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We use Anytime Soccer Training. The built in skill progression has saved us a lot of time and energy.

Hi I found your channel today and hopefully you can answer my question. I am setting up a u6 team and I have 7/8 players atm two of the players (my son and his best mate) have brothers in u7 now going to u8 and have been playing and training with the there team for almost a year and can hold there own with the higher age group. My question is what do I with them? As the other players I now have can’t pass and can’t really dribble I’m playing games and trying to get the new ones to at least be able to pass but the two that have been playing a while I fill I getting are getting bored and then go on to mess about with the Easier drills for the new ones it’s like I’m holding them back and they are getting bored. Any advice please as me telling my boy and his mate that they are more experienced and should be helping the others seems to have no affect.

Hi coach, do you know much about college soccer scholarships?

Thanks for the great video/info. My club used a company to run tryouts and I wasn't too happy with the way the individual ran it, so I asked a couple of the kids to come to a training session or two, and it helped.

This looks great. May I ask why only half the pitch is used as in a proper game it would have to translate to a full pitch? Thank you.

Coach, how do you handle coaching kids that are weak in all areas of the game (run slow, lack dribbling control, lack passing strength, lack of aggression, and low soccer iq)? Where would you position them in a team formation for 7v7 (2-3-1) or 9v9 (4-3-1)? What would you do if you have more than one on the team?

I would love more rondo content

Just discovered the channel! Thanks for the great information. I’ve back yard coached my son for years and he is really good. He has played travel for one season at a local club, but we can’t afford to continue with it. If we keep him playing in rec, do you think it will hinder his development? He is 8. Check the channel for his videos. Thanks again!

Why do MLS teams use scrimmaging as the bases of looking for players?

I fully agree with what you mentioned about asking to go to a practice prior to tryouts. I think parents should consider going to training sessions at multiple clubs and ask to talk with coaches. If the coaches don't want to talk to you, I'd be very cautious of that club....especially at the youth level. You also mention are the kids enjoying soccer...I think there's an element that the parents need to see do the coaches enjoy coaching and working with the kids. Watch their relationship with the kids that are there. Your kid's coaches are adults you really don't know that much about and you want to trust they are strong positive relationship in your child's life. For that matter...what's the relationship between the kids. Are they having fun with each other and building each other up or are they getting in each others face if mistakes are made. Lastly...talk to as many parents that are there as you can. As a parent you're going to get to know them well on the sidelines....its nice when its people you can get along with. One thing that parents don't think about is style of play. Some clubs just want to win at all cost at every age group, others focus on development and equal playing time and don't care about the score of games.

I am the DOC of our 2013 pre academy. I enrolled in Anytime Soccer last year..and it was a huge hit with the players and families..and yes it's inexpensive compared to the value 😊

Quality meeting you in Scotland Rory, great channel mate!

Still anticipating the 'defending in the 4-2-3-1' video. We're moving into 11v11 this fall and I'm seriously considering this formation as opposed to a typical 4-3-3. As for a question, any tips on transitioning from 9v9 to 11v11?

I knew about techne, but not the other app. Thanks!

Brilliant content! You got a subscriber....and a fan!

these helped me alot to realize the mistakes i made , great video

I'm using Anytime Soccer App with my son and the results have been absolutely awesome..... and the price is great

Thank you Coach, What exercises should i do to improve decision making for my u12

We've use Anytime for personal training and a great value. Thanks Coach!

Thanks for the great content, how do you adpat this to 9vs9 (u11/u12)

How do you keep the 6 involved in the 4-3-1, he's barely touching the ball throughout all the different patterns?

How to maintain disciplines?

4-3-1

All great advice. I’d also add watching professional soccer, both on TV and in person. We learn from watching the best!

Agree! US Youth Futbol is deeply entrenched in the “Pay-to-Play” model across various clubs, even at dominant regional ones. There’s no way around it, as these clubs operate like businesses, heavily relying on academy fees from their players for survival. For instance, if a player has been with a particular club since an early age (around 5-6 years old), it becomes challenging for the club to demote them to a lower tier due to their subpar skills later on. Interestingly, the least skilled or new players often end up having their parents as the team managers, leading to team politics within the club. This reality extends to US Futbol at all levels, ultimately rolling up to the US Women’s National Team. While this issue wasn’t as prominent during the years of USWNT dominance, the global rise in women’s Futbol popularity necessitates a shift away from the “Pay-to-Play” model for competitive play moving forward.

That was a great video ❤

Great idea for parents and new coaches for tips and ideas about home sessions. Most videos out there are all the same but love the context and content here.

Big fan of this one!

Thanks Rory! This is really helpful as I’m a new head coach for a U10 club and doing my homework to make it a great experience for our boys

Those are solid tips

Such a good video coach! Love that you called out wall ball!

