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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

Tom Mura: Soccer Coach, Skills Director, Co-Owner WORLD CLASS COACHING and Blogger

Get an in-depth look at the methods, strategies and techniques used by a youth coach working full time with players of every age and skill level. This includes training plans, team management and planning ideas, latest trends in coaching and education, as well as interviews with other coaches and trainers that are on the cutting edge of soccer development.
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Top 10 Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - 383 – Homecoming in Kansas Revisiting an old friend

383 – Homecoming in Kansas Revisiting an old friend

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

play

08/17/23 • 21 min

In this episode

In this special episode, join us on a heartfelt journey as we return to Kansas, where memories and soccer tales intertwine. We share the experience of reconnecting with Tom, the former host of the show, and witnessing the vibrant Kansas Legends practice sessions.

Coaching soccer mastermind Website!

https://www.soccercoachingmastermind.com/

Facebook group!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/5657724124295969

Connect with me!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJEbnehX2jFfYOmzEJkvwQw

https://www.instagram.com/segevrabinoviz/ Email: [email protected] Veo https://go.veo.co/lp/coaching-soccer-weekly
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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - #163 Game Day

#163 Game Day

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

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10/05/18 • 40 min

I only had three games again last weekend; one Friday, one Saturday and one Sunday. The teams all played very well. It doesn’t always work out that way so it’s fun when it does.

We’re at the point in the season where I’m seeing the results of what we’ve worked on in training. It’s great to see them applying concept to games under pressure.

Now it’s time to add on to that. For me, that means spending more time in 1 v 1 and 2 v 2 environments to help the players develop solutions to the problems they face in the game.

They understand the framework that we’ve set up to play now they need to be able to improvise and create. I’ve talked about this in the past. Some coaches start with the skills and then work on the structure. I look at it the other way around. I want the player to understand how music is played before they start to improvise. I don’t think one way or the other is necessarily “Right”. This is just what has worked well for me over the years.

Today’s question comes from Alan. His question is getting forwards to work together.

Alan says, “I’m a girls high school JV coach and I have a senior and a freshmen forward who have never played together. They don’t pass to each other and try to dribble through two or more defenders. Any suggestions on how to fix this. Drills or exercises?”

Thanks for the question Alan!

I would suggest playing 2 v 1 and 2 v 2 games where your two forwards are paired together. Then they’re forced to play together in order to accomplish a common objective. I would also use pattern play to show them how they can work together to break down the defense. Hopeful forcing them to work together will show them how much more effective they can be together.

In This Episode

This week’s topic was suggested by a listener, Ryan. He suggested that I discuss “Game Coaching”. So I’ll share my game day process. I’ll discuss everything from how I prepare for games the night before to how I handle the post-game team talk.

Future Episodes

This week’s episode was inspired by emails that I’ve received from coaches that send in suggestions. If you have a topic that you’d like to hear more about on the show, please let me know.

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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - #162 It’s Not About You

#162 It’s Not About You

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

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09/28/18 • 41 min

I took just one team to a tournament last weekend. We had a great schedule; we played at 8 am and noon on Saturday and Sunday and then we headed home. There were only five teams in our group so we played each of them once. Not having to stay around to play a final against a team we had already played was great!

Having only one team allowed me to spend more time with the kids and parents than I’m usually able to so that also made it a fun weekend.

When I travel out of town with my teams we always travel on the Friday before games start so that the kids can get a good night’s sleep before playing the next day. We have a team meeting (parents and kids) on Friday night to go over our schedule for the weekend, my expectations for the team (on and off of the field) and any reminders I want to go over with the players before sending them to bed.

Today’s question comes from John. His question is about commitment.

John says, “I coach a U16 Girls Club team, and this year I am having a hard time getting all the girls to make practice a priority for them. I have 19 girls on the team and have on average 6-7 girls out each practice, last night I was missing 10! The reasons range from sick, to swim meets, to no rides etc. All which seem like normal issues, but its all the time.

How have you dealt with players that want to play but really don’t really commit to practices, where we can get better together? I suppose I could punish them, but that just hurts the team.. Advice?”

Thanks for the question John!

