This is our first post in the Possession Series here. A possession style of soccer requires buy-in from your entire team. If even one of your players is not committed, either they will give the ball away or teammates will stop playing to them--ultimately leading to a lack of success either way. In order for anyone [...]
This page will serve as a landing page to build out content related to teaching both Core and EXTRA teams to play a possession style of soccer. UPDATE: If you wish to view/print/export the entire series from a single page, go here. What is a "possession style"? Possession-based soccer is characterized by: Methodically moving the ball [...]
For coaches that are looking to organize their thoughts and sessions around particular concepts, a great place to start is around the 5 major principles of attack and the corresponding principles of defense. Understanding this framework will also help you analyze your team for areas of improvement. Principles of Attack: Penetration - The act of advancing [...]
At the intermediate level of play and above, tactical instruction begins to outweigh technical instruction. To aid in this instruction, player positions are replaced with a standard numbering system that provides: A consistent scheme/system across the United States, simplifying tactical discussions among disparate coaching staff Refinement of positions (e.g. a defensive vs center vs attacking midfielder) [...]
A document was recently circulated which provides a very rare glimpse into how one of the best youth programs in the world was run. The AFC Ajax have helped create some of greatest players of all time including Johan Cruyff. Though this document was from the late 90's, it's amazing to see how well its held [...]
Small-sided games are at the heart of modern coaching theory. It promotes rapid decision making, gets them many touches on the ball, and asks players to solve problems they're likely to encounter in real games. This was a great article from World Class Coaching that is worth a read. Note the variety of goal (quantity/location/position), objectives, and [...]
Matchtrack is AYSO Section 11's official field and match scheduling service. It is very simple to navigate once you understand how to find your division. Finding Your Team or Checking Field Status For 8u and below, you will always find your division by: Go to matchtrack.com Under area L, look for AYSO Region 1455 - Ladera [...]
Text: AYSO1455 to 84483 You will receive important notes about registration, field closures, etc.
AYSOU is the online training curriculum manager for all of AYSO. It relies on the same login as Sports Connect (formerly known as Blue Sombrero), and indeed the first time you access AYSOU you need to do so through Sports Connect so that the online credentials are passed through and your account gets registered. Go to ayso1455.org [...]
Hello Firefly fans! The start of the season is upon us and I can't wait to get started. Your girls have been working very hard on the practice field and I'm sure are anxious to show off what they've learned. I have a few things to cover just to make sure we're all set for our first [...]