The Spanish Soccer Coaching Bible - Youth and Club

This book is an interesting perspective on the time/age when players should master different techniques and tactics. It seems most in the US move on too quickly from individual dribbling and ball work and concentrate on team tactics at too young of an age. This coach has coached at some top schools, working with talented European players and he shows the age when kids can be expected to master different individual techniques as well as team tactics. The games and drills are offered at each age too, but I enjoyed it more for it's philosophy on soccer development and where we in the US differ or take a divergent path to development. It's supports the idea that it is a late peak sport and what you can do with the ball really matters for all other tactics and team play.

This book is an all-in-one compendium for youth soccer coaching. Laureano Ruiz really knows a thing or two about the challenges you face as a youth soccer coach and provides proven solutions to a lot of them. On top you will find plenty of game and drill ideas for 7-10 (playing for enjoyment), 11-13 (learning the basics) and 14-16 (reaching a higher level) year old soccer students. I always prefer to see drills and games animated or on tape, what makes them a little easier to understand, but unfortunately the book does not provide an additional CD/DVD or link with such a help. Maybe they will add this in a future edition. Still, this is a great manual for youth coaches and delivers what the title promises.

Very general, made for a team coach not individual training. Tips are very basic and universally taught. For the youth player which needs to learn coordination & skill technique moves, this book does little.

As a trainer (UEFA C-license) for kids myselves, this book gave me new insight and ideas on my role as a trainer and how to improve the training sessions. Highly recommended...

Laureano Ruiz really has written a bible in these two coaching volumes, this being the first "Youth and Club" with the second being "High School & College".The first volume is aimed at coaching 7-16 year olds, whilst the 2nd covers 17plus all the way to senior and beyond. The structure is explanation, then lists of drills/games, concentrating on the three main areas: technique, tactics, teamwork.The drills and games are not particularly well laid out, just "descriptions", "objectives" and "problems" in tabular format. There are occasional diagrams, but the instructions are relatively clear for what is required. There are so many that it would be impossible to illustrate each.The real benefit of this book is in its unfolding knowledge. Laureano Ruiz has clearly opened his mind in these texts and tried to communicate a life time of learning. It's the kind of detail which you would only hear if you actually spoke to a professional top-flight coach; there may be none like him, and certainly no coaching manual I have read comes close. Details start with basic techniques and tactics, and the way through to advanced techniques (such as overhead kicks, heading, controlling with different surfaces) and advanced tactics (such as "combination" defensive team tactics).If there is a weakness it is that there is so much information that structure often becomes lost. If, like me, you like to follow a logical step-by-step formula then you may be disappointed. Key techniques and tactics are listed and analysed, but given the detail most of it cannot easily be classified. I can only suggest that this is the difference between "book knowledge" and "working knowledge". These books definitely fall into the latter category, and would have to be read repeatedly to uncover all the finer points.There is so much detailed information in these two books I found it almost overwhelming. It's taken a life-time for Laureano Ruiz to acquire this knowledge - one can barely expect it all to be remembered, learned and understood so quickly.In summary: These are not ordinary coaching manuals; they are a lifetime of experience in prose.

hmm, i have a fair few coaching books but this is one of the more dissapointing ones. I am a FA Level 2 football coach and was looking for something to enhance my knowledge.It seems to have been thrown together in a rush and has the ramblings of an old school coach.you will unlikely learn anything from this that you did not already know. The drills are also not illustrated so you have to imagine them in your mind.Buy a better book! this will NOT teach your team to play like a Spanish team

Ok