Product Description
The Backyard Sports kids are kicking off soccer season with a tournament. But before the kids know it, the tournament has become bigger than their little field can handle. They need to find a new field and fast! Will the kids be able to fix up a new field, organize the tournament, and still enjoy playing together? Or will all of the stress of planning such a big event tear their team apart? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Backyard Sports Home Field Advantage
I was searching for a easy chapter soccer story and came across this series. Ordered it. My son can't wait to get other stories in this series. Love the video games and the stories. Great for boy and girls sports fanatic. Easy to read. ... Read more

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The place of football in the colonial and post-colonial past is explored and both British and Portuguese influences on the development of the game are considered. Contemporary issues such as the impact of the professional league in India and the role of UK Asians in the organization of the Indian game are considered. Future scenarios are explored and models for progression and problems facing the sport in south Asia are outlined. ... Read more

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Analyzing individual and team play is essential to improving performance in soccer, but identifying the right information and putting it to good use can be tricky. This is the first book to focus entirely on match analysis in the game of soccer.

Representing an essential and unique resource, this handbook looks at the very latest in match analysis research, and at the innovative technologies being used by professional clubs. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, it documents the methods by which coaches, sport scientists and fitness coaches can improve individual and team performance in soccer. The following areas are covered:

DT tactics, technical ability and physical fitness
DT how to supply objective feedback to players
DT how to develop specific training routines
DT manual, video and computerized match analysis systems
DT current research findings in soccer match analysis

By combining the latest scientific data and methods of analysis with the practical advice needed by those on the sideline, this book breaks new ground and offers a winning glimpse into the future of match analysis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Worth reading if you are into video analysis
There is not very much written about match analysis, and therefore every contribution to this area is welcome. If you are working in this area this book is definitely worth reading. However my feeling is that it is not totally up to date, and from my point of view it would be more interesting with a thourough review of the most modern analysis tools, and how to use this information. But definitely a book worth reading and a good summary of the field of match analysis.

For the Serious Coach
This book takes an in depth look into the analysis of the game. After reading this book a coach's understanding of the systems used to analise a game will become clearer. From simple methods of analysing, to complex, through the use of computor programsand digital cameras, this book gives a coach the tools to understand what he/she should be looking for when analysing a game. Excellent for the serious coach! ... Read more

Product Description
Lou Barnes has a little trouble remembering to watch his position on the soccer field. So sometimes he gets called offside-and during a game, that can cost the team a chance at a goal. Then one game, Lou gets a reminder of the offside rule from a very unlikely source: a dog! But where did the dog come from, and who taught him how to play soccer? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a soccer dog
I like this book because a dog plays soccer and saves this boy from getting run over by a car. I also like this book because it is funny and it is easy to understand. After the boy figured out that the dog had saved him he wanted to keep him, but his owner came to pick him up. The next day against the panthers the owner of the dog came to watch the game. To his surprize after the game he came up to the boy and said "you can have him ". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Look no Further
You could spend a fortune on soccer coaching aids and learn nothing to improve your ability to impart your knowledge to your students.This book is the exception.It has everything a thoughtful coach requires.If you are new to coaching, you are probably coaching your 6 year old at the Park District, and so you will have to put this away for when your subjects are old enough to be comfortable with drills.However, if you have any experience at all (playing or coaching,) you will soon (well, maybe not soon, as this book is dense,) find a drill that perfectly repeats an exercise, that once mastered will eliminate some fault that a player or players have been exhibiting on the field.(probably unlearning the bad habits of Park District play.) But be forewarned: it takes knowledge to understand the depth of the lesson.I assisted a head coach once, and presented the drill that was required to start the squad on the learning experience.He thought about it, adopted it a week later, having changed it around, and lost the essential part of the drill.No surprise, he had never played the game, and was primarily a basketball coach.Felt sorry for the kids, though.

Great Reference Book
This is a great reference book for any soccer coach. This "go-to" wealth of information will be something you refer to even if just for new ideas. ... Read more

Product Description
Master each key skill on the soccer field with Soccer: Steps to Success. This comprehensive guide contains progressive instruction for optimal learning of individual techniques and team tactics.

Improve your skills in dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting, defending, tackling, heading, and goalkeeping with the help of clear, detailed descriptions and accompanying illustrations of all fundamental techniques and variations. Then learn how and when to apply those skills in game situations, such as winning one-on-one matchups or attacking and defending individually or as part of a team. More than 155 drills hone your skills and gauge your readiness to move on to the next step through a clear, easy-to-follow scoring system.

