Lorenzo De Silvestri    Defender     (Fiorentina)    Aged 22
The former Lazio full back cuts an imposing figure for a full back at just over six feet tall.  After a 2009 move to Fiorentina, De Silvestri has exemplified the form that set him apart whilst playing for Italy’s U16 and U21 teams. With such a solid basis in the skills necessary to become a good fullback, De Silvestri might end up replacing Gianluca Zambrotta for the national team.

Davide Santon        Defender    (Inter)        Aged 19
Santon, who played for Inter in 28 games and Azzuri in five, has set himself apart as an excellent defender with an ability to play either flank with ease. Santon’s energy is boundless; his energy on the pitch has earned him a comparison to Paolo Maldini by Italian head coach Marcelo Lippi. Technically sound too, Santon, barring injury and a dramatic loss of form, should be a member of the next few Italian squads at major finals events.

Mario Balotelli        (Striker)    (Inter)        Aged 19
Inter’s hot headed and often temperamental striker can play anywhere in attack or as a winger and has been heralded as one of the brightest hopes wearing the Italy soccer jersey for a generation.  We may have to forgive Batelli for his disgruntled outbursts at fans and management: in 59 games, he scored twenty goals and notched 6 in 16 for the Italian U21 team. His time will surely come in the Euro 2012 qualifiers when Italy are going to need a new look strike force.

Federico Macheda    (Striker)    (Man Utd)    Aged 18
Despite Macheda’s failure to make first team at Old Trafford, soccer pundits agree that Man United’s striker could make a name for himself in the 2010-2011 season, and even gain the attention of Azzuri management. Macheda’s strength as a striker coupled with his intelligence gives him a boost in scoring goals. Particularly good with his back to goal, he has already been capped at U21 level for Italy and if he can start to make a bigger impact in the United first team, full honours should soon follow.

Antonio Candreva    (Midfielder)    Udinese    Aged 23
Finding a replacement for Andrea Pirlo may be the Italian sides greatest challenge in the next few years and one possible replacement could be Candreva. The Udinese midfielder follows in the footsteps of Pirlo’s creative play, owning any position on the midfield.

The complex is sited on over  50 acres of property in the north part of Phuket, Thailand.  It boasts a broad array of superior sporting facilities including an International Rugby Board-standard rugby pitch, FIFA-approved football field, competitive fifty-meter eight lane outdoor swimming pool (suitable for water polo and competitive swimming), a fully shaded 25 metre, eight lane swimming pool, toddler’s and children’s pools and play area, 6 tennis courts, a 500 metre athletics running track and a fitness enthusiast gymnasium, along with  an arts centre and a Thai Herbal Garden Spa.   Phuket International Academy Sports and Leisure Club Sports, Leisure and Events Centre.

Accommodations are available in the form of two comfortable hotels, providing one hundred and fifteen well-appointed rooms and suites for visitors, athletes, teams and corporate groups. The Sports and Leisure Club has rapidly gained appreciation through prestiguous association with international sporting organizations such as Brazilian Soccer Schools (BSS), NZRugbyResources (NZRR), and IronKids Triathlon.    Announcement of tennis and swimming affiliations are expected in the near future.

The PIASLC  is working toward becoming the leading sports and corporate event center in Asia.   Not only delivering Asia’s top facilities for sports but also special facilities and accommodations for conferences, incentives, retreats and teambuilding. 

PIASLC announced “As a fully-integrated complex, we are also going to be the perfect location for companies looking to build something active, creative or wellness inspired into their event programmes.”

NZRugbyResources Director, David Adamson, said “Rugby is an extremely popular sport throughout Asia and growing in numbers every year and NZRugbyResources believes this is the finest training and playing facility in Asia. It is just amazing how much detail has gone into the planning.”

Another key affiliation for junior athletes has been with the famous Brazilian Soccer Schools (BSS) after officials from the organisation inspected the purpose-built floodlit artificial turf soccer field at the PIASLC and endorsed the club as its official home in Phuket.   World-renowned BSS is based upon Futebol de Salao (FDS).  The training and game is known for a 5-a-side version of football with origins in Brazil.  FDS is played with a smaller (size 2), and slightly heavier (465gm) ball that has virtually no bounce to it. 

