Soccer iQ Quotes

“Note for Coaches: Try this possession exercise. It’s called 31 and it’s my favorite because it incorporates so many aspects of possession, including when to play one-touch and when to take two or more touches. It’s a tough one to keep track of, so if you have some helpers or injured players available (preferably 3), call them into service and assign a team to each one of them. Divide your group into three teams of four and use a grid about 30 x 20 yards. Adjust the size of the grid as necessary. One team is yellow, another is blue, and the third team is red. To start, red and blue play keep-away from yellow. If the blue team, for example, gives the ball away or knocks it out of bounds, the red and yellow immediately play keep-away from blue. There is no touch restriction, but whenever a player on either of the two attacking teams successfully passes the ball to any other attacking player with one touch, both attacking teams are credited with a point. To clarify, two teams get credit for every point that is scored. The object of the game is to be the first team to score 31 points.”
― Dan Blank, Soccer iQ: Things That Smart Players Do

“Smart players that communicate well talk about what’s best for the ball. They feed their teammates a concise stream of information that helps those teammates solve their soccer problems. They are like chess-masters moving the pieces to orchestrate the attack, directing the ball from one teammate to the next. That’s what smart players do. What most players do is see the teammate who has the ball and then scream, “JENNY! JENNY! JENNY!” And there’s poor Jenny at midfield, trying her best to evade two determined opponents and the only help she’s offered is ten teammates shouting her name from ten different directions. Listen – Jenny already knows her name. What Jenny needs is some useful information that will help her out of her current unpleasant predicament. Jenny needs a teammate saying something like, “Drop it to Danielle.” That’s the kind of information she can actually use. Instead she gets, “JENNY! JENNY! JENNY!”
― Dan Blank, Soccer iQ: Things That Smart Players Do

“It will also behoove you to understand soccer’s speed ladder: Slowest – A player dribbling the ball while making lateral movements and fakes. Slow – A player running with the ball, straight ahead, at top speed. Faster – A player running without the ball Fastest – A moving ball Nothing on the soccer field is faster than a moving ball. Nothing.”
― Dan Blank, Soccer iQ: Things That Smart Players Do

“Fast is better than slow. That’s just how”
― Dan Blank, Soccer iQ: Things That Smart Players Do

“Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face!”
― Dan Blank, Soccer iQ: Things That Smart Players Do

“Set up sessions where your defenders see a variety of serves and have to meet them with one-touch clearances with both feet. Set up competitions where each clearance over midfield is worth a point.”
― Dan Blank, Soccer iQ: Things That Smart Players Do

“Slow play is the enemy. Slow play allows your opponent to get organized. Slow play leads to turnovers. Slow play loses games.”
― Dan Blank, Soccer iQ: Things That Smart Players Do

“Aware of Nixon’s propensity for perspiration, Kennedy’s handlers cranked up the thermostat in the television studio for hours before the debate began.”
― Dan Blank, Soccer iQ: Things That Smart Players Do

“whole 360° worth of options”
― Dan Blank, Soccer iQ: Things That Smart Players Do