Try asking 'why'
I've written before about the 5 elements of a training activity. Once you are familiar with them, they're easy to keep as guidelines. If...
Lee Dunne
- Nov 22, 2021
- 2 min
Connecting with Players
Connecting with every player is so important. You see college coaches (in any sport) focusing on team building as much as they focus on...
18 views
Lee Dunne
- Nov 9, 2021
- 4 min
Pay Your Staff More
Coaching 3-5 teams is not good for anyone. Coaches and their families are stretched thin. Clubs are asking players to pay $k's and they...
84 views
Lee Dunne
- Jul 14, 2021
- 2 min
Season Plan
Do you plan your season? Down to each session or micro/macro-cycle? How much flexibility do you have? I've been coaching a group of mixed...
179 views
Lee Dunne
- Jul 1, 2021
- 3 min
Laps for Mental Toughness
Someone told me that running laps develops mental toughness. Much like, I assume, passing around cones develops soccer players who can...
29 views
Lee Dunne
- Feb 5, 2021
- 2 min
The Formation Game #1
Coventry (red) were attacking in a 1-4-3-3. Birmingham (blue) were defending in a 1-4-2-3-1. Coventry opted to play long often, without...
55 views
Lee Dunne
- Jan 19, 2021
- 4 min
Don't talk to me for 48 hours
Please note, that you owe the $3,000+ for your child to play in this team, and you may not ask me any questions for 48 hours after a game...
386 views
Lee Dunne
- Aug 24, 2020
- 1 min
When Practice is Canceled...
Make the most of any canceled team trainings.
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Lee Dunne
- Aug 4, 2020
- 2 min
Helping them get 'unstuck'
If we train players to play positions with the whole game in mind, I think we will see more rounded players that have the confidence to get
16 views
Lee Dunne
- Jul 31, 2020
- 2 min
It has to be exciting.
Check out how I recently trained two young Soccer players online.
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Lee Dunne
- Jul 2, 2020
- 1 min
#returntoplay 4v4
Watch a #returntoplay 4v4 with some pretty awesome rules...
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Lee Dunne
- Jun 30, 2020
- 3 min
#returntoplay
With sense. Activity isn't far away. Some clubs within San Francisco and the Bay Area are returning to play in different ways, but we...
43 views
Lee Dunne
- Jun 11, 2020
- 2 min
Game Model. Why?
"Why have a game model and why is it important to share with the players?"
99 views
Lee Dunne
- May 31, 2020
- 2 min
Positional Profiles - Player Review
During this quarantine period, I challenged the players to identify clips of themselves performing to their positional profiles, and...
80 views
Lee Dunne
- May 6, 2020
- 6 min
5 Elements of Training Activity
Do you consider these 5 elements when planning and executing your training sessions?
876 views
Lee Dunne
- Apr 29, 2020
- 2 min
Soccer Training at Home - The Essentials
I have been conducting online training for my competitive teams and the recreational teams from SF Youth Soccer. Sadly, we're faced with...
9 views
Lee Dunne
- Apr 28, 2020
- 4 min
The 5 W's and You
Use the 5 W's for success in planning and executing your soccer sessions.
113 views
Lee Dunne
- Apr 16, 2020
- 2 min
Let Them Show You
So, I spoke during the #SoccerCoachesSummit for SCORES on Tuesday and talked about Redefining Success. This is something I am incredibly...
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Lee Dunne
- Apr 16, 2020
- 2 min
From Goal, with Different Challenges.
Welcome to the second part of this mini series on the set up and consequences of your practice environment. The first series was set up...
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Lee Dunne
- Apr 7, 2020
- 2 min
End Zone, Target, or Goals
I recently shared a mini series that reflects on the decisions we make, as coaches, that have consequences and often unintended...
39 views
Lee Dunne
- Mar 24, 2020
- 2 min
Position Profiles
What do your players think when you ask them 'what are the key attributes required for playing your position?'
Have you ever asked them?
48 views
Lee Dunne
- Mar 15, 2020
- 3 min
A Resume Full of Pros
How many pros have you 'made'? What if the majority you work with will never go pro, are you a bad coach?
48 views
Lee Dunne
- Feb 3, 2020
- 1 min
The important of 'Power Questions'
In wrapping up a clinic with these young players. I challenge them. Next week I will ask them to 'tell me' their answers. THEN They will...
16 views
Lee Dunne
- Jan 28, 2020
- 2 min
The power of NO.
This winter I was approached for a high school head coaching role in SF. I interviewed, accepted and was all set. However, I begun to...
