Prevent your opponent from advancing into your defensive half with effective transition defending. Illinois Wesleyan coach Dave Barrett shows how to not only stop your opponent, but how to distribute the ball up field quickly to create a counter-attack.

He demonstrates three fast-paced exercises that create many game-like scoring opportunities. These exercises will help train your players to recognize visual cues so they can gain possession. The exercises will also help your players recognize the importance of communication when they are out-numbered.

Speed and Perception Warm-ups
Provide your team with meaningful touches on the ball and help them understand how to react to the ball in a variety of game situations.

Phase Play
The purpose of phase play is to get your defenders to pressure and retreat at the right moments to force turnovers. Your players will learn to communicate so they are aware of their positioning on the field and ensure that their teammates are covered.

In addition, these exercises will help to:

• Mentally train your players to create a quick counter-attack
• Organize your defense to funnel the ball into your best defenders
• Conditioning players to find the deepest possible attacker

Modern defenders need to do more than just win the ball. It is very important that they relate the ability to win the ball back with the importance of starting the counterattack. Having your defenders pass to the targets will force players to focus on not just tackling the attacker, but understanding where they will pass once they win it.

This season, keep your defenders organized to win the ball and to make the most of their counter-attack. Limiting your opponent's ability to get behind your defense will reduce their scoring opportunities and help you to win more games.

48 minutes. 2013.

Good coaches must be able to create realistic game conditions during their practices to prepare players for game day. Dave Barrett uses live practices to demonstrate three small-sided games, where limited space forces players to make quick decisions and enhances their first touch as they go to goal.

The main goal in this presentation is to use competition in practice to re-create the pressure your players will face in a game.

Barrett presents three small-sided activities that can be used in either a defensive or offensive training session. All drills are played in a small area that will promote shooting on goal. Using on-field demonstrations, you will gain an understanding of how to execute the exercises with your team, see key coaching points and the objectives for each.

Transition Progression
This series starts at 1v1 and eventually leads up to 3v3, and involves a lot of shots on goal. Learn how to work in a numbers up situation to create good chances to score on goal and to use quick, short touches to avoid losing the ball in the small space. Players are coached in tactical awareness depending on the numbers and ball possession.

2 v 1 to Goal
2v1 to Goal is an effective exercise for developing serving and receiving skills. Once the ball is served to the attacker, your players will learn to settle the ball quickly so they can push forward with control toward goal. They will also learn to make creative runs on and off the ball to make it difficult for their defender to contain or predict the attack. Trap aerial balls, attack with numbers and transition from attack to defend!

4 v 4 with Bumpers
Your players will almost always be within shooting range in this exercise. The bumpers in this exercise relieve pressure and provide an opportunity to make good runs off the ball. This is an excellent game for training players to frame the goal when attacking.

Put your team in position to take more quality shots and score more goals with these excellent finishing drills from Dave Barrett!

50 minutes. 2013.

The 3-5-2 system can cause problems for opponents, as it is seldom used and can quickly overload specific areas of the pitch. By learning to use the 3-5-2 appropriately, you can train your team to employ an intense, high-pressure defense that will earn your team more counterattacks and scoring opportunities. Through the use of live practice footage and classroom analysis, Steve McCrath carefully outlines the essential practice sessions you will need in order to defend within the 3-5-2 formation

Coach McCrath begins the video describing the characteristics he would like to see from each position in his 3-5-2 formation. This information is vital because this will give coaches a great idea on the qualities they need to look for from each position in this system.

The practice then moves into a touch possession game where Coach McCrath puts an emphasis on defensive positioning. McCrath takes his team through some half field drills that he uses to coach defensive shape. You get to see McCrath coach his team live in the drill. He gives out several coaching points during the games, and you can listen in as McCrath coaches his players in a post-training conference.

Coach McCrath diagrams the 3-5-2 on a whiteboard and talks about where to arrange players, the traits you might look for in certain key positions, and the roles of the players depending on where the attacking team has the ball. Further, McCrath points out the weaknesses of defending with only three in the back and how the 3-5-2 formation can be broken down without the proper pressure being applied by the defending team. Key concepts McCrath shares include the importance of timing, pressure, and commitment.

