SoccerCoachWeeklyIssue 290 Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The secret to stretching defences

1SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

When a team wins possession in the centre of midfield the route to a successful attack is often out wide. So here’s a great game that encourages players to look to the flanks in order to create space, and with that, real goalscoring chances.

How to play it• Set up teams as shown - the game uses nine players. Whites are comprised of a keeper, three outfield players, and a player in each of the 2x2-yard boxes. Reds have three players defending the three smaller goals.• Reds begin and attack the single goal.• If whites win the ball, they must release one or both of the boxed players before attacking. They do this by feeding the player, who then passes on to a team mate.• When either team scores, two new whites move into the boxes.• The first team to score five goals wins, then the two outfield teams of three swap halves.

Technique and tactics• As the game progresses, encourage teams to spend a minute or so deciding how tactically they should approach the game. Should reds press high to block the pass that releases the boxed players? How can whites ensure they release their boxed players quickly?• The game helps players understand the importance of the point of transition and team shape, as well as the significance of speed and reactions as transitions occur.• Playing quick passes to release the boxed players creates quick counter-attacking situations (and probably an overload), where the pitch is opened up and space is created. With three goals to aim at the defence must be organised.

Advancing the game• Make the boxed players neutral so either team can use them.

Now reds adopt a high line, preventing the ball out wide and forcing whites to pass inside

Players line up defending either three mini-goals or one standard goal

The ball wide stretches defenders out of position, and quick passing inside frees up a clear chance on goal

TOOLS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly

player movement ball movementshotrun with ball

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SoccerCoachWeekly WARM UPWednesday, November 14, 2012

Defend technique

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

Soccer Coach Weekly is published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford, GU5 0AB, UK. Email: david.clarke@coach-soccer.com Tel: +44 (0)1483 892894 Head Coach: David Clarke Editor: James Evans Publisher: Kevin Barrow Managing Director: Andrew Griffiths

Customer Service: Duncan Heard Designer: Steve Southern Contributors: Michael Beale, William East, Paul Finn, David Lewis, Norm Stansby, Steve Watson © Green Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved.

How to play it• Set up a mannequin or cone in the middle of a small area, as shown.• Both ends work at the same time.• On your call of “jockey”, “show right” or “show left” the players must pressure the mannequin and take up the correct position.• The player holds this pressure for 2–3 seconds before jogging out.• Now remove the mannequin and play 1v1 duels.• Firstly work diagonally with the defender showing the attacker to the right.• Then switch and play the opposite way with the defender showing to the left.• Now defend straight on. The defender will now have to decide which way to show the attacker.

Technique and tactics• Players must slow down as they approach, perform the technique, then move off quickly.• Keep the momentum going so that players get plenty of opportunity to practise position. And make sure you offer coaching advice as they do so.

Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach

Both players approach and jockey the mannequin

Now having removed the mannequin, the defender shows the attacker to the right

And on this occasion he shows him to the left

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player movement

SCW Weekly Jargon buster

Jockeying – Jockeying involves a defender being a short distance from the ball, just close enough to tackle or to intercept if a good opportunity arises. The defender should approach in a low position with knees bent, quickly adopting a slight angle, with the dominant foot furthest from the attacker.

Showing left or right - Good jockeying can mean a defender is in control of a situation where the attacker approaches with the ball. He can slant his position to ‘show’ the defender either left or right, essentially towards the direction where there is the smallest attacking threat, or to where the best chance of a turnover of possession can occur.

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SoccerCoachWeekly FOOTY4KIDS

Out!This is a fun way to practise attacking

and defending skills. It also helps develop soccer ‘vision’, communication skills and tactical awareness.

How to play it• Set up as shown in a 30x30-yard playing area with a small goal on opposite end lines. • Split your squad into two teams – in the example given I’ve used reds and whites in a 7v7. Each team attacks a designated goal. • To start, players stand next to you on the touchline.• Throw a ball into the playing area and shout a set-up of players – for instance, 3v3.• That number of players from each team runs into the playing area, competes for the ball and tries to score in their allocated goal.• As soon as a goal is scored or the ball goes out of play, shout ‘Out!’ and the players return to the touchline.• Then shout another, different number. • Vary the numbers of players in each game, from 1v1 right up to 7v7.• The first team to score five goals wins the game.

Advancing the game• Allow your players to choose their own team number. Each team must tell you in secret. This will most likely create an overload on each turn. Play seven times – teams can only choose one number once, so after seven turns they will have played with a one-man team, right up to a seven-man team.