Become a complete player able to perform a variety of skills and execute basic tactics consistently and successfully. Soccer: Steps to Success has helped more than 80,000 players like you take their game to a much higher level. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An valuable resource for any level player or coach
Joseph Luxbacher's **Soccer: Steps to Success** provides soccer players of all levels the tools needed to become a better player.Well written and concise, Dr. Luxbacher not only offers the reader the steps to achievesuccess, but also (and perhaps more importantly), unlike most instructionalbooks, diagnoses frequent errors and provides the steps to overcome them. The book covers all aspects of play and details dozens of practice gamesdesigned to improve any soccer players ability.

A great read for anyplayer or coach who wishes to improve their understanding of the game andtheir skills or the skills of their team. ... Read more

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"Scott and David have done a fantastic job getting into the psyche of these very young players. What I really love is their emphasis on FUN, and that kids learn by DOING. This book will make a great extra assistant as you prepare for your season."—Bobby Clark, Head Soccer Coach, University of Notre Dame; author of the best-selling Coaching Youth Soccer: The Baffled Parent's Guide

Coach. You're the new coach of your child's soccer team, and you're not sure how to teach your players the fundamentals of soccer while also ensuring they have fun. Don't panic—Coaching 6-and-Under Soccer is here to help.

Coaching 6-and-Under Soccer offers straightforward advice, tips, and techniques, including reward-based games and drills; your first six practices in an easy-to-photocopy format; and how to teach soccer basics to 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds in ways that are fun for you and your players. This complete tool kit for a new coach includes:

• The twelve easy-to-run drills that work best with young soccer players
• How to keep your young players happy and active while they learn
• How to make parents your best assistants and supporters
• How to keep the focus where it belongs—not on winning or losing, but on having fun
• How to have a terrific time coaching young players

"Coaching 6-and-Under Soccer shows you how to teach your young players the right way—through lively games that encourage kids to use their creativity and self-expression when playing."—Brandi Chastain, Olympic and World Cup Soccer Champion; author of It's Not About the Bra: Play Hard, Play Fair, and Put the Fun Back into Competitive Sports

"I have no doubt that young players will come to love the game of soccer if their coaches follow the simple, straightforward advice in this book."—Anson Dorrance, Head Women's Soccer Coach, University of North Carolina; author of The Vision of a Champion: Advice and Inspiration from the World's Most Successful Women's Soccer Coach

"I highly recommend this terrific book to coaches who want to instill good sportsmanship and the love of the game in their young players while building a solid foundation in basic soccer skills and teamwork."—Jeremy Gunn, Head Men's Soccer Coach, Fort Lewis College ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Good Reference!
This was a great support as I coached my son's K-2 soccer team - the games and skills were easy to implement, the practice plans were easy to adjust and use to plan practices.The only thing I struggled with was some of the 'violence' if you will in the games and scenarios, these days in schools even as the soccer coach it is a bit hard to encourage the Elmer Fudd game where the hunters shoot the ball at the rabbits, I get the theory but in todays schools I had to adjust some of the scenarios.Otherwise my kiddos really loved the play atmosphere of practice and LOVED coming to get going on the fun 'games' that teach skills...

Excellent purchase
This is an excellent purchase for anyone taking on the task of coaching U6 and under.I am a second year U5 coach and had no clue where to begin.The book addressed most of my concerns.If you are new at soccer or have been around for a while - coaching 3,4 and 5 year olds is a far different beast that your older kids.Great book - lots of personal stories that will make you laugh and most of all encouraging you as a coach to have fun with this age group.Because it is all about fun for U6 and under.

A lifesaver for new coaches!!
My husband and I decided to coach our 5 year old son's soccer team this fall, because he had a prettynegative experience with his last volunteer coach and we wanted to make sure this soccer season was more fun. Neither of us had ever coached before, but this book really saved our bacon. It helped confirm what we already believed, that soccer for this age group should be about having fun, learning skills and building friendships, not about competition. The drills in this book are all presented in the form of fun games, and the kids loved them! As a result, we had very few behavior problems with our kids, tons of enthusiasm, and almost 100% attendance at every practice and game. Coincidentally, we also won every game we played, even though we didn't focus on the competitive aspects of the sport. I think we won because our kids were so happy and excited about playing. Their parents all expressed appreciation and gratitude to us. In short, this book is golden... buy it!

Fantastic book
Fantastic book!!! If you're looking to coach a young team, then buy this book!

I'm a first time coach for 5 year old girls team. This helped me better understand how to teach them. Just in the second practice, the girls started to get a good handle on dribbling. Had our first game yesterday and they really did great handling the ball/scoring goals. The practice schedules in the back are very good and fast paced. I recommend even cutting them down to 8-minutes each, as there's always something that delays the breaks.