I’m dealing with this issue right now with my U17 girls. They are involved in so many different activities that soccer isn’t usually the priority. The players are supposed to let me know if they aren’t going to attend a training session or game so that I can plan accordingly.

The group I have is the fourth team in our club so they are playing mostly for fun and to prepare for their high school season. They aren’t motivated by playing at the next level or long term development.

I just sent out a message to the team through our group message asking them to make attendance at training a priority for the next two weeks because we have a tournament coming up.

I’m afraid I don’t have any great advice that will get your players to prioritize soccer practice over other activities. I just try to manage it and work with the players that are there.

In This Episode

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be successful, with wanting your team to be successful. Whether this desire is healthy and helpful or destructive and dangerous depends on WHY you want to be successful, WHAT defines success and HOW you go about it.

Here’s a link to the article by Dave Wright that inspired the topic for this episode:

Get Over Yourself – Dave Wright – Player Development Project.com

Future Episodes

I appreciate everyone who has been sending me suggestions for topics. I’m adding them to my list and I look forward to covering them in the coming weeks.

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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - #254 Do You Need a Coaching License?

#254 Do You Need a Coaching License?

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

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10/30/20 • 39 min

Last weekend should have been State Cup for my 2005 but it was moved to the November because the facility that was supposed to host it was closed to all non-professional sports. I had blocked out the whole weekend for my other teams so they didn’t have any games scheduled. We ended up moving a reschedule game for my 2005’s into the empty weekend. That gave me just one game last weekend and that one wasn’t until Sunday afternoon. It gave me lots of extra time to tick a bunch of boxes on my ‘Honey-Do” list.

I describe the details of the game in this episode.

Today’s question comes from Greg. He’s asking a pretty personal question but I thought that I’d share it because I think it’s a challenge that many coaches have.

Greg asks,

How does your spouse feel of all the time you spend coaching? It’s your job so there probably won’t be much of dispute but how does one balance time coaching?

Thanks for your question Greg!

I met my wife at an indoor soccer facility in town. I was coaching when we started dating so she knew what she was getting into. There’s no question that I miss a lot of time with my family but coaching is something that I’ve always been passionate about and it’s how I provide for my family so they understand. I’m not going to say it isn’t challenging but it’s what she’s used to so we make it work.

My advice to coaches trying to find a balance between coaching and their personal life is to involve those important to you in the process. Ask them how they feel about the time you spend coaching. This is especially important if you’re not coaching your own kids. Any time we spend coaching other people’s kids is time away from our family so it’s important to take their feelings into consideration.

If it’s a job for you then creating boundaries is important. Carve out family time and don’t take calls, answer emails or even talk about coaching. It’s not only important for your family but also for your own mental health.


As we all know, a problem for many soccer players (and for us coaches too!) is knowing how to get fitter, faster and stronger.

That is exactly why PLAYR By Catapult was created.

PLAYR is a soccer GPS tracker and training app which uses GPS technology to track players’ physical performance with key metrics like total distance, sprint distance, top speed, and power.

As a coach, the thing I love the most about PLAYR is that it’s focussed on finding improvement. The app educates users on how to train smarter and recover faster. From nutrition tips to training sessions designed by the top Premier League coaches, PLAYR personalises coaching advice based on your schedule.

And best of all, it works. On average, the thousands of people who train with PLAYR, increased their sprint distance by 26%, their total distance by 11.7% and their top speed by 3.5% after just three months.

If you’re trying to become a better player, make the travel team, or just contribute more on the pitch then PLAYR by Catapult is for you.

Head to catapultsports.com/csw to learn more. In case you missed it, that’s catapultsports.com/csw.


In this Episode

I’m often asked about coaching courses and licenses. Today I’ll talk about who should get them (spoiler – everyone) but more importantly why you should and which one you should get for the type of coaching you do.

Future Episodes

Next week I’m going to discuss my approach to player evaluations and how those have developed over the years. Thanks to Mike Wilson, a member of our Patreon Coaching Staff for the topic suggestion. Thanks Mike!

