Mia Hamm Soccer Secrets

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Review: The 3 tape/DVD set is highly recommended and an outstanding value. This set is unique in that the videos show how to teach skills to girl soccer players (all the players involved are female). The videos are done in such a way that girls (or boys) can learn by watching the videos, with Mia, Tiffeny and Lorrie as their personal coaches/trainers. Most Recreational coaches can also learn a lot by watching these videos. We believe that the Beginner and Intermediate videos should be viewed together and used for players ages 7-10 and that the Intermediate and Advanced videos should be viewed together and are suitable for ages 11-14. Individually, we give the Intermediate and Advanced videos "5 Stars" and the Beginner video "4 Stars". As a set, we give them "5 Stars". The production quality is superb and the videos are highly watchable. Mia, Tiffeny and Lorrie are among the best female players in the world, have great personalities, and are excellent role models and communicators. In the Beginner and Intermediate videos Mia, Tiffeny and Lorrie demonstrate various skills to girls and the girls then try the skills themselves while being coached by Mia, Tiffeny and Lorrie. The girls also ask questions such as "How important is teamwork?" and "How important is it to listen to your coach?" (obviously, the answer is that it is very important). Among the skills taught are dribbling, receiving, passing, shooting, goalkeeping, headers, volleys, half-volleys and 1 vs. 1 defense. The Advanced video is done in the same way, but Mia and Tiffeny are the coaches. The girls participating in the Beginner video appear to be 7-8 years old, in the Intermediate video they appear to be 10-13 and in the Advanced video 13-15. The Beginner video is very basic and this is why we recommend buying the 3 video set. Wendy Gebauer, who played for the U.S. National team summarizes the key teaching points after each lesson. Mia Hamm is the most famous female player in the world, Tiffeny Milbrett was the female player of the year in 2000 and Lorrie Fair was a two time All American. The quality of both the tapes and DVD's is superb. However, if you have a DVD player, we recommend buying the DVD version because it has an Interactive Menu, bonus material such as a slide show and music video of Mia and Tiffeny, and funny out takes. Keep in mind that each tape covers many of the same topics, but for a different skill level (Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced). The 3-set wouldn't be a good buy if it was $90, but for $29.95 it is a great deal. There are about 2 hours total and the demonstrations of passing, shooting, 1 vs. 1 defending, headers and receiving and moving to beat a defender are excellent and among the best we've seen. These demonstrations alone make the 3-set a great deal.

Contents:

Beginner Video: Mia, Tiffeny and Lorrie teach skills to, and answer questions from, a group of girls who appear to be ages 7-8.
Minute Topic

00:00 Advertisements
3:50 How important is teamwork? and How important is it to have fun?
7:00 Juggling
9:15 Dribbling basics
13:00 Dribbling Thru Cones (Our suggestion: try the SoccerHelp Practice Games "Dribble Across A Square" or "Driving School")
16:00 The importance of listening to your coach
18:15 Passing (This is excellent. The demonstrations and explanations are the best we have seen. Very effective use of slow motion.)
23:00 Explanation of positions and formations
25:00 Shooting - A very good demonstration of how to teach the instep ("laces") kick
30:10 Basic rules of soccer (explanation of throw ins, goal kicks and corner kicks)
33:45 Goalkeeping (includes a very good demonstration of catching the ball)
38:30 How important are rules?
40:50 Wrap-up
43:00 End

Intermediate Video: Mia, Tiffeny and Lorrie teach skills to, and answer questions from, a group of girls who appear to be ages 10-13. Note that many of these teaching sessions are excellent and the sessions demonstrating "1 vs. 1 defending" and "how to receive and move to beat a defender" are the best we have ever seen. Minute Topic

00:00 Advertisements
3:00 How important is sportsmanship? When you were our age, how did you dedicate yourself to soccer?
7:00 Dribbling and feints
9:00 Passing - Short passes, wall passes/give and go's, chipping the ball and long aerial passes. This is good but the Advanced video demonstrations are excellent.
14:00 Receiving and moving to beat a defender - This is outstanding and the best explanation and demonstration we have seen of how to receive and control the ball so it is played away from defenders, and then accelerate to beat the defender and then to recover the ball. They demonstrate how to receive the ball using the feet, thigh, chest and head and then to move to beat the defender.
17:50 1 vs. 1 Defending - This is outstanding and the best explanation and demonstration we have seen of jockeying/defensive containment, defensive footwork and when you should tackle.
22:00 Heading - Good training techniques are shown for competitive or advanced players. The last exercise shown is also good for Rec players.
27:50 Goalkeeping techniques
29:50 How do you learn from your mistakes?
31:00 Shooting - An excellent demonstration of the instep ("laces") kick and an excellent discussion of the attitude a scorer needs. The Advanced video demonstrates additional types of shots.
36:20 Setting goals
38:00 Rules, including Direct Kicks, Indirect Kicks and Penalty Kicks
39:00 Volleys and half-volleys
42:00 What does teamwork really mean?
44:20 End

Advanced Video: Mia and Tiffeny teach skills to, and answer questions from, a group of girls who appear to be ages 13-15. Many of these teaching sessions are excellent and the sessions demonstrating "Passing", "Shooting" and "Headers" are particularly good. Minute Topic

00:00 Advertisements
3:20 Introduction
4:40 The importance of training and hustle.
6:00 Why are hard work and dedication so important?
7:00 Headers - This is excellent. Attacking and defensive headers and jump headers are explained and demonstrated.
11:00 The mental part of the game, and What does respect mean to you?
13:45 1 vs. 1 Defending - This is very similar to the lesson on the Intermediate video, but the Intermediate video is better.
16:30 The importance of warm-ups and conditioning.
18:30 Receiving and moving to beat a defender - This is excellent and is very similar to the demonstration on the Intermediate video.
21:30 How important is it to scout opponents before playing them? Excellent advice and tips are given for coaches and players.
23:15 Passing - Outstanding demonstrations and explanation of the proper technique for short passes, wall passes/give and go's, chipping, intermediate passes, bending passes, driven passes on the ground and long aerial passes. Good discussion of the "weight" of the pass, the parts of the foot that can be used, and which pass to use in various situations.
33:30 Learning from your mistakes.
34:45 Offside rule explained (this is good)
36:00 Shooting - Power shot (also called the instep drive or "laces" shot), bending shot ("banana kick"), and chip. This is excellent.
41:30 Shooting vs. finishing. This is very good.
42:15 How does it feel to know you were a pioneer for women's soccer?
44:00 End