A helpful guide
Having played soccer for decades, this book helped me when it came time to coach my first very young team.There are some great ideas and the book is very good at preparing a coach for the mindset of coaching very young players.Pick it up - well worth having in your bag of tricks. ... Read more

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David dreams of soccer glory, and is willing to suffer hours of monotonous practice drills to achieve it. His asthma might slow him down a little, but he works every day to be a better player.

The coach of his Winnipeg team has a different formula for success: play the best players, and let the rest spend the season warming the bench. When the first line fails to show for a crucial game on a cold, rainy day the bench steps up and plays with grit, but coach Prescott is oblivious. When the team wins the championship, it's an empty victory for most of the players. But when he explains the situation to his grandfather, David finally finds a way to get the coach's attention.

Through fast-paced soccer action, Shut-Out! keeps readers guessing as David fights for his place in the game.

[Fry Reading Level - 3.0] ... Read more

Product Description
Here is everything a parent or coach needs to know tosuccessfully work with a youth soccer team--in one easy-to-followvolume.

COACHING YOUTH SOCCER is the perfect handbook for parents and coachesof youth soccer teams (particularly those who have little or noknowledge of the game and are daunted by the task of teaching it to agroup of kids). The first section looks at the role of the coach,providing simple, sensible guidelines for how to best teach children,with an emphasis on repetition, praise, constructive criticism and, ofcourse, fun. The second section covers basic-skills developmentthrough a series of exercises, from simple passes to the correctmethod of heading a ball. The third section focuses on creatingpractice sessions for different age groups, warming up, and dealingwith injuries, as well as a comprehensive guide to the rules of thegame. Fully illustrated with clear, useful line drawings, COACHINGYOUTH SOCCER will take the novice coach through season aftersuccessful season. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent book
The best youth soccer book I've seen, and I've seen a lot of them. Good overview of the fundamentals. Excellent drills, especially for creating and working in space. ... Read more

Product Description
Dewey London and Bundy Neel are psyched about the new summer soccer league, until they learn about the contest to be team captain: whoever draws the best team logo will be named captain.Should artistic Dewey enter even though Bundy would make a better captain? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Friends Forever
When two friends see a poster for a summer soccer team sign up they are instantly excited, but when they realize that whomever makes the tee shirt design for the team gets to be team captain they are both really excited.There's only one problem.One can't draw, but he would make an excellent team leader.The other one can draw, but has no interest in being team captain.Only turning the pages will allow you to find out which friend, Dewey or Bundy, gets to be the winner of the contest!

This is a great book to get kids thinking about what their talents are and what they would do in Dewey and Bundy's situation.This is a great series of books for early readers.My seven year old is the one who picked out this book for us to read and can't wait for the next book in the series that we chose to read.Definitely a fun read!

By Kerri J. Busteed
Author of Will's First Hunt Will's First Hunt

Soccer Story
Sports Stories.Mid-upper elementary.

Summary
Stookie Norris's older brother, Greg, makes a soccer hat trick and gets his picture in the paper.This prompts Stookie to try to score all during his next game by hogging the ball.He plays out of position, fails to work with the team, wears himself out, and gets chewed out by the coach.

Illustrations
Some black and white drawings in the book.

... Read more

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Tired of his sister getting all the attention during games, Ted Gaddy learns the same move that another successful fullback uses. But will his sister thwart his plan? Illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

TERRIFIC -- gender-neutral series! DAUGHTER loves it!
What a TERRIFIC SERIES!Our 6-year old daughter is an avid and excellent reader.She loves this series (we have all the volumes but one).

We have given the books as GIFTS to boys and girls ages 7-8, too, and they all seem to love the books.

HIGHLY recommended for BOYS AND GIRLS!Fun, funny, age-appropriate reading.

ENJOY! ... Read more

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Build a successful team around the strengths of your players! In Soccer Systems and Strategies, two coaches of the Danish national team provide a guide to implementing the world’s top systems, strategies, and styles of play into your game plan.

Learn the basics of the four major soccer systems and the different styles of play within each of these systems to help you select the best style for your team. Choose from attacking styles, various defensive styles, and styles that are characteristic of different international soccer powers, including the Latin, British, Norwegian, South American, and African systems. Drills and practice tips are included to help your players grasp and master the system you select.

