Soccer

Mind Gym : An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition.

The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer

Written by soccer great and championship Stanford coach Bobby Clark, COACHING YOUTH SOCCER: THE BAFFLED PARENT'S GUIDE tells you how, starting at point zero, an uninitiated coach can meld kids into a team and help them enjoy one of the most rewarding experiences of their youth. (In the end, you may be the one who reaps the biggest reward, as you watch kids learn and grow in an experience they'll treasure for a lifetime.)

The Beckham Experiment: How the World's Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America

In 2007, David Beckham, the golden boy of soccer, shocked the international sports world when he signed a five-year contract with an American team, the Los Angeles Galaxy. Under the direction of his manager, Simon Fuller, the mastermind behind American Idol and the Spice Girls, Beckham was ready for a monumental challenge and a risky adventure–ready, as Fuller put it, to earn his stripes Stateside. Could he pull off what no player had ever accomplished (including Pelé in the 1970s) and transform soccer into one of the most popular spectator sports in America? It was a bold experiment: failure meant a team, a league, a sport, and Beckham himself might miss their chance to hit primetime in the U.S.

With unprecedented access to the Galaxy and one-on-one interviews with Beckham, veteran Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl focuses on the inner circle of the experiment: Beckham, Galaxy leading scorer Landon Donovan, Simon Fuller, controversial former coach Ruud Gullit, outspoken former Galaxy president Alexi Lalas, and Mrs. Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham. Wahl takes readers behind the scenes, on the road with the team and inside the locker room, to reveal just what happened on and off the field when the most renowned player in the world left the glamour of European soccer to play in a country that has yet to fully embrace the sport. We find out what his teammates really think of their superstar captain, who was calling the shots behind the scenes, how Beckham’s management conducted a shadow takeover of the Galaxy organization, and if the team plans to embrace him–or not–when he returns from AC Milan for the 2009 season.

The Beckham Experiment is a no-holds-barred account of ego clashes and epic winless streaks, rivalries and resentments, big gambles and great expectations, cultural and class collisions, and ultimately the volatile mix of celebrity and professional sports. As Beckham embarks on his third season with the Galaxy, the question remains: even for a player the caliber of David Beckham, are some goals out of reach?

Great Soccer Drills : The Baffled Parent's Guide

A PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

A games-based alternative to tedious rote exercises, guaranteed to keep practices fun, engaging, and productive

Great Soccer Drills provides soccer coaches with a great way to make every soccer practice active, fun, and productive. Coaches get 125 games guaranteed to keep kids moving and excited while teaching them basic skills, sharpening their reflexes, and building their confidence and decision-making ability. Written by two of North America's foremost names in youth soccer coaching, it also includes guidelines on how to create just the right blend of drills to hold the attention of six- to twelve-year-old players.

Great Soccer Drills can be used in conjunction with the bestselling Coaching Youth Soccer: A Baffled Parent's Guide or as an excellent stand-alone resource for spicing up any practice.

The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching 6-and-Under Soccer

"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

Soccer Against the Enemy: How the World's Most Popular Sport Starts and Fuels Revolutions and Keeps Dictators in Power

Soccer is much more than just the most popular game in the world. It is a matter of life and death for millions around the world, an international lingua franca.

Simon Kuper traveled to twenty-two countries to discover the sometimes bizarre effect soccer can have on politics and culture. At the same time he tried to discover what makes different countries play a simple game so differently.

Kuper meets a remarkable variety of fans along the way, from the East Berliner persecuted by the Stasi for supporting his local team, to the Argentine general with his own views on tactics. He also illuminates the frightening intersection between soccer and politics, particularly in the wake of the attacks of 9-11, where soccer is obsessed over by the likes of Osama bin Laden. The result is an astonishing study of soccer and its place in the world.

Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics

101 Great Youth Soccer Drills: Skills and Drills for Better Fundamental Play

101 Great Youth Soccer Drills is an exhaustive collection of the very best drills available, providing a solid foundation for you to build your players' skills. Filled with simple step-by-step instructions and diagrams, plus a sample practice program, this encyclopedia of drills provides you with solid skill-building fundamentals as well as the advanced techniques you need to get your players in top form.

Coaching Girls' Soccer Successfully (Coaching Successfully)

Build a winning girls' soccer program, on the field and off. In Coaching Girls' Soccer Successfully, one of the nation's top high school coaches, Debra LaPrath, shares her expertise on all aspects of coaching. From establishing a coaching philosophy to making decisions during a game, this is the approach that has made her program a perennial powerhouse.

Coaching Girls' Soccer Successfully covers every aspect of the coach's role:

• Developing and perfecting skills
• Evaluating players and defining their roles
• Organizing productive practices
• Scouting and preparing for games
• Adding variety to training
• Developing leadership qualities
• Motivating the team
• Communicating on and off the field

Featuring seasonal training plans, drills for developing fundamental to advanced skills, and advice for handling off-the-field challenges, Coaching Girls' Soccer Successfully is the most comprehensive resource available for novice and experienced coaches alike.

Soccer Practice Games - 2nd Edition

Make each practice more challenging, productive, and fun with 125 games! Divided into six sections, Soccer Practice Games presents games on the following aspects:

· Warm-up and conditioning
· Passing and receiving
· Dribbling, shielding, and tackling
· Heading and shooting
· Tactical training
· Goalkeeper training

Each game maximizes player involvement, activity, and learning and contains at least one major objective related to player or team development. A detailed explanation and accompanying illustrations are provided for each game to make application easy. Games can be easily adapted to accommodate players of various ages and abilities.

Designed for beginning youth through high school competitive levels, Soccer Practice Games is a big winner among coaches and those who teach soccer. Whether working with whole teams, small groups, or players one-on-one, it is a fun and effective way to instruct and learn the game.