Goal of the Year?

The Guardian has a great page up that lets readers rate the goal of the year.

Make sure to check out Cristiano Ronaldo's, Grafite's, & Zlatan Ibrahimovic's.

My choice is Yoann Gourcuff:

My favorite part, besides the incredible skill, is listening to the crowd react after seeing the

replay of what they just witnessed.

Make sure to stick with it till 0:50!!

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Summer Reading

With summer rapidly approaching, I thought I'd put together a list of soccer reading for the players and the parents.

Recommended Reading List:

Parents:

• 101 Ways To Be A Terrific Sports Parent by Dr. Joel Fish
• The Sports Parenting Edge by Rick Wolff
• Brilliant Orange, The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football by David Winner
• The Coaching Philosophies of Louis Van Gaal and The Ajax Coaches by Henny Komeklink and Tjeu Seeverens

Players:

• Playing Out of Your Mind, Developing Mental Toughness by Dr. Alan Goldberg
• The Vision of A Champion by Anson Dorrance
• The Champion Within, Developing Women Soccer Players by Lauren Gregg

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10 Types of Speed

If one of your soccer goals involves speed (i.e. - being a more explosive dribbler, improving passing range, improve services from the outside, being more competitive winning 50/50's ) or you just want to be faster, THIS is a great article about the different types of speed from World Class Coaching.

Make sure to check out Part 2 - Neuromuscular or Physical Speed for stuff you can do at home to become faster.

Here is a quick rundown:

1. Anticipation (understanding the game, preparing mentally, being ready, preparedness, pre-calculation of trajectory, speed, force…)
2. Recognition (seeing a situation develop and knowing what to do, decision making speed, sensing changes in touch, sight and sound (tactile, visual and auditory indicators), cued by recognizing sequences or preparatory movements)
3. Reaction (response time, neuromuscular, motor reaction sequencing, sensing time and decision time, improved by repetition of various neuromuscular skill work, efficiency in execution of specific motor patterns, “time between stimulus and response”, specific reaction times…)
4. Acceleration (factor of strength, power, starting explosive strength, resistance to fatigue, genetic factors, mechanics of movement…)
5. Deceleration (strength, understanding of movement, positioning, center of gravity, body control…)
6. Transition (the point in which you transition from deceleration to acceleration – agility, core strength, proprioception, plyometric, neuromuscular efficiency in generating explosive force, stretch shortening cycle…)
7. Speed Endurance – Max Speed (genetic factors, ability to relax, combination of V=S(L) x S(F), running economy and energy expenditure, also seen as a combination of horizontal thrust and vertical oscillation of the athletes center of gravity, rarely comes into play in team sports…)
8. Speed Against an Opponent (combination of the 4 physical (neuromuscular) speed characteristics with the 3 mental (cognitive) characteristics, seeing changes in an opponent’s position, and reacting subconsciously to those, then possessing the physical ability to adjust or alter your speed to get the advantage…)
9. Speed with a Ball/Bat/Racket (combination of the 4 physical speed characteristics and technical ball handling ability or skill, requires many repetitions to fine tune the precise motor skills, timing, tracking, trajectories,…)
10. Speed with the Ball, Against and Opponent (This is the ultimate goal, it requires an broad understanding of the game and its limits, rules, and expectations: it also requires an awareness of your opponent (tactile, visual, auditory, etc), then the repetitions of skill

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Champions League Highlights

Make sure to crank some good tunes and put in on full screen...

Enjoy.

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Close Control : Dembele

Moussa Dembele is what the Dutch would call "balvast" (difficult to get off the ball).

Notice how he never does anything super tricky. He just has close control.

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This Weeks Schedule

Monday:

No Practice

Wednesday:

Principles of attacking play

Homework: Juggle Tricks & Watch the Champions League Final

See Everybody on Wednesday.

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Goal!!!

I just found my favorite new soccer site: 101greatgoals.com

They have a recap of all the games played that day and have video highlights of all the goals.

Par example: Here is the highlights of Manchester United's win over Wigan last Wednesday.

And this is what it looks like when Barcelona wins the Copa Del Rey.

It has become a site a visit daily.

Enjoy.

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Juggle Tricks

The development of a player's juggling ability can improve touch, balance, and coordination/agility. Developing a quality touch, players can weight their passes more accurately, have more confidence dribbling and controlling the ball under pressure and strike balls with various surface with precision.

Here is a juggling superstar named Palle. His specially trick: Around the World (ATW).

Homework for Wednesday:

1) Work on your juggle tricks.

2) Tape or watch or Download the Champions League Final

Barcelona vs. Man Utd - Wed 11:30 - ESPN

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Welcome to the Sac United - U12B Man Utd Blog

Welcome to the new home of Sac United U12B Manchester United info.

Check back weekly for updates on training sessions, match reflections, skills videos, goal videos, and other soccer information helpful for young players and their parents.

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