the ball as they navigate the designated soccer pitch. Having all players moving around and being active with a ball is a great starting point and should be desired throughout the player’s lifetime participation in the sport. The correlation between the number of touches on the ball and increased skill sets is indisputable, more is better and never forget it. Activities in the grid set up can be continually changed to ensure that the needed ball repetitions do not become boring. The objective is to have players from the age of 5 through 10 completely versed in a minimum of 8 skills with the ball, having them doing the basic moves needed to move, guide and protect the ball in all directions. This age group can be transformed with appropriate activities and technique that accelerates their learning curve of ball manipulation and a foundation of ball mastery.  The following curriculum is a must have skill set for these players foundation within the game. Inside outside touches of both feet, inside outside touches that then transfer the ball to the other foot side for continuous weaving of the ball from side to side. Double touches of the ball on all foot surfaces going outside, outside then inside, inside, repeat on the other foot side. These simple foot skills produce all the ingredients of great dibbling skills and ball manipulation. The next skill set is one of changing direction to either keep the ball in play or turn away from opponents these are hook turns with the inside and outside of the foot. The sole of the foot or cleats can produce a drag back motion to turn or control the ball, the sole can also produce lateral motion to move the ball into passing lanes or preparation for clearing or shooting a ball.  At this age group teaching the correct foot positions and shapes the body needs to succeed in ball manipulation is most important.   Correct muscle memory and focused body movements are crucial for performance. Any athlete who has spent time and effort learning these foundation ball skills will have the necessary level of proficiency to continue and thrive in the game often making it a lifetime team sport. Players who do not get this foundation will pass up on the more difficult aspects of the game leave the game frustrated and despondent at the age of 13 and 14 and you will see them as solitary joggers in later life.

Players can now get 3D Animated foot skills for their Mobile devices and practice the plyometric foot movements of ball mastery at home.

Visual Referencing and Learning the New Norm

Decisions, decisions, decisions !!! That is the name of the game in soccer
administration. US Soccer is making decisions on who the next President is
going to be to catapult and develop the game forward at all levels. That
person will make a decision on who the next Men’s National Team coach will
be.

MLS just made the decision to finally allow David Beckham’s franchise to
happen in Miami. In the Youth Club level new boards of directors are
settling into new positions and roles making decisions, while Coaching
Directors are busy making decisions on team selection, league placement,
and team coaching assignments.

Decisions made now need to be calculated and well informed as they affect
the future of the game. The next generation of soccer players are the ‘Gen
Z’ these are kids growing up learning Math and Science, Reading and Writing
in the ‘Virtual World’ on Smart Pads and Mobile devices that have more
power, memory and applications than the first Moon Shot computers all those years ago.

Perhaps the decisions made at the Club level need to reflect how the
development of players can be influenced by technology. Today, learning Soccer Skills and Tactics can be placed in every soccer players hands, visually
engaging them with the correct moves and instruction. If schools can do this, why wouldn’t Clubs use this format to engage players in Soccer, the Sport they are excited about.

Players in this generation have the technical tools and ability to be
wizards of game situations, understanding progressions, and how play is
developed. Today’s players,  because of their acute capacity for visual
perceptions of ‘Soccer’ get 3D Animation into their hands and help create
the next Generation of Messi’s, Renaldo’s, Pele’s and Best’s.

That “Decision” is in your hands.

MOTI Style of Play

MOTI Style of Play

The MOTI style of play can best be described as ‘TOTAL SOCCER’ each component is intertwined and produces another completion of the games jigsaw board or building block foundation. The MOTI style of play was introduced to many of these concepts by some of the World’s best National Team Coaches and Club Coaches at the Professional level. One of the MOTI staff played for 7 different National team head coaches. This MOTI training program is dedicated to all the good people in the game that have influenced, mentored and helped guide the MOTI coaching staff in an attempt to understand the game. We are all still learning from the game and will update and modify these TOTAL SOCCER renderings. We hope these ideas assist you along your path. MOTI is available to personally go over these concepts and assist you in problem solving.

Whenever you are ready feel free to make contact with MOTI Sports and let the FUN begin.

