UPEI Soccer Individual Training Series Program (Jed Davies)

Dear All,

I’m excited to share a resource that has been provided to all UPEI players, aimed at fostering a culture of independent training—whether alone or with a partner to develop players technically (receiving the ball, staying on the ball and dribbling).

Currently, most players train three to four times a week but are not touching a ball outside of team training hours. This is not consistent with the volume of training seen in regions where player quality is higher. We cannot expect to catch other regions by doing less.

As a country, one of our key constraints is limited training opportunities in the winter months, and this approach aims to address that by providing players with meaningful, year-round training opportunities through small space training.

The goal of these sessions is to develop players who can stay on the ball under pressure and play forward more often, leading to teams that maintain possession and create more chances. The sessions focus on:

• Encouraging bravery on the first few touches.
• Improving directional changes and ball retention.
• Helping players escape pressure when their initial touches are challenged.

Please feel free to distribute the session plan PDF across the island to parent-coaches, independent players, and club coaches in PEI. Our players at UPEI are available for volunteer and paid coaching roles to come in and demonstrate skill work to clubs across the island too — our players understand the responsibility they have to give back to the island that they either grew up in or have fallen in love with since moving here. 

Thank you,