In this Masterclass Discussion, Dave Wright and Dan Wright sit down for a two hour discussion with world leading Sports Psychologist, Dan Abrahams. Dave and Dan facilitate an in depth conversation with Dan on his experience in sports psychology across different codes. We examine the four corner model and the value of breaking down psychology into a component, we talk autonomy, challenge the review process, discuss coach communication and much, much more. This is a fascinating conversation from an experienced expert in the world of sports…
Everything you need to be
a great football coach.
Join thousands of subscribers and receive our exclusive coaching newsletter every week with tools, tips, and resources you can use on the grass right away.
Trusted by
Latest
This practice is designed to be used as a warm-up focused upon passing and receiving. Quick Navigation About the Video Additional Information Practice Overview Interpreting the Diagrams Diagrams Objectives Organisation Observations & Interventions About the Video In the video below, Dan will talk you through the structure of the practice, various outcomes and how you can adapt it for your players. Do you want to improve your ability to plan and deliver great sessions? Sign up for our Foundations of Session Design course here. Practice…
Get free coaching resources, customised for you.
Take our 3 minute coaching quiz and we will give you a free
collection of coaching resources specifically tailored to you.
Warren Grieve is an AFC Pro License holder and Technical Director at Football NSW in Australia. In this interview, PDP Editor, Dave Wright sits down with Warren to talk coach education, learning environments and more. This conversation covers a range of topics including: This is an insightful discussion for developing coaches, particularly those who have an interest in pursuing formal courses and qualifications. Image Credits: Unsplash
The question this week comes from Steve via Twitter. “We are planning for next season and wondering whether coaches should stay with their team through the age groups, or is there a benefit in a new coach each season?” Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or contact us on our Facebook page.2. PDP Members can chat…
Quick Navigation About the Video Interpreting the Diagrams Part 1: Skills Circle Part 2: Random Passing Square Part 3: 3v3 With Target Players Part 4: Small Sided Game – Channels Game Moments of the Game The PDP team believes that in football, there are four moments of the game. They are, controlling possession, defending, transition (attacking or defensive) and creating and scoring. In line with this view of the game, we are producing full 60-90 minute training plans on these four topics that you can…
In this session UEFA A licensed coach, Dave Wright continues on his defensive work with the Melbourne Victory U20 group. The practice is designed to encourage players to collaborate and work together in units to block forward and split passes. Dave demonstrates some gradual progressions to allow attackers and defenders to move into opposition zones and create more chaos. The purpose of this practice ties in with the next session (a phase of play) which encourages players to be patient out of possession and choose…
Quick Navigation About the Video Interpreting the Diagrams Part 1: 1v1 Shadow Defending Part 2: Messi v Van Djik Game Part 3: 3v3 + 3 Pressing Game Part 4: Small Sided Game – Six Seconds Game Moments of the Game The PDP team believes that in football, there are four moments of the game. They are, controlling possession, defending, transition (attacking or defensive) and creating and scoring. In line with this view of the game, we are producing full 60-90 minute training plans on these…
Creating a soccer training schedule for an entire season takes careful planning. We need to consider the individuals we’re working with, our environment, what our players want to achieve, and then how we can help them accomplish their goals within those parameters. But the process isn’t necessarily as complicated as it seems. Below, we discuss the key components of a successful training program, how to adapt it when circumstances require, and how to create an appropriate training schedule for our own teams. In This Article…
Player Development Project sits down with Andrew Watt, Youth Development Phase Manager at Fulham FC, to discuss how the Premier League club supports players across the U9-U16 age groups. Below, Andrew provides insights into the Fulham Academy’s principles, his views on talent identification, the different approaches to coaching kids from U9s all the way through to U16s, and how to manage the transitions to different game formats. He also offers practical advice on session design, the merits of isolated and opposed practices, and how to…
It is difficult to overstate just how much of an influence Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff has had on the sport. From his time on the pitch, starring for Ajax, Barcelona and the Dutch national side, to his time in management at the same institutions, Cruyff has always been at the cutting edge of football development. Player Development Project spoke to Cruyff in 2015 about his coaching philosophy and more. Winner of the Ballon d’Or an incredible three times, Cruyff started his footballing career at…
World-class coaching courses you can do from home, any time.
Learn to coach soccer, step-by-step, with guidance from our team of world-class coach developers.
Plus, PDP Members save 40% on all PDP Academy courses.
