If you’re new to Youth Soccer Coaching, a few common mistakes are likely to get you into trouble. Learn about them up front so you can avoid major problems as you become increasingly Coaching-savvy.
For many youth coaches, improving the soccer skills of their players fast, motivating them the right way and making training more fun and interesting can be a really nightmare. But that nightmare doesn’t have to happen, especially when you know, first hand, the most common mistakes new youth soccer coaches make. This article will help you avoid those mistakes by laying out the most typical youth soccer coaching missteps.
#1: Not Knowing How To Keep Player’s Interest, Focus And Attention In Practice…
Children who are enthusiastic during a game can become moody and restless when they have to do drills, especially if they aren’t much fun. This can lead to loss of interest and indiscipline during training sessions. The best way to keep your practice sessions interesting is to have a plan. That means you need to make your drills as fun and creative as possible.
Make things a little competitive as well - pitting small teams against each other in passing or dribbling drills makes the kids encourage each other and work as a team. A reward system can also do wonders in kindling interest in soccer practice. A good incentive for most children is to promise them some game time at the end of each practice session.
#2: Lack Of Motivation
Motivation can have a major impact on the performance of your players. You need to strike the balance so that your team players work towards a common team goal by making their individual contributions. You have to find ways to motivate them and build their self-confidence so that they actually believe they can succeed.
You should try to make your training sessions interesting and fun, set goals in advance (both short term and long term), show a positive attitude, and always be supportive. Also don’t forget to show confidence in your players, encourage them often and talk to each one individually and regularly.
#3: Teaching Players At Different Skill Levels On The Same Team
You have a mixed bag of skill sets. The first thing you need to do as a coach is watch the practice sessions carefully. It’s important to recognize the potential in each and every player and to ensure that no one feels they are better or stronger than the rest. Don’t single out the stronger players for simple coaching tasks or make an example of them.
Don’t assign the same drill to all of them with varying degrees of difficulty, as this can also cultivate a feeling of inferiority among players. Having them all work on different drills will make it clear that different players are good at different things. Make it clear to your players that they need to work together, as a team. No player is better or worse than the other - each player has his own strengths.
#4: Not Making Training FUN!
If your players have fun playing and feel a sense of achievement while practicing, they will look forward to coming back. The fun aspect needs to be built in. A way to keep training fun and avoid boredom is to ensure that players get adequate possession of the ball.
You can do that by simply keeping fewer players to a side and keep your fields small. This ensures that the ball is shared between fewer players and everyone stays involved. Also find ways of making your players warm up without making it sound like a military drill. Maybe you could have short dribbling sessions around the cones or make them play a light game of catch instead.
#5: Not Building Teamwork And Playing As A Team
Have a team meeting before practice and get everyone to comment on previous activities. Before the first ever practice of the season, spend some time setting goals that can be achieved by your team. These goals must be constantly monitored and discussed by the group. For every mini goal that is accomplished, don’t forget to reward your players. It will tell them that you care about how well they are doing.
A short trip at the end of your season can be something to really look forward to. The togetherness promotes team spirit. When you go on these camping trips, it can be great if you can organize a friendly soccer match with a local team. This keeps your players busy and builds their self-confidence and friendship.
#6: Not Developing Passing Skills
Passing is a fundamental skill in soccer and you must come up with a variety of drills in your training sessions to make sure every player in your team becomes expert at passing. Passing also involves the creation of space to receive the ball.
The player must put himself in a position to make the pass while keeping an eye on the target. The right passing technique must be used, by approaching the ball from the right angle and the ball must then be kicked with the appropriate part of the foot.
#7: Difficulty In Understanding And Teaching The Drills
Another big problem that coaches face is making drills simple so that the players understand it easily. For example, in order to make things much easier, you have to explain every drill with simple step-by-step instructions, diagrams and key points.
A good exercise is to imagine that all the kids are playing soccer for the first time, so you need to teach the drills in a way that they can understand the different procedures easily.
#8: Poor Finishing Skills
Do you remember any games where everything goes right all the way up to the final shot from 15 yards into a goal with just the goalkeeper in sight? Chances are if the players haven’t been taught right, this is the point where it all comes apart. Your ace takes a shot, the goalie intercepts, by the time the attacker is able to do anything to the ball a second time, the entire team is in the box and there is a melee.
