Gary Curneen - The Modern Soccer Coach: Position-Specific Training

The Modern Soccer Coach: Position-Specific Training

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Gary Curneen

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[Smashwords Edition]

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Published in 2015 by Bennion Kearny Limited.

Copyright Bennion Kearny Ltd 2015

ISBN: 978-1-909125-44-5

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.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that it which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Bennion Kearny has endeavoured to provide trademark information about all the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Bennion Kearny cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

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

www.BennionKearny.com

Table of Contents

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the loving memory of Roy Curneen.

''Even the smallest of footprints have the power to leave an everlasting imprint on the Earth.

Acknowledgements

Firstly, I want to thank my wife, Erin, who has supported and encouraged me during the writing of this book. I love her very much and owe a special debt of gratitude for her support and patience.

A special thanks to my parents Sean and Marian, and sister Angie, for all your love.

I would also like to thank my Publisher at Bennion Kearny, James Lumsden-Cook, for his attention to detail, advice, and steadfast devotion to this project. I am grateful for his skillful editorial direction and intuitive insights.

And last but surely not least, I am grateful to Neil Adair, David Robertson, Bobby Puppione, Aaron Danks, Jamie Edwards, Kieran Smith, Neil Cooper, and Ricky Clarke. Also, a huge thanks to everyone at Academy Soccer Coach, Gavin Tait, Kieran McKenna, Danny Worthington, and Tony Strudwick. Without their inspiration and ideas, I would not have had a platform for this book.

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 book: The Modern Soccer Coach 2014: A Four Dimensional Approach

Academy 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

*Note*

Thanks to Academy Soccer Coach, we are delighted to offer a free two-week trial of the latest version of their Session Template software.

Simply email customer_services@academysoccercoach with the print books ISBN (9781909125865) in the Subject Field.

Academy Soccer Coach will email you back with instructions on what to do next.

Thats all there is to it!

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 web page at: www.bennionkearny.com/gc201.pdf

Chapter 1: Getting Real About Coaching

Just like the game itself, coaching today is moving forward at a phenomenal pace. It is a challenge just to keep up! Every week, new studies show us how to get our players to perform at their best physically, new technology allows us to manage training loads, articles containing fresh ideas are published daily, new sessions are shared online, and new tactical approaches are analyzed by experts after every high profile game. With so much knowledge available, surely our players should be improving and developing at the same rate? Not quite.

More and more players today are underperforming. They are struggling under pressure, stagnating in their development, and failing to reach their potential. For every Luis Suarez or Carli Lloyd that excels at the highest level, there are thousands of players who are straining to climb the ladder of success. With so many resources at hand, surely we must ask more of coaches. There is an overload of information available, but not enough knowledge to use and harness it in an effective and efficient way.

Why does Ajax produce young players that can easily transition and excel in any tactical system in the world? Why is intelligence now as important as speed and skill for player development? How does Cristiano Ronaldo go from a winger with a box-of-tricks to becoming a goal-scoring machine? What causes these players to reach new heights and take their game to the next level?

We must look beyond luck or the right place at the right time school of thought and instead challenge ourselves, as coaches, to look for clues that can help us take our players from good to great.

Essence of Coaching

This is my job. Once you get your coaching badge, its like taking an oath, just like when you become a doctor. When you become a doctor, you take an oath that you will make people better. When you become a coach, you take an oath that you will make football players better. As a coach, its not about you. You will get better in the job over the years, youll get more knowledge, but it is not my goal to make myself a better coach. My most important goal is to make the players better. Gordon Strachan (Scotland Head Coach)