The PIASLC has also announced an partnership with the US-based IronKids programme. This  connection will support four junior Triathlon events per year as well as training camps for kids aged between 6 and 15.

The PIASLCis organized into specialized sports academies.   has selected former Muay Thai champion “Thanootong’’ Prasert Intanoo to head the martial arts programme at the large Phuket, Thailand sports centre.   Just as muay thai boxing stesses commitment and ability, the move is just one more example of the PIASLC recruiting top specialists to work at the up-and-coming high-quality facility and help position it as the first choice sports and leisure destination in Asia.

The PIA Sports and Leisure Club, or, PIASLC is situated in a setting of natural beauty in the foothills of a national park on the eastern part of Phuket, Thailand.    PIA is an integrated facility boasting Phuket’s newest International School, a multi-faceted Sports and Leisure Club for elite athletes, amateur enthusiasts, artists and wellness seekers – all within the Mind Centre sanctuary that provides training in the cultivation of mental and emotional balance.  Phuket International Academy  is proud of being a responsible member of the community.  It is dedicated to operating with integrity as an equal opportunity employer and adhering to the highest ethical standards to accomplish the intellectual, physical, creative and spiritual potential of all students, members and participants of the three centres.

As part of a uniquely integrated complex, the Sports and Leisure Club works in synergy with both the Phuket International Academy Day School and PIAMC.   The Phuket International Academy Day School is aspiring to grow into a three programme International Baccalaureate (IB) World School.   The Phuket International Academy Day School has high-quality facilities, teachers, trainers, staff and administration.  Click this link for additional information on the Phuket International Academy Day School International School Thailand.

As part of a total commitment to sports excellence the Phuket International Academy Mind Centre has started to make available training in the cultivation of cognitive and emotional balance.   The PIAMC will  offer  a combination of modern psychology and neuroscience alongside traditional Asian contemplative practices.  Featuring accessibility, the Phuket International Academy Mind Centre conducts retreats and seminars.     It teaches the practice of “mindfulness of breathing”, which is a successful method for relaxing the body and calming the mind. A second method taught is both a shamatha practice and vipashyana, “insight meditation” or “settling the mind in its natural state”.  Phuket International Academy Mind Centre Meditation, Mind Studies, and Retreats.

After the game, fans meekly tried to insist that the result would have been different had the second goal been called in, the truth is that the three lions were outclassed by a much more cohesive, effective German side. Some even saw this as a positive, because, had the score remained 2-1 to the Germans in lieu of England’s equalizer, the sport would have been brought into disrepute.

Sep Blatter, FIFA president finally conceded two weeks after the game that goal-line technology needed to be implemented to safeguard against similar debacles in the future and bring football up to the level of other sports that have used technology to great effect for years now. Cameras on the goal-line are an obvious choice but other techniques suggested are a unified communications network between the officials allowing lightning fast negotiations to keep the game flowing.

With regards to the specific technology used, Voice Over IP Phone headsets have been suggested for their ease of use and ability to host multiple conversations at once. This way the referee would have access to instantaneous communications with linesmen. There are some detractors that say such technology would slow the game down, but in sports like tennis which use the Cyclops device , player disputes with umpires have been greatly reduced which actually serves to keep the action going.

All it takes is a camera set on the goal-line and an IP Phone system for officials, ease of implementation and cost is hardly an issue considering the millions of pounds circulating in English football currently. While Blatter has insisted that the sport retain as much of it’s tradition as possible with the Premireship being no different to Sunday league football, players’ overblown wages surely undermine this argument.

The sport needs to embrace technological advances and quickly, there are far too many instances of clear goals being disallowed with potentially catastrophic consequences. Football is mired in the past and technology is the only thing that can drag it out. Let us all pray that Blatter sees sense, at least before the next World Cup.

