The Greenwood Method
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Soccer Tips
To Our Coaches Beginners & Advanced...
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Are you prepared to run a proper session?
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Are you a Teacher or Preacher at practice?
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Are your demonstrations done correctly, or is the picture blurry to the attending students?
Things To Remember...
A. Begin your session with upbeat activity, and establish your team's identification and style. Spend your warm-up on more than an activity to prepare your body and mind, but also to let the team bond by funny jokes, competitions, and educating them with a professional experience through competitions, and staying alert. This sets a culture of being prepared all the time, and never let your guard do.
B. Break your team in groups in #s where they work and keep sharp in their Footballing technical skills. "Even the best players in the world cherish these moments to keep sharp, but also keep learning otherwise you can go stale and lazy. Groups are organized based on physical goals of the coach. NO LINES AND NO STANDING AROUND WAITING YOUR TURN MONKEYING AROUND. This is negative training and sets a standard as a whole to the club that if the manager isn't serious than how can we?
C. After the topics are concluded, never too many topics in one session. The cool down or end of session fitness should be fun and competitive just as much as your warm up. Finish your training on a high positive note with much confidence building as you can. This will empower the students or players to want to come back. No they can't wait for the next session.
This Week's Tip on Rhythm and Timing
A lost art and misunderstood topic that isn't taught enough in the United States...
Exercise 1
Set up
Each player with a Soccer ball stand in perfect rows with about 3 yds. to the side of player, and in front or back.
Example: If there are 12 players at the session you can put them in rows of 4 x 4 x 4.
Action
On the coach's command (whistle, clap, or shout) all the players perform suppleness exercises in unison with each other. Some students can't keep up then the rest of the team continue till the allotted time. This is not footspeed, or ball gymnastics, rather than Ball Mastery done in perfect rhythm.
Option: You can also use this combined with player's running with the ball and stopping quickly and performing the Suppleness exercises together till they hear a command then the use a change of speed with the dribble and do it again 10 yds later.
Tips For Success
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Put emphasis on style and rhythm.
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Increase the demands by less rest and time limit in between sets.
Exercise 2
Set up
Small group set up of no more than 5 players 5ds apart in a gap of two markers 10 yards apart.
Action
Front player of each line of 5 carry the ball with outside of the foot at top speed to the first gap 10 yards away and stop and perform ball gymnastic exercise until coach or trainer initiates command or whistle and then next two players behind start and each group so on until across the gaps. Great for stopping and starting and working on moves in between. Good organization and rhythm.
Tips For Success
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Emphasize work rate by increasing time in between progressing forward.
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Progress to different categories of dribbling moves, and increase difficulty.
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Keep the groups small under 5 for resting periods are vital and can be often exaggerated which allows players too much rest, or under evaluated and defeats purpose and turns into a fitness test.
Exercise 3
Set up
Square using Agility Poles 5 by 5 yds with 4 players each on a corner of the grid.
Action
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2 players with the ball at their feet diagonally apart and 2 other players without the ball.
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Players with the ball are defenders and other 2 players attacking players.
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Defenders pass the ball across to their attacking players and close them down (Defenders don't tackle but simulate defensive pressure and proper defensive stance.)
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Attacking players receiving and perform a Body Fake to create space towards the next cone which is vacated by the other defender. Attacking players finish with the ball at the next corner.
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Once attacking dribblers finish at next corner they prepare to pass to the next player and Defense and Offense keep working around the square switching their roles.
Tips For Success
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Use this exercise with proper time restraints to receive with appropriate foot and perform the dribble and create space with precision and speed.
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Change the dribble ever 3 or 4 sets.
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For great success and organization the defender plays the ball across on the coaches command.
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Great exercise with great timing and precision.
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Teaches players to be composed with the ball when pressure arrives.
What do all the best Footballers in the world have in common? It's not dribbling skills, finishing accuracy, strength, size, or good looks. The answer is SPEED! Not speed like running a race or breaking the gym's 40 record. No not that type of speed. We are talking about Footballers SPEED! What's that you say? Footballing Speed is not only how fast you can get from A to B, but I am going to tell you and show you through The Greenwood Method of Player Development why these such promising athletes end up quitting Soccer.
First let me explain who I am.
