Coach Gianni Mininni

Friday, March 12, 2010 Login Register WebSite Search

"No lines, No laps, No Lectures" - Karl Dewazien

About Gianni Mininni www.coachgianni.com

Here is something about myself.

I have 50 years of experience, since I am 56 and my father started coaching me at 6 years old. He played in Italy professionally all his life and when he retired, wrote a book about soccer technique.

I was a successful player from an early age because I was very well trained and at 17 years old with my team AUSONIA GRASSI, from Milano, won the National Title U17, receiving a gold medal from the President of Italy. On that occasion I scored 5 goals in the semi-final and final. After that, A.C. MILAN chose me and I played for two years on their youth team, with a short interlude on INTER MILAN.

Having missed the first team by a hair, I played until 35 years of age on other competitive semi-professional teams, before following in my father's footsteps by becoming a coach. I dedicated myself to studying soccer technique and in particular how to coach youth teams. I arrived in San Francisco in 1998 and from then have coached the following teams:

MARIN SOCCER LEAGUE
Marin United, Real Marin

SAN FRANCISCO SOCCER LEAGUE
The Chieftains in 1st division

EAST BAY ADULT SOCCER LEAGUE
Alameda United F.C.

GOLDEN GATE WOMEN'S SOCCER LEAGUE
Bay City United, a team that I left to enter the coaching staff of URBAN SCHOOL. After two seasons, I completely dedicated myself to lessons and soccer clinics on a larger scale, interacting with entire leagues in improving individual soccer skills.

Articles by Coach Gianni Mininni

4000 touches in One Hour - Many times, in the past few years, I’ve underlined that in a 90 minute game it is proven that a player touches the ball for no more than 2 minutes! It’s really hard to learn something in 2 minutes. But one thing could be learned in 2 minutes and that is the fact that it’s hard to improve our soccer/football skills in 2 minutes! Read More

Money is Bound to Distroy Soccer Soon -Kaka made it clear once for all that gratitude for the team that made him famous, permitted him to become the FIFA world player of the year in 2007, winning everything that could be won at a Club level and put aside a fortune for him and his family, are things that are NOT FOR SALE! Read More

Merry Christmas Message-Enjoy your life a little more and dedicate a little more time to things that, apparently, don’t increase your bank account! Walk a little more, maybe take your boy or girl with you. But don’t just go to the beaches, to the parks or to some trails (which is great!), but also walk out from your home, meet the people who live close to you. Ask if they need something, and give them a smile, which costs nothing but gives them a little moment, if not of joy, at list of comfort. This will also teach your kids to be more extroverted and to care for people. Read More..

Side Line Coaching- Our job at the side line during games, when they constantly pretend that there is no connection to what was simulated and learned at practice and the reality of the games is to remind them what was simulated at practice, AFTER a few times in which they constantly don't do that! Read More...

ABC's of Soccer - Go back to the a, b, c’s and you’ll put together ‘soccer words’, ‘soccer sentences’ and, if you have something to say, you’ll put together ‘soccer novels’ that people will love to read, by watching you play! Read More...

Passion for Soccer -So, if you’d like for your sons and daughters to get passionate about soccer, besides playing it, which is the fist ingredient to getting passionate about it, really understand and get the right feeling about it, bring them to the stadiums to see the ’big guys’ play!Read More

An Interesting Comparison - A basket is a little bigger than the ball and a soccer net is hundreds of times bigger than the ball. Why are both teams able to put the ball in the in the basket 90/100 times in a game and only a few times in a soccer goal? Shouldn't it be the opposite, considering the proportion? Read More

Are you a Soccer-holic? - There are different levels of passion for soccer and generally speaking, almost all insane! Without mentioning the fanatic acts at the hooligan level, undoubtedly a soccer fan is very different from the fans of other sports Read More

Choosing a Captain - In the recent decades the figure of the Captain has lost its importance and the deep meaning of being it. I believe that this is a great mistake. If a coach is able to choose the right Captain and transfer the correct concept to the team, this will be one of the strong points that could characterize a victorious team. Read More

Success in Soccer - There are no hard or easy foot skills. There are skills that are hard for us because we don’t know how to trap, pass, kick or juggle.We don’t need to be a genius to understand that this could be achieved only through repetition, repetition and repetition. It takes us years just to learn how to walk. And we practice this 8 -10 hours every day for years.Read More

Great Coaches create great players - during the games, by perfectly interpreting the teaching and the instructions of the coaches, the one outside and the few inside the field, the team will be…… unbeatable! A perfect soccer machine that works in unison. Read More

The Spirit of the Game - Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself. The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains.