What if I told you that stretching as a part of soccer training tips is highly recommended by professional soccer coaches and is widely practiced by players in almost every sport? Soccer is a sport which is continuously growing and developing in its intricacy.

There are two kinds of stretching; static and dynamic, that are slotted in planning training for the soccer season.

Static stretching requires players to stretch their muscles to a point of resistance and hold for a given duration of time. Rebounding, rhythmic bouncing, and recurring motions are involved in dynamic stretching. In comparison with static stretching, it is more risky and less useful.

This article shares some of the benefits that stretching provides in helping average players become champions.

Soccer Training

Stretching reduces injuries: When players do stretching every day and keep doing it for a long time, it promotes their muscle growth that reduces the risk of injury. Stretching also provides a way of improving the size and strength of muscles.

Stretching affects flexibility: Stretching prevents loss of flexibility. Still, the effects of stretching are way better when it is done for a long period of time than for a shorter duration.

Stretching increases flexibility when it is performed for a few minutes before any soccer activity. But the best of all soccer training tips is to spread a stretching program over a period of months, leading to a constant increase in range of motion.

Stretching betters’ performance: When the stretching program is planned after considering the player’s soccer specific needs, their performance improves.

Make stretching fun for the kids: You can do this by including a variety of soccer drills into your training regimen. Keep changing the warm up activities that are performed before stretching. Try games like the tag game, ball tag, and keep away.

Concentrate all your energy on stretching, experience and identify with each stretch while checking for soreness.

One 15-30-second stretch for each muscle group is sufficient for most players, but some kids require longer stretches and more repetitions as well.

This is due to the fact that when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, inflexibility decreases and extensibility increases. Kids who hope to retain or boost their flexibility can somewhat reach this goal by stretching. When their body temperature is higher as against normal, it makes it safer and more productive to stretch.

This is why some coaches tend to make their kids perform stretching exercises after a workout as well. If your kids stretch for 5-10 minutes after performing soccer skills, their muscles will not tighten too fast.

In general, players who do an active warm-up before stretching get an improved range of motion than kids who only stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.

Some food for thought; one of the most important soccer training tips is that hurried stretching is meaningless and boring and doesn’t help your players gain flexibility, so allow them some extra time when they are feeling inflexible or stiff. Join to our youth soccer coaching community and you can get access to numerous articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.

Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn  how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Youth Soccer Drills.

I don’t know a thing about you, but I’ll bet that you must acquaint yourself with the essential soccer training tips, especially when you are participating in the game as a coach. These ideas can then be easily incorporated in your soccer drills sessions carried out 4 or 5 times in a week depending on the standard of your game.

You can help your players to perk up their performance by coaching them on these very important tips and techniques. These are as follows;

Coach your kids to keep moving the ball with one or two touches: It is also called inter-passing in case of a team setting. Guide the players to play the ball with speed and make hard solid passes, whether it’s a 3 meter or 20 meter pass.

Play the ball and keep travelling: Playing and moving encloses the basic idea behind making runs. But what is important here is to see that these movements are effective enough to create spaces for team mates and goal scoring opportunities.

Soccer Training

Soccer skills are primarily aimed at developing kid’s ability to create goal scoring options. The key here is setting up your defender. Instruct your players to draw near towards the defender, assuming that he or she is going to be able to get the ball, then give it and go, speed up into the open space to receive or return the pass.

Tell the players to keep changing their pace after moving about to beat the opponent. They should quickly attack and try to keep the ball moving as fast as possible. The moment they get a chance to break, they must even the score with a few accurate passes.

When controlling the ball, teach players to keep the ball near their feet: Of all soccer training tips, the one to keep the head up and be aware of the movements in the field is very important. They should make sure to touch the ball at every step while dribbling the ball. This perks up the player’s ability to get the ball from the defenders and ensures total control over the ball.

Get the cross in: During the first part of the game, keep an eye on the goalkeeper and take shots on the goal. If you know that you are going to make runs into the open space, let your team-mates know this. This kind of communication is very important for developing young players into great players.