Sounds familiar? The important thing to be taught to your players is that the first or the second shot is not important, it is the shot that is converted into a goal that is important and till the whistle blows, your players have got to keep attacking.
Sidestep The Problems
These 8 mistakes are pretty common among new youth soccer coaches. Avoiding the pitfalls will take you through the youth soccer coaching success path faster, and you will come out on the other side a much better coach.
Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in the subject of youth soccer coaching. If you want to learn how to explode your players skills and make training more fun in record time… download his famous “Youth Soccer Coaching Manifesto” at: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com/manifesto
As a soccer coach there’s something you should know… the relationship that you have with your players has a major impact in their self-confidence and performance.
A long time ago, coaches didn’t care too much about players’ feelings.
Their main goal was “to win” at all cost and if some players were lost along the way, that was just “part of the job”. The kind of thinking: “we can’t make a nice omelet without breaking some eggs”.
Well, you’re not a “caveman coach” anymore. You must be open to a new modern way to look at your players, and share with them ownership of the challenge and find ways to boost their performance, motivation and performance.
How Does Your Coaching Style Affect Your Player’s Confidence?
(Girls Vs Boys)
Several studies reveal that you as a youth coach play an important role in female’s attitude and performance to practice and compete. You have a huge impact on your young girls’ confidence.
On the other hand, if you coach young men, they seem to have a bigger capacity to stay motivated without your positive support, but their confidence will still be severely damaged if you have a negative attitude.
It’s very important that you understand that you can help your players acquire positive attitudes and confidence if you teach soccer in a way that is challenging, exciting, fun and motivating.
Developing Your Own Right Style Of Coaching…
If you’d like to develop your own coaching style that boosts your players’ self-confidence and self-esteem here are some guidelines that you should try to follow:
- Make Learning Soccer Challenging, Exciting And FUN!
You need to embrace and understand the power of humor and take it with you to the soccer practice sessions. Do not underestimate the power this ‘weapon’ has to dramatically improve the confidence of your players.
I know several top youth coaches that use, for example, fun warm-up soccer drills to start the session with great positive energy or end practice sessions with short enjoyable games so the players leave with smiles on their faces and feeling positive about themselves.
- Treat All Players With Respect
You need to make ALL your players feel like heroes.
* For that I recommend you get used to knowing and using each of your players’ names;
* Treat each of your players as an unique individual that deserves your special unique attention;
* Encourage your players to express their feelings, ask questions freely without being afraid of saying something “silly”, and trust you with their problems and concerns (which you should listen to very carefully);
* Give your players some time to breathe and find their own space. Don’t pressure them about getting fast results or put too much emphasis on winning. Sometimes, all they need is just a little time to feel comfortable and adapt themselves to your methods and the team.
- Be Alert, Give Credit And Reward Good Performance
Confidence is measured by achievement. You need to be alert, look for good performance, and be vocal and visual in your praise. You need to make your players feel like achievers, but still point out weaknesses in a positive way so they can improve… here’s an example:
1. Praise: “You did great when you…”
2. Positive Criticism: “…but next time let’s try to improve by…”
3. 2nd Praise: “…and I know you can do it!”
Coaches who focus only on the mistakes will never be successful.
- Always Think And Act Like A True Scientist…
When one of your players do something wrong, look at it like a true scientist. Notice that the mistakes are always gold opportunities to learn and improve.
Success people make a lot of mistakes and learn from them. People that don’t try new things, never improve and simply freeze in time.
Encourage your players to try, even if they feel they can´t do it. Just by taking action and trying to discover the causes of why it didn’t work… like “why that ball went to high…” or “how can I improve?”… this kind of simple thinking will lead to incremental improvement. Small changes made by testing different things can take you and your players to the top.
It’s been a while since I wrote my last “Expert Soccer Coaching Tips” newsletter issue… but there’s a good reason for that.
I was finishing my new web site and that’s why I’ve been so quite lately. But I finally did it and I want to know what you think about it before we dive in…
So take a look at my new web site design and content at www.SoccerDrillsTips.com, just make yourself at home, and when you finish let me know what you think by filling out a quick feedback survey right here. I really appreciate your opinion and insist in reading it personally.