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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - #149 Providing Useful Feedback

#149 Providing Useful Feedback

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

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05/18/18 • 35 min

I had a huge tournament weekend a week ago. Having four teams in a tournament makes for a busy weekend but it’s the best way for me to give all of my teams a chance to play with the least amount of disruption to our league schedule.

This was the last tournament for one of my teams while the other still have one or two events to play. For those teams that are still playing, this tournament was a preparation for bigger events to come.

This year my teams have had trouble with Friday night games. I think it’s a combination a long week of school coupled with an unusual night game that always seems to find us having a slow start. We talked about it going into this tournament. We discussed what the issue could be and decided on ways that we could better prepare. It worked well because our performances were far better than they have been in the past.

This week’s question comes from Nancy. She’s asking about grouping players to play together.

Nancy says,

“My daughter plays on a u10 “A” team with around 14 kids on the roster for 7v7. The coach and program preach development over winning at this age which I agree with. However, he currently has 2 lines. The first line is comprised of the top players on the team and they start every game. He then makes wholesale line changes throughout the game. Playing time is even no issues there. However the 2 lines never commingle even in blowouts. Wouldn’t it benefit the players in line 2 to play with the top line every once in a while? When asked about this the response was the 2nd line can’t do things as quickly as the first line and the top kids would get frustrated. To me that sounds like winning over development rather then vice versa and that he doesn’t want to taint the first line with girls who aren’t as strong currently.”

Thanks for the question Nancy!

To me, this approach is about winning and showing that his top line is good so if the team loses it’s the fault of the 2nd line.

Two balanced lines (rotating who starts and which positions they play) would show more of a focus on development.

In This Episode

Today I talk about how we can provide USEFUL feedback to our players that will highlight what they’re doing well, give suggestions for WHAT and HOW they can improve as well as give them an idea of what may happen during the upcoming tryouts.

Please Subscribe

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast through Apple Podcasts, the Google Play Store or wherever you’re listening now. That’s the best way to make sure that you receive each new episode just as soon as it’s released.

Next Week

I won’t have a new podcast to release next week because I’m traveling with three of my teams to a tournament in Chicago. I’ve been taking teams to that area over Memorial Day weekend for a number of years but this is the first time attending this specific tournament. I’ll let you know what it when in a couple of weeks.

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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - #076 Breaking Down and Teaching Skills

#076 Breaking Down and Teaching Skills

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

play

10/14/16 • 39 min

The weather was really unsettled last week. We ended up having to cancel a number of practices. Outdoor training sessions in the midwest each spring can often be interrupted by bad weather but it’s not usually an issue in the fall. Luckily we didn’t have a busy weekend of game scheduled so it didn’t affect us too badly.

I’ve been seeing great progress in my teams recently. It’s great to see things we’ve worked on it training sessions showing up in game situations. That transfer of training from practices to games is the most rewarding aspect of coaching and working with young players.

The week’s question and answer is, “My team are u11s and during a lot of games they seem to lose focus at the later stages of each half of the match. Is it down to fitness?”

I don’t think fitness has much to do with the performance of players this young. The best way to improve late game performance is to put the players in those situations during training.

My favorite way to work on this is to play ‘1 Up – 1 Down’. Before playing a regular scrimmage, the teams are told that they are up a goal or down a goal with five minutes to play. I then ask each team how they plan to adjust their play based on the fact that they are either losing or winning with only five minutes to play.

If the team that is up by a goal can score another one, they win automatically. If the team who is down by a goal scores, it counts as two so that would put them up by a goal with less than five minutes to play. If the game ends as it began we play another five minute game where the roles are reversed.

Today I follow up on one of our most popular episodes. I received a lot of great feedback and a number of questions.

Check out the complete printable show notes below for all of the diagrams and descriptions of how to breakdown and teach the key skills of the game.

Printable Show Notes

The show notes for each episode are accessed through the WCC Training Center.

They are FREE but you will need at least a Free Membership to the Training Center in order to view and print them.

Click on the image of the notes and if you’re already logged in to the Training Center you’ll be taken to the Podcast page. If you’re not logged in your be taken to a login page where you’ll also be able to login or register if you are not already a Member.

Remember!