Explore CoursesEditor's Picks
Football can be a powerful evoker of emotions. But, as coaches, it’s vital that we remain calm around our players and don’t let emotional responses govern our actions. Below, coach and author David Mayer discusses the importance of emotional awareness, and how developing emotional control can help us to create better learning environments for our players. In This Article Being Aware of Your Emotions In all walks of life, we can benefit from understanding, and knowing how to react positively to, our emotions. This is…
Being organised and following a session plan are fundamental to good coaching. Knowing how to efficiently set up your session can save you time, increase ball-rolling time for the players, and minimise stress when you first arrive. In our Introduction to Soccer Coaching online course, Rob Sherman (Current Fiji Men’s National Team Coach and Former Technical Director of Football Australia) shares his system for ensuring you’ve got everything covered when you turn up to training. Rob’s N.E.A.T system helps to ensure the players spend their…
Safety may not be the first characteristic we associate with exceptional coaching environments, but, for our players, a sense of security is essential to being able to learn effectively. Below, we draw upon the knowledge of several experts as we explain why safe coaching environments are so important, and how we can engender a culture of trust, security, and enjoyment within our teams and clubs. ] In This Article The Importance of Safe Environments If we’re to give kids the best chance of enjoying football…
Quick Navigation About the Video Interpreting the Diagrams Part 1: Ball Hunter Part 2: Shooting and defending transition game Part 3: 3v3 ABC 123 Transition Game Part 4: Small Sided Game: Transition Winner Stays On Moments of the Game The PDP team believes that in football, there are four moments of the game. They are, controlling possession, defending, transition (attacking or defensive) and creating and scoring. In line with this view of the game, we are producing full 60-90 minute training plans on these four…
In this Masterclass Discussion, the PDP team share a model of play focussed on moments of the game. The team go into detail as to how you can design a programme within your club that helps players develop across all facets of the game. Image Source: matimix from Canva Pro
Manual Santos and Kevin Morgan The Big Idea In 1974 Studs Terkel, the American broadcaster, actor, and oral historian, published the best-selling non-fiction book, Working. In it he interviewed a cross-section of Americans about their working lives, “about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread.” In one interview, Terkel interviewed jazz tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman. Freeman got to talking about how hard the work of improvisation is, the working out of all the possibilities of a theme, and the on-going promise of…
The importance of self-reflection cannot be overstated. Observing ourselves in order to learn and improve is a key part of development — whether we’re a player or a coach. So what does it mean to self-reflect? And how can we create coaching environments that promote independent thought and learning? Below, we consider the fundamental components of self-reflection, and how we can facilitate self-reflection within our coaching environments to support our players’ development. In This Article What Does Reflection Mean? According to PDP Co-Founder Dave Wright,…
In this PDP webinar replay, we facilitate a discussion on how we can better develop midfielder players. Hosted by PDP Co-Founder, Dave Wright, this conversation includes PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright & PDP Coaching Advisor, James Coutts. Our panel of UEFA A & FFA A licensed coaches share a presentation and facilitate live Q&A on the following topics:
Curriculums can be an invaluable source of guidance for coaches. They help us to cover a complete range of themes and topics, provide a framework for planning sessions across an entire season, and facilitate the consistent application of ideas and playing philosophies in all teams within a club or programme. Below, we explore the benefits of using a curriculum, and discuss ways that coaches and programme directors can implement curriculums within their clubs. In This Article Creating a Framework for Session Design The strictness with…
Ase Strandbu, Kari Stefansen, Ingrid Smette, and Morten Rensio Sandvik The Big Idea “Involved parenthood” in organized youth sports is what these Norwegian researchers are attempting to better understand. Child-centered parenting they note—using the United States as an example—is still evolving since its early cultural development in the 1960s. Organized youth sport in those days was in its infancy, preceding the appearance of involved parents. On a personal note, this reviewer—who is from the U.S.—recalls his early childhood sporting days in the 1960s, and happily…
The question this week comes from a Richard via the PDP Member’s Slack Channel. Richard asks: “Should you have a season long plan? Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or contact us on our Facebook page.2. PDP Members can chat directly with the PDP team to ask questions, share ideas, and support each other on our…
PDP Video Session Plans are adaptable sessions designed by academy coach, Dave Wright. All sessions show key focus points, set up, and progressions so you can use them in your next practice.
This practice is designed to provide players with the opportunities to train their ability to retain possession of the ball through passing and receiving. Quick Navigation About the Video Additional Information Practice Overview Interpreting the Diagrams Diagrams Objectives Organisation Observations & Interventions About the Video In the video below, Dan will talk you through the structure of the practice, various outcomes and how you can adapt it for your players. Do you want to improve your ability to plan and deliver great sessions? Sign up…
Performance analysis has become a big part of professional soccer, in both the senior game and at academy level. But, with a relatively modest setup, we can also utilize the benefits of analysis and analytics in grassroots environments. In this Q&A, we explore how to capture worthwhile video footage on gameday, use that footage to gather data, and effectively make use of the results to support player development. In This Article Can You Implement Performance Analysis in Grassroots Environments? What is performance analysis in sport,…
This practice is designed to provide players with the opportunities to practice their passing and receiving skills under defensive pressure. Quick Navigation About the Video Additional Information Practice Overview Interpreting the Diagrams Diagrams Objectives Organisation Observations & Interventions About the Video In the video below, Dan will talk you through the structure of the practice, various outcomes and how you can adapt it for your players. Do you want to improve your ability to plan and deliver great sessions? Sign up for our Foundations of…
In this Masterclass Webinar replay, we host Psychologist and Motivational Interviewing Pioneer, Prof. Stephen Rollnick. Stephen is a world leader in psychology and recently co-authored the book, Coaching Athletes to be Their Best: Motivational Interviewing in Sport. Alongside him is UEFA Pro Licensed Coach and Assistant Coach at Crawley Town, Edu Rubio. Stephen and Edu will be hosted by the PDP Team, Dave Wright and Dan Wright for a wide ranging discussion on effective coach communication. We dive into a number of topics including: This…
The question this week comes from Rupert: “I’m always in a rush before training due to working in a shared facility. Do you have any ideas that could help me get organised quicker and engage the players?” Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or contact us on our Facebook page.2. PDP Members can chat directly with…
PDP Co-Founder Dave Wright & Positive Psychology expert Lara Mossman discussing how to control emotions in sports. We can’t expect youth soccer players to show great emotional control all of the time. It’s sometimes easy to forget, but they’re not mini-adults — they don’t have the same capacity to control their emotions as we do, and we shouldn’t expect them to. But that doesn’t mean we can’t help. We can still teach our young players how to understand and manage their emotions. And this education…