How to prepare a senior soccer training session?

It is essential to properly prepare your training session and allocate time in advance to anticipate the different drills and exercises you want to implement. Properly preparing your training session will help you arrive on the field knowing the theme and the objectives of your session, the exercises you will implement, the session's flow, and the different messages you want to convey to the players.

A seniors training session is a succession of exercises, with strong spells and weak spells that you must pace to avoid boredom among your players.

Follow our few tips to prepare a seniors training session and put your players in the best conditions:

1. Prepare your session the day before

We advise you to prepare your training session the day before. Take some time in advance to define the session's objective and the different exercises you want to implement. This will help you greatly and prevent you from rushing on the day of your session. You can pick from our 500+ senior exercises to best prepare your training.

It is also very important that you arrive early to your training sessions. Preparing a training session and setting up drills can take some time, and there is nothing worse for a player than having to wait for their coach to set up an exercise. So, plan to arrive on the field about 15-30 minutes before the start of the session. Prepare the first drills of the session (if possible) and start defining the different teams if necessary.

2. Plan a welcoming exercise

Another important element when preparing a senior training session: plan a welcoming exercise. Not all your players will arrive at the same time, which is why it's important to plan a welcoming exercise. So, plan to have some balls available for the first arrivals. You can also plan a simple pre-session warm-up exercise.

3. Brief the players before the session

An essential point too often neglected by most senior coaches: the pre-session briefing. It is an essential step during which you will detail the session's content to your players, as well as the theme and the main message you want to convey to them.

Once your speech is over, you can start with your pre-session warm-up exercises. Here are some examples you can use:

Possession with support

Technical warm-up: oriented control and pass

4. Manage the session's pace

The most important aspect of a senior training session is the pace. You must think about the pace of your session as much as your exercises. Whether you are implementing technical drills or tactical setups, you must plan the different breaks between each exercise so that your players maintain a constant pace. So, plan for water breaks, stretching, and of course, the cool-down at the end of the session.

Your exercises must also be paced, so don't hesitate to offer different variations of the same exercise to avoid repetition. You can be inspired by this exercise of quick possession and counterattacks on a 3vs2 followed by a 2vs1.

5. Offer varied and quality exercises

If there is one thing senior players hate, it's monotonous training sessions with not very elaborate exercises. That's why you must constantly improve the training exercises you offer your players. Use creative exercises and vary the drills so that your players stay focused throughout the session.

We offer hundreds of original exercises with illustrations on SoccerCoachLab. Here is, for example, an original senior exercise that will allow you to work on duels with shooting on a small goal and defenders in pursuit.

Duels on small goal with defender in pursuit

To set up this drill, define a 20x15m area and place 2 goals on each width. Place a cone in the center of each length of the zone and form 2 teams of 6 players (see animation above).

The exercise will proceed as follows:

1. Player A at the ball source starts with a pass to the lateral player B.
2. B will then perform an oriented control and play to the forward C.
3. At this moment, D will start in pursuit to try to recover the ball. This is followed by a duel on the small goal.
4. If D recovers the ball, he can then attempt to score.
5. After each round, A moves to B, then B takes D's place, who in turn takes C's place. The forward C, meanwhile, takes A's place at the starting point.
6. The exercise takes place simultaneously on the 2 mini goals.

Having the 2 teams play simultaneously will force your players to keep their heads up and be attentive to movements around them. It is both a 1v1 duel exercise and a concentration exercise.

Visit the exercise sheet to discover a possible variation for this senior technical drill (also applicable for U17, U18, U19, or U20).

6. Conduct a session review with your players

Finally, we recommend always ending your sessions with a brief review, especially with senior players, who will expect feedback from you on the group's collective performance during this training.

A soccer training session is not just a succession of drills and exercises. A senior training session requires preparation and the ability to anticipate, to avoid having to improvise too much on the day. Consider applying these few tips to improve your level as a coach.