Today I’ll talk a little about ball control… and by “controlling” the ball I don’t mean the type of ball control you can see in the video below (which can also be a way of making a lot of money with soccer without even standing)…
Getting Back To The Definition Of “Ball Control”…
You must keep in mind that the first touch protects the ball from tough players and does not give them an opportunity to get back possession.
A weak first touch will risk taking the impetus out of play. It will also increase the chance of losing possession. Some players commit the mistake of killing the ball dead.
Such players need to concentrate on getting it out of their feet. The common method for controlling the ball needs quite a few simple skills, which can be obtained through correct training practices.
The basic element in ball control is placing the controlling surface into the line of flight of the ball. Since the body weight is well dispersed, it is possible to move forward, backward or even sideways.
Keep the head steady and watch the ball carefully to judge its flight and speed. The second step involves making an early judgment in deciding the right method and body surface in order to control.
Ball control needs a good mental ability, concentration and confidence. A good soccer player should be calm and composed and make his moves in a relaxed manner. If they are confident in what they do, then it will reflect in the techniques.
There are basically two kinds of ball control:
• Cushion control usually takes the sting out of the ball by basically pulling back the controlling surface during impact. This absorbs the force of the ball so that it drops down to the feet.
• Wedge control makes the controlling surface more rigid. By controlling surface I mean, the sole of the soccer boots. This helps in wedging the ball between him and the ground.
Some basic tips for teaching ball control:
• You need to teach your players to move into position in order to capture the ball early.
• They must select the controlling surface early and place in the path of the ball.
• Teach your players to use their arms to balance themselves.
• Keep their eyes on the ball to judge the speed and direction.
• Stay cool and relaxed.
• Keep their head steady.
Your players can control the ball with just about anything, be it inside, outside or the sole of the foot. They may also use your thigh, chest or head.
Only when the players have gained sufficient confidence in their style and technique, should you increase the difficulty of the practice session.
You can then ask them to control the ball while moving at a high speed or control it for a team member. You can also ask them to control the ball against defenders.
But all these changes should only be introduced after they have reached the required level of confidence in the game. In the next issue (next week) I’ll give you a great ball control drill so you can test it with your players.
The penalty kick is always a moment of great excitement, concentration and pressure.
There are many stories built around this famous kick, and some of the big soccer starts and “legends” have missed penalty kicks at decisive critical moments. There are also a lot of funny unique moments related to penalty kicks… (like these for example…)
Many of them are competing to be “The Worst Penalty Kick… Ever!” winner… but I think this one is very well positioned to win this prize.
Ok… now that we had some fun, lets get serious about…
Improving The Penalty Kick Skills Of Your Players
Once you have trained your players in dribbling and passing, it is time to work on their shooting skills. This means it is time to improve their penalty kick skills. A penalty kick can play a very important part in a soccer game as we see in many other games as well.
Your penalty kick may win a game. It may also go haywire and make you lose a game. Either way, it is one of the important skills that you need to work on with your players.
You should have specific practice sessions for penalty kicks only, after a good warm up, of course! What you need to do is set up a penalty kick. The ball must be placed 12 yards from the goal.
You must have a goalkeeper standing on the goal line who can only move from side to side. The other players cannot move until the shooter has kicked the ball. When you blow the whistle, the shooter must kick the ball.
You have to train the players to try to misguide the goalie. The goalie will try to guess where the ball will be kicked by looking at the body language of the shooter. You must make the shooter move back about 3 to 5 paces and then run up to the ball and kick it.
There are two basic ways that you have to train them in to kick the ball well. One is to kick it with the side of the foot and the other is the explosive instep kick. The players must practice both types of kicks to ensure they have more variations. This way they can try a new variation each time and keep the goalie guessing every time.
Sometimes, the goalie gives away the side he is planning to dive. The penalty shooter must be able to read the body language of the goalie and then kick the ball in the opposite direction.
Train your players to kick the ball high into the corner, as these areas are usually the hardest to block. If you want your players to improve their penalty kick skills, you must make them practice various shots into the goal to ensure they don’t miss at the crucial time.
A soccer ball, when firmly struck accurately from the soccer penalty kick line, will definitely make it impossible for the goalkeeper to save the ball. Coaching the right technique to your players for kicking soccer ball from the penalty line is very important. However, a coach should also consider the psychology of the player taking a football penalty kick.
