Category: Coaching

The half-spaces as a key chance creation channel

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Most Recent

It has long been hypothesized that 'Zone 14' is the holy grail of chance creation. The ideas around this concept were built around a study from the late 1990s that specified that successful teams had a higher frequency of getting into this zone when compared against their peers. Since opposition clubs often compact central channels out of possession, it's logical to reason that teams who are more successful in advancing into one of the most congested areas of the pitch are more successful overall. But while everyone conducting public analysis is busy studying 'Zone 14' (not all that well), the best chance creators are consistently conjuring up magic from a different area of the pitch, due to the desirable outcomes that follow

The successful throw-in playbook (ft. Forge FC)

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Most Recent, Coaching, Sport Psychology, Canadian Premier League, Coach Education, Masterclasses

CPL Winners Forge FC ranked second in successful throw-ins across the 2022 season - at 90.9%. They exceled through movement off the ball to create space, and a series of meticulous routines to unbalance the opposition. Here is how they achieved success.

Coaching Philosophies Guide

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Most Recent, Subscriber Exclusives

Struggling to know how to communicate your ideas about the game in a succinct format? Our 'Coaching Philosophies Guide' will help you to know what you need to consider when building the perfect team environment, and will allow you to nail down your thoughts about how and who you want to be as a coach. Our guide comes with my own Coaching Philosophies as an example for how you can structure your own. This can be purchased for just $2.99, as part of our continued attempt to make our content as accessible as possible.

The case for short corners

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Canadian Premier League, Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, NWSL, UEFA Champions League, Women's Football

Among a host of changes to the game and innovations popping up at every turn, short corners remain an understudied facet of the game. While they often frustrate fans in stadiums when they ultimately come to nothing, the right short corner kick routine can bear fruit for any team, creating an overload before whipping the ball into the box.

Final Project – Introduction to Analysis Course

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses

We are finally here! We have arrived to the penultimate moment of this course. The ninetieth minute, if you will. But before we come to a final curtain close, we're going into extra time to have you work on a real life application of your learnings in this course. Here's how it works...

Social media management in football analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses

Where would I be without sharing my work on Twitter? Absolutely nowhere. I wouldn't be helping anyone, and I wouldn't have the strong following that I've developed across the site. Twitter is responsible for approximately 1,000 views on my site per day, and where I've had some of the best football conversations I've ever had. So today, I'm going to be sharing my best tips and tricks to managing a social media account in football analysis, and how to get the most out of your experience.

Introduction to Football Analysis

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Most Recent

Welcome one. Welcome all. It is with great pleasure that we invite you into our brand-new course - Introduction to Football Analysis. While the word "introduction" finds itself placed in our course title, this opportunity is suitable for anyone with any degree of analytical background - from beginners to experts. The important part is that you are here to learn. You are here to take your footballing knowledge, your footballing craft, to the next level.

Breaking down the phases of the game

by Rhys Desmond, posted in Coach Education, Coaching, Masterclasses, Most Recent

Chances are, if you're getting into tactics and analysis, you've heard the word "phase" or "moment" to describe the events that transpire across a football match. But what are these so-called "phases"? As part of our Intro to Football Analysis course, we break it all down. This article will give you a sneak-preview into the course, set to be launched in Fall 2022. Here's everything you need to know about the various phases of the beautiful game, and how compartmentalizing the game in this manner can allow you to achieve greater success in your analysis.