SoccerCoachWeeklyIssue 258 Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Running from deep

1SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

Supporting attacks and hitting the targetMany players think that once the ball has been fed to a striker

their job is done, but the reality is that they should be supporting frontmen by running past them into unmarked attacking areas.

So here’s a session that helps players understand the value of supporting play and passing into dangerous areas of the pitch.

It uses ‘Whole-Part-Whole’ coaching – namely going straight into a game, then breaking things down to show players coaching detail, then back into the game.

How to play it• Set up as shown in the diagram – this is a 6v6 game including keepers.• One player from each team stays in the zone in front of the goal – the target man, who can be either one- or two-touch. He cannot score and can only assist others.

Whole• The game starts with teams looking to score in their opponents’ goal• Using peeled, overlapping or blindside runs players must create space to receive the ball, then shoot at goal.• Play for 10 minutes to allow players to get a feel for the game.

Part• Change the game now to focus on the movement from deep of the supporting players.• Now all players start in the same half, with the defending team’s target man moved back to the halfway line.• The attacking team combines to feed a pass into their target man, before attacking the goal. • If the defending team turns over possession they can attack the other goal by passing to their target player on the halfway line. They have only three touches before they must shoot, but their players cannot be tackled.• Play for five attacks then switch teams over so both teams experience the same conditions.

Whole• Replay the first part again. This time, you should find players automatically making more runs from deep.

Technique and tactics• Players have to make supporting runs because the target man can only play the ball back to a team mate in creating goalscoring chances. • Runs from deep involve movement to lose a player, to get position for the target player, plus good technique in order to control, or shoot at goal.• Players should use different types of passes to the target player, and must support from deep with a wide variety of well-timed and well-angled runs.

Each attack starts with the ball being played into the target man

For the ‘Part’ mode, the game is now compressed to encourage players to build from deep

If a counter-attack develops, defenders have three touches before they must shoot

TOOLS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

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David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly

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SoccerCoachWeekly WARM UPWednesday, April 4, 2012

Dribble and jockeyHow to play it• Set up as shown in the diagram.• Each player in possession of the ball is an attacker.• The attacker makes various dribbling movements, fakes and skills.• Players not in possession must act as defenders - jockeying the attacker and changing position based on their opponent’s movements.• On your whistle, the attacker and defender switch roles and continue the practice.• Switch positions every two or three minutes.

Technique and tactics• This really simple warm-up relies on defined technical play.• And an attacker must use every skill in his locker so as to make life as hard as possible for the defender.• Defenders, meanwhile, need to move their feet quickly, stay balanced, and concentrate on the ball at all times.• When the coach signals for players to switch roles, players must be alert to the change of condition.

The attacker dribbles towards the defender who jockeys, looking to slow his opponent’s forward progress

When you blow your whistle, players must react quickly and decisively to the change in roles

Prepare with props Good soccer coaches can

make even the most uninspiring of subjects appear interesting.

Take formations, for instance. When youth soccer players get to the age where they’re starting to understand how teams line up, their enthusiasm for the subject can be quickly diluted by the amount of theory involved.

So if you’re looking to convey information in a way that will keep them interested for longer, try to be innovative, and use ideas and props that will put the fun back into the subject.

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: Dan Barton, Michael Beale, Pete Beeney, David Lewis, Steve Phythian, Steve Watson © Green Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved.

David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly

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run with ball take ball from opponent

Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach

A flipchart will remind kids of being in the classroom – it’s an instant turn-off. Instead, use everyday items and

bright colours – what about fruit, for instance? Kids will be entertained by the notion, and for those who are

hungry, there’s even a reward at the end!

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SoccerCoachWeekly FOOTY4KIDSWednesday, April 4, 2012

Three ways to scoreHow to play it• Placing players in groups of four or five, use the penalty area on a full-size pitch.

• As coach, you stand on one side of the goal.

• One player goes in goal and the rest line up at the opposite end of the playing area.

• Players go one at a time, and have three chances to score a goal. For each goal, they earn a point. The first player to get six points wins the game.

• In the first phase, the player attempts to score with a penalty kick. The coach then plays a ball to the edge of the penalty area. The player has to chase the ball down, turn and shoot. As soon as he gets his shot off, the coach throws a ball in the air near the goal and the player has to run in quickly and try to score with his head.

• If you want to encourage your players to shoot at the corners of the goal, place a target by the posts - a small cone is fine. If they can hit the cone more than once from their three attempts, they get an extra point.

Technique and tactics• The objective of this game is to encourage players to shoot at goal quickly and accurately.

• You need to talk about accuracy versus power - is it better to shoot hard and fast, or take a little more time and shoot with more accuracy?