Read More

Innovation-I started by laying out cones to simulate homes from which they would travel (with the ball of course) Rivers to cross and so on. I noticed a strange occurrence -the 3/4 year olds would constantly pick up the cones! At the beginning I was annoyed and kept telling them, "Please don't do that! Leave them there! Don’t touch the cones with your hands! etc....."......When suddenly a light bulb went off in my head.......I could use the cones and make them part of the game so......Read More

More Great Articles from Coach Gianni

It’s time to see instead of just looking and to listen instead of just hearing!

What a REAL soccer player is (in my opinion).
The perfect mix to be a ‘great’ soccer player.
In soccer, being naturally left footed is a great gift from Mother Nature.
Aren't you tired of missing goals that you should have scored?
An illuminating consideration
An interesting comparison.
In short. Put the ball in the net!
Talent is inborn. A champion you become through hard work!
Easy Pass, Assist and Score.
Why is it sometimes good to play soccer barefoot?
Hit the ball with the head. It’s now or never.
In soccer, as in life, it’s not enough to be in the right place at the right time.
The problem of having players on the team, that have a very different level of soccer skills.
A soccer dream came true, among others that are still there.
The immense joy of teaching soccer fundamentals to youth and adults soccer students.
Learning the a, b, c’s of soccer is like learning to read and write
Choosing the right soccer shoes.
Soccer. Two original, fun and unconventional ways to improve the skills and fitness of the players on your teams.
Be more fit for soccer? Do a great loop of 2.5 hours in the Presidio of San Francisco.
In soccer practices, please, don’t make your players stand in line anymore!
Soccer. The correct relationship between Coaches and Players (in my opinion).
Please don’t coach soccer, even if the other parents insist, if you don’t have the knowledge to do it!
A moral soccer contract with the players of your team!
In Soccer, first things...... first!
Balls # size and full size goals in youth soccer.
Great Coaches create great players by transforming them into……. great coaches

A Soccer Book by Coach Gianni

“The TEAM, a soccer novel”- has been published!

The novel is for people of all ages, even if they are not strictly soccer lovers. I’m sure that all of you will enjoy the story of the protagonist Marco and the players from America and all parts of the world. Through the 212 pages, you’ll discover how they face the American soccer reality that is so different from the rest of the world.

Besides the narrative, that I’m sure will capture you from beginning to end, players and coaches will find dozens of situations and suggestions that will permit them to improve their soccer knowledge and consequently, perform better at any age. If you would like to purchase it, please click here or on the book.

Thanks for your attention and please note that I will donate 5% of the cover price to Children International.

Coach Gianni http://www.coachgianni.com/

Individual Lessons

Lessons and Clinics
INDIVIDUAL LESSONS

If a high school makes the decision to create an orchestra with their students, all the parents have very clear ideas about it and the thought of sending their sons and daughters to a rehearsal for a concert to learn to play their instruments, wouldn’t even cross their minds. The students study music and learn to play their instrument all year and, at the rehearsals, they come together only to practice and learn the piece that they will perform.

The same applies to a chorus. The singers don’t go to the rehearsal of a concert to learn how to use their voices and how to read sheet music.

No one will send their son or daughter to a chess tournament just knowing the basic movement of the pieces, without ever studying the classic openings and how to manage the middle game in a way that leads to a checkmate situation.

In all these examples, it’s logical and everybody agrees, that their sons and daughters have to study music and chess before performing in a concert or a tournament.

Also when we talk about sports, if the sport is baseball or basketball, all the fathers in their youth have played and they begin coaching their sons and daughters very early on. When they become part of a team, they are already able to hit or catch the ball relatively well or dribble and make a good shot in basketball. But, when the soccer season comes, without ever learning to play, are they supposed to become soccer players just by wearing their uniform and cleats?

A game is the equivalent of the concert, and the soccer practice is the equivalent of the rehearsal. When do players learn to play soccer?

If it’s unthinkable to learn to play the violin, oboe or cello during a rehearsal, how is it possible to learn to play soccer during practice a few days before the first game? With this concept really clear in mind, I will give individual soccer lessons during the year to improve soccer skills. To learn to do with our feet, what we do for months with our hands in learning violin, guitar or piano. During the lessons, I will develop these topics:

Fundamentals
How to trap, pass, kick, juggle, cross, etc.

Fitness
Getting in shape and strengthening, ready to physically perform in a demanding sport like soccer.

Strategy
Besides a team strategy that will be developed at practice during the season, there is an individual discipline of what to do on the field to win the ball back in pressing, how to be in the right position at the right moment, how to read the game and anticipate what happens (possibly before it happens) and be able to support our team-mates suggesting what to do, just by doing the right thing or going to the right place.

In general I give individual soccer lessons every day of the week.

Coach Gianni.

http://www.coachgianni.com/