103 views
Lee Dunne
- Feb 10
- 3 min
Coventry 1-1 Blackpool
Coventry's woes in front of goal continue. 20 shots. 7 on target. Two goals ruled out for offside and a 92nd minute shot slashed across the goal sum up the current streak for Coventry, but they look good doing it! With Blackpool playing in a 4-4-2, there was an expectation for Coventry to control the middle, and the game. It certainly played out that way, with Coventry having 68% of possession, and looking very nice on the eye, but the threat from all of that possession was a
75 views
Lee Dunne
- Jan 30
- 4 min
Middlesborough - Coventry City
Coventry hit the Riverside with ambitions to jump into 8th place. Wilder and his overlapping center backs, with a wind machine, were looking to get their own 3 points at home. After selecting the same team that lost to Blackburn, Wilder seemed to be making a point. Boro presented a couple of different problems for Coventry in this game. Early on they pressed higher on Coventry. The result was a struggle to play out through the usual channels. Instead, the team drops deeper to
132 views
Lee Dunne
- Jan 26
- 3 min
Coventry City 1-0 Stoke City
Another strong City performance sees them justly rewarded with three points! Early on Coventry set their position by allowing Stoke to have the ball across the back three, but no further. Here, Chester plays to Tymon who looks for Clucas inside. The ball is stolen by Sheaf and Coventry counter. The patience in this press is key, as Gyokeres encourages play to one side and the box midfield, with support from Eccles at RWB can set a trap to steal the ball high. Stoke played int
31 views
Lee Dunne
- Jan 17
- 3 min
Peterborough United 1-4 Coventry City
Coventry snap the recent struggles and blew off some rust with a strong away performance against the Posh. With 2 goals inside 25 minutes and 22 total shots, Coventry were clearly the aggressors supported by a high press that created a lot of opportunities. Though the conversion rate for Coventry needs to improve. Early on, and in theory, the 4-4(diamond)-2 could work for Posh given the balance centrally with a 4v4. However, O'Hare between the midfield and defensive lines wou
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Lee Dunne
- Dec 13, 2021
- 3 min
Huddersfield Town 1-1 Coventry City
Another goal after the 90th minute. Another 'comeback' to demonstrate the fight and desire of this exciting team. However, it wasn't really a game that Coventry can celebrate as a 'win' like the Bournemouth game. Coventry ended the game with 22 shots on goal. 12 of them were on target. The ball was crossed in 31 times, mostly by Kane. Nicholls, the Huddersfield GK earned a man of the match award with 11 shots, keeping Coventry out until the very end. Coventry set up with Gyok
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Lee Dunne
- Dec 13, 2021
- 4 min
Coventry City 1-2 West Bromwich Albion
A fast and frantic start to a derby game leaves Coventry unorganized. An opening half that Coventry will not want to repeat paves the way for a difficult and ultimately impossible comeback. Coventry's shape was typical, but the personnel were not. With Dabo at RCB the same performance was expected, given his poor showing versus Bournemouth. It's more that he's not the player to put at RCB than he's a bad player. With Gyokeres and Godden together up front and O'Hare behind, ba
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Lee Dunne
- Nov 29, 2021
- 4 min
Bournemouth 2-2 Coventry City
Given the two previous 0-0's, Coventry needed to get together their attack for this game against 'fellow promotion rivals'. Though Lerma's red card clearly made the difference, the attack got the key goals to give Coventry the victory/draw. In the opening phase, you can see the Bournemouth shape. Lerma as the central defender between Cook and Mepham would mean Bournemouth would get players ahead of the ball and look to pin Coventry deep. The shape is highlighted as a 1-3-4-3
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Lee Dunne
- Nov 28, 2021
- 3 min
Coventry City 0-0 Birmingham City
"The former landlord visits..." and it got a little tasty, but not before it was frustrating and sloppy. Another clean sheet and point on the board for City is good enough for 4th at the end of the evening. Though the game left something to be desired, there were only 4 goals across 5 games in the Championship. The international break hangover lasting a little longer than usual, apparently. Coventry returned to two strikers having completed the game task against Sheffield Un
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Lee Dunne
- Nov 22, 2021
- 3 min
Sheffield United 0-0 Coventry City
A return from the international break, an away game, and the start of a 9-game run. A game that Coventry could have won early, and lost later, with the game really opening up after about 80 minutes. Sheffield United are struggling to find the final click. They wanted to keep the ball, but lacked much attacking threat, especially in the first half as Coventry went close with a couple of flash chances. The Coventry box-midfield you see packs out any central success for United.
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Lee Dunne
- Nov 9, 2021
- 4 min
Coventry City 3-2 Bristol City
Coventry desperately needed a rebound against Bristol. One win five, and seemingly half of the Championship ready to leapfrog them, meant a strong performance was needed. Almost immediately, Coventry broke down the left and a shot from Hamer is well saved by Bentley, just 27 seconds into the game. A lot of diagonals. Coventry have found success in recent games with diagonal passes from Hamer. Those passes pin the opposition deep and account for a 1/4 of Hamer's passes in this
283 views
Lee Dunne
- Nov 6, 2021
- 4 min
Coventry City 1-2 Swansea City
The Sky Blues' unbeaten record at the CBS Arena has gone, but the problems are bigger. Coventry, with one win in five, were made to look like a mid-table team against a very clever Swansea team. It almost looked like a Luton repeat after conceding two in 12 minutes, putting any game plan out of the window. Though Coventry fought back on 27 minutes, they failed to really threaten from thereon due to a predictable and impatient attack. In the opening exchanges, Coventry pressed
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