The attacker’s first effort on goal is a penalty kick

He then drops back, receives a pass from you, dribbles forward and shoots

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And to complete the drill, he aims to head home a lofted pass

Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk

FIND OUT

WHO YOUR

HOT SHOTS ARE!

player movement ball movementrun with ball shot

1. The balloonEven children as young

as four or five will enjoy keeping a balloon in the air with their head, and that’s a great starting point.

Make sure you teach the ‘mouth closed, eyes open’ technique from the start and encourage your players to jump up to meet the balloon on its way down.

You can also make it a fun team game. Have four or five children in each team and see which one can keep the balloon in the air the longest.

2. Soft ballWhen your players are a little older they

can begin to head the ball with a small, soft ball or an indoor soccer. If they have

been playing with a balloon for a while they shouldn’t fear ‘ball against head’ contact, but it’s still a good idea to take things slowly.

Have your players hold the ball in their hands and move their forehead to the ball (you want to ingrain the habit of meeting the ball with the head, not waiting for the ball to hit the head). Then ask them to throw the ball a couple of feet in the air and head it back into their hands.

3. Heading with a purposeNow you need to introduce a purpose

for heading the ball. Split your players into groups of three or four. Put three flat cones in front of each team and balance a ball on each cone.

One member from each team stands on one side of the cones about three feet away from them. His team mates stand about three feet away on the other side of the cones. The single player tosses a ball to his team mates who attempt, in turn, to knock the balls off the cones in front of them with a header. The first team to knock the balls off the cones wins.

4. MovementThe next step is to introduce movement.

Put your players into groups of three and ask them to throw/head/catch the ball as they make their way up a football pitch. The first team to head their ball into the goal wins. If the ball is dropped they have to start again.

5. AggressionNow combine heading with healthy

aggression. Play a small- sided game where every time the ball goes out of play you restart by throwing the ball in the air and awarding a point to the team whose player heads it first.

Playing simple heading games like these from an early age will stop a fear of heading the ball from taking hold.

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SoccerCoachWeekly TOUCHLINE TALESWednesday, April 4, 2012

The observation list

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I was asked by a fellow coach this week to come along to a friendly game to give him an idea of what I thought about his players. I told him to point out three players I could watch and mark on my observation sheet, in order to help him see where problems were arising in the team. From that, I’d recommend some sessions that he could use to sort the problem out.

“What is it I should look out for from individual players during a game?” he asked me.

Judging individuals from one game is very hard especially when you’re talking about youth players. But I do have a blueprint that I use myself which seems to work – I call it my ‘observation list’.

Often this will give me a good idea of things I can work on at training within my coaching schedule. I’ll write down what it is certain individuals need help with, and what they are ready to develop.

For example, if John is not passing through midfield and is losing the ball, but is taking chances like back-heels in order to set up goals, then I know he still has the confidence to try things. So I make a note of that and give John more opportunities to replicate his penalty box success in midfield.

Here are the top 10 things I look out for during a match in each individual player:1. Making forward passes through the opposition defence2. Taking chances in the attacking third – try a back-heel

3. Passing the ball and moving in to support4. Working hard to win the ball back5. Communication – calling out names, asking for the ball6. Making runs off the ball7. Forgetting mistakes and getting on with the game – keeping his head up8. Enjoying the game, having fun9. Playing until the final whistle, whether winning or losing10. Knowing the right position on the field (especially for defenders), so the player can recover quickly if his team loses the ball

Do you agree or disagree with my observation list? Or do you have a better top 10? It would be great to hear from you, so email in to me at david.clarke@coach-soccer.com.

“What is it I should look out for from individual

players during a game?” he asked me.

Five ways to take the hatred out of heading

David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly

Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk

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SoccerCoachWeekly SMALL-SIDED GAMEWednesday, April 4, 2012

Build up confidenceHow to play it• This small-sided game sees attackers start from deep, with the aim of continuing to create shooting opportunities as extra defenders join the game.• Set up as shown in the diagram with a goal at each end.• The first phase of the move is a 4v1 – the keeper passes the ball out to his four attackers who advance against a lone defender, looking to score in the goal.• If the defender manages to win the ball, he can either kick it out of play or attack the other goal.• When the first phase ends, a second defender enters the pitch and the keeper throws out to the four attackers for a 4v2 situation.• Extra defenders are added for each phase until a 4v4 game is being played.• For the next game, the roles are reversed. Which of the attacking teams was most successful?

Technique and tactics• Attackers will have to communicate well in the face of different defensive obstacles, as the number of opposition players increases with every phase.• Defenders need to push attackers wide and away from the goal. If they manage to win possession, they should be willing to counter-attack quickly.