Techniques and tactics• Players must react quickly to the changing team numbers and must communicate well in deciding who enters the playing area on each new phase.• And given that each time they enter it will be with a different number of team mates, they must work together to decide how best to cover the space.

The first head-to-head is a 3v3

Whites link up to score in the goal

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

With a goal being scored, a new set-up – 2v2 - is called. Existing players leave while four players enter the area

Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

player movement ball movementshot

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3v3

Out – next, 2v2

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SoccerCoachWeekly TOUCHLINE TALES

The miss of the century

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

Sometimes you stand and look on aghast as one of your players misses a simple chance in front of goal – and it happened to one of my players at the weekend. Of course you cannot legislate for a player using his right foot and pushing the ball past the post when he should have just used his left. I’ve seen it happen many times in youth soccer and often it can stick with the player for the whole game.

Even though I have drummed it into my team that we don’t blame each other for mistakes it is the easy misses that leave players feeling glum. And you know as well as I do that a depressed player is going to be no good on the pitch.

I always try to give my players examples of professional players who make similar mistakes, yet who recover quickly.

Watching the Capital One Cup game

recently between Leeds United and Southampton, I saw a fantastic example of this. Early in the first half, and with the game at 0-0, Leeds’ El Hadji Diouf beat defenders and goalkeeper with a ball across the six-yard box.

The ball came to the back post where Luke Varney was unmarked with a simple tap in. But everyone was left stunned when Varney somehow turned the ball back across the face of the open goal and wide from just a yard out. Look it up on YouTube!

However, Varney didn’t retreat into his shell. Instead, he took responsibility for the miss, dusted himself down, and

subsequently ran the game, including setting up a goal. It was a fantastic comeback and a Man of the Match performance on many fronts.

His manager Neil Warnock praised what was a massive contribution in the end. He said: ‘I thought Luke epitomised our performance. He came up with the miss of the century yet was still Man of the Match for me. He wasn’t feeling well and was sick at half-time. I asked him for another 15 minutes and he gave me 40. That’s his attitude through and through.’

And that is the attitude we all need to try to get from our youth players. If you make them afraid of making mistakes you won’t get that Man of the Match performance out of them you so badly desire, because getting the best out of your players means they must be able to find a way past their mistakes, and quickly.

15 soccer coaching sins1. Failing to consider the health and safety of the players - not being aware of players’ medical conditions, playing on an unsafe pitch, mixing players of widely differing ages and abilities, ignoring children who say they are injured... the list is long.

2. Not planning a coaching session in advance - if you think you can make it up as you go along, you’re wrong.

3. Boring players with long-winded speeches - if you can’t explain what you want your players to do in 30 seconds, don’t do it.

4. Not having enough footballs - your players need a ball each, not two under-inflated, peeling balls between 10.

5. Criticising individuals - a good coach focuses on the behaviour, not the child.

6. Shouting at players - there’s no excuse for shouting, it just shows you have no self control.

7. Skills practices turning into tests of endurance - 45 minutes passing a football around a couple of cones will kill any child’s enthusiasm for the game.

8. Using drills that involve children standing in lines for more than a few seconds - some line drills are okay but you must keep the lines moving quickly as bored children will start to invent their own non-soccer activities.

9. Forgetting to agree rules with your players - and then criticising them for failing to observe ‘the rules’.

10. Sticking rigidly to a session plan that isn’t working - if an activity is not working, stop doing it. Play a small-sided

game instead or ask your players what they want to do.

11. The coach acting as ball-boy - you’re not there to chase balls. That’s what parents are for.

12. Not demonstrating skills or demonstrating them badly - if you can’t do it, find someone who can!

13. Not involving parents/carers - ignoring the wishesand feelings of the people who bring your players to

practice and matches is simply not sensible.

14. Allowing spectators to shout and ‘coach’ on match days - you’re responsible for the actions of parents so agree the ground rules and enforce them.

15. Blaming players for ‘not trying’ when really the session is pitched at the wrong level - don’t ask players to do things they’re not ready to do, emotionally or physically.

David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly

Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

“Everyone was left stunned.”

Don’t bore players with long-winded speeches

Don’t ignore parents

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SoccerCoachWeekly SMALL-SIDED GAME

3v3 in the boxThe players must mark man-to-man,

looking to be strong in making tackles and blocking shots on goal.

