⚽️ STOP SCUFFING FIRST-TIME FINISHES! 🎯
When the ball is fired across the box, you don’t always have time for a touch — sometimes you’ve got to finish FIRST TIME.
In this session we worked on:
⚡️ Double movement to lose the defender
👀 Timing the run onto the cross
🦶 Keeping the feet from getting tangled
💥 Strong, clean contact through the ball
➡️ Following through instead of stabbing at the finish
🎯 Guiding the finish into the corner
The biggest problem here was the feet getting too close together, causing the player to scuff the shot.
Once we focused on letting the striking foot travel THROUGH the ball, the contact became much cleaner and the finishes much more consistent. 📈
Small technical detail. BIG difference in the finish. 🔥⚽️
Save this one and try it in your next finishing session! 👊
゚viralシ
Coach James Essex
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� Pro Academy Coach
�UEFA B coach
�in-depth coaching 1-2-1/2-2-1
#essex #121 #coaching #football
MASTERING THE REVERSE PASS 🎯
Working on taking that first touch away from pressure and disguising the reverse pass 👀🔥
It’s not just about learning the technique — it’s about understanding WHEN and WHY to use it in a game.
✅ First touch away from pressure
✅ Scan before receiving
✅ Disguise your intentions
✅ Sell the defender one way
✅ Reverse pass into space 🎯
We broke the movement down step-by-step before putting it into a realistic game situation.
Train with purpose. Make it transfer to the game. 🧠⚽️
Would you use the reverse pass in a match? 👀
゚viralシ
Striker Practice ⚽️🎯
Working on the timing of attacking runs. 1-2-1 focus was delaying the run before making a diagonal movement across the defender’s blind side to receive a straight pass in behind.
The little details make the biggest difference. Patience, timing, and intelligent movement create goals. 👊⚽️
゚viralシ
Masterclass Session Recap ⚽🔥
A quick look at last weeks session. Great effort from everyone! Looking forward to seeing you all again tomorrow. 💪
゚viralシ
Improve your scanning under pressure 👀⚽
In this 1-to-1 session, we focused on:
• 👀 Timing your shoulder checks
• 📍 Knowing where the defender is before receiving
• ⚡ Reacting to the defender’s movement
• 🎯 Taking your first touch away from pressure
The key isn’t just checking your shoulders—it’s checking them at the right time. Scan too early and the picture changes. Scan at the right moment and you’ll receive with confidence, make quicker decisions, and keep possession under pressure.
Better scanning = better decisions. Better decisions = better football.
゚viralシ #
Most players slow down before they turn… that’s why defenders catch them. 👀⚽️
The Outside Spin Turn helps you protect the ball, spin away under pressure, and explode into space.
Think: Hook ➜ Spin ➜ Go.
1️⃣ Drive at an angle.
2️⃣ Hook the ball with the outside of your foot.
3️⃣ Spin and accelerate away.
Iniesta made this look effortless. Now it’s your turn. 🔥
Save this for your next session and tag a teammate who needs this move.
Your first touch should solve the problem before the ball even hits the ground.
Watch the flight. Read the pressure. Use the inside of the foot to take the ball into space — then DRIVE. 💨
Zidane made this look effortless, but elite aerial control is a skill that can be trained. The aim isn’t just to bring the ball down… it’s to bring it down with PURPOSE. 🧠⚽️
Control away from pressure. Attack the space. 🔥
09/07/2026
MATCHES TEST DEVELOPMENT. TRAINING BUILDS DEVELOPMENT. ⚽️📈
Something I think is really important for parents to understand is that, especially at a young age, players need to train more than they play.
Don’t get me wrong — matches are massively important. They give players the opportunity to compete, make decisions under pressure and test what they’ve learned.
But the real development happens on the training pitch. 👏
More touches of the ball. ⚽️
More repetition. 🔁
More opportunities to try, fail and go again. 📈
More time to refine technique and build confidence.
In a match, a player might only get a limited number of opportunities on the ball. In a quality training session, we can create hundreds of opportunities for them to practise, problem-solve and improve.
Train more. Play with confidence. Develop for life. 🖤💛
26/06/2026
I just found some old photos and videos from my very first 1-to-1 session back in April 2021.
Watching them back honestly made me smile.
At the time, the world was in the middle of COVID, I had just finished university with nothing but a degree, no real plan, and no idea what came next. I could’ve played it safe and followed a more traditional path, but instead I took a leap of faith and decided to give football coaching everything I had.
Looking back at that first session, I can see someone who loved coaching and genuinely wanted to help players but I can also see just how much I’ve grown. My understanding of the game, my confidence, my coaching, and the way I develop players have all come so far. It’s funny watching it back because there are so many things I’d do differently now… but that’s exactly what growth looks like. God has been faithful through this journey.
What started with one session has turned into something I could never have imagined.
Over the last five years, I’ve delivered over 5,000 one-to-one sessions, worked with 500+ players, built Titans into something I’m incredibly proud of, become an academy coach, completed my UEFA B Licence, and continued developing myself every single day alongside some unbelievable people.
None of this was guaranteed. It all started with one decision to bet on myself when I had no certainty about what the future looked like.
I’m incredibly grateful to every player, parent, coach, friend, and supporter who’s been part of this journey. Most especially I am grateful to God for being with me through it all. Thank you for believing in me and allowing me to do something I genuinely love.
Seeing these videos reminded me that every expert was once a beginner. I’m proud of how far I’ve come, but I’m even more excited about what’s still to come.
Here’s to continuing to help players grow, supporting coaches on their own journeys, and never stopping learning.
Thank you, everyone. ❤️⚽
This is the inside touch that players like Bukayo Saka, Michael Olise and Neymar use to stay unpredictable in tight spaces.
⚽ Why it works:�• Small inside touches keep the ball under control.�• They force the defender to keep adjusting their feet.�• You can explode left or right at any moment.�• When the defender hesitates, take one big outside touch and accelerate past them.
🔑 Coaching point:�Don’t rush the burst. Sell the defender with the small touches first, then attack the space with speed.
Train the details. The details win 1v1s.
Save this for your next session and send it to a winger who needs it.
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