Strategies To Coach Soccer Penalty Kick Effectively
At the beginning, ask your player to aim the spot in the goal to shoot.
Let your player place the soccer ball on the ground and tell him to take between six to eight steps backwards. Slightly bending his head down, ask him to run forward to strike it either with his shoelaces or from the side of his foot.
Let your payer know that one of the best spots to aim to get a goal from soccer penalty kick line are one of the two bottom corners of the goalpost. It will be almost impossible for a goalkeeper to stop the crisp low shot in a tight corner.
It’s important to kick the ball with power, this will reduce the chances of missing the goal. But it is not always necessary to blast the ball from the shoelaces but your player should remember to get a great pace on the ball.
Let your players practice ‘run up’ to the ball using the same method every time and try practicing from smaller goals that are used by the u8 or u10 leagues. They should try until they make 9 out of 10 shots.
Drills To Practice The Penalty Kick
Drill 1: Divide your players into pairs and provide one ball for each pair. Ask the partners to stand apart (about 20ms distance). Set up a goal between each partner nearly about 5 ms wide halfway. Now it’s time to make each one of them take a penalty through the other’s goal taking turns. To increase the level of this soccer drill, you can either increase the distance between players or decrease the size of the goal.
Drill 2: Make a 25m x 25m grid and place practice cones across the centre of the grid. You can now divide the players into teams of 3 to 5 players. Provide one or two balls to each team . Ask the player in possession of the ball to use the penalty kick technique and strike one of the cones in the middle. To make it competitive, give points if the player strikes the cone successfully and additional points if he knocks out a cone. As a variation for this drill, ask them to kick through the gaps in the cones.
Finally, while kicking a soccer ball from a penalty kick line, and this is very important as the psychological factor is critical in these moments, always ask your players to keep calm and not to get distracted by the goalkeeper’s efforts to intimidate them. During my career as a soccer player I was always responsible to take the penalty’s responsability.
I never forget one thing that one of my coaches said to me once… “A good penalty kick is the one that ends up in the net”. The most important thing is that you score. It doesn’t matter how powerful it is, or even the style… the best player to take the penalty kicks in your team should always be the one that has the best percentages.
Here’s what I always do when taking a penalty kick… (and never missed at competition, not even once). You can use some of these tips and pass it to your “penalty man”:
1. I place the ball at the penalty mark (on a flat area - be careful because the mark is always full of “tricky ups and downs”). I never look at the goalkeeper’s eyes.
2. I look at the referee, and in my mind, I choose the side to where I’m going to kick the ball (I don’t care about the goalie - I already know where I’m going to kick the ball before I start running to the ball).
3. (As I already know the side I’m going to shoot) I run to the ball and try to give the impression that I will kick to the other side by positioning my body in that way (usually the goalkeeper will “fall” into this body bending “trap”) and then I kick the ball to my chosen side with accuracy, power and as closest to the post as possible (not too high to avoid mistakes). Even if the goalie goes for the chosen side, it’s difficult for him to get this ball.
Try to teach a few of these tricks and always measure by taking notes about the numbers and percentages of success.
That’s it for today, and I hope you find this information useful.
Yesterday, an old friend of mine (and youth soccer coach)… invited me to his practice session. He wanted my opinion on some new ‘fancy’ finishing soccer drills he was testing.
I accepted immediately (”dinner is on me!” - he said)…
During the time we was teaching these crazy new drills, I noticed that there was a forward player that was scoring very well. I ended up commenting this with a parent that was standing near me… and he replied: “Wow… that was really luck, he scored 8 out of 10!”.
Are Good Finishing Skills Just Luck
…Or some Kind Of Magic?
Well, to be honest with you, I don’t believe in luck — everything that happens, happens because we did something that ‘made it happen’. Success in coaching youth soccer or everything else we do is not some kind of magic… or strange trick like this one…
Everything has a logic explanation…
That player’s first performance really got my attention, so I started to put some numbers on a piece of paper, so I could get a good perspective of what’s going on…
And guess what? After 6 different finishing drills this player scored 58% of the time. This means that for every 10 shots… he scored about 6. Believe me, this isn’t luck…
When the practice session ended, all players ran for their well deserved hot bath… all except one…
I noticed that this player I’ve been talking about so far, stayed on the field.
He grabbed all the soccer balls available and created a line in front of the goal and just started to shoot. He repeated this procedure over and over again… from different angles, positions and distances.
