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Soccer iQ - Vol. 2: More of What Smart Players Do
"It's as if Dan was sitting right next to you with a dry erase board saying, 'See what I mean?' This is another must have book for the soccer lover." Ray Leone, Head Coach, Harvard A follow-up to the Amazon #1 best-seller, Soccer iQ, Volume 2 is written in the same conversational and humorous tone as its predecessor. Volume 2 is an easy read that identifies more of the most common soccer mistakes and provides players with simple, connect-the-dots solutions that they can immediately implement into their games. It is another must-have book for any serious soccer player. "Soccer iQ Vol. 2 gives you way more than your money's worth." Tony Amato - Head Coach, Arizona
122 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2014
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302 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 29, 2020
Good book. Makes me wish I hadn't quit soccer in second grade.
August 26, 2017
Soccer IQ Vol.2.
1. Smart Players give their teammates the best possible chance to be successful by recognizing their strengths and their weaknesses. And making the necessary adjustments.
2. As badly as you want the glory of being the hero, you've still got to have the compuser to exist in the real world. If your shot has no realistic chance of scoring or even reaching the goal, don't ruin your team's territorial advantage by living in denial.
3.Composure is one of soccers intangibles. Players who lack it are going to spend a lot of time donating the ball back to your opponent.
4. When you see a teammate working hard to pressure the ball, you need to be working just as hard to capitalize on the less-than perfect pass she is about to create. In these situations, all you need to remember is that WHEN ONE GOES, WE ALL GO.
5. If you think the opponent is going to shot directly, you're probably going to want your tallest player on the wall. If you think you're more likely to see a server, then you want to make sure your best headers aren't standing on the wall.
1. Smart Players give their teammates the best possible chance to be successful by recognizing their strengths and their weaknesses. And making the necessary adjustments.
2. As badly as you want the glory of being the hero, you've still got to have the compuser to exist in the real world. If your shot has no realistic chance of scoring or even reaching the goal, don't ruin your team's territorial advantage by living in denial.
3.Composure is one of soccers intangibles. Players who lack it are going to spend a lot of time donating the ball back to your opponent.
4. When you see a teammate working hard to pressure the ball, you need to be working just as hard to capitalize on the less-than perfect pass she is about to create. In these situations, all you need to remember is that WHEN ONE GOES, WE ALL GO.
5. If you think the opponent is going to shot directly, you're probably going to want your tallest player on the wall. If you think you're more likely to see a server, then you want to make sure your best headers aren't standing on the wall.
September 24, 2025
Soccer iQ Vol 1 and 2 are highly readable books written by a college soccer coach that present very practical aspects of the beautiful game in short, easily digestible chapters. Many chapters also include brief notes for coaches, diagrams, and examples of drills that can be used to train. I was quite impressed at how well the brief chapters articulate these key topics and provide a framework to teach to kids playing; much better to learn and practice early on via this book than mess it up for years on end before stumbling onto these pearls through your own experience on the field. Would recommend as a read for anyone playing in the middle/high-school age, and coaches for those age groups.
January 18, 2018
The book was very informative. It had all kinds of awesome things that anyone could do to improve their mental strength and smartness in soccer. There is all kinds of tips for all the positions that are very helpful in games. In all these tips are very simply explained and easily applied. Dan Blanks is a very good and smart soccer coach and he shows it very well in the book. Soccer IQ vol. 2 is also very easy to read and even if you have no knowledge of soccer, Dan Blanks has written it so well that they can even understand.
April 4, 2018
Just like Dan's other books on soccer, this book brings up a number of just "common sense" things when it comes to the game of soccer. Whether you are a coach like me, a player, or someone who enjoys the game, you will learn from and enjoy reading this book and all of Dan's books. This is not a repeat of volume 1; it gives fresh new content and it gives so many nuances of the game that I would like to teach to my high school soccer teams. Easy to read, great content, and highly recommend to anyone who enjoys the game of soccer.
October 1, 2018
It may have just been a coincidence and my own performances weren't anything to write home about, but after reading the 1st book in the series the teams I played on won both of the meetup.com mini-tournaments I played in last week. Therefore, I obviously had to read this one as soon as possible even if just for superstition.
It was very similar in format to the first book and had a number of interesting and useful tips for players as well as some drill suggestions for coaches. I may revisit it someday if I ever end up coaching my future children, etc.
It was very similar in format to the first book and had a number of interesting and useful tips for players as well as some drill suggestions for coaches. I may revisit it someday if I ever end up coaching my future children, etc.
June 8, 2022
Similar in its short-chapter format and conversational tone to his earlier book, Dan Blank's Soccer iQ volume 2 is also similarly helpful to the soccer coach at various levels. Of the two, I'd say the earlier volume is more consistently useful, as this book has a few ultra-specific chapters that don't seem to yield to larger application, but it's another really straightforward book that any good soccer coach should have on his or her shelf.