When training for soccer, teach players to try and aim for the area flanked by the 6 and 18 yard boxes. This will make the goalkeeper come out in an attempt to collect the ball. This will have the effect of making the open and unguarded.

Keep an eye on the ball: Keep an eye on every player’s movement on the field at all times. Coach your players in such a way that they strictly follow the team’s approach and strategy for the day.

So now, start making use of these soccer training tips in your regular training sessions so that they come instinctively to the players when on field. For more such tips and ideas, subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community and get access to innumerable articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Soccer training tips.

Let me ask you a simple question. Not following the soccer training tips, most soccer coaches blindly design training programs for their players just to make up the numbers and simply go through the motions. Are you doing the same thing?

Before planning your next training session, set some goals for the team. Ascertain what you specifically wish to achieve from the training session and do everything required to get that done.

Include new, innovative, and exciting soccer drills in the training programs to introduce variety. This will give the players a break from the dullness of performing repetitive drills day in and day out. You’ll see a noticeable improvement in your team’s performance once they start enjoying the training sessions.

Regardless of the level at which they play and their age, your players need to learn to listen to you and give due respect. Mutual appreciation creates a friendly environment for both players and the coach.

Soccer Training

A high level of flexibility greatly benefits every soccer player. It’s been categorized into 3 parts.

Dynamic flexibility: It is the ability to perform energetic movements within the full range of motion in the joint, for example; twisting side to side.

Static active flexibility: It’s the skill to stretch an intricate muscle employing the tension within that muscle. For example; hold one leg as high as possible in front of you. Here, your hamstrings are stretched when your quadriceps and hip flexors hold your leg up.

Static passive: Ability to use your body weight or some outside force to hold a stretch is termed as static passive flexibility. For instance; hold your leg out in front of you and rest it on a chair.

Now let’s go to the next in line of soccer training tips. This calls for a need to examine and ensure that the clothes worn by kids to the field are apt for the weather.

Training for soccer should be followed by a fitness program that focuses only on those areas that need maximum help. When designing this training program, keep the following factors in mind.

Kid’s age: There is a direct connection between decrease in the flexibility of soft tissues and the reduced range of movement, as one grows older, notwithstanding the gender. But, if we remain active, the flexibility will always remain.

Gender: Girls are more flexible regardless of their age.

Motion: It is natural for kids with an active lifestyle to showcase better soccer skills and a greater range of movement that the ones not so active on field.

Injury: Injuries also hinder the range of motion in a joint.

Pain: As the pain increases, flexibility decreases and results in muscle spasms. However, strength training does not hamper flexibility unless you don’t do the exercises correctly and not in full range of motion.

Genetics: A player’s genetics also have an effect on the amount of flexibility that his or her body possesses.

So, there should be no reason why you should not include soccer training tips into your training program for better productivity. You can improve your coaching skills by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has tons of articles, newsletters, and relevant videos.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn  how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Drills For Kids.

If you’re like me you probably know that soccer training tips for goalkeeper are of immense value since a goalie is the only player on the field who is allowed to touch the ball by both hands and arms.

For this reason, the soccer skills of a goalie give him an advantage over all the other players on the field. But this makes a coach’s job tougher and more complex when training goalkeepers for soccer.

Soccer Goalkeepers are often the first line of the offense and the last line of defense, depending upon the technique of play. They wouldn’t mind using their body in every possible way to stop the ball or obstruct a shot from getting inside the goal. They are all so set to proceed in any direction when it comes to getting the possession of the ball.

When it comes to a goalkeeper’s training for soccer, on various requirements specific to their role and their level of play can be very trying. This also requires you to take into consideration his mental state and train him on various skills accordingly.

Soccer Training

In terms of comparison, only a striker can match the skills and enthusiasm of a goalkeeper. In fact, some of the best goalies have also been great strikers at one point or the other. You’ll be able to encounter frequent one on one battle between the goalie and the forwards at different levels of competition.

In soccer training tips, it’s necessary for a goalkeeper to stay balanced and know the center for gravity of the body. This will improve the activity of the goalie and the state of readiness of the player to make remarkable gains in a game setting.

