USING the world famous Coerver Coaching technique, we show you how to dribble like Messi, shoot like Ronaldo, head like Cahill plus many more tips on playing like the pros.

Last month’s issue of FourFourTwo was a playing tips special, where Alf Galustian, the co-founder of Coerver Coaching, offered you the inside tips on how the pros do it. You can view the entire section here.

We also chatted to Alf about his experiences working in Australia and how you can improve your game. Here is what the highly respected skills coach to the likes of Arsene Wenger, the EPL and FFA had to say…

Alf, what is Coerver Coaching?
It is a system of coaching that focuses on individual skill development. Football is a team game, but our reputation is built on technical teaching, with ball mastery as the foundation, plus one versus one, passing, receiving – all the technical skills.

What type of player is a Coerver Coaching player? What distinguishes them?
Our mission statement is skilled, confident, creative players. We want to produce that type of player. I’m currently working with the Premier League in England and the English FA who have a national team which has not won anything in 46 years and every media outlet is saying they do not have technical players. It is an appropriate approach and one I am working with Han Berger and the FFA on too. We need more technical players like Xavi, Iniesta and Messi.

You have spent plenty of time in Australia, working with Aussie coaches, what have your impressions of the local standard been?
Working with the FFA has been really interesting. Han Berger is obviously Dutch and I have a history of working with the Dutch and he has been first-class. You have some outstanding coaches in Australia. I sometimes think you have better coaches than some of Europe. Despite Australia’s population, you always produce sporting excellence. With the FFA we are trying to produce the coaches who can train high quality players to have excellent technical skills.  

You are never too old to improve as they say though, what advice would you offer our older amateur players so they can improve their game?
You can always improve your skills at any age. There is no reason why a grassroots player could not improve their core skills like passing for example. Often these players are only training once or twice a week, so they are not getting the contact time to improve. You need more of this contact time to improve, even if all that means is getting a wall and passing the ball against it on a more regular basis! Older players at their clubs should try working in twos or threes rather than larger groups and do work where you spend more time on the ball than you would in a larger group. Passing, shooting and receiving the ball can all be improved by older players working in smaller groups.

We often talk about the lack of technical ability of Aussie players, what is being done by the FFA to remedy that?
I started working with the FFA three years ago. I met with Han Berger who said Australian players had all these wonderful fighting, physical and mental qualities, but lack that technical aspect – not too different to what many players in the English Premier League lack! Berger wanted to find some ex-players who could be coached to teach the next generation these technical skills. What I do in Australia is teach these ex-players how to coach elite players in high technical skills.
 

 
Coerver’s Decade Down Under

 

After over a decade, Coerver Coaching has finally found its place in the Australian football landscape. A reputation for excellence has been established through partnerships with clubs and federations across the country. Recently Coerver has partnered with the prestigious Johnny Warren Football Foundation as the official community technical football provider.

“It has taken us just under five years to establish ourselves with a lot of hard work as a credible football program aimed at grassroots players and their coaches,” said Jason Lancsar, the Coerver Coaching director Asia Pacific and Australia. “We are not everything to everyone and yes we are a fee for service program; but we provide value built on unique experience built up over 30 years in over 23 countries.”

Coerver is the largest grassroots coaching private provider in Australia with well trained staff across the country running the various programs. It has always been their belief that the program should be accessible for players of all abilities and they also try to help less privileged youngsters, as their partnership with the JWFF demonstrates.

“Alfred [Galustian] is a world authority on technical development for both players and coaches; this was made even more notable in his appointment as the Barclays Premier League Technical Advisor. As an Australian I am pleased he is working on the future of our next Socceroos. Alfred has been travelling to Australia for the past 15 years and in that time his input has been immeasurable. He has provided us with a strong platform which we now need to build on.

“Coerver has also recently launched its new coach education curriculum with the FourFourTwo Performance Diploma in Youth Development,” added Lancsar. “This was critical to the future of our business not only here in Australia, but in the 28 countries we currently operate in. We needed to address two factors: the up-skilling and ongoing education of our current staff and an opportunity for football coaches of all levels to be able to attend and obtain a better understanding of the Coerver method.”

“Coerver Coaching is playing its part for the legion of grass root footballs of this country not just for players but for coaches as well. Lancsar said” We will continue to engage with the community to ensure to offer the best possible service and quality we can.”