Dan Wright
Dan Wright holds the UEFA A license and FA Advanced Youth Award. He is currently working as an Academy Coach in England.
Articles by Dan Wright
How do you communicate with your players? In this article PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright shares some fascinating reflections and advice for coaches on how to effectively question and communicate with players to make sure they genuinely think about solutions within the game. Over the last few months I have found myself using the question used as this article’s title a lot. I’ve done so with an aim to challenge players to think about their game, or perhaps more specifically what they had noticed whilst…
Rondos are a popular possession-based practice favored by many of the world’s best coaches. They allow players to experience being underloaded and overloaded, incorporate elements of positional play, and provide opportunities to coach tactical elements of the game. But when is it appropriate to use rondos while working with young players? Below, we look at both the benefits and the drawbacks of rondos, and consider the best time to utilize them while coaching youth soccer. In This Article What are Rondos? A rondo is a…
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…
What is success in youth development? UEFA A licensed academy coach & PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright discusses his philosophy of what success looks like when a coach takes a long term view to their approach. We know the process of learning is complex and each individual’s journey is unique and non-linear. For young people, the process of learning to play football should be very similar to most learning experiences. In my eyes this would mean having a go, failing, reflecting, maybe taking some input…
Many coaches wonder about the best way to allocate playing time within their team. But when deciding whether to give kids equal playing time in youth soccer, there is no blanket rule. Factors like the environment we’re coaching in, the individual needs of our players, and what we’re trying to achieve as a team will all impact our approach. To establish the best course of action for our team, we should consider the various impacts of how we allocate playing time, as well as how…
The question this week comes from Spence: “How can I blend a developmental environment without losing the desire to win, but not at all costs?” 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…
The question this week comes from our Coaching Community. “How do I avoid overcoaching?” Additional Resources Ebook: Coaching Fundamentals: Six Steps to Creating Quality Youth Soccer Training Sessions Your Players Will Love. Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Each week, we will choose a key question from our community for discussion. In order to build a broad range of answers which will be valuable for our community, we need you to get involved. Here’s what you can do: Image Source: Pexels
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:
PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright examines one of the greatest midfield players to ever play the game, outlining why a long term view to player development is essential to ensuring every player has a chance to fulfil their potential and more. He doesn’t look like a footballer. He’s too small, too weak, he can’t move. It’s a warm May evening. As you approach the ground the traffic gets heavier and fans start to fill the streets: a kaleidoscope of blue, red and yellow everywhere you…
PDP Co-Founder Dave Wright & PDP Technical Advisor Dan Wright discuss 9v9 formations in youth soccer In many countries, 9v9 soccer represents the final step on the way to 11-a-side games. But while this game format is an opportunity to prepare players for larger-sided matches on bigger pitches, we should be careful not to neglect our players’ individual development for the sake of playing a specific formation. Instead of seeking the “best” 9v9 soccer formations, we might be better off thinking about the best formation…
In this Live Webinar replay, UEFA A licensed coaches Dan Wright and Dave Wright share some of their favourite small sided games for youth football. Dan and Dave present a number of practices, including lead in games, adaptations and reasons behind some of their top small sided games for discussion with coaches in the room. The practices presented are adaptable and the guys share ideas as to how they could be adjusted for various player numbers or ages, as well as tackling questions from guests…
The question this week comes from the PDP Slack Community: “How do I help teenage players value defending?” 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 exclusive Coaching Community. Start your…