Though most goalkeepers in soccer are tall with long arms and big hands, but even if otherwise they easily compensate for the need of physical built with good vertical and lateral mobility.

A coach must always remember that though goalkeepers have a good sense of self-worth but even then they need constant motivation. Goalkeepers should perform soccer drills that improve upon their skills specific to their role in the game once they have finished doing regular warm up exercises with the team.

Goalkeepers are the leaders of the team as both their role and their personality is quite dominating. So they should be placed in a voiced and representative capacity so that they can successfully accomplish their duties with the support of all the team members.

The ball can only be handled by the goalie in the 18 yard box. If there is anyone other than the goalie, who gets to touch the ball, the opponent team wins a free kick. It’s a penalty shoot from “the spot” in case of a goalkeepers’ team member.

Your next step? To take what you’ve just learned and apply the above soccer training tips as goalkeepers are definitely leaders in the 18 yard box, and should get due respect from their team. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community that has tons of articles, newsletters, and related videos to improve your coaching skills.

Andre Botelho is known online as “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach” and his free ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Learn how to skyrocket your players’ skills and make practice sessions fun in record time. Download your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.

You might disagree, but hear me out on this. You can greatly benefit from weight training soccer when coaching your players in a sport that requires a lot of strength, and, or explosive power. If player do not need strength and power to a large extent even for them, strong abdominal and lower back muscles are helpful.

This article explains the basic principles of weight training for soccer using common activities for demonstrating those principles.

During soccer strength training, Specificity is a very important concept. The concept of this is to coach the players to put more time in working out in a way resembling their play on the field. Take for example running and swimming, a great exercise for runners and swimmers respectively.

To improve power, speed is an important aspect in training. A number of thing which are important while planning weight training programs are the players role in team sports, their age, physical and mental capacity to take stress, and the level at which they are to play.

Soccer Fitness

When this kind of information is available to a coach while planning a fitness training program, it ensures a good start.

For over all physical conditioning you should arrange those exercises which develop specific training. For instance, to improve the aerobic and strength and power fitness, swimmers also run and perform weight lifting.

Injury prevention is another aspect of weight training soccer that is often overlooked. Injury prevention even though not directly contributing to the play, is important as it ensures that the players are fit to play at the most critical times of the year.

Running, sprinting, turning and twisting, side-stepping, and getting ready for a shot are all the exercises performed in soccer. To develop strength, stability and power the chain of muscles titled as the “anterior and posterior chain,” involved in these activities should be given attention.

The best exercises for developing these muscles are the core lifts, like squats and deadlifts. The normal soccer fitness program should useful if special importance is given to these two core lifts that are crucial for leg, hip, back and abdominal strength.

You may also include a swimming program to focus added attention on the shoulders, arms and back muscles.

Usually strength enhancing programs include heavy weight lifting with few repetitions. You know by now that soccer is a sport which requires sufficient strength with mobility, speed and stamina not just building bulk and mass like other sports.

Strengthening highly vulnerable muscle groups could also add to the performance benefits in the absence of primary strength, power or endurance gains. These include the lower back and hamstrings, and the quadriceps muscles that direct knee joint function.

So this is it. Always remember these points while weight training soccer since in sport like soccer weights may not give much advantage. You are invited to become a member of our youth soccer coaching society that has a plethora of informative articles, weekly newsletters, and videos to help you better understand the concepts of youth coaching.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn  how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Practice Tips.

* They’ve got a great team- that simple fact makes them deserving to have the great privilege of hosting the cup.If you’d ask me, having a World Cup in a country whose team isn’t even above average would be a disgrace. Remember back in 1950,1978 and 1990 when Brazil, Argentina and Italy hosted the world cup? First class teams! It would make sense to have South Africa join the list.

* Awesome stadiums-South Africa constructed four brand new stadiums just for the 2010  FIFA World Cup. There’s a jungle-inspired stadium with zebra like stripes, another with mind-blowing lighting, one with a detractable glass roof and yet another that was constructed to look like the South African flag. What more could you ask for?

