Gary Curneen - The Modern Soccer Coach: Pre-Season Training

The Modern Soccer Coach: Pre-Season Training

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Gary Curneen

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[Smashwords Edition]

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Published in 2016 by Bennion Kearny Limited.

Copyright Bennion Kearny Ltd 2016

ISBN: 978-1-910515-57-0

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

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Published by Bennion Kearny Limited, 6 Woodside, Churnet View Road, Oakamoor, Staffordshire, ST10 3AE

www.BennionKearny.com

Table of Contents

Dedication

To Erin, Calum, and Roy.

My inspiration every day.

About the Author

Gary Curneen is the Head Womens Soccer Coach at California State University Bakersfield. Gary holds a UEFA 'A' License from the Irish FA and a "Premier Diploma" from the NSCAA. Gary also gained a Masters in Business Administration from Wingate University, where he coached the Lady Bulldogs to a 95-48-8 record along with their first ever SAC Championship and place in the NCAA Tournament. In 2013 he worked as the Assistant Coach at University of Cincinnati.

Gary has played and coached at the collegiate level in the United States for more than ten years. His coaching education has seen him travel to study the best teams in the world and how they work first hand. A lifelong learner, Gary is a player-centered coach who focuses on professionalism, responsibility, and accountability within the framework of each team he works with. He believes that creating a culture of excellence is paramount to success and that each training session should include physical, tactical, technical, and mental components that challenge the players to perform at a high level.

Gary is the author of the acclaimed best-selling coaching books: The Modern Soccer Coach 2014: A Four Dimensional Approach and The Modern Soccer Coach: Position-Specific Training.

A c ademy Soccer Coach

Academy Soccer Coach is a company that provides digital solutions for coaches at every level of the game. Our coaching software enables coaches, clubs and professional organizations to plan and prepare their sessions remotely from anywhere in the world.

Academy Soccer Coach works with following the professional clubs and organizations:

Fulham FC, West Ham United FC, Stoke FC, Newcastle United FC, Crystal Palace FC, Portland Timbers Sporting Kansas City, National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Soccer (Womens), The Irish Football Association, The Professional Footballers Association, and many more.

For more information on Academy Soccer Coach and the services we provide please visit www.academysoccercoach.com

Illustrations (download)

If you are reading an electronic version of this book, you may find some of the illustrations difficult to explore fully on your Kindle or Nook or iPhone. Likewise, if you are reading the print version of the book and would like to get your hands on the illustrations anyway we can help.

All the illustrations in this book are available as a freely downloadable color PDF.

Download the file from the publishers website at: www.bennionkearny.com/gc501.pdf

Chapter 1 - Pre-Season Introduction

It is without doubt the most highly anticipated time of the year for any coach, regardless of the level at which they work. They have counted down the days on the calendar and played out every tactical scenario possible in their heads. The physical and mental battle scars of last season have been left on an exotic beach weeks ago, and everyone arrives to pre-season fresh and ready to go. Every player tends to start on a clean slate and, for a period of time, their shortcomings are put to the back of everyones mind. The mind of a coach contains only positive images of what their players can do, rather than what they cant.

If there has been a summer tournament on TV, the majority of coaches will be arriving back with whatever tactical system has been trending on their brain, keen to try it with their own set of players. Although the media portray the opening day of the season as the day upon which hopes and dreams are born, the reality is that it starts much earlier for coaches. The new gear and equipment has arrived and ambitions are always set high. In addition, the staff always look forward to the social interaction with players: catching up on summer stories and reconnecting with friends at the club. There may even be one or two new faces to join the squad which adds a new dimension to team chemistry. It is a period of time when potential and dreams dominate. There really is nothing quite like pre-season for a coach.

The irony is, however, that the players have always taken a different view almost the exact opposite in fact. For a player, pre-season typically means running, brutal physical work, more running, sore legs, even more running, and then plenty of blisters. Say the word pre-season to any player at any level, of any generation, and you will be met with exasperated looks and plenty of similar responses. The majority of players hate it and if there was a stronger word than hate, I would use it. Whereas coaches see the rewards of hard work, the majority of players see punishment. Even in the modern game, with periodization charts and state-of-the-art recovery systems in place, the response from players remains the same. When Manchester City kicked off their training in the summer of 2015, midfielder Yaya Toure was asked if he was excited to be back with the team. Pre-season is not something I like at all, he replied and the majority of players around the world nodded in agreement.

Evolution of pre-season

If you look at what previous generations went through in pre-season, you can almost sympathize with many players universal distain of it. Up until the 1990s, pre-season was primarily about survival. It was seen as a necessary evil that players had to go through, in order to play the game they loved.

Even at the highest levels, summer breaks for players were all about catching up on junk food and alcohol, without the scrutiny or constant input from coaches. As the same players reported in for pre-season camp, they did so resigned to the fact that they had to shed the pounds fast and it was going to be miserable. They were accepting of their punishment. In some cases, bin bags were even given out before sessions to help sweat more of the unwanted weight away quicker.

Another traditional aspect of pre-season camps was the bonding created as a result of the endless runs over mountains, sand, and roads. Teams that suffered together, seemingly grew stronger. Misery loves company and there was no better example of that than a pre-season locker room. Moans and groans united the players and got them through the long and painful days.