Coach James Essex

24/08/2026

18/08/2026

Different ways to receive. Different ways to escape. 🔥

Working on 3 different receiving techniques in this 1-to-1:

🔹 Back-foot receive
🔹 Cruyff turn
🔹 L-turn

Giving players more options on the ball and the confidence to receive and play in different situations. ⚡️⚽️

゚viralシ

15/08/2026

⚽️ 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

11/08/2026

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

05/08/2026

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

04/08/2026

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

01/08/2026

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 #

14/07/2026

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.

09/07/2026

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. 🖤💛