Soccer iQ Presents Shutout Pizza: Smarter Soccer Defending for Players and Coaches

by Dan Blank

WARNING: This is not a goalkeeping book. From the best-selling author of Soccer iQ comes a book dedicated to teaching and organizing a back four. Coach Dan Blank led the Southeastern Conference's best defense at two different universities in consecutive years. It began with a handbook he created for his defenders that ensured everyone was on the same page. Shutout Pizza is a vastly expanded version of that handbook. It introduces the governing principles that guided the SEC's best defenses, and covers a broad spectrum of scenarios that commonly occur during matches. Shutout Pizza is packed with diagrams that will help the reader visualize the concepts discussed in the text, and includes several of most effective drills for training these concepts. This is an excellent book for coaches and players who want to defend more effectively.

Genres: Soccer, Sports

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2015

Reviews

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book by Dan Blank that I've read, and it hopefully won't be the last. It's a little more advanced and certainly more specific than the two Soccer IQ books (though there's some material from there repeated here), but the approach is similar, and is still great. He breaks everything down into little tidbits that should make a big difference. This isn't the book to learn the fundamentals, formations, etc, but it would be an excellent choice to level up. My suspicion is that much of this book won't really come into play until junior highish(?), but I'd be happy to be proven wrong on that.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few useless chapters. Things so obvious that they shouldn't have been a chapter. But in general its an easy to follow, easy to use guide. Its things we all "know" but nobody has ever written down. Wish I had read this as a player.

[McKenna V · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Dan Blank never disappoints. Suddenly I want to quit striker, and feel the pride of a defender protecting their home. Blank had too many wonderful points! I can't even process them all. Will definitely be looking back at this book time and time again.

[Yannick Vetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to know the fundamentals. Should have read this earlier in my career. I would’ve been a lot better.

[Gary Braham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I played soccer when I was younger, but had stopped by my teenage years and didn't pay too much attention until I started watching it again in college. I became a school teacher, and because of a need we had, started coaching soccer at the junior high level. After about ten years, I ended up as the girls varsity coach, but I myself never played in HS or college, so I needed a lot of help. I've been through over a dozen different books and quite a few DVD's and YouTube channels. I have read two books in this series now, and consider it to be the most useful of anything I've read. It's a great combination of drills and philosophy, so I feel like I am learning what to do, and why to do it. It's also a very good fit for our level of play. I feel like I could, and have, read about something one day, and implement it the next. I feel a lot more confident in my preparation now. The book did a good job articulating what I was trying to do, and put it in an easily digestible form. There are pictures and diagrams, and a few videos up on his website.

[Brian Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for coaches, and players, looking to strengthen their defensive abilities. Easy to read format, with solid reasons guiding the philosophy used.

Very few drills though the ones presented are excellent. Drills are a dime a dozen. Instead this is a common sense guide to defending which should be used to complement a solid training progression.

[Robert D Boss Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great companion for coaches.

I will read it again and again. Not just for the players. I hope to instill in my back line all I have read. But we will be a better team even if only half is understood.