He did this for about 30 minutes… alone in the field…
Now… here’s the reason WHY those stats were so great!
Finishing Is All About Practicing… A Lot!
And here’s a great example of what I’m talking about…
With that said… let’s dive in!
Here’s an idea for a finishing drill that you can teach to your players… (and don’t forget your notebook, so you can keep track of what your players can do).
Drill: Shooting Out of the box
Aim: Practice and develop finishing skills and confidence
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Age: U17
Time: 15 minutes
Steps:
Start the drill with the player who takes the shot controlling the ball.
When players are at ease doing this, they finish with one touch.
Players practice shooting techniques and move to one touch.
Players finish from outside penalty box.
Sequence is finisher passing the ball to distributor who arranges the finish.
Each player gets a chance to practice finishing.
Diagram:
Key points:
Strike ball outside the penalty box. Players progress from technique practice to developing composure while playing.
That’s it for today…
(By the way… I recommended to that youth coach friend of mine that he should identify those players that are the best at passing, dribbling, crossing, scoring, etc… and run specific individual drills to develop and perfect their skills).
Send some feedback with the stats for your best ’scorers’…
Today I’d like to share with you some simple guidelines on how you can become a better soccer coach than you are today – you may already be aware of some of the ingredients, some may be new… mix and stir!
Have High Standards
Young players are far sharper than what you think them to be. If your own standards of the game are not high, you’ll be found out in a minute.
The only solution to this is to practice much more than what you expect the players to do, so that any aspect of the game you demonstrate is convincing and professional.
Be Friendly And Firm
Most players start out to have fun and if they enjoy the game, they may stay on to play the game at a more serious level. As coach, you must ensure that they leave each practice session eager to return for the next.
This can only be achieved if the coach makes his sessions interesting, entertaining and value added. You may have to take a firm hand with some players, but if they and the rest of the players are convinced that it is for their own good, you will have no problems on this account.
Handle Success And Failure With Dignity
You win some and you lose some, but both should be stepping stones to higher levels of achievement. Many coaches make the mistake of attributing success to great coaching and failure to poor performance of the players.
It should be the other way around. The coach is responsible for everything. If you cannot handle this responsibility with maturity, you need to rethink.
Stay In Control
A coach needs to be several steps ahead of his players and the game. This means that you should never be seen to be under prepared or flustered. If you needed some equipment for a specific session, you should have it in place, well before the first player turns up.
Similarly, transport, tying up outside matches and parental assistance must also always be tied up well in advance. If your players see you totally in control, they will get a feeling of professionalism and will strive to match your behavior. It also works the other way around!
Manage Parents
Some parents become a bit too involved with the game. Hence, the coach also needs to define the boundaries of such involvement. You may need to be firm with them to the point of telling them who is in control.
Parents have to see the game as a game and the opposing team as just kids. Ensure that parental expectations do not spoil the pleasure of playing soccer.
Ok, and that’s what’s I wanted to share with you today… I hope you think a little about these ideas.
Fun soccer games must be an important element of your training session. It is good that you have added warm ups, soccer drills, and even small sided games, but if you have not added FUN to the soccer coaching session, then you are missing a crucial thing.
Soccer should be fun!! And when I say fun… I really mean FUN! … fun for referees…
And above all… soccer should be fun for your players…
Here’s a great FUN soccer drill you can teach in your next coaching session:
Game: The Battle Of Troy (Level: Intermediate)
Age Information : 9 - 12
Level of Difficulty : Intermediate
Time Duration : 15 - 20 Minutes
The Battle Of Troy is an advanced fun soccer game. It is best suited for players within the age group of nine to twelve. The level of difficulty is intermediate. The minimum number of players that can participate in this game is six.
However, you can include more players – just make sure that the total number does not exceed fifteen. Depending upon the size of the field and the total number of players, this game should take approximately fifteen to twenty minutes.
It is a fun game, but it seeks some good soccer skills from the players.
Step-by-step instructions
The setup requires you to mark a grid of cones – 20 yards X 50 yards in size.
Divide the grid into three equal sections by marking two lines in the middle, as shown in the diagram.
Place a goalpost in the third section.
Divide the players into two teams of six players each. Name the teams as team A and team B.
