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Our Way
TRAINING FOCUS
Avenir Élite Football Académie training is designed to improve a player’s comfort and versatility with the ball.
A typical training session will be composed of:
Clearly explained and demonstrated training exercises.
4v1 or 5v2 exercises to work on space awareness and decision making.
Technical (or ball control) exercises to develop players comfort and versatility when in possession of the ball. Players will learn to use every surface of their feet.
Skill check exercises composed of ball lifting techniques, juggling with feet or head.
Passing-Receiving-Shooting exercises to develop the basic technical attribute of a football player
Small sided games to develop players understanding and reading of the game. Players will learn to recognize situations and apply the right solutions.
Possession games exercises with or without touches restrictions will teach players to function under pressure.
1v1 or 2v2 exercises to encourage players’ decision making whether they are attacking or defending.
Coordination exercises will help players develop their motor skills, therefore their ability to get some balance and maneuver the ball at game speed.
Fitness exercises incorporated in fun games or actual football drills.
Every presented exercise at practices will always simulate a potential game situation. This approach allows players to repeatedly train on games situations so that they can succeed when they face one of these situations in a game. Practices exercises will always encourage players to use creative ways to express their football abilities
DEVELOPMENT STAGES
Youth soccer development stages and areas of emphasis
As presented below, the overall emphasis in training varies according to the age group of the players. Since the ultimate goal is to provide a rewarding experience and to help players reach their full potential, coaches within each age group focus on the areas of emphasis that are appropriate for that age group.
Stage 1: active start (first kicks)
This stage concerns U4 to U6 girls and boys. It is an introductory stage whose objective is to get children moving and to keep them active. No competitive games should be involved. The technical requirements are simply encouraging children to play with the ball by kicking, dribbling and shooting.
Stage2: fundamentals (fun with the ball)
This stage concerns U6 to U8 girls and U6 to U9 boys. Coaches should create a stimulating learning environment about “freedom and fun”. Technical development focuses on getting a feel for the ball when receiving, passing, dribbling, kicking, and shooting.
Stage 3: learning to train (the golden age of learning)
This stage concerns U8 to U11 girls and U9 to U12 boys. This stage is the optimal window for developing of speed, flexibility, and technical skills. It is also an important time to teach basics principles of play and to establish a training ethic and discipline.
Stage 4: training to train (identifying the elite player)
This stage concerns U11 to U15 girls and U12 to U16 boys. This stage involves making increasing demands on developing stamina, strength, concentration, and mental toughness. Learning playing tactics becomes important. Technical instruction introduces advanced techniques to those players who are capable, and the skills are presented within a more complex environment with position-specific emphasis.
Stage 5: training to compete (developing the elite player)
This stage concerns U15 to U19 females and U16 to U20 males. This stage involves players working to gain more game maturity as they learn to perform skills under a variety of competitive conditions. Players should acquire emotional stability when confronted with pressure situations.
Stage 6: training to win (building the best player)
This stage concerns U18+ females and U19+ males. The majority of a player’s physical, technical, tactical, and psychological qualities should now be fully established. The focus of training becomes the optimization of performance and the maximization of all capacities.
Stage 7: active for life (soccer for health and grassroots growth)
This stage concerns adults. Some players may play recreational soccer; others may play for premier/pro teams; and still others may stop playing. The game format and training approach should be adapted to suit the level of play. Players and non-players are encouraged to give something back to the sport by such means as coaching and refereeing.