What if I told you that in the amount of time it takes you to read this article, was the amount of time a soccer player gets on the ball in an average professional soccer match. A professional soccer match is 90 minutes long. For players that play the entire duration of the match, on average, spend only 2 minutes on the ball. That's around 2% of the game spent on the ball.
What does this mean?
It means that players need to cherish their time on the ball. It means that players cannot give away the ball cheaply. No opportunity on the ball can be wasted. My focus in player development is on these 2 minutes.
Most of the players I train are not professional players. Which means they don't play in 90 minute matches. Most youth leagues in the United States also do not have substitution restrictions which greatly effect the amount of playing time for players. These players most likely play on teams that at least 4, 5 or 6 subs sitting on the bench. How often has your player played in a 5 minute shift and got the ball once or twice in that time span? So our youth players may be getting only 30 SECONDS of time on the ball in each game. This is unfortunately the nature of soccer. What they do with that 30 seconds is vital in player development.
So how do we make sure that our players cherish their time on the ball?
First and foremost, they must become more confident on the ball. They must limit the careless giveaways due to panic. They must be able to problem solve. They must be able to pass out of pressure, and they must be able to hod onto the ball with strength when passing lanes are not open. They must take advantage of a goal scoring opportunity, because it may be the only opportunity they get in the entire game.
In a culture of "team development" and "winning at all costs." PlayMaker Training bucks the trend and focuses on individual player development. My philosophy is that you cannot introduce advanced tactics until you have players that have advanced technique. Cherishing every touch. This is the primary focus of PlayMaker Training. My focus, is on the 2 minutes.
What does this mean?
It means that players need to cherish their time on the ball. It means that players cannot give away the ball cheaply. No opportunity on the ball can be wasted. My focus in player development is on these 2 minutes.
Most of the players I train are not professional players. Which means they don't play in 90 minute matches. Most youth leagues in the United States also do not have substitution restrictions which greatly effect the amount of playing time for players. These players most likely play on teams that at least 4, 5 or 6 subs sitting on the bench. How often has your player played in a 5 minute shift and got the ball once or twice in that time span? So our youth players may be getting only 30 SECONDS of time on the ball in each game. This is unfortunately the nature of soccer. What they do with that 30 seconds is vital in player development.
So how do we make sure that our players cherish their time on the ball?
First and foremost, they must become more confident on the ball. They must limit the careless giveaways due to panic. They must be able to problem solve. They must be able to pass out of pressure, and they must be able to hod onto the ball with strength when passing lanes are not open. They must take advantage of a goal scoring opportunity, because it may be the only opportunity they get in the entire game.
In a culture of "team development" and "winning at all costs." PlayMaker Training bucks the trend and focuses on individual player development. My philosophy is that you cannot introduce advanced tactics until you have players that have advanced technique. Cherishing every touch. This is the primary focus of PlayMaker Training. My focus, is on the 2 minutes.
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