Teams throughout the world have shown that adapting a system to match players' strengths—instead of placing every group of players within an existing system—is a key to winning. With Soccer Systems and Strategies, you have all the information you need to fit the ideal system to your team and give your team the best chance to win. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An Outline for a Book
Four systems of play are covered (4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 3-4-3) in a grand total of 28 pages.That's an average of 7 pages per system covered.In my opinion, that should be the length of the introduction to these systems.If you are looking for a book to guide you in your decision as to what system to use with your team...THIS IS NOT THE BOOK!No descriptions are given as to what kinds of players could fill the roles in each of the systems.No details are given on how different situations are dealt with given different player alignments.One sample training session is given for each system which would probably take up 20-30 minutes of practice time.There is no discussion on variants of each system. This book does not live up to its title!

An excellent overview, neither too simple nor too technical
This book, by Danish authors, seeks to explain the major systems of play, as well as attacking strategies for different aspects of the game (set pieces such as corner kicks, throw ins, free kicks, etc.)The book covers the major systems (4-4-2, 3-5-2, 4-3-3...) and gives both a sample training session and an example of how a well-known team has played each system.This section on systems of play is probably the most valuable portion of the book, and makes it worth buying.

The rest of the book focuses on various other aspects of the game, mostly set pieces.Several different options are given, and easy to read diagrams are provided for each of them.The authors also talk briefly about the style of play of different regions of the world (South America, Europe, Africa), and make some observations about each, but this section is really very limited, as the discussion mentions only those general characteristics of each (For example, the South American style is generally characterized by players who are highly skilled with the ball, and teams who try to score as a result of possessing the ball.) and does not really compare and contrast their merits or deficits to any real extent.

Also briefly mentioned are topics such as player psychology, coaching philosophy and methods, and other game situations like penalty kicks.These topics are also relatively limited in scope, although the information they provide is worthwhile.

Overall this is a very good book on tactics, one that is certainly worth reading for the systems of play portion, but the other sections, while they are adequate, fail to live up to that measure of quality.An additional critique of the book is that the Danish style of long ball direct play does tend to predominate some of the discussion in each area.Notwithstanding these elements, however, I do recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about tactics and systems of play.

Planning For A Successful Soccer Team Performance
An informative book for all individuals interested in learning the basics of Soccer team play and performance.The author provides information concerning the fundimentals, and development of systems of play, &styles of play. Attacking & defensive styles of play are outlined aswell as providing information on how various countries have adapted asoccer style of play. Team tactics and technical training are othersubjects covered in general terms. There is an interesting and informativechapter relating to Coaching, the role of the coach,methods of training,and building a team. A chapter diagramming plays when there are dead ballsituations is most interesting with regard to player alignment, and thevairous steps required to execute a successful play. This book is a goodstart for all those who would like to get to learn the basics of Soccerteam play and further pursue a more detailed knowledge of the game. ... Read more

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Confessions of a Premiership Referee

Ever wondered what it’s like to step out onto a soccer pitch with 50,000 fans screaming abuse at you while you try and make an informed decision? This is the story of English football’s most colourful and controversial referee, in his own words.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

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Soccer is the world's most popular sport, which makes it the most multicultural of sports. From this it should follow that the multicultural movement here in America would strongly support soccer.But instead of embracing the sport of the "Other," the movement has ignored sports, and while younger multiculturalists may be soccer fans, the older ones have generally clung to America's own sports.Soccer in America has ended up being a sport for those in the middle or even on the right rather than for those on the left. The people who show up at soccer games include fraternity jocks, sorority girls and members of the military, none of whom are thought of as multiculturalist or open-minded by those on the left.This book is about sports in America and the rest of the world. The many topics it explores include soccer's place in the world, a comparison of the sports environments in America and England, a critical examination of America's sports, the history of prejudice against soccer in America, and the failure of many of America's leftists to overcome that prejudice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I haven't read it - but it's wonderful!
Just to balance out the other review here from someone who admits he hasn't read the book but only gave it two stars anyway. Hilarious!

Politics of Sport
Recently, there's been an effort to politicize the sport of soccer. One writer on the left recently accuse all conservatives of being racists because a couple of conservative commentators had pointed out the obvious--that for all the frenzy soccer creates in its fans, the sport is actually rather dull, with guys merely running around in circles, falling down occasionally, and games often ending 0-0.

Judging by the product description, John Pepple has a different take. He blames the "older" multiculturalists on the left for abandoning the game to "fraternity jocks, sorority girls and members of the military, none of whom are thought of as multiculturalist or open-minded by those on the left." It is "prejudice," according to this Mr. Pepple, that leads them to think that way.

I certainly wouldn't see myself on the left, but I do believe that anyone, whatever their politics, has a right to dislike soccer or any other sport without having their political views attacked and their motives impugned. All this fuss is silly. There's no inherent virtue in liking soccer and disliking it doesn't make you a bigot.

Michael W. Perry, author of Untangling Tolkien: A Chronology and Commentary for The Lord of the Rings ... Read more

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