Soccer Fundamentals for Players and Coaches [Hardcover]

This is Wiel Coerver's original book on teaching young soccer players how to do soccer
dribbling "moves". I ordered this book through Amazon.com not knowing what it was all about,
having already gotten Coerver's other book "Score!" This book covers pretty much the same
material, and would be of interest only if you don't already own the other book, or if you are a
serious Coerver Coaching fan. If you are a Coerver Coaching fan, this book is somewhat
interesting in a historical sort of way in that the pictures are all black and white, and many show a
middle-aged Wiel Coerver demonstrating the moves (in the book "Score!", he appears only in
one photo at the introduction, looking like a wizened old grandfather).

It is interesting to note how organized youth soccer coaching has evolved between the two
books to encompass ever younger kids. In this book, Coerver states: "The very young should
not be troubled with planned training and assignments" (p.3) and later: "..begin this plan at the
age of ten .." (p.5). By the time of the book "Score!" he writes: "Most of the exercises are
suitable for young players..." (p.4) and "The group of exercises in the first category have been
deliberately kept simple so that even beginners as young as age six can practice them" (p.6). In
this book, the young soccer players all look like they are at least ten years old or over. In the
book "Score!" the pictures have turned into color and the players are all much younger, with
some of them actually looking like they are less than six years old.

With both books, there is still the problem of following the footwork for executing the moves
using only static pictures, and so I would still recommend getting the Coerver Coaching videos to
help you with the footwork (see my review for the book "Score!" on how to get these). Coerver's
books are interesting mainly from the philosophical standpoint, with Coerver grieving over the
loss of "goal scorers and players with innovative plays or creative abilities" because of "coaches
who...prefer not to allow their players to engage in individual play for fear that they might lose
possession of the ball" (p.3). He also writes in this book: "As a result, it is rare to find a training
program that encourages individual attacking techniques" (this is something that Paul Gardner
also bemoans, in his book, "The Simplest Game").

Do not make the mistake of limiting the potential of your players by teaching them only "kick
and run" soccer. These books and videos from Coerver Coaching will show you how to teach
your players the great moves of Cruyff, Rivelino, Rumennige, Matthews, etc.