Author: Charles Richard Cotton
| charles Cotton |
| Calgary, Canada |
Charles Richard Cotton is an internationally licensed expert specializing in teaching kids 7-17 how to unleash their own Soccer Genius - for on and off field success. He has over 30 years experience playing, coaching, and leading soccer communities. His accelerated training methods and unique soccer "Mind, Body, Heart and Spirit" approach help players and coaches achieve their highest levels of play and personal development. Charles lives in Calgary, Canada with his 3 beautiful daughters.
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The Soccer Genius Blog A Source for Long Term Player Development
Showing category "Genius Technical Tips" (Show all posts)
Each
week in this section I include a
detailed description of a specific technical skill or ability. This
information is offered to help you achieve technical mastery through
perfect practice. After all, if you're going to practice you might as
well do it perfectly!
Outstep Flick Kick 
The Outstep is the surface of the foot along the two outside
toes toward and including the middle outside of the foot toward the
ankle. Kicking here can create great out-turning spin on the ball. We
c...
Two Foot Power Throw-In | - Get into a comfortable and grounded Genius Ready stance (see previous issues for that one) with a ball held in between the open palms and fingers of both hands at stomach height.
- Breathing relaxed.
- Make sure your feet feel strong yet spring loaded on the ground.
- Eyes focused straight ahead at an imaginary target.
- Bring the ball up and over the top of your head, touching it to the top center of your back.
- Arch backwards at the hips creating a bow shape to your body, b...
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Thigh Receiving (Trapping)
| - Get into a comfortable and grounded Genius Ready stance (see previous issues for that one) with a ball in your hands.
- Breathing relaxed.
- Throw the ball up 1-2 meters above your head.
- Eyes focused on the bottom area of the ball that you want to receive with your thigh.
- Bring your thigh up to 90 degrees with bent knee (like a chair shape) as the ball begins to fall
- Try to catch the ball on the middle of your thigh by gently cushioning down your thigh with a slight b...
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Breathing Mastery
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Proper breathing technique is an essential human skill and is incredibly important for athletes. Surprisingly, it is practically NEVER taught to developing soccer players. As a result, many players are unconsciously learning incorrect breathing habits that are affecting their on-field performances and ability to realize their full athletic capacity.
Thankfully these habits can be corrected fairly quickly with consistent and technically correct practice, as follows:
Preparing ... |
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Laces Rhythm Juggling
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Learning to juggle is one of the most exhilarating parts of soccer. It can also be incredibly challenging and even frustrating as we go through the often steep learning curves and plateaus of juggling with both feet. Juggling mastery, though, often sets apart the 'good' players and the 'genius' players. This vital soccer skillset impacts so many areas of success on the field: concentration, first touch, receiving, fakes and feints as well as overall confidence and heads... |
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Each week in this section I include a detailed description of a specific technical skill or ability. This information is offered to help you achieve technical mastery through perfect practice. After all, if you're going to practice you might as well do it perfectly!
This week's Genius Tech Tip is a guideline of HOW TO practice as opposed to WHAT TO practice. When we learn to master the HOW the WHAT often becomes secondary and mastery flows with less effort.
Eight Perfect Practices
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When commi... |
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The Soccer Genius Ready Stance
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One of the missing elements of most developmental sports programs is learning the correct postures and stances that are the foundations of long-term technical and artistic excellence. Think of how many young players you see standing either hunched over or straight as a board when they are waiting for the play to come their way again.
A major part of all Soccer Genius Training is learning the best stances and postures that contribute to on-field readiness and pur... |
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Each week in this section I include a detailed description of a specific technical skill or ability. This information is offered to help you achieve technical mastery through perfect practice. After all, if you're going to practice you might as well do it perfectly!
The Rabona Kick (advanced Genius Level 8)
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I witnessed the most beautiful goal I had seen in a very long time during a coach scrimmage game at my International License training in England. A Brazilian friend executed a perfect Rabo... |
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Each week in this section I include a detailed description of a specific technical skill or ability. This information is offered to help you achieve technical mastery through perfect practice. After all, if you're going to practice you might as well do it perfectly!
The Railroad Track Goalkeeper Pick Up & Treasure Chest Hold
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Learning to pick up and safely secure a rolling or ground level ball is a 'must have' skill for all young soccer geniuses. Players begin to master this technique right aw... |
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Each week in the section I will be including a detailed description of a specific technical skill or ability. This information is offered to help you achieve technical mastery through perfect practice. After all, if you're going to practice you might as well do it perfectly!
Chest Trap Mastery - The Quick-In-Breath Way
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The chest trap is arguably one of the harder ones for developing players to master. There's the fear of getting hurt combined with the uncertainty and lack of practice of perfe... |
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