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The keeper throws the ball out for the attackers to score 4v1

Extra defenders are added until 4v4 is played

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If the defenders win the ball they can attack the opposite end

Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach

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GREAT FOR

EXPERIMENTING

WITH OVERLOADS!

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SoccerCoachWeekly YOUR SAYWednesday, April 4, 2012

TACKLED: Let the kids decide!

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Dan BartonAC Finchley Under-11s

We frequently allow the kids to choose the content of their training session. It’s all about giving them ownership and responsibility. Kids are a lot smarter, creative and responsible than most adults give them credit for.

Some children lack self confidence and allowing them to play a part in the session planning really helps boost their self-esteem. Quiet kids can become quite vocal and decisive when it comes to making decisions about their own session. Kids also understand how a majority decision is the fairest way to decide things in a group.

We still retain some control – depending on the age of the kids, the coach can guide ideas by suggesting alternatives, although kids normally come up with very sensible options that work without intervention. The only real element the coach has to control is the health and safety of the kids.

Every time we have a ‘free’ session the fun factor is huge. This is a great way to get them to buy in to the work you may need to do later in their development.

I can’t think of a better method of teaching respect for officials. One week the boys decided they were going to play a mini tournament where they were the referees and linesman. It was very interesting to see a 10-year-old realise it isn’t quite as easy as it seems.

The success is borne out of the fact that every week we have a very high attendance rate.

Kids constantly surprise me with their ingenuity and creativity. They need to take responsibility on the pitch, so let them take some responsibility in training too.

What have you got to lose? I can understand why some coaches may be hesitant in allowing the kids to run a session, but I would them to give it a try and see how it goes.

Should you allow your players to dictate what happens in training sessions?

“Allowing children to play a part in the session planning really

helps boost their self-esteem.”

Pete BeeneySpartak Clapham, Under-13s

Empowering players is great, but letting kids dictate training elements – even if that’s only once a month – is inviting them to contest what goes on in other weeks. Before you know it you’ll be bending over to accommodate them on numerous other issues, and even if you stand firm, you’ll grow be fed up of the nagging!

Kids, given a free choice, will usually choose to play games or perform drills that give them the most satisfaction whilst requiring the least effort, so their development suffers as a result. Nine times out of 10 kids will choose to play a small-sided game, or if forced to perform a drill, it’ll be a shooting practice. How do you run a free session then suggest the activity they chose should be changed to something else?

Dominant kids in the group will generally bully a path for their own favourite exercises and games, shouting out the requests of others. Not only does this fail to serve the group properly, but it creates divisions within the squad too.

Some kids don’t want the responsibility of deciding how to run a training session. They want to turn up and play soccer, content with leaving all the planning and organisational elements to someone else.

The development of specific training and development plans goes out the window unless there is a strong framework by which the coach can work and assess his group.

Although youth soccer is about having fun, players’ parents are generally putting their kids forward under the authoritative guidance of someone they trust - you. If that’s not what they’re actually receiving back, then they’ll begin to question what your role is, and as any coach will tell you, having parents on your side is a must at all times.

“Dominant kids in the group will generally bully a path for their own

favourite exercises and games, shouting out the requests of others.”

YES NO

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

This week Steve PhythianPatcham United Under-12s

Q Have I made a mistake in offering to reward my kids

when they win matches? We used to rarely win so a trip to the cinema was infrequent, but now we’re winning most weeks! Tim Wright, Folkestone

A An interesting dilemma. Our society generally rewards for

achievement and, this possibly reinforces a message in children that value is only in winning.

Children play football for intrinsic reasons – it’s fun, they learn new things, they get to play with their friends and so on. From FA research, we understand that young children do not play the game for extrinsic rewards such as trophies or titles. Those values are usually imposed by adults.

That being the case, perhaps we should consider rewarding or recognising players as much for effort – physical, psychological and technical – than achievement.

In the book ‘Mindset’ by Dr .Carol Dweck, we are recommended to encourage a ‘growth mindset’. It states that deliberate practice and effort will bring increased understanding and, therefore, success at whatever ‘it’ is they are doing – maths or football problem solving.

So team recognition can take a number of guises, whether it is a personal word from the coach or a more tangible trip to the cinema. But, maybe, the tangible reward can be offered for attendance at practice, as an example, rather than only for winning games.

TACKLED: Results

Here’s the result of the poll we ran in Soccer Coach Weekly 255 (March 14) asking if you thought the team captaincy should be shared around the whole team.

SCW Surgery

YES

NO76%

24%