Practice

OUR SQUADS

As well as coming to training sessions, it’s important that all players practice away from our centres.

These days, everyone’s heard of the 10,000-hour rule. This states that it takes 10,000 hours’ practice to become an expert in any field.

This equates to three hours of practice a day, every day for 10 years. This is pretty much impossible for young people today.


But well planned, deliberate practice can deliver expertise in less time. By designing practice that also takes into account a player’s growth and development, we can make training even more effective.


Our practice recommendations are designed to ensure our players get the most focused, most effective training possible.

We recommend practice in the areas below. Click on each one for more information.

  • Tap-Ups

    Tap-ups are great for measuring improvement. Although they don’t necessarily show how good a footballer a player is, they demonstrate concentration, practice and hard work. They also improve touch, balance and, most importantly, weaker foot.


    Academy players need to set high targets for tap ups and try to improve every week.

  • FOOTWORK WITH THE BALL

    These repetitive exercises with the ball improve close control, quick feet, co-ordination and weaker foot. They can be done in a small area and also help to develop football muscles.


    Each exercise needs to be performed for about 30 seconds, using both feet.


    Brazilian

    Dutch

    Single foot

    Single foot

    Roll back – laces

    Outside-inside

    Pivot

    Roll-outside

    Roll round

    Out-out-in

    Pivot – roll

    In-in-out

    Double foot

    Double foot

    Toe taps

    Out-in

    Side taps

    Out-out-in

    Roll – tap

    In-in-out

    Socrates – roll

    Out-out-roll

    Ronaldo – roll

     

    Socrates – Ronaldo

     

    Carlos – roll

     

    Roll back – laces

     

    Ronaldo – Ronaldo

     

    Ronaldinho

     

    Zico – Zico

     

    Elastic – elastic

     


  • Skipping

    Skipping helps improve footwork, fitness, landing correctly and spring. Increase the length of skipping exercises as the player becomes more used to doing them and fitter.


    2-foot jumping – double jumps

    2-foot jumping – single jumps

    2-foot jumping – jumping jacks

    2-foot jumping – split steps

    1-foot hopping – double hop alternate feet

    1-foot hopping – single hop alternate feet

    High knees running

    Heel flicks running

    Crossover skipping

    Double skips

  • ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT

    We focus on multi-skill development in all the sports we teach.


    The primary school years offer the best window of opportunity for developing the building blocks of agility, balance and co-ordination. This is because the development of a person’s nervous system is between 80 and 90 per cent complete by the age of eight.


    Good physical education and coaching are therefore essential in Key Stage 1.


    Focusing on the building blocks demonstrates the long-term approach that is the heart of our philosophy. We develop these building blocks through speed, agility, quickness, repetition and graduated skill development.

  • INDIVIDUAL SKILLS & TURNS

    Players can practice between or against cones to improve this aspect of the game. This also helps improve fitness. Players should work on the following skills:


    INDIVIDUAL SKILLS- 


    • Matthews
    • Luis Figo
    • Scissors
    • Double scissors
    • Rivellino
    • Edu
    • Ginola
    • Gazza stop kick
    • Romario
    • Ryan Giggs
    • Ronaldinho Scissor
    • Flip-flap
    • Jay-Jay Okocha
    • Ronaldo
    • Carlos
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • Elastic
    • Beardsley double touch

    TURNS -

    • Inside hook
    • Outside hook
    • Cruyff turn
    • Stepover turn
    • Dragback turn
    • Stop turn
    • Maradona turn
    • Socrates
    • Zico
    • Cruyff outside hook
    • Tostao
    • Thierry Henry

  • LADDER EXERCISES

    These exercises help players to develop fast feet without the ball. They also provide a good foundation for speed and agility training. 


    Players should work on doing the exercises well before they focus on getting faster. To do them well, they need to maintain balance and body shape. You can also do these exercises with sticks, cones or floor tiles. Just space them equally so you can repeat the various movements.


    To do these exercises well, players need to maintain balance and body shape.

    Ladder exercises can be done using sticks, cones or floor tiles, as long as the spaces are equal and allow for players to repeat the various movements.


    Hopping-

    • Hopscotch
    • 3 hops – 3 hops
    • Hop continuous
    • Zigzag hops
    • 2 forward – 1 back
    • Jumping
    • Single
    • Zigzag
    • Big
    • Big zigzag
    • 2 forward – 1 back

    RUNNING - 

    • 1 foot run
    • 2 foot run
    • Icky Shuffle
    • 2 forward – 1 back
    • Sideways 2 in
    • 2 in – 2 out
    • Lateral twist

  • SPEED WORK

    Once the player has mastered these exercises, they can work on improving speed. Specific speed programmes differ from player to player.

  • THE 10,000 HOUR RULE

    Whether it’s playing football or playing piano, it is widely held that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert.


    That’s three hours a day, every day, for 10 years.


    We design our sessions to make sure that our players receive the quality of practice and engagement they need to bring this time down. It all starts with good, deliberate practice, and excellent coaching.

  • PUTTING THE PHYSICAL INTO PHYSICAL EDUCATION

    The sedentary lifestyle of many people today and the associated obesity problem present a serious health concern for our generation of children.


    It is vital we do something to counteract this. It’s important that the sport children participate in doesn’t just teach them the fundamental skills and movements, but is intense enough to improve their fitness as well.