The Best of Soccer Journal

This book offers some of the best articles from the NSCAA's Soccer Journal from the last twenty years. Soccer Journal is the official publication of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The book offers articles that cover the Four Pillars of soccer. Those pillars are: Technique, Tactics, the Mental and the Physical. The fifth section describes to the reader how to coach. In the chapter on technique nationally known coaches describe soccer-specific techniques and how to present them to the team. The topics include: Principles of Teaching Technique, Dribbling, Shielding, Tackling, Receiving and Passing as basic techniques for the player. In addition to these skills, section one deals with goalkeeper technique. Chapter two details the evolution of tactics in the game of soccer going back to the late 1800s and finishing with a discussion of the latest in tactics at the international level. In addition the most poplar systems of play from the soccer world are described in detail. Both attacking and defending in each system is examined. Chapter three deals with the mental side of playing soccer. This is the last frontier for our players and teams. It is an important aspect of coaching and mental training is a responsibility of coaches today. The articles examine mental preparation for both men and women soccer players and teams. Chapter four deals with fitness and nutrition. The articles discuss everything from warm-ups to post game nutrition. There are articles for youth soccer players as well as college and professional soccer players. Once the reader examines the Four Pillars of Soccer, chapter five deals with how to coach and manage a team. Coaching is examined at all levels from U6 to professional. This chapter offers answers to many questions that coaches will have every season. This book is the first in a new series of books from the NSCAA. Future editions will examine each of the pillars again in more detail.

Jay Martin, professor at the Ohio Wesleyan University, is the most successful college men's soccer coach in the USA. Since 2003 Martin is the editor of the NSCAA's Soccer Journal.