Please share your thoughts on the podcast through social media to help us spread the word about the information we’re sharing to your network of coaches. Please share www.CoachingSoccerWeekly.com and include #CSW THANKS!

Make sure you subscribe to Coaching Soccer Weekly through iTunes, or your podcast provider of choice, to be sure you never miss an episode.

We would appreciate it if you would leave us a 5 star rating and a written review on iTunes to help spread the word about the show and the information that we are sharing here.

In the Next Episode

Next week I’m going to talk with Mike Saif about his new book, ‘Coaching a Team to a National Championship’. We’ll talk about the specific things he did that help his team push through to the very top.

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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - CSW Extra 7 – Drills and Videos

CSW Extra 7 – Drills and Videos

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

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09/23/16 • 2 min

We have so many projects going here at WORLD CLASS COACHING that I just didn’t have time to pull together a complete episode for this week.

I’m working on a number of topics that I discussed last week but I’ve also added a new one, “What to do when your session is just not working”. This happened to me last night and I’m sure we all have the experience from time to time. I’ll let you know how I dealt with this situation, how are discovered what wasn’t working, how I adjusted the session and what the results were.

In the meantime, I’d suggest you check out our Instagram account. We’ve been updating it daily since January and there are now more than 200 posts that include the diagram and description of a training activity. The topics cover every technical and tactical area you can imagine.

You might not have thought about using Instagram to find drills and exercises but it’s a great way to share them. It has a huge advantage over twitter; you can post a much longer description on Instagram along with the image of the diagram.

Every day we post a new exercise, interesting photo or thoughtful comment related directly to coaching soccer. You can find us @worldclasscoachingsoccer. Please follow us there if you’re on Instagram already. If you’re not, you should check it out because there are some interesting people to follow there (also check out @433) that relate to what we do.

We also update our YouTube Channel weekly with great videos. Some of them are of drills and games that I’ve described here on the show. The videos show the exercise and I breakdown everything from the setup through the coaching points.

Some of the videos include footage of me doing the exercise with one of my teams so you can see how it works with an actual team.

I’ll be back next week with a complete episode.

Thanks!

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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - #207 What’s in Your Coaching Toolkit?

#207 What’s in Your Coaching Toolkit?

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

play

10/04/19 • 37 min

I took one team to a tournament in St. Louis last weekend. This was my first trip to St. Louis in many years. In the past they just didn’t have the same quality of fields that we could find by staying closer to home. The teams have always been very competitive but I just never wanted to play those teams on inferior fields. Now there are a number of good turf field complexes in St. Louis so I’m sure to be traveling that direction more in the future.

We had some good games that provided worthwhile learning experiences. I describe how they all went in this episode.

Today’s question comes from Nick. He’s asking how he can train his players to talk more on the field.

Nick says,

Hi, Tom was wondering what tips and drills you have for helping the girls communicate better on the pitch. Some of my teams games are like a library nobody talking!

Thanks for your question Nick!

This is such a common issue. There are a couple of things that I’ve done to get the players to talking more. During our game at the end of practice we play for five minutes when no one, including me, is allowed to talk or make any noise. Then we play for 5 minutes where they’re not allowed to receive a pass unless they’ve called for it. These restrictions are designed to point out the importance of communicating on the field. I also encourage the players to talk as a part of any activity we do in training. This is a long term process but I have noticing that this leads to the girls becoming more comfortable talking on the field.

The very best way to get the players to talk on the field is to stop talking while they are playing. I’ve talked about this a couple of times on the podcast recently. The players will talk more if we don’t do it for them. It’s not always easy to do but it’s important to make the players responsible for communicating. I’ve told my players that the only way to help their teammates is to move and talk. One doesn’t help without the other. Now all I have to say is, “How can you help?” and they respond with, “Move and Talk”.

Hopefully these ideas will help you empower your girls to communicate more on the field.

In this Episode

When you’re looking at an activity in training or the play of your team during a game you’re trying to see if the players understand what you want them to do and if they are able to do it effectively. Lastly, you ask yourself if you’re getting the desired outcome from what they’re doing.

When your players are not understanding, performing or achieving the desired outcome there are actions that you can take to help support and guide them. Today I’ll discuss the eight different tools at your disposal to positively impact the development and success of your players and team.