My name is Clint Greenwood and I am a former professional Footballer who had stints in Wales, England, Canada, and The U.S. before creating The Clint Greenwood Soccer Academy. It was formed in 1991 when I was in CAlifornia for a 2 week holiday during the Winter Break in The UK where I was playing for Hereford United F.C. at that time. It wasn't till 1996 when I hung up my boots and stopped playing full-time professionally, and started focusing on Coaching, Training, and running CGSA. I have been Technical Director of 2 major youth clubs in Southern California, Director of Coaching of 2 more clubs located in Southern California, and Director of Operations at Clint Greenwood Soccer Academy LLC since 1991.
The truth is simple. And I would like to explain it to you if you don't mind. It would be nice to just point your finger on one component that is a miss in US Soccer. Some experts say it's the week Soccer Culture in America that keeps the nation handcuffed and no keys to unlock the cuffs that has basically not allowed Soccer to grow more passionately because the majority of Americans are still stuck on the concept of Sport has to have a lot of scoring and more action. Some others say it's the media and their purposeful lack of covering the Soccer in The U.S. and covering more in depth and personal the better Americans that are playing. I am going to list what I think are the issues that are capable of fixing in the near future, and I will show and tell you how. After a long study on this subject, I came with the obvious components that stick out to me and can be fixed, but the obstacles that are in the way remain and nothing has been done yet about them. Here are the 4 components that are not happening in The U.S.
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4 Soccer Components Missing in US Soccer
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Purposeful Teaching of individual skills, including fundamentals.
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No Superstars, household names with a passionate media backing.
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Strong and Demanding presence from the MLS clubs that fund great talent, with realistic opportunity going from Youth Academy and signing with the 1st Team.
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A Conscious effort on developing a style of player that has developed in the States and that we can start to have young boys and girls naturally try to emulate their idols.
* The result of not having these Soccer Personality Traits in this culture results in a non Soccer Country. At the youth level there are far too many bad club coaches, trainers, referees, spectators, board members, and associations. As I said earlier in this article, and other before this is this. Without advancing the American Soccer players fluidity in their running and their rhythm as well, far too many promising athletes will not notice until its too late, because Lastly Until American Soccer Development stops signing players as rookies after they played 4 years of College Soccer, and developing the best talent at 12 years old and up with proper contracts of Academy Youth, U-19 Academy, B Team Academy, and then 1st team with all contracted and paid this country will always be a College level National Team.
Above - Landon Donovan noted as The best US Soccer Player of All Time. Landon of Redlands California was an Alumni playing his entire youth career with Director of CGSA Clint Greenwood. Donovan also attended CGSA Camps, Clinics, and Private Lesson Programs. "Landon was rare in this country in regards to knowledge of the sport as a young boy loved so much. Coming from non Soccer Parents, Landon seeked out through great curiosity the right education, and was a mature young boy who truly controlled his mind in regards to receiving the best Soccer Trainer, and Coach so he would maximize his efforts in developing his proper skills to play at a high level, and the right tactical teaching and coaching that would be a platform for learning and advancing his ability to what would be later the best Soccer player in The United States holding records as the player that has scored the most goals for the USMNT, and the most goals in MLS history, the record 5 Honda Player of The Year Awards, the only American to sign for a Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen for a record 1.2 million dollars, and being the youngest to sign that contract at age 17.
The Clint Greenwood Soccer Academy Pyramid of Player Development
"The Blueprint of The Greenwood Method"
Question #1
Do you watch Football on the television?
Result of Survey
13 % are avid fans and do watch English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, etc.
23% of the people we asked said no because its never shown on their cable channels, and its expensive to get the channels that are showing the games.
10% Answered that they don't regularly watch Soccer, but do watch the World Cup.
The Rest said that they Do Not watch Football on TV because it's boring.
Question #2
Can you name 5 players from Liverpool F.C. and 5 Current Players from The U.S. National Team?
Result of Survey
100% of the 20 people in the survey could not name 5 current Liverpool 1st team players, as well as they couldn't name 5 current USMNT players.
Question #3
(Pt. 1) What do you like about Football to both the adults and the campers, and (pt. 2) Just to the campers, What do you like to do at practice.
