Soccer Brain Games

Soccer Brain Games – The below is a sample of my new book “Soccer Brain Games” – to purchase book click – soccer brain games

This book is all about making the connection between representative game design or what I call game-based trainings, and the development of soccer intelligence. Representative game design in soccer terms means, does the exercise closely represent the real game. Is there a coupling of real games cues in the exercise? If the answer is yes, then the knowledge and skills acquired in the exercise or game will transfer easier to a real soccer game. Normally for an exercise to be game-based or game representative, it would involve all four phases of the game. The four phases of soccer are attacking organization, attacking transition, defensive organization, and defensive transition. I am not a large believer in separating the phases of the game into isolation because it becomes less game representative, and tends to lose realism, cues, and coupling. That being said the big question is, just how representative does an exercise need to be to create value for the player? I am a big advocate of positional exercises and rondos for various reasons, I see value in many types of trainings, but game representative or game-based trainings are critical to player development. I would argue that something like a rondo is very game-representative and can be seen as a whole in terms of small-area possession. It may not have a keeper or even goals, but there are defenders pressing, as the players must find a way to keep the ball in this representative environment.

This book is all about soccer intelligence training that takes place in-game representative environments with all four phases of the game present. These are constraint-based training exercises that take place in the context of a real game. The games help create players that can solve soccer problems in ever-changing environments. The future of the game is in the brain not the physical, contrary to common belief. However, in order to overcome the physical and athletic players, the player of the future must be able to think and play quick, using excellent technique in small spaces. If we only play in large spaces with less numbers, the physical will always have an advantage. Enjoy the book and the developmental process.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at coachdibernardo@gmail.com

Exercise #1

Triangles & Angles

Constraints: No square passes are allowed. No straightforward balls are allowed. All forward passes must be played on an angle. Back passes must be 1-touch only.  2-touch limit for all other passes in the game. The game is 9v9+1 as the “+” player is on the team in possession.

Soccer Intelligence: Players must think fast, making a decision before the ball arrives to them. The perception of the game is changed by the constraints, causing the players to seek out flexible solutions to problems, these solutions are often much different than the solutions the player would normally choose. The other beneficial part is that game-based trainings have all the real game couplings and cues, meaning the transfer of information to the real game is already present.