‘Total Soccer’ has an emphasis on intelligent movement, versatility of positions, switching in and out of defensive positions, pressure on and around the ball. This system of TOTAL SOCCER play has many facets. We are continually looking to refine the tactical procedures and increase the fluidity of this Total Soccer style. Space and creation of it are pillars of the style. Simple soccer is by far the prettiest style to watch, but playing it is complex and very difficult. Total Soccer is a style that takes the game to the opposition, is very proactive and attack minded. The focus is on how MOTI teams are playing and creating problems for the opponent to solve. Getting outside full backs to think like wingers and add wide options in the attack is one key. Overloading of the flanks and superior service into the penalty box will produce offense and goals. Getting three and even four players into the penalty box to anticipate the service from the flank crosses increases the success rate of scoring and gets the opponent on the back foot and always under pressure. Creating a ‘Buddy System’ a player always looking for the next pass with each component of zone play will produce many opportunities to make a man up 2 v 1 situation. Players at all age groups will be able to capitalize on the advantage of this initiative and dominate other teams’ efforts. We challenge MOTI Coaches to be continually on the lookout for this overload creation of play and use it as a ‘principle’ in all areas of the field.

This style of play will take several years to implant and create a legacy of improved competitiveness and player development. Start Now!!

MOTI Welcomes You to Coaching the Game of Soccer

Welcome to Coaching the Game of Soccer

Are you a new coach involved with Soccer for the first time asking – What do I do now?

What follows will give you enough pointers to begin coaching and give you a solid foundation to plan practices, identify and teach relevant soccer skills that will hopefully lead to bolstering your involvement in and ultimate enjoyment of the great game of soccer.

Soccer is a game of great skill and technique if it is to be played correctly and enjoyed immensely. When first starting out it is important, as a coach, that you not try to instruct the new player too much at one time. In the initial stages of development your concentration should be focused on having your players familiarize themselves with fundamental ball handling techniques. It is important that young players learn to control the ball with different body surfaces such as feet, thighs and chest. Being able to comfortably juggle the ball on all surfaces of the body is a natural progression to close ground control. Creating positive practice environments, especially during the beginning sessions, and allowing players to experience the many moves and technique skill sets together as a team is vital. Only with perseverance and repetitions will players attain the feel and touch required to have maximum control of their body and the ball.

Encourage players to work on their own, doing practice routines at home in the back yard, garage or anywhere that can handle the wear and tear. This only accelerates the learning curve. There are really no shortcuts, nothing magical, just practice, practice, practice. However, having the MOTI 3D Technical’s in the player’s hands on a mobile device and being able to go frame by frame or watching it from any angle or perspective keeps them engaged for longer periods of perfect practice.

Before starting any coaching session, always keep in mind your objectives by going over your Coaching Philosophy. Practice plans should be planned in detail prior to walking on the field. The MOTI plans give each coach wonderful content to be used in its entirety or as a template for adjusting content.

All practice time should have as much activity and enjoyment as possible.

Keep ALL players active and involved.

Do not lecture.

Put more time into viewing the activities so that clarity of the content is easier to demonstrate and more touches on the ball is achieved.

Teach skills over all aspects of the game, find rewards for players who spend more time working on the Technical Skills at home. The MOTI Analytics’ allows you to monitor the viewing time of each player on your roster.

Concentrate more time on individual skill development rather than tactics.

Make coaching corrections calmly and precisely, having regard for the individual player.

Treat all players as equal and coach the talented and less talented player with the same enthusiasm.

Do not over-coach from the side-line during games.

Make your players’ involvement a positive athletic experience.

The aim of the player is always to have fun and as much enjoyment as humanly possible. The aim of the coach should be to work within their player’s capabilities and create an environment of positive practice time to develop more skillful soccer players.

Set your practices for small areas and small sided games and activities.
The full game of 11 v 11 is far too complex a format for the young players to learn in.

Far too much information is available and the young player can be mesmerized by this overload of game impulses. In a small area with fewer numbers of players, coaches are able to manipulate the practice period to better absorb soccer information. This also helps ensure more success in bringing to the player’s attention relevant coaching points for team and individual improvement. The player’s involvement in this format is increased, giving the player many more touches of the ball and exposure to the appropriate game situation.