* Good weather- South Africa is well known for it’s good weather-aside from the wildlife. It will be winter time when the World Football Tournament will take place. Not to worry though, your favorite players won’t end up freezing to death since the winter temperature in South Africa is warmer than most countries summer temperature! The average temperature will be around 20 degrees Celsius at 12pm noon.Lower temperatures are known to be better for athlete’s bodies.Good weather equals higher tempo.

* It’s in Africa- what could be a better place for the world to unite than in the very place that civilization is said to have begun?And the place where soccer is in the heart of every African?Soccer in South Africa has in the past been a cause for unification and a force for apartheid resistance during President Mandela’s era. Having Soweto be the venue for the finals will add meaning and make the even even more memorable for the reason that Soweto has been the heart of South African soccer.

In my opinion, no controversy in the past four years can change the  fact that South Africa is the best place for  the 2010 FIFA World Cup and everyone should be proud that for the first time in  history, Africa is holidng a sporting event this big.

Since its formation in 1992, the EPL has achieved tremendous success as a global brand. The cost of this success has been felt by English football. Improved TV money has forced wages higher and higher. In turn this has meant there has been an evergrowing gulf among club and country. Clubs pay their players a great deal of money and are more and more hesitant to let their footballers turn out for their national teams.

In turn, players get greatly rewarded by Premiership clubs to the extent that success is recognised by securing excellent contracts and not anything they do on the field. Mediocre footballers who rarely turn out for their teams are still millionaires and as these footballers put money ahead of playing matches at club level, there is certainly little doubt they don’t have the mental strength or hunger to play international football.

In the past, there was always a regional reserve league which allowed young players from lower league clubs could possibly be guaranteed to play versus decent reserve teams from larger teams like Arsenal, Spurs and Man Utd. Nonetheless, in recent years, the Premiership has changed thus they will only play versus other Premiership reserve clubs. This means that Championship reserve clubs no longer get to play versus Premiership sides. For teams like Ipswich Town, it means their reserve team now plays versus Stevenage as an alternative to Spurs and this drop in standard in opposition without a doubt has a negative effect on the footballing education of young footballers.

With such a lot of wealth on the line, everything is geared to Premier League survival. Teams spend fortunes attracting apparently top-quality foreign managers and footballers in a bid to retain their EPL status. The ambition of promoted teams to the Premiership extends no further than finished 4th bottom. The EPL cash bonanza means that Premiership clubs can present £1-2m for young footballers at lower league clubs. The footballers are happy to move and secure their financial futures but it could well also signal the end of their careers. The young Crystal Palace star joined Spurs but rarely made an appearance and was last seen on loan at Brentford, a league lower than when he was at Palace. From a football point of view, Bostock would have been best served staying at Palace and learning the game. How many more young footballers careers are cut down like this pursuing the money instead of playing the game?  Its difficult to blame the young players for taking the money.

Addititionally there is the widespread accusation that clubs play too many games in England and more and more managers want a winter break. Nonetheless, players don’t appear to be tired once asked to fly off to the Usa or Far East on pre-season excursions. Or how about England’s friendly fixture next June away in Thailand?

There are so numerous ready made excuses for failure that footballers are ready to accept. They live a life well away from real life with their mansions, sports cars and trophy wives. Basically, there is not enough hunger or desire.

The match in Thailand also highlights another issue. In addition to the Premiership being a global brand, so are the England team. People want to witness the big Premiership stars play for England and in friendlies like this, those stars will be expected, if not contracted, to turn out.  Even so, it is not the case that the recommended 11 players make the recommended team. Too a good number of footballers are in the team based on track record rather than performances. Young players should be promoted into the senior squad sooner.

For the impending Euro 2012 campaign, England should do away with the services of all players aged 30 or over. None of them have played well in South Africa hence why should Capello persevere with them. It would be much better to promote younger players who may still be hungry for success. Of course, while the worshiping of the EPL persists, things are not likely to improve anytime rapidly.