Future Episodes

I don’t have anything specific planned for next week. If there’s something you’d like me to address feel free to send me an email and I’ll add it to my list of potential topics.

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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - #206 Choosing the Best Size Field for Your Small-Sided Games

#206 Choosing the Best Size Field for Your Small-Sided Games

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

play

09/27/19 • 31 min

It was a crazy wet weekend. I know this podcast sometimes sounds like a weather report but it has such an impact on the game and my coaching that it’s an important factor. You can listen to the episode for the details.

I’m continuing to experiment with not coaching during running play. I think it’s having a very positive impact on most of my teams. However, one of the teams hasn’t reacted as well to it as the others. I talk about the details more in this episode.

Today’s question comes from Jacob. He’s asking about improving player’s decision making ability.

Jacob says,

Something I have been thinking about a lot recently with my team is how to develop them into good decision makers and teach them to process the game and make good decisions quickly.

I read somewhere (I can’t seem to find it now) that one of the biggest differences between professional players, say playing in the championship and the premier league, is not necessarily their level of skill but it is how quickly they are able to process the game and make the right decision.

A few ways I have been trying to get my team to work on this is through a game called ‘Dutch’. I’m sure you’ve heard of it but it’s played with 3 teams. Two teams keep the ball away from the other team. Each time the defenders win it the team that lost it is then defending. Aside from getting it started I pretty much let them figure it out from there. This requires them to be constantly scanning and communicating to keep up with what is going on.

Also in any scrimmage or small sided game we do I make them decide what formation they should be in and from there ask guided questions about their formation to force them to think about why they are doing it.

Is this something you try to work on with your teams? If so do you do it with specific drills?

Thanks for your question Jacob!

I agree that decision making is a huge difference-maker. I try to incorporate some kind of decision into every activity. That’s why the Play – Practice – Play method is so powerful; everything is game related so there’s always a long of choices to be made. I’ve also used that three team possession game with my teams.

You’re doing many of the same things that I am do to encourage the players to think about WHY they’re doing what they’re doing. There’s not one activity that I do focused on decision making. I just try to weave it into everything in training. When you’re looking at any activity you’re doing just be sure that there’s an element of decision making built in.

In this Episode

I’m never quite sure if the dimensions I’ve chosen for an activity are best for the player. I’m often just guessing. Today I’ll look at a method for determining the size of the areas you use for all of your training activities and how to decide when to adjust them.

Future Episodes

Next week I’m going to take an in depth look at the US Soccer ‘Coaching Tool’ kit and how you can use it to improve the development environment for your players.

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Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING - #382 – Going Back to Go Forward

#382 – Going Back to Go Forward

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING

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08/09/23 • 25 min

In this episode

In this enlightening episode, we explore the strategic concept of going back to go forward in soccer, revealing the art of reverse passing and its impact on creating space and opportunities. Join us as we dissect how deliberately passing the ball backward can deceive defenders, open up passing lanes, and provide time for players to reposition. We delve into the psychology behind defenders’ reactions and how this tactic can lead to regaining possession and advancing play. Whether you’re a player seeking to enhance your decision-making or a coach aiming to sharpen your team’s strategy, this episode offers valuable insights on mastering reverse passing for a dynamic and unpredictable style of play.

Coaching soccer mastermind Website!

https://www.soccercoachingmastermind.com/

Facebook group!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/5657724124295969

Connect with me!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJEbnehX2jFfYOmzEJkvwQw

https://www.instagram.com/segevrabinoviz/ Email: [email protected] Veo https://go.veo.co/lp/coaching-soccer-weekly
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FAQ

How many episodes does Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING have?

Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING currently has 400 episodes available.

What topics does Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING cover?

The podcast is about Podcasts, Sports and Soccer.

What is the most popular episode on Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING?

The episode title '#238 Social Distance Training Session' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING?

The average episode length on Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING is 35 minutes.

How often are episodes of Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING released?

Episodes of Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING?

The first episode of Coaching Soccer Weekly: Methods, Trends, Techniques and Tactics from WORLD CLASS COACHING was released on Feb 28, 2015.

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