One team will be the attacker while the other team will be the defender. In the beginning, team A will attack and team B will defend. You must place the players accordingly.
The three players of the defending team B will take positions in the first section, two defenders in the middle section and one defender in the third section.
The players of the attacking team A will line up in pairs on the opposite side of the goalpost outside the grid, as you can see in the diagram.
The first player in each pair will have a ball.
The game will start at the blow of the whistle.
As soon as you blow the whistle, the first player (with the ball) from the attacking pairs will enter the grid in the first section.
The objective is to cross all the three sections and finally score a goal in the third section.
It is like the Battle of Troy as there are enemies (defenders) in every section of the battleground (grid).
Both the attackers and the defenders are going to have a tough time. In the first section, there will be three attackers and three defenders. If a defender manages to steal the ball from one of the defenders, he/she will kick the ball outside the ground. The attacker who loses the possession of the ball will be eliminated from the game.
The remaining two players will go ahead to the middle section where they will face the two defenders. It is also possible that in the first section, no defender could stop the attackers and the middle defenders get the tough task of defending against three attackers. Because of all these possibilities, the game is quite interesting for the adult players.
The coach will count the number of goals made by the attackers.
After the first round, switch the players’ roles. It means the defenders will now become attackers and attackers would be the defenders. Team A is now scattered in the three sections – three players in the first section, two players in the second section, and one player in the third section. The team A players will line up in pairs as team B did in the first round.
The second round will start with another blow of the whistle.
The game stops after six rounds. It means that each team gets three opportunities to attack and score goals.
In the third round when the team B players become attackers, the players who did not get the opportunity to attack in the first round will start the game.
In the end, the team with the highest number of goals is declared as the winner.
Diagram
Key Points
Since these are advanced players, you must encourage them to showcase good dribbling techniques while attacking.
The three attackers in the first section must co-operate with each other. The objective should be to score a goal for the team. One of these attackers may try to engage the defenders with him/her. This way, the other two attackers get open spaces to enter the next section.
You can also introduce some variations. For example, you can include a two-yard free zone in each section. This is the zone where the attackers are safe. The defenders cannot enter this zone. However, do not allow them to stay in the free zone for more than five seconds.
The attacker may be allowed to leave his/her ball inside the free zone and help the other attackers move to the next section by passing and receiving the ball with each other.
That’s all for today… and always remember to have some fun when coaching soccer!
Soccer is a very strenuous game and obviously to succeed as a soccer player one needs to be physically fit. This is where soccer fitness training and drills come into the picture. Also remember that it is very important for players to eat right, drink enough water, rest and exercise properly to become physically fit for soccer.
Here’s Why Soccer Fitness Is Really Important…
If you look at it, you will find very few sports that are played on such a large field, for such a long time and without regular rest periods. So, you can understand how important fitness and fitness drills are to the soccer game.
If you are still not clear, let me give you some statistics. During a regular soccer game, a player would usually cover 8-12 km. This distance of 8-12 km would usually consist of 24% walking, 36% jogging, 20% coursing, 11% sprinting, 7% moving backwards, and 2% moving with the ball.
Here’s a real example of some “side effects” of the stats above…
Building…
A proper soccer fitness training program would impart endurance, muscle strength, speed, agility, and flexibility in soccer players. Soccer players need muscular strength because that helps in shooting, tackling, and running. Muscular strength also means fewer injuries.
Moreover, strength training helps correct muscle imbalances in soccer players. It has been noted that soccer players tend to develop overly strong quadriceps, in comparison to their hamstrings. A proper fitness program will correct this imbalance and thereby help prevent injuries.
Soccer fitness training helps in creating a balance of explosive power and muscular endurance in soccer players. In other words, a good soccer fitness program will offer the right mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercises.
In soccer, a midfielder is required to cover a lot of ground during a soccer game; therefore, he/she needs a good aerobic fitness. Forwards and strikers, on the other hand, need to sprint fast and thus they require focusing on anaerobic fitness.
Example - One To One Fitness Drill
There are lots of fitness drills that a soccer coach can come up with to provide overall fitness to soccer players. My favorite is the 1v1, 2v1, 1v2 fitness drill. Besides being a great fitness drill, this also helps in passing, moving and turning skills.
Step By Step Instructions:
Step 1: X2 will pass the ball to X1 who starts to play on the offense and is allowed to score in either goal.
