On 5 October 2026, BDFL legend Gerd Rathjen, head of the TGLR, welcomed 36 coaches to the 118th coach education evening of the TGLR in Rotenburg (Wümme). The speaker was Peter Schreiner, holder of the DFB A licence, from the Institute for Youth Football (IFJ96).
Topics of the evening:
- Training perception in practice
- Developing complete players: two-footedness in football
Training perception in practice
In football, fractions of a second often make the difference. Players who perceive space, team-mates and opponents early gain time – and make better decisions under pressure. Peter Schreiner showed how scanning and pre-orientation, reading game situations and acting quickly can be trained deliberately: not in isolation, but as part of drills and games with the ball.
In the practical demonstration, Claas Rathjen's demo group put the content straight into practice on the pitch – including reaction tasks to colours, a rondo with perception tasks and a game in which players had to find their groups in a flash. What all of them have in common: players have to take in information before the ball arrives, and then act quickly and correctly.
Developing complete players: two-footedness in football
The second part was about a topic Peter Schreiner has been working on for years: functional two-footedness. It does not mean using both feet equally often. What counts is the quality of the action – the ability to choose the technically and tactically right foot in a specific match situation and to use it effectively under time and opponent pressure. Perception, decision-making and technique are closely linked – which brought the evening full circle to its first topic.
What they said
"Dear Peter, thank you very much for your expert talk with valuable ideas for all participants. A successful and very informative evening in the spirit of modern coach education, just as the members of the TGLR wish for. The 118th coach education evening of the TGLR was a complete success – of high professional quality, presented with energy and demonstrated in a practical way. Peter Schreiner showed once again why he is one of the leading experts in youth football, both in Germany and internationally."
Gerd Rathjen, head of the TGLR
"Peter Schreiner inspired the players in his practical demonstration. His dynamic and motivating coaching impressed not only the coaches but all the players as well."
Claas Rathjen, coach of the demo group
Further reading: both topics are also available as books (in German) – "Augenblicke, die Spiele entscheiden" on perception training and "Beidfüßigkeit im Fußball".
