If you?ve always fancied yourself as the next Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho, maybe you?re already involved in playing or coaching football. Maybe you?re considering football as a good way of keeping fit, and want to know more about tactics and techniques. Perhaps coaching your child?s school team isn?t as easy as you thought, or maybe you just want to improve your own playing skills. Whatever the reason, there are many ways of learning how to play soccer, and becoming a better player or coach.

Summer soccer coaching courses in the UK are usually intensive and over a week or longer, and are often run by football clubs. Sometimes the course is staffed by former players, or players coming through the ranks and current players may make a guest appearance. Skills covered range from goalkeeping to shooting, and utilise soccer drills and other coaching methods. Soccer coaching courses can be expensive especially for a family with more than one football playing child and the best ones may not always be local.

Watching a lot of football, and hopefully picking up some skills from favourite players is useful, but not the same as learning how to play soccer from a professional qualified soccer coach. Imagine thinking you could learn to drive by watching a Grand Prix, or that you could learn to be a doctor by watching a TV medical drama.

Learning from books written by players or managers is another way of learning the necessary skills and techniques, but are not always practical on a soccer pitch. Books can be invaluable for the management side of football, and what better way for a new manager or coach to learn than from some of the most successful managers ever. It is difficult, however, for a team to sit round a book to learn a technique for example. Providing a book for each player could prove to be expensive, and may not be the best use of resources.

Using videos can be very effective to analyse all aspects of a match, including evaluating previous performances, identifying potential transfer targets, working out the best tactics and which techniques to work on. Videos can also be used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of opposing teams, and can even be more valuable that a scout?s report. Videos can be shown in a classroom environment so that the whole team can watch and learn. Being able to watch the video again and again, and watch it in slow motion can also be beneficial. The coach or individual players can watch the video independently, and see which areas could be improved.

Websites can combine video, text and images making it ideal for sports and academic learning. There are many online resources aimed at coaching football, and so finding the best one to meet your needs can be daunting. The level of the coach and/or players should be the main deciding factor. A site aimed at people who have no soccer coaching or playing experience will probably not be suitable for a professional club looking to prevent injuries or improve the mental performance of a player. All sorts of lessons can be found within these types of websites, including training plans for children of different ages, soccer drills, how to treat common injuries and much much more. As the player progresses, the techniques become more difficult, and the fitness and stamina will improve.

These types of soccer coaching websites provide a great deal of information and resources, and some sites are endorsed by a well known former player or manager. Learning how to play soccer from a professional coach or player, and being able to see techniques performed properly in real time by professionals, as well as explained in great detail by qualified coaches was previously only available via coaching courses. Now online soccer coaching is becoming popular, it can be invaluable, especially to younger players, who may learn better from watching than by reading. Football coaching websites may also offer help with working towards recognised professional football coaching qualifications As well as techniques and tactics, these websites may cover fitness training, recovering from injury, and sports psychology.

Whilst traditional methods of learning and coaching are still very popular, the rise of the soccer coaching website means that people all over the world now have access to the best coaches, football coaching methods and information, at any time. Professional clubs and players, as well as those at grass roots level can benefit from an internet based football academy. Just think, the club you play for or coach, could now be using the very same soccer coaching methods as the club you support!