The Techne Blog

Situational awareness means having a good understanding of what is happening around you at any given point in time. It means collecting information and using that information to make choices. As a youth soccer coach, one of the most powerful things you can teach your players is game awareness. Teaching them how to gather details in the run of play to make earlier, more informed decisions and increase their speed of play is can completely transform their game.

As a soccer player, it’s all about game day and more specifically, what to do before a game. You’ve probably wondered what is the best way to prepare for your games, either the day before or the day of the game. Your preparation routines may change over time, but there are some general principles you can follow to set yourself up for success.

As a coach, it is important that you are a good resource and supporting member of your players’ “team,” so they can lean on you for help. The college soccer recruiting process for student athletes should be driven by the players, however, these student athletes do need your support in the process.

At some point in their soccer journey, every elite player experiences sitting on the bench. It can be one of the most difficult things to manage, and if you’re competitive and looking to improve, you’ll likely be wondering what you can do to secure more playing time for yourself. Check out some tips when it comes to getting more playing time.

There are a few questions that we get every time someone is learning to juggle, so we took some time to address them! How do I start? How high should I hit the ball each time? How should I position my foot? Am I doing it right? How long should it take to learn? How do I know if I’m improving?

FREE TRAINING SESSION STARTS OCT 4! Becoming a solid juggler won’t happen overnight, but the time and effort you put in will be worth it! You should find that the better you become at juggling, the more fun you will have with the process. Instead of juggling being a “pain point” in your soccer journey, put in the work to make it something you are good at, enjoy, and have fun with at any time!

When Techne launched in 2016, it was just one technical session each week. Since then, we’ve added a complete training curriculum for players of all ages and levels who want to take their game to the next level -- whether it’s learning the basic skills or refining those skills to bring into high-level game situations. All of the sessions in the app are methodically designed by our team of current and former professional soccer players and coaches. Here’s an overview of the training that is now available in the app and how players can use it to be their best.

As a player, do you remember that feeling when you scored your first goal, or gave that killer assist that led to a game-winning goal? Or maybe it was the sprawling block of a shot to save the game for your team. Isn’t the happiness and exhilaration you felt as a player why you decided to share your joy of the game with others? Having your WHY makes it clear not only to you but to those you are trying to lead. When things get tough, when conflict arises (which it inevitably does), having clarity will help you reset and navigate through both good and bad times. Set your WHY, communicate your WHY and use it to help you lead yourself and your teams through the fall season.

I remember when I was 9 years old, in the final game of a tournament, and parents were creeping onto the field, screaming instructions at the players. One little girl I was next to literally stopped, turned around, and yelled to the parents on the sideline. “Stop yelling at me, I can only listen to one of you!” Clearly, that should be the coach. The parents were left speechless, but hopefully they learned a lesson! As I’ve stepped into a coaching role over the past couple of years, I’ve observed parent behavior. Parent to child, parent to coach, parent to parent.

We designed the Back to School Soccer Training Challenge to support building strong habits. The will to train and finding the time and space is just as important as the actual training, so we have a 10-day curriculum that focuses on building this skill. The challenge runs Sept 1 - 10 in the Techne App

The college recruiting process for student athletes is just that – a process. It does not happen overnight, and it is not an easy path. There are bumps, roadblocks, forks in the road, and other obstacles you will encounter. But just like after making a mistake in the game, how you react is important.

At Techne, we often get asked about the topic of keeping your head up while training. Have you been told by a coach that you need to “pick your head up” more? While training, do you wonder which drills you should look up when doing, versus when it’s okay to look down at the ball? We’ve worked to clarify some of the frequently asked questions about picking your head up while training and how that can translate into the game.

Techne’s 10th training challenge lasts 16 days, alongside the Olympic Games in Tokyo! Train with players around the world as you develop core strength, explosive dribbling, volleying, mental skills, and more! Winners of the challenge get a pair of exclusive Techne sunglasses.

Trust the process. Regardless of whether your scores improve quickly or slowly, or if you’re able to take video to analyze your progress, the bottom line is that if you train with focus and intention consistently over time, you WILL get better! Know the ways to measure your progress, and that there are multiple ways to tell how you are improving.

Over the past few years, more than 120 college programs have been offering access to the Techne app for their players to stay sharp in the offseason. From highly-competitive Division I schools to small Division III programs, we work with coaches and players who value meaningful improvement and ongoing development.While many college programs have always offered detailed strength training programs and specific fitness standards during the offseason, many now also provide guidance in terms of what technical skills players should work on, both general and/or position-specific.

If you have aspirations to play competitive or elite soccer, at some point or another you’ll need to prove yourself in a tryout scenario. Sometimes players are evaluated through their performance in a series of training sessions; sometimes it’s a one-time identification event; and other times it’s a training camp or preseason that can last several weeks. Regardless of the environment or level, there are some important elements of performing well and giving yourself the best shot at success.

Training your mind means building up your ability to focus; it means strengthening your confidence so that you can get back into the game quickly after mistakes or big wins; and it means training yourself to perform under pressure. Have you ever noticed that you can do a skill perfectly until you ask someone to watch? That’s because that little bit of added pressure impacts your ability to perform! Training your mind will help you learn how to perform in all circumstances--whether it’s showing off for a parent or friend or taking the winning penalty against your rival team.

There are many ways to be a great soccer player, but there’s only one way to win games: scoring goals! Not only attacking players need to be well-versed in scoring goals. The best teams see their goals come from all positions on the field at some point in the season. Being informed about goal-scoring, and prepared to do it, will help make you a more confident soccer player.