From Lawrence at FineSoccer.com -
I was speaking with a friend recently who has been involved with professional basketball for a number of years and he asked me “how much peer pressure training is done in soccer”. I wasn't familiar with the term but when he explained it as training under high pressure with the pressure being put on by an opponent, it made a lot more sense.
Unfortunately, while it made a lot more sense it's also something too many soccer coaches don't do enough of in training.
It's easy to teach a player how to shoot a ball. You can go through the whole process of big steps, planting the foot properly, locking the ankle, knee over the ball, making contact with the correct part of the foot, following through etc. However, it's much more difficult when they have to do it at speed. Then, it becomes even more difficult when it has to be done at speed with an opponent right on them.
If you are working with players on turning, you would want to explain how to turn, then demonstrate, then have them do it without pressure and then add some token pressure. Unfortunately, too many coaches end at this point. In order for a player to be able to turn in a game situation, they have to experience the various types of pressure they will see in a game.
Too often, coaches will show things with shadow training and then go to numbers up situations but at some point, the players need to experience even numbers (or even down numbers since most attacking situations start with a numbers down situation).
Put the players in true numbers situations, which will allow the pressure to be similar to what they will see in a game and see how much easier it will be for the players in the game itself.
I was speaking with a friend recently who has been involved with professional basketball for a number of years and he asked me “how much peer pressure training is done in soccer”. I wasn't familiar with the term but when he explained it as training under high pressure with the pressure being put on by an opponent, it made a lot more sense.
Unfortunately, while it made a lot more sense it's also something too many soccer coaches don't do enough of in training.
It's easy to teach a player how to shoot a ball. You can go through the whole process of big steps, planting the foot properly, locking the ankle, knee over the ball, making contact with the correct part of the foot, following through etc. However, it's much more difficult when they have to do it at speed. Then, it becomes even more difficult when it has to be done at speed with an opponent right on them.
If you are working with players on turning, you would want to explain how to turn, then demonstrate, then have them do it without pressure and then add some token pressure. Unfortunately, too many coaches end at this point. In order for a player to be able to turn in a game situation, they have to experience the various types of pressure they will see in a game.
Too often, coaches will show things with shadow training and then go to numbers up situations but at some point, the players need to experience even numbers (or even down numbers since most attacking situations start with a numbers down situation).
Put the players in true numbers situations, which will allow the pressure to be similar to what they will see in a game and see how much easier it will be for the players in the game itself.