Result of Survey
60% of the adults like watching their child play Soccer but don't like to watch it on television, or professional games. 40 % like watching Soccer abroad but not the MLS games. 75% of the campers like to shoot on goal at practice, and play scrimmage. ONLY 25% of the campers said that they like to learn new dribbling moves, and work on passing and 1 on 1 to get better performance in a game.
The History of Soccer and What Could Have Been.
This is an example of a lack of passion from a naive country without much of a history in tradition anyway. Americans have come a long way and getting better, because in the 70's through the 80's and really were hanging on a thread and could have lost Soccer professionally all together but for my generation when my good friend and former teammate Paul Caligiuri of Diamond Bar scores a goal against Trinidad and Tobago, which sends the U.S.M.N.T. to the World Cup in Italy, and then following it up with winning the chance to be host of the next World Cup in 1994, and showing the Americans the beautiful game, ultimately hosting one of the best World Cups in history. At that time I was settled and playing in the UK and doing well. Back home in the States same thing was going on where no major professional Soccer League except the Major Indoor Soccer League which them too were on their last legs and barely surviving. A lot of stories were going around that they too might have to close up shop which to me looked very unstable. I have dual citizenship so for me I could play in the UK and not be a foreign player which in Europe each club is only allowed 4 foreigners in the entire club. I returned home a year and 1/2 later and finished my last 5 years of full time Football in California in the USISL and began the formation of The Clint Greenwood Soccer Academy. If you would like to read more on the piece of American Soccer History and what could have been click the link listed below.
Why Are Such a High Percentage of Young Soccer Players That Were So Successful When They Were U-10 through U-14, Just Fall By The Wasteside, or In Many Cases Just Disappear From High Level Youth Soccer? If Speed of Play is So Important At The Highest Level of Football, and There Are An Abundant of Young Talented Soccer Players With Physical Attributes That Can Transition Into A Very Good Player, Why Do You See That Big Drop OFF Of Athletes That End Up Playing After Youth, Either in a University or Professional. It Shows My Point Better This Way.
The Club Coaches Are Developing Bad Habits Not Players
- At The Clint Greenwood Soccer Academy alll our exercises focus on the proper Footspeed, Suppleness, Balance, Rhythm, and Timing of Soccer Dictated Scenarios always planned carefully with the upmost authenticity focusing on an overall makeup of a Professional Footballer of today.
Above Ashley Nick a former CGSA Team Program Player, USC NCAA Champion and Professional Footballer all around the world.
The Club Coaches Are Developing Bad Habits Not Players
Because they’re stiff, rigid, and they lack fluidity. The stride if a sprinter compared to a World Class Soccer Player when they have the ball at their feet, or even defending someone that does are complete opposites and that's why over use of ladders, hurdles, rings, etc can be overused or misused to the point of creating bad habits in mobility and World Class Soccer Players rely on mobility and the ability to change direction, preparation to strike the ball while running at pace, or receiving the ball with great touch and control so they don't miss a beat or rhythm to get the ball to the next area or player.
Truth is, more linear speed doesn’t necessarily equal better performance in game… Heck, neither does heavier lifting, a higher vertical, or impressive broad jump. The obvious piece of factual information that everyone should consider is; "the lack of proper teaching technical skills with experienced trainers implementing exercises with purposeful content."
Despite being the most popular sport in the world U.S. are still very low when it comes to interest level. In a survey taken 2020 only 13% of the respondents have a committed interest in the sport.
With a country like U.S. that has a deep culture supporting their fondness and loyalty towards sports like American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, and even NASCAR, where is the education going to come from in an American home. It's not going to come from the parents which have no clue of the fine technical details of Soccer, and more importantly cannot honestly, and professionally make any sort of argument to support the game of Soccer and share their wisdom and knowledge to their child who in most cases follow in their parents footsteps. With such a fragile low interest rate of Americans, many of those are second generation Latin Americans, and have been away from the importance of popularity of the sport, their children are having to filter out their educators "Coaches", and take full responsibility toward which teachers are Authentic and which coaches / teachers are not knowledgeable enough to develop a World Class level Footballer.
Good News for you, here’s a way to transfer your God given talent and harness it, and prepare yourself for "Total Footballing Development." CGSA is a purposeful Soccer Training Center of Excellence, that focuses on overall Player Development and through intensive, and demanding curriculum's will transfer your ability to having a certain impact to your performance in a game.
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