Throughout the video, McCrath stresses the importance of communication among the players, and how every players needs to open their mouth and communicate with their teammates.

This is a good video for a coach who is trying to view what take place in Barry University practice. Coach McCrath explains the 3-5-2 from a defensive perspective, and he shows how he coaches his players to get the proper results.

2013.

Creating quality shots is the key to consistently scoring goals. The first few seconds after your team wins the ball is the best time to catch the opponent at a disadvantage. Barry University Head Coach Steve McCrath has assembled drills and small-sided games that, when coached properly, will help you squeeze more goals out of your season by catching your opponent off guard.

Through the exclusive use of live training sessions, Coach McCrath lets you see what a high performance practice looks like, from functional warm-ups to goal-scoring games. This DVD features several training games that will get your team thinking about goal scoring every time they win the ball.

These practice drills that help encourage an attack-minded approach to the game through:

• Transitioning quickly from defense to offense
• Recognizing how to support the attack with proper positioning
• Quickly changing the point of attack to keep your opponent on their heels

Coach McCrath begins the DVD with a clever setup variation of a technical training drill used by many coaches to work on volleys, half volleys, thigh-to-foot control, chest-trapping, and heading the ball. The team then moves into a "skill cauldron" that allows the players to work on different touches in a short amount of time. The drill has several variations and the players can execute the touches going different directions, which also has the added pressure of many a great touch so the training can be executed properly.

Coach McCrath then has his team move into a transversion game that works on possession. The team then transfers into a simple offense vs. defense competitive drill done in the attacking third. This training exercise provides for game-like situations that will help your players gain the confidence they need to execute in live competition. The final drill allows attackers to finish balls played into the box with defenders.

Each session summarizes the important aspects of quick transition from defense to offense that will help you outline the important coaching points. Coach McCrath lets you peek into his training culture and shows you how to provide effective, meaningful feedback to players.

This DVD shows drills and concepts that can be used by youth and advanced coaches alike to improve their team's chances of scoring goals. Scoring is often a result of attitude and belief. This DVD provides coaches with drills they can use to help their players become successful in attack by both challenging their ability and providing opportunities to succeed.

2013.

Create a personal practice environment that promotes experimentation, creativity and encourages players to develop their individual style!

The 2,000 Touches Series provides creative ways for young players to practice on their own, with a teammate, or with a parent. The videos will inspire players who simply need guidance on what to practice.

The exercises in this video series were specially chosen because they require minimal extra equipment, if any. You will see variations of the exercises that allow parents and friends to help - even if they've never kicked a ball. Demonstrators in the series include boys and girls ranging from 8 to U18.

As you improve, you can do the exercises quicker, longer or under more pressure to challenge yourself and increase your skill level.

Dribbling
This series of exercises is specially designed to get players plenty of touches on the ball in a short time period. Players will be challenged by drills that allow them to practice a variety of feints and turns.

You will see step-over moves, Cruyff Turns, lunges, and cuts and you will be encouraged to add your own style and flair. Learn a progression of dribbling drills that encourage lots of tight, controlled touches with all surfaces of the foot. Sharpen your skills using Coach Koon's simple grid layout or his obstacle course.

Goal Keeping
Discover simple drills that will help you develop the quick hands and soft catches you need to keep the ball out of the net. As you go deeper into the video, you will uncover more challenging drills for catches and dives that promote side to side movement and quick footwork. Finally, you will see exercises you can use to improve both footwork and ball settling from a variety of services coming off a wall.

Because of the constant ball contact these drills provide, they can also be used for conditioning. Simply increase the distances and players will benefit not only from lots of touches but also from the aerobic conditioning.

After viewing the 2,000 Touches Series, players will have everything they need to go outside and get meaningful touches on the ball. And parents of young players will be able to create challenging exercises to help guide their young players toward improvement.

96 minutes. 2012.