Step 2: If X1 scores a goal then X2 will pass him/her another ball. And again X1 can score on both goals.
Step 3: O1 is required to tackle X1 and get possession of the ball. If O1 gets possession of the ball, or if the ball goes out of boundary off X1, then O2 will pass the ball to O1.
Step 3: Now O1 will play on the offensive and will try to score on either goals. The game will last for 3 minutes after which X1 will switch places with X2 and O1 will switch places with O2.
Step 4: They will play the way they were playing previously.
Step 5: After each side has played the game once, X1 and X2 can only score on the lower goal and O1 and O2 can only score on the upper goal. They will one game each following this rule.
Step 6: In the next game, X2 and X1 can join to play against O1. This would be 2 v 1. Now if O1 gets possession of the ball, X2 will have to leave the field and O1 and O2 will play against X1.
Diagram:
Key Points:
You can start with groups of 4’s. A 40 × 30 field is required. Have two players on the field and two players on the sides with extra balls.
This drill helps in quick transition in both directions, and not to forget, this is a great fitness drill also.
Age: 6 - 14:
Level: Intermediate
Time Duration: Each game for 3 minutes
Now go out there and test it out at your next group coaching session…
Before we get deep into our 343 soccer system let’s think about the future of soccer formations/systems and the way we control players’ position in the field…
Have you ever thought about this? For example… could we control our players’ positions with a remote control?
(I can see your smiling face now…)
Well, it’s possible that in 10 years from now your players may be like little ‘robots’ that you can manipulate and control from your bench, sounds hype?…
Let Me Present… The New Robotic Soccer Formation!
My good friends from the CAMBADA champions team (engineers from Aveiro University here in Portugal) invited me to assist to a demo of their most recent project… and let me tell you how I which to have these guys on my team (they really know what discipline is… eh eh):
Not bad for a robot. Now let’s get to business…
The Human 3-4-3 Soccer System
As I said in an earlier chapter, there is no such thing as the perfect soccer formation. Instead, there are several strategic formations that, when used at the right time, can make the best use of your team players’ skills. Each team has its own plus points. For this reason, different formations may suit different players.
Of these, the 3-4-3 considered an offensive formation is a classic.This is how it looks like:
In the 3-4-3 there are three forwards, four midfielders, three center backs and one keeper. Here, one striker is expected to continuously remain at the edge of the attack and be strong enough to stay put. Three fullbacks must work closely as a unit. One midfielder must fall back and play before the defensive line, pressuring the ball so that the defense is never disturbed or trapped.
Considered one of the most offensive strategic formations, the 3-4-3 is useful when a strong defense is essential or when the team needs to score a lot of goals.
Here are some points about the particular positions in the 3-4-3 formation:
The sweeper leads on the field, controlling the defense by being behind the fullbacks.
The defenders, both right and left, cover the team forwards and maneuver the ball with the midfielders for better crossing.
The left and right midfielders are responsible for the crosses in the offense and carry the ball up the field as they have more space compared with the center midfielders.
The left and right center midfielders distribute the ball to the offenders, and work on obstructing the opponent’s play , trying to keep them from the defensive line.
The three forwards use the tactic of runs to the corners. To receive the cross, the center forward and opposite forward find their way in.
The best thing about the 3-4-3 formation is that it is symmetrical and deploys the team in a balanced way across the pitch so that space coverage is optimum. Because of the diamond shaped formation, the players can also provide the proper support to each other effortlessly. Without disturbing the shape of the formation, the midfield players can support the defense easily.
Remember the robotic formation? I know you probably tought that “They are just robots… they could never play soccer”. Well here’s the answer to that…
Like they say on those famous ads… “Impossible Is Nothing”!
When I was a young player, I just loved to run with the ball “glued” to my left foot. When the opposite team gained possession and I had to run back to defense, it wasn’t that fun anymore… my feet seemed to weight a ton.
This happens all the time and usually who suffers is the team. Later I started to correct this behaviour and helped others do the same. It’s important that everyone realizes how important defensive activities can be in modern soccer.
A good defense mindset is an art that can be perfected with understanding the issues involved and with practice. You must explain what is meant by setting up a defense with your players and develop these skills in 1 vs. 1 and in group defense situations.
