Training Breakdown
At DC Way Academy, we help develop physically, mentally, technically, and intelligently strong players. We work on ball control, goalkeeping, 1v1 moves, defending principles, trapping, shooting, finishing, group play, creativity, street soccer, juggling, soccer tennis, and other critical skills. Also, the emphasis on 11+ and agility continue to improve fitness and injury reduction. Practices reiterate the proven sequence and strategy of training with a particular focus on the following:
AGILITY, BALANCE, COORDINATION & SPEED
Training for agility, balance, coordination, and speed (ABCS) is important for both success on the field and injury prevention by improving technical proficiency and physical ability. Agility encompasses movement involved in soccer such as sprinting forward and backward, moving laterally, and changing direction. Great balance and coordination are necessary skills for soccer players. Athletes often move fast in small spaces either weaving through defenders or, on defense, keeping up with the moves of offenders. Moving quickly in small spaces with one foot on the ball requires a superb amount of balance and coordination. Balance and coordination (mixed with speed) are what make a player agile and agility is a necessary skill for the best players.
Improving speed requires work on acceleration, endurance, quick-thinking, footwork, execution, and more. It is critical to cultivate these skills at a young age while the brain is developing and the body is learning how to move. Speed is necessary for soccer players in terms of both quickness and quick feet and speed across greater distances. Quickness is also essential for defensive players to keep up with their marks and to keep offensive players from dodging them or sprinting past them with the ball. Speed is a baseline skill for soccer players and is of utmost importance. A player might be super agile with the ball at their feet, but if they’re slow and can’t beat their opponents to the ball, they’ll never get the opportunity to show off their agility.
GAME INTELLIGENCE
In soccer, intelligence development trains players to think strategically to make sound decisions during quick, competitive gameplay. Players trained to think at higher levels incorporate creative maneuvers and strategies to outsmart the opponents, and are more successful on the field. At DC Way Academy, we will work on spatial awareness, tactical knowledge, and risk assessment. These are all complex skills that lead to smart, fast decisions, and, ultimately, game intelligence. Spatial awareness refers to a player’s ability to see space clearly across the entire pitch and utilize it to their advantage. Intelligent players are extremely aware of the geometry of the game.
Tactical knowledge refers to a player’s knowledge of the nature and structure of the game. Tactically intelligent players are great at maintaining possession and not only waiting for the right moment to attack but also creating the right moment to attack. By anticipating the moves of their own players and their opponents, intelligent players can move the ball across the field, creating gaps in the opposing team’s defense until they have just enough space to attack. Risk refers to the fact that certain aggressive decisions could lead to a loss of possession. When a team loses possession, each and every team member must expend extra energy until they regain control. Intelligent players, therefore, are constantly assessing the risk and reward of their decisions.
TECHNIQUE
The technique holds a pivotal place at DC Way Academy because the players have so little time and space in real-time situations. Therefore, we want to prepare our players in the best way possible by perfecting their ball control, dribbling skills, passing accuracy, and body control. A player with good ball control is able to receive passes both on the ground and out of the air with clean first touches keeping the ball close to their body. Moreover, dribbling skills refer to a player’s ability to move up and down the pitch with full control of the ball. A player with good dribbling skills can move the ball in different directions at different speeds with both feet. Superb drilling skills are essential to achieving success in football for players of all positions.
Passing accuracy refers to a player’s ability to use both feet to send the ball to the player’s desired destination. That could mean sending the ball straight to a teammate’s feet with power and precision, sending a through the pass into space with proper weight, or crossing the ball accurately in front of the net. Players cannot achieve success in soccer without being able to pass accurately with both feet. Finally, body control refers to a player’s ability to move their body fluidly to optimize balance and coordination. Since body control falls under the category of technique rather than physical fitness, body control refers mostly to the correctness of form. Long strides, correct running form, and a low center of gravity are good indications of good body control.