Being able to look at the MOTI Practice plans and review it before and after the practice in slow motion or even frame by frame gives even more understanding of the workings of the session and the overall game. Remember that players have different speeds of learning and the MOTI App gives flexibility in the learning curve.

Activity needs to be foremost in the practice session. It can be two fold in that because of high demand for fields space, associations and clubs generally have two practice sessions per week usually of one hour each. This practice time must be used to the optimum. This means the session must be well planned and as realistic as possible. Your players must be totally active throughout the session. Using the MOTI App and practice sessions on their mobile devices before practice prepares them and cuts down and in some instances removes the set up and explanation time.

Practice sessions should have a flow pattern. Start off with a related warm up to your session, with progressions, that transition into a realistic small game and full game situation by the conclusion. Your players will develop faster when they have reference points at the beginning of the session, having the MOTI App to see, hear and do the session prior to practice helps them through the progressions of the session as smoothly as possible. As soon as you sit your players down and start “Talking” soccer to them, 50% or more will turn off or mentally wander away from the tasks on hand and the session.
Starting a session and playing environment needs you to outline and define the space and boundary to be used this is another advantage of seeing the 3D animations on the MOTI App (i.e., cones and existing field markings can be incorporated) .

Outline and define the objectives and goals of the session to the players, (i.e, defending, attacking, passing and shooting techniques) Select teams and alignments quickly (use vests and bibs to distinguish opponents or groups).
If you have not used the MOTI App to give your players a visual insight into the session, you must do a quick demonstration, and give a few key points verbally. Send your players off to practice quickly. The practice will help them perfect their skills – listening does not!

Aim to change the environment you have set so your practice can progress to a realistic game situation ( i.e., with goals for both teams’ offense and defense, perhaps shots on goal for forwards, counting the number of passes for defenders)

MOTI cannot emphasize enough that practice has to be enjoyable, if the player comes away from practice with the thought of sit-ups, push-ups and running laps, or what might be regarded as punishment, he or she will be less likely to return next time.

Don’t be the coach that turns kids away from the game – using tools like the MOTI App make the practice fun!

Is the sky falling on Soccer Development in the USA?

Is the sky falling on Soccer Development in the USA

With the failure of the US Men’s National Team not making the World Cup in Russia the focus by many expert pundits from around the World are questioning the quality of player developed by the USA system. The USA is not the only Team/Country to fail to get ticket to Russia take power house Nations like Italy, the Netherlands, Chile plus 100’s of others who came up short. When the USMNT lost to Trinidad and Tobago the defeat matched up to many unlikely combinations of results that blanked the USA out of the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986. The 2-1 loss to the CONCACAF Hexagonal Groups bottom team sent the USA into 5th place and elimination. One of the many questions being posed is how can we improve the quality of the game in the USA. ESPN and Gabriele Marcotti tries to give 7 points of reference on espnfc.com with a great piece called ‘Understanding why the US failed to qualify for the World Cup an outsider’s point of view’.

My initial response is that the US Soccer management group, administrators, coaches and players who were selected to get the men’s program into the World Cup hit the perfect storm of events that thwarted all of their collective efforts. Yes changing the head coach half way through the campaign definitely hurt the process. Bruce Arena did a terrific job until the last game. The depth of the player pool ready to play for the National Team has never been this solid. The domestic interest and support of the National Teams has never been more intense or knowledgeable. My perspective is that the glass is more than half full, I would hope that the next coach will be American raised, have a complete understanding of the history of the North American soccer culture. His leadership will need to mold the vast supply of super athletes into a unit of experienced game savvy, intelligent, energized soccer warriors that have been shown how to get the job done!

The first task is getting the correct person in place who has and shows the courage to tackle this ‘huge’ undertaking. There are several individuals who have the credentials, not many, but several who fit the bill and have the experiences needed for success. US Soccer leadership will certainly have a big say in what and who comes to the forefront, once they get that correct, many of the pieces will fall into place.

Nothing changes if Nothing Changes!!

Just to keep you thinking what do you think went wrong?

What areas do you believe need to be improved to ensure the USA gets back into the next World Cup and to make player development in the USA match up to those aspirations?