How to play it• Set up as shown in the diagram.• Two teams work inside the area with one team attacking and the other team defending. The third team stays outside the box and acts as a supply line. Each player has three balls.• The attacking team receives a ball from one of the outer players and tries to score a goal. They cannot link back up with servers again in attempting to find space in the box.• The end of each attack is signalled when the keeper has the ball in his hands, or if defenders have cleared the ball back to the serving players or out of play.• The game lasts for six balls.• After the six balls are completed rotate the teams.

Technique and tactics• Defenders must stay with their man at all times.• Their task is to communicate well in stopping shots and preventing turns.• They must always aim to force an opponent away from goal.• Attackers can either go it alone or combine with team mates in scoring. The fact they cannot pass back to a server means we’re demanding good control and technique in a congested area, whilst maybe displaying the sort of trickery that will help an attacker get past his opponent.• The game should be played at pace.

The defending team takes up good marking positions

The central defender saves his team mate who had temporarily lost his attacker

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

Balls should be served quickly with attackers constantly looking for space to keep a frantic penalty area pace to the game

Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

player movement ball movementrun with ball shot/clearance

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SoccerCoachWeekly YOUR SAY

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

This week Paul FinnShirley Under-8s, Southampton

Q In a match last weekend the referee refused to stop

play when one of my players was down injured with cramp. He insisted that unless it was a head injury he didn’t need to do anything. Was he right to say that? Mark Thompson, Brighton

A Youth football is different and doesn’t subscribe to adult rules.

While some refs might allow play to continue for a few seconds to see if a child picks himself up, to not stop play overall was wrong.

By failing to do so he was running the risk of serious confrontation with parents on the touchline - he could be perceived to be indifferent to the welfare of the players.

As children get older, the rules begin to change, yet while few injuries are serious as far as very young children are concerned, any ref should err on the side of caution.

If such a situation happens again, you should threaten to report the ref to the league unless he stops the game.

TACKLED: Results

Here’s the result of the poll we ran in Soccer Coach Weekly 288. We gave you the situation where a player who constantly misbehaves was told he was suspended from training and matches for two weeks. Would you consider this approach as right?

SCW Surgery TACKLED: Participation sport?

PUT IT TO THE VOTE: Which of our guest coaches do you agree with? Visit our Facebook page or email your thoughts to David Clarke at david.clarke@coach-soccer.com

As a soccer coach, should you join in with your players in training?

William EastWoodside Under-10s, Aberdeen

You want to feel a unity with your kids, so getting involved and getting your boots dirty is a great way of doing this. There can be too many boundaries between a coach and player, and if kids relax in their surroundings then they’re more likely to play a natural game.

Kids will sometimes feel it’s one rule for them and another for someone else. Naturally, that has to be the case where authority is concerned, but if you’re there for soccer then you’re all there for the same reason. Prove to them there is no divide; that you are willing to come down to their level, and they will trust and respect you more.

Sometimes the best way to coach is by being right there right in the middle of things. You can only do so much by standing back on the touchline, or from outside a practice area. Being in the middle will offer you the best vantage point and the chance to have a real and important influence on what’s going on.

Getting involved is of huge benefit providing you know where to draw the line. You have to think carefully about every pass and every movement, because your stature is most likely considerably bigger than everyone around you. In other words, passing and making runs is fine, but tackling is obviously a step too far!

“Prove to them there is no divide; that you are willing to come down to their level, and they will trust

and respect you more.”

Norm StansbyBecontree Colts

It’s youth soccer training – the clue is in the name! This is a game for kids and it should stay that way. At the end of the day, if you want to play soccer yourself, go and join an adult’s team! You’re merely there to supervise, and to pass on your experience. That should be more than enough for those players.

Participating in training can be very dangerous. If you happen to go in for a tackle too hard and accidentally injure the child, the recriminations could be massive. Notwithstanding the child’s injury, I doubt his parents will be happy when they find out. You could quickly find yourself suspended and in trouble with the league representatives.

If you’re constantly stepping in on sessions how will your kids really be able to work things out for themselves? Constant interruptions are not good for their development; nor is having one player considerably better than everyone else, namely you! And when they move these training practices into a match situation, the parameters switch back to something different.

Adults supervising kids performing simple tasks is easily done – there is a distance and a standard maintained. But when adults begin participating they have the tendency to over-elaborate. That will only encourage your kids to do the same, and it’s likely they’ll miss the point of what it is you’re trying to teach them.

“It’s youth soccer training – the clue is in the name! This is a

game for kids and it should stay that way.”

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