Forward Thinking Soccer
Sessions, exercises and ideas for coaches of the beautiful game
Welcome to Forward Thinking Soccer, a site for anyone who wants to coach the game well. Use what you can to help in your endeavors of becoming a quality coach.
Coaching is about the player, not the coach
The best part of coaching is that, done properly, the athlete grows not only as a player but as a person. Everything on this site comes from years on the training ground, from youth teams through the collegiate game, and none of it is set in stone. The game keeps evolving, so take these exercises and ideas, adjust them to fit your team, and make them your own.
What you’ll find here
- Exercises and sessions — passing, receiving, defending, transition and fitness work you can run tomorrow.
- Ideas on the game — how to think about shape, speed of play and solving problems on the field.
- Videos — clips and playlists to watch with your staff or your players.
- Printable drills — many posts include a PDF diagram you can take to training.
Latest sessions
- Check Your Shoulder: A Simple Receiving ExerciseGreat first touches start before the ball arrives. A quick exercise that teaches players to look, decide, and receive in the direction they want to play.
- Win It, Go: A Transition Game for the First Six SecondsThe six seconds after winning the ball decide more games than most coaches admit. A 4 v 3 transition game that teaches players to look forward, counter quickly, and react the moment they lose it.
- Wearing a WatchStory Time: In the infancy of my coaching career I was coaching a youth club team in the shadows of a division… Read more: Wearing a Watch
- Passing Square – Think AheadEvery soccer coach I’ve worked with has known about the simple passing square. Pass the ball to a player at a cone… Read more: Passing Square – Think Ahead
- Short Passing RepetitionGetting a lot of touches on the ball is crucial to improvement. This passing exercise gets your players a bunch of touches… Read more: Short Passing Repetition
- Creating Angles – Passing ExerciseI have heard from numerous coaches that are way more experienced than me that players need to create angles. A passing exercise… Read more: Creating Angles – Passing Exercise