October 17, 2023
Overall great points for creating space and opportunity with build up, off the ball strategies and positioning. On the flip side some great defensive points, about pressuring first touch, looking for cues for when a defender/keeper is unlikely to get a ball, and within the first 5 seconds is the easiest time to reclaim the ball.
Adds and develops on the first book. You wont regret it. It will make you think about your decisions and how you can improve.
Adds and develops on the first book. You wont regret it. It will make you think about your decisions and how you can improve.
June 23, 2021
This one's probably slightly less essential than the first volume, but all the same comments apply. Each little chapter is readable and memorable. Some of these might points might vary among coaches, but the book still gives close to 50 ways to improve your game by doing smart (usually seemingly little) things that add up. It's well worth having around.
January 20, 2024
Another quick read for me. Lots of great soccer ideas. I think his approach could be summed up by saying, "the little things can make all the difference." This is just not very relevant to me yet as I coach mostly beginner 8 and 9 year olds. But I am going to stick with the coaching and hope to get to the point when I can use a lot of these higher level ideas with my players. My only reason for the four stars is that I just wish he would include more practical games/drills/activities, and index those somehow for easy access. Or maybe he can put out a whole book of these at some point.
October 11, 2021
Loved it. Quick read but full of helpful advice for players and coaches alike.
January 8, 2017
I loved this book. I played soccer until I was 16, and I have kept playing for fun as an adult. I have also been coaching me my son’s team for several years. For quite some time now, I have been looking for practical books on tactics and how to play better soccer. It has been frustratingly hard to find good ones. The kinds of books I have been able to find until now were either theoretical on tactics (for example, I didn’t really like “Inverting the Pyramid”), or just filled with drills (but without the reasons for doing them).
Soccer IQ volumes 1 and 2 are the first books I have found that actually explain what you should do to become better at soccer. Both are thin books with about 50 tips each. Each tip is described in one or two pages, sometimes with a diagram. Each tip applies to a specific situation in a game, for example certain passes to avoid when you are a defender.
Initially I was a bit sceptical of this approach – I had expected more of a unified story of how to play. But as it turns out, I really enjoyed this approach. First of all, it is probably easier to write about specific situations. Secondly, it is easier to adopt and apply the tips when they are presented like this. When taken together, all these tips will make you a substantially better player or coach.
Many of the tips were not news to me – I have learnt them myself when playing. Nevertheless, it is nice to see them described. However, I was really happy to see how many tips taught me things I didn’t already know. The ones I liked the most were: 5 Play Behind the Fence, 6 Skip a Layer, 7 The Higher of Two Options and 21 Swim Upstream (the “table with marbles” is a great metaphor). I am looking forward to trying to apply these and more the next time I play.
Apart from the content of the tips, I really enjoyed Dan Blank’s informal writing style. I also appreciate that all these lessons come from many years of coaching experience. Most of the tips end with a “Note for coaches”-paragraph, and these are also very good. All in all, this book and its predecessor are both fantastic books for getting better at soccer. Highly recommended!
Soccer IQ volumes 1 and 2 are the first books I have found that actually explain what you should do to become better at soccer. Both are thin books with about 50 tips each. Each tip is described in one or two pages, sometimes with a diagram. Each tip applies to a specific situation in a game, for example certain passes to avoid when you are a defender.
Initially I was a bit sceptical of this approach – I had expected more of a unified story of how to play. But as it turns out, I really enjoyed this approach. First of all, it is probably easier to write about specific situations. Secondly, it is easier to adopt and apply the tips when they are presented like this. When taken together, all these tips will make you a substantially better player or coach.
Many of the tips were not news to me – I have learnt them myself when playing. Nevertheless, it is nice to see them described. However, I was really happy to see how many tips taught me things I didn’t already know. The ones I liked the most were: 5 Play Behind the Fence, 6 Skip a Layer, 7 The Higher of Two Options and 21 Swim Upstream (the “table with marbles” is a great metaphor). I am looking forward to trying to apply these and more the next time I play.
Apart from the content of the tips, I really enjoyed Dan Blank’s informal writing style. I also appreciate that all these lessons come from many years of coaching experience. Most of the tips end with a “Note for coaches”-paragraph, and these are also very good. All in all, this book and its predecessor are both fantastic books for getting better at soccer. Highly recommended!
February 20, 2015
This book is almost as worthy as it's predecessor. It is easy to read and provides simple advice to improve your decision making on the soccer field. However, some of the topics discussed in this volume are of lesser significance than most of the topics in the first volume. The mistakes Blank urges his readers to avoid or conversely decisions he encourages them to make are, in my opinion, less likely to influence an outcome of a game. However, like Blank, I agree the small things matter, and despite my belief these topics are mostly "less important" that doesn't mean these topics are not worthy of consideration. There is a lot of good advice for players and coaches, and both should invest some time to read both volumes of Soccer IQ. Nonetheless, if you only have the time or money for one volume, read volume one.
December 12, 2015
Good stuff, although I think the concepts covered in the first volume are more broadly applicable. If you coach or play soccer, I'd recommend reading both volumes, but if you only read one volume, read the first one.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews