Improve Your Game (3 Disc DVD Set) $69.95
This set of highly informative DVDs is jam packed with a variety of tips, drills and exercises that can be used by a variety of people, from players, to parents and to coaches a like.
The Coerver Coaching System is highly regarded around the world as the #1 soccer training aid available on the market at the moment, and I thought I’d take a bit of an in depth look at what makes this program so successful.
And there’s a good reason why Jurgen Klinsmann endorses the DVDs – the DVDs are good, as they are based around the soccer ball and getting comfortable with the ball at your feet. Klinsmann said this about Coerver:
“I wish the Coerver Coaching program had been available when I was young – it would certainly have made me a better player.”
First of all, I’m going dissect this DVD set into it’s corresponding sections and then I’m going to post a summary of my personal opinions on this product.
A New Era in the Game
This section of the DVD introduces you to the Coerver Coaching techniques involved and has some great footage from real football matches to help inspire as well as entertain. Overall, it’s a great way to start off and effectively sets the tone for the rest of the DVD.
Building Essential Soccer Skills
These sets of videos mainly focuses on individual skill and ball control. It also contains some content on passing and receiving, but the main focus of this section is on your touch and dribbling skills. There are dozens and dozens of indepth video examples that are superbly narrated for every technique mentioned, leaving no room for confusion what-so-ever. This is really what sets the Coerver DVDs apart from others, their focus on individual technique and ball work.
This section also covers…
- Warm up exercises. These ensure that you or your players get into the essential habit of “limbering up” before you go at it. This is imperative for maintaining a high level of performance and injury prevention.
- A variety of assignments designed to be done in the comfort of your own home or in a confined area. These are a great and highly relevant addition to the DVD, but I highly doubt the parents will be thrilled at the prospect of having their kid playing football in the house. But hey, it’s their fault for filling their house with such valuable things in the first place! And, after a few weeks of viewing the Coerver DVDs your child’s touch should improve, so there won’t be as many miss kicks.
Fast Break Attack
As the title suggests, this part of the DVD is based around counter attacking, so there’s loads of clips on improving speed and agility. Like the rest of the DVD, each technique mentioned is intricately explained in an easy-to-understand way. Although the main bulk of this section focuses on running technique, there are some handy tips on improving your finishing and team play also.
This section effectively covers…
- Speed and stamina drills. Variations are also shown for use in a
team environment. - A variety of assignments designed to improve group skills amongst your
team.
Other notable features include of the DVD set include:
- A complimentary “play like a legend” video.
- Access to the online site
- Relevant information dealing with the science behind proper sports training – This is mainly for the parents and coaches out there.
- 13 warm-up exercises
- 13 speed drills and 7 variations with partners and small groups
- 2 stamina / skill drills and 6 variation with partners and small groups
- 11 group skill assignments
- 12 variations incorporating stops, starts and feints
- Relevant information dealing with the science and importance of exercising and proper sports training – aimed at parents
- 20 home assignments
- 6 variations of ground juggling skills
For maximum effectiveness, players should also be familiar with the skills learned on the Make Your Move DVDs.
Summary Review of Coerver
To be honest, I was initially rather skeptical of this product. This was mainly due to the fact that I didn’t recognize any of the names associated with Coerver Soccer Coaching, and I’ll admit, I (naively) questioned their pedigree somewhat.
But within the first 20 minutes of watching this product, I was simply blown away by the sheer scale and depth of footballing knowledge that this product could boast. There are dozens upon dozens of well produced and easy to follow clips that effectively cover every aspect of the player’s ability on the ball and the offensive game.
I can’t help but sit here and wish that this kind of resource was available to me when growing up, it really has raised the bar for coaching and individual players alike.