The Best Soccer Coaching Books of All Time

"Excellent book! Dan Blank does an awesome job of simply and logically breaking down the fundamental approach to a possession-based style of play." ~Bikerby. "A very well written easy to read book. It's as if Dan Blank is giving a clinic and you have a front row seat.". ~Brandon Amos. "I'm truly impressed with this book. It didn't just teach and entertain me, it spoke to me." ~Coach Tom. POSSESSION is a step by step explanation of coaching points and on-field exercises for possession soccer.

In this installment of the best-selling Soccer iQ series, Coach Dan Blank again distinguishes himself as soccer's finest how-to author, providing coaches with connect-the-dots solutions for teaching possession soccer. POSSESSION provides essential coaching philosophies that break down the art of keeping the ball. It includes dozens of training exercises as well as the mistakes that a coach can expect his players to make during those exercises - and the solutions to correct those mistakes. Filled with simple diagrams, POSSESSION is an easy-to-read guide for coaches who desperately want to help their teams keep the darn ball! "Yet another masterful soccer guide by Dan Blank." ~Tom Leszczynski. "This book really condenses everything necessary for good possession play into one place and provides good drills and progressions for developing your teams ability to hold onto the ball. The descriptions and diagrams are clear and well organized with coaching points highlighted for each." ~Brian Turner. "Wow this book is good. A must read if you are introducing the concept of possession soccer to your team.". ~Chris Almand.

"Inspirational. Amazing. The ultimate prize, these books are worth multiple reads." ~Coach Tom. "Full of illuminating soccer insights and practical coaching tips." ~Travis Norsen. A wonderful Christmas present or stocking stuffer for the soccer coach in your life! In this installment of the bestselling Soccer iQ series, college soccer coach and author, Dan Blank, educates coaches and players on the most effective ways to implement a high-pressure style of team defending.

Nearly 80% of goals scored are the result of three or fewer passes, and more than half of all goals scored begin when a team wins possession of the ball in its attacking half of the field. The numbers clearly indicate a statistical advantage to winning the ball in the opponent’s end of the field, and that’s exactly what high pressure is designed to do. High pressure is perhaps the most misunderstood term in soccer’s vocabulary. There are countless coaches who want their teams to play high pressure, but many of them aren’t always quite so sure about what that means. They tend to translate ‘high pressure’ into ‘run around like you stole something until we score.’ They only extract the urgency of which the term implies without much understanding of the nuance that makes high pressure a formidable system of team defense. Those coaches understand that high pressure requires a high work rate, but they don’t understand the tactical savvy that can maximize the output of that work. As a result, their teams feature only the madness but not the method behind successful high pressure. High Pressure provides an easy-to-follow blueprint for coaches and players so they know not only what to do, but why they are doing it. In this book, Dan Blank clarifies the differences between high and low pressure and explains the big picture of high pressure defending. You will learn the roles of each position, the importance of restraining lines, and how to set up pressure funnels to win the ball in the attacking half. Coach Blank also details the telltale cues that signal a team to step up or back off its pressure, and much, much more. High pressure defending requires more than just hard work. It requires organization, communication and an indefatigable team spirit. This book will show you how to create and implement these elements to get a maximum return on your team’s effort. "10/10 Highly Recommend! Incredible read! I cannot wait for our season next month to incorporate various strategies and drills from this book. ~Dan O'Sullivan. "Wow! Another great book. As a high school soccer coach, I’m always looking for new ways to improve my team - and myself. Dans books always do it." ~Alison Stein. "Inspiring stuff! Looking forward to putting a lot of this into action with my team!" ~Matthew D Bryant.

"If you want to win, buy this book. Clearly written, direct and to the point with great stories that bring the topics to life.". ~. Buffs. "Another awesome book from Dan Blank! My defenders are now getting "Shutout Pizza" to devour...both the book and hopefully lots of pizza this year!" ~Bikerby. "Very good read, with useful information that is simple to follow and understand. Very catchy, memorable descriptions that stick with you, and will stick with your players." ~Darren. WARNING: This is not a goalkeeping book.

From the best-selling author of the Soccer iQ series comes a book dedicated to teaching and organizing a back four. Coach Dan Blank led the Southeastern Conference's best defense at two different universities in consecutive years. It began with a handbook he created for his defenders that ensured everyone was on the same page. Shutout Pizza is a vastly expanded version of that handbook. It introduces the governing principles that guided the SEC's best defenses, and covers a broad spectrum of scenarios that commonly occur during matches. Shutout Pizza is packed with diagrams that will help the reader visualize the concepts discussed in the text, and includes several of most effective drills for training these concepts. This is an excellent book for coaches and players who want to defend more effectively. "Defending Made Simple. The concepts in this book are presented in such an easy to understand and teachable manner that I am embarrassed at the large number I have failed to teach my teams over the years. This book (and Dan's others) will change your team dramatically for the better." ~.Mark L. "If you are sincerely into coaching soccer this is a must have book to add to your collection. Focus is on defending and organizing your backs as a unit, great ideas and methods to keep them a tight unit. Coach Blank put a lot of thought into this book and even more thought into defending." ~Jeffrey Vagell. "Another great reference from Dan Blank. Practical advice for players and coaches on defending individually and as a team. Simple, easy to apply lessons in every day language with great examples and diagrams. Distills the topic down to key concepts. Like all his books, I use this one every week in coaching my team." ~B. E. Preppernau.