BONUS CONTENT: New Exercises to Inspire Your Training This Week!
From Eddie Howe's pressing intensity to Julian Nagelsmann's creative possession games, we've got five excellent coaching resources for you this week on Modern Soccer Coach!
This week's bonus content takes us inside the training environments of some of the game's most interesting coaches, with a focus on practical ideas that can be adapted to your own sessions.
We've put together five video breakdowns covering high pressing, possession, crossing and finishing, transition games, and individual development. Whether you're coaching at grassroots level or working in an elite academy environment, there's plenty here to explore, challenge your thinking, and hopefully inspire your next training session.
1. Eddie Howe's Intense Pressing Warm-Up
We start with a fantastic pressing warm-up from Eddie Howe's time at Bournemouth. This is an excellent example of how coaches can introduce intensity, defensive reactions, and aggressive pressing behaviours from the very beginning of a training session.
What I particularly like about this exercise is the emphasis on players reacting quickly, recognizing pressing opportunities, and working with purpose. It's a reminder that a warm-up doesn't have to be disconnected from the tactical demands of the game.
Watch the full video breakdown below.
2. Julian Nagelsmann's Next-Level Possession Game
Julian Nagelsmann has always been one of the most creative coaches when it comes to designing training exercises, and this possession game is another fascinating example.
Rather than possession simply being about keeping the ball, the exercise challenges players to recognize space, adapt their positioning, and make decisions under pressure. It's the type of practice that can stimulate players technically and tactically while giving coaches plenty of opportunities to observe how they solve problems.
Watch the full video breakdown below.
3. Ange Postecoglou's Crossing & Finishing Drill
Next up is a crossing and finishing exercise from Ange Postecoglou's time at Tottenham Hotspur.
Crossing and finishing sessions can sometimes become predictable, with players repeating the same movements and deliveries. This exercise provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between attacking movement, timing, service into the penalty area, and the quality of the final action.
For coaches looking to add more detail and purpose to their attacking practices, there are some interesting ideas here.
Watch the full video breakdown below.
4. Hertha Berlin's Fast Decision-Making Transition Game
This is one of my favourite types of training exercises because it places players in situations where they have to think and act quickly.
The Hertha Berlin transition game progresses from 1v0 plus goalkeeper to 3v2 plus goalkeeper, creating changing attacking and defensive situations that demand immediate decisions.
Players must recognize numerical advantages, identify the right moment to pass or dribble, and adapt as the situation develops. It's a great example of how coaches can create competitive, dynamic training environments without overcomplicating the practice.
Watch the full video breakdown below.
5. Three Pro-Level 1v1 Warm-Up Exercises
We finish with three 1v1 warm-up exercises that offer coaches different ways to introduce individual attacking and defending challenges into their sessions.
Individual development remains such an important part of the game, and 1v1 training provides an opportunity to work on technical execution, body positioning, timing, and decision-making.
These exercises can be useful starting points for coaches who want to create more competitive and engaging warm-ups while giving players opportunities to solve problems against a direct opponent.
Watch the full video breakdown below.
Keep Learning with Modern Soccer Coach
One of the biggest benefits of studying training sessions from different coaches and environments is not necessarily finding an exercise to copy. It's understanding the thinking behind the design, the behaviours being encouraged, and how those ideas might translate into our own coaching environments.
Hopefully these five videos provide some fresh inspiration for the week ahead.
Enjoy the content, and thanks as always for supporting Modern Soccer Coach!