How about juggling? Be good to hear your thoughts on that for developing eye on ball, control, use of different parts of their bodies, comfort with ball in the air etc. I find it's a good motivator and something kids can really gauge their development on based on their best juggle count improving over time

Can you review the other training apps that are available? Also, must have training equipment would be interesting to know.

Hi , do you have the “retreat line” rule in US for younger age games? (before U12 I mean)

Great content!! Do you have any speciifcs regarding the "homework" you assign?

Avoid lap running Ask questions to explore topics rather than teach everything outright. Have players critique their own performance during games at the next practice, then add input from experience. Ask them what they noticed, what they did well, what might need some work. Try to think like you would have when you were a child. What did you want to do at practices, why did you want to play soccer, what caused anxiety and pressure, how did you overcome...work out these things to maximize their experience to grow in passion for the sport. It doesn't matter how good they get if they don't want to come back next season. The coach is not just the teacher, but is also a role model and a friend. Those kids look up to you, and you could be the best example of a "good person" in some of their lives. Be an example of sportsmanship, respect, responsibility, grace, love, morals, integrity, etc.

100% agree. MLS pros themselves have said this.

I prefer 2-3-1 as well for many of the reasons you've outlined (I like natural wing play), but I think you're approaching buildup shape incorrectly in the 3-2-1 which is exacerbating the issues. I don't think positioning the centerback on the edge of the box makes sense when you've already got two central midfielders helping bypass a central press. I would much rather bring the centerback into the box where he can face the press and essentially form the same back 4 shape of the 2-3-1, but utilizing your keeper as the 2nd centerback. You shift the keeper from restarting centrally to cheating all the way to one side of the goal box, you have the CB across the goal on the other corner of the goal box or perhaps a bit wider but well inside the penalty box and then you can push the fullbacks all the way to the sideline creating a 4-2-1 buildup shape that includes the keeper. As you move up the pitch, you're going to lose your line of 4 so this doesn't solve your natural width issues for chance creation, but it should allow you to build out using wide spaces and then transition to overlapping width rather than natural width in attack.

I practice twice a week. Do you recommend doing this same type of practice every time? 2v2 or 3v2 into Rondo into coordinated, and then conditioning games?

Barry Sanders on the wall!! Got my sub lol

This helped me a lot thanks you

Coach Rory is your son fin and does he play for casa united in harrisburg

When you’re working on pattern choreography, are your extra players just watching from the sideline and rotated in every few rounds?

How do you handle cutting players that have played on your team? Ones that just tried out and ones that that’ve been on your team for a while and now thinking of cutting?

Hi coach Rory,I've been doing rondos for a few years with u12 and upwards with different variations. I have a role at our club whete I mentor some if the younger teams u/6 upwards.Would you recommend doing the 4v0 rondos with the littlest?

Hey Coach, where would you put a weaker player in this formation that has passing and dribbling issues

What do you think of the centerback #4 passing to the winger #2 then the center back making an overlapping run to receive a pass as the winger covers defense? What do you think about set plays from goal kicks?

Engaging parents is a tough one, i would love if the parents of my team practiced with their kids at home, but I'm wary of overstepping the mark and coming across as lecturing. What advice do you have for strategies to get parents involved?

I'm glad I came back to this video. I'm a fairly new travel coach for GU9 and I failed to engage the parents and it came back to bite me. Fortunately our parents were vocal about it during our last parents' meeting and it was refreshing to hear how much they wanted to be involved. Expecially them asking what they could be doing at home and what the kids could be working on. I have this info but I was not sharing it. My comms are great when it comes to notifying parents about games/practices/events but I was not sharing the statuses of their children and what we (the coaches) are having them focus on. It's always good to check yourself and realize what you can be doing better for your team! Thanks Coach!!

What happened to kids playing in the street or on a concrete basket ball court (not grass) with their school uniforms? We just threw sweaters to the ground to use as goals. The two best players always played in opposing sides and they alternated picking the rest of the players. The owner of the ball had to play. And we played until the sun went down, someones mother shuoted it was time for dinner or the owner of the ball left. And always...but always...no matter the score...whomever made the last goal won. I played my first real futbol game in highschool (with cleats and uniform). In my generation all kids played this way, rich or poor. How many arrived to a pro level? Obviously very few (I played for a week in the lower divisions of my home town). Parents are paying-to-play and the reality is that very, but very few will arrive to a pro level. Very few will even arrive to maybe a college level. If a kid is good he will arrive, somehow. But trying to build a structure of a payed system at so young ages makes no sense to me. Kids should play with their friends after school or in the neighborhood like it has been done always.