Latest Blog Posts
Effective Warm Up: A guide for footballers & coaches
Effective Warm Up – A guide for footballers & coaches A warm up is a vital part of football preparation. At the elite level of football, the warm up protocol continues to evolve. A few minutes of stretching and touches on the ball is no longer considered...
The FA launches ‘Player to Coach’ scheme
Towards the end of last year (2016), the FA offered to assist selected ex-players with their UEFA A and Pro Licenses as a path into managing and coaching. Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole among others were all been contacted by the FA but...
Rondos Part 2: Different Style Rondos
Adjust the area to meet your desired outcomes. 3 equal teams if possible, adjust if needed. Deploy the defending team in the centre circle. The diagram shows the blues 4v2 against the whites. The blues must complete 8 passes before passing to either of the yellows in...
Rondos Part 1
Deploy three players in the middle of the centre circle with the rest of the team/squad around the outside. Players on the outside play off one touch. The three players in the middle try to regain the ball. If successful they join the outside players. The player who...
Crossing and Finishing
The ball starts centrally. The players work the ball one side and then to the other. This can be done either directly or by linking. There are many combinations. Once the ball has been switched the three players involved in the process run to the box to finish for...
Blocking Crosses and Shots
Be sure to have a good ball supply. You can find our range of footballs here. The first ball is played out wide which creates a 1 v 1 situation. The yellow player stays in his zone and the blue player cannot cross the line. Progress to allowing complete freedom....
How to Become a Football Scout
How do you become a football scout? What are the steps needed to go from regular fan to professional scout? How many of us can answer these questions? In fact, how many people would even know where to begin researching to find out those answers? Our article aims...
Are China a clear and present danger to the Premier League?
To anyone who dismissed the Chinese Super League as second-rate and nowhere near good enough to affect football on a global scale…you’re not laughing now are you? It’s taken a little while for things to really take off in China but any club that can afford to spend...
The rise, fall and rise again of David Luiz
As David Luiz sent a 30-year pile driver into the Liverpool net, it emphasised his revitalisation back at Chelsea this season. The sharp collective intake of breath in West London when it was announced the fun-loving Brazilian would be returning was profound. Had...
The myth of loyalty in modern football
There has been a lot of talk about footballers moving for money, player power and if the lack of player loyalty is ruining football. But when it comes to player loyalty, who should they be loyal to? The owner? The manager? Team mates? The fans? The club? The contract?...
An in-depth look into player power
Dimitri Payet has recently secured his ‘want away’ move to Marseille, which will see West Ham United pocket £25 million. The process is usually simple, a club make a bid for the player, the selling club fight to secure the best possible transfer fee and the player...
Has Wenger come to the end of the road at Arsenal?
It’s been almost 21 years since Arsene Wenger took over at Arsenal Football Club, a period of time during which the Gunners have changed beyond recognition, both on and off the pitch. The urbane Frenchman has been credited with keeping the north Londoners competitive...
Is the lack of player loyalty ruining football?
“We’ve got Payet, Dimitri Payet, I just don’t think you understand….,” is a refrain that won’t ever be heard in or around the London Stadium again. As Upton Park is turned to dust, so are the dreams of thousands of West Ham supporters who had religiously deified their...
Every Training Session Of 2016
The official free guide to all the Louis Lancaster football training sessions of 2016. We have compiled all the training sessions by UEFA Pro License coach Louis Lancaster into a simple downloadable document.
Passing and pressing 3 vs 3
Players: 12 players + 2 Goalkeepers What you’ll need: Cones, balls, bibs and 2 goals. Exercise description: Red team play the ball to blue team and then they will go to press. Blue team can play together or they can pass to the pivots and attack. The aim is to score a...