Players must work as a team to break up the opponents’ attack by preventing passes to areas from where attacks can develop or by not allowing attackers to reach areas from where they can mount an attack on the goal. The trick is to use the manpower available on site to delay the attackers till more defenders arrive to help win back the ball.
“Everyone” Is A Defender
You must impress upon your players over and over that there are no pure attackers and defenders in soccer. Every player at some point in time may be required to be a defender. A player standing idly at his position waiting for the ball to be won back by his team mates may as well not be playing for that time since he has no contribution to make at that point. All players have to defend and they must understand this.
Examples…
Example I - Basic Defensive Training
To begin with, train your players in defensive skills in a 1 v 1 situation and progress them to 2 v 1 (both advantageous and disadvantageous numbers).
Further training should go up to 2 v 2 and 3 v 3 situations. Following this format, players learn individual field craft and teamwork.
Example II - Teaching The Right Stance
It is important that you teach your players the right stance to adopt when they are on the defensive and are covering an attacker. Since defenders often move backwards in relation to an advancing attacker, it becomes important that they do not lose balance and fall backwards.
It is best if the defender crouches a bit so as to lower his center of gravity.
He should also move along an imaginary line between the attacker and the far corner of the goal to deny him a clear opportunity shot.
Example III - Pressure Is The Key
The first principle of successful defense is that there should never be a moment when an attacker is allowed to move freely with the ball.
Whoever is closer to the attacker must move in instantaneously to impose a delay on whatever the attacker plans to do. This first defender is also sometimes called a pressure player to make his role absolutely clear.
The aim of the pressure player is to disrupt the plan of the attackers and to deny him time to look around and think. It also provides time for the defense to regroup and move to retake possession of the ball.
With the role of the pressure player clear, it is evident that he is not yet tackling the attacker with the ball but slowing him down, forcing him to dribble excessively and denying him a good look around for a pass.
Once the defenders have arrived on the scene, the pressure player is free to engage.
The next defender on the scene (between the attacker and the goal) is a backup to the pressure player and he covers the attacker in case he is able to outmaneuver the pressure player. Rightly so, he is called the cover defender.
Example IV - Common Training
You must train all your players in the concepts of pressure players and cover players.
Players must be able to take on these roles immediately and judge who is best positioned to take on these roles.
Cover players must be able to ensure the following:
Supporting the pressure player in his actions
Closing down other attackers so that effective passing is not possible
Another basic principle of maneuvering in this team is that the pressure player devotes his entire attention to the attacker with the ball while the cover player is the one who has a good opportunity to position, look around and think.
If required, the cover player should be passing instructions to the pressure player.
Example V - Using The Touchline
You must be able to make your players image the touchline to be another defender because it restricts the freedom of movement of the attacker.
The pressure player attempts to get the attacker closer to the touchline by positioning himself to one side and funneling the attacker in that direction.
The cover defender stays a little to the side to provide backup but also helps to force the attacker to move into the funnel.
Once the defenders have got the attacker restricted, they can move in to gain possession or force him to make an awkward pass.
Example VI – Circle Defense
Circle Attack can be a good drill to improve the defensive skills of the players. This drill has been developed in a way that you can also use it as a warm up drill.
Age Group: 6 – 13 Years
Level Of Difficulty: Beginner
Time Duration: 5 – 10 Minutes
Step By Step Instructions:
Create a circle using cones with at least 15 yards of diameter.
Ask five players to stand on the border of the circle at even distance between each other. These are attackers.
You will need two more players for this drill. Ask them to take position inside the circle. These players are the defenders.
Two of the attackers will have a ball.
As soon as you blow the whistle, the attackers start passing ball to each with an objective to keep the ball away from the two defenders.
If a defender manages to steal the ball, he/she becomes an attacker and the attacker who lost the ball will become the defender.
Diagram:
Key Points:
You are recommended to start the drill by asking the attackers to pass the ball to their closest players. Later on, when you see that the players have become comfortable with the concept, you can ask the attackers to pass the ball to the farthest attacker on the other side of the circle – it means they will be playing the ball between the defenders.
Encourage the players to keep their heads up while passing the ball, as it will help them be aware of the circumstances around them and they will be able to take better decision.
The defenders should also be encouraged to keep moving with the ball in an attempt to steal the ball.
I’ll get back to you soon with more important soccer coaching tips…
