Changing the angle of attack

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1 WELCOME December 0 Issue Under s - Under 6s With the cold weather drawing in, we ve gone big on attacking energy this week, with a lead session and small-sided game that both showcase hightempo offensive aims. There s also a great guide to help sort out bad behaviour within the team on page. Enjoy the issue and from all at Soccer Coach Weekly, have a fantastic Christmas. Changing the angle of attack A session that encourages thoughtful and dynamic attacking play Switching play - and moving the ball from one side of the pitch to the other - will allow teams to create significantly more space on a football pitch. And that, in turn, can lead to better goalscoring situations. Changing this angle of an attack requires intelligence and reasonable passing ability, but get it right and it s a potent weapon for your team. Here s how to do it. Changing the angle of attack Whites look to switch play to the left where their man has a clear sight of goal In the progression, greys score in a goal not protected by the white sweeper In the game, a quick break from deep puts a grey player in the clear Set up a 5x0-yard playing area. On both long sides position three goals using poles or cones, each five yards wide. Each team protects three goals. In the area is a v. The overload is designed to help one team achieve the coaching focus. Teams must maintain possession, use quick switching of play to find space with both short and long passes and score in any of the goals. Progressing the session: After 0 minutes, add two players in sweeper roles behind the goals their team are defending. The opposition cannot score in a goal the sweeper is protecting. Rotate players regularly. Game situation: Set up a 50x0-yard area with a full-size goal at one end and three small goals at the other. Play 5v (including the keeper), normal rules. The team with the overload attacks the three goals. Here, look for switches from deep and quick breaks forward. Why this works: The session encourages forward angled passing, one-twos and through balls, and rehearses offensive as well as defensive principles. Teams that can hold onto the ball and make use of the space will create lots of scoring chances. direction of pass shot direction of pass shot direction of run direction of run Soccer Coach Weekly

2 a SAID WARM-UP LIKE A PRO Mark out an area that will allow all of your players sufficient space to move around in. KEY ELEMENTS Go leftin or hands go right Ball Ball in hands Reactions Awareness Agility Players move around with the ball in their hands awaiting instructions Control Each player jogs around with the ball in their hands. They should complete each of these exercises three times. Instructions should be called out at random:. Throw the ball into the air and jump to catch it.. Throw the ball into the air and control with their foot and then into space.. Throw the ball into the air and control on the thigh to the ground and then into space.. Throw the ball into the air and control with the chest to the ground and then into space. 5. Throw the ball into the air and control with a turn into space and then a. 6. Roll the ball between your legs, turn and sprint after it. 7. Throw the ball back over your head and then turn to control and. Why this works: Players must be aware of ever-changing instructions, and this warm-up also utilises all body parts to good effect. And although they have plenty of space to move around in, the exercise also makes players aware of others around them, a consciousness they ll undoubtedly transfer into a match situation. TOOLS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES Decisive decision-making Decisive decision-making in football is essential, and the more you set up situations in training, the better you ll know how to refine your players thinking. Here s a really simple exercise that replicates the v situations you get in matches. It requires both physical and mental skill for a player hoping to achieve a higher score than his opponent should he take the easy route or go for a more ambitious play? The receiving player must decide which cone to to points point All your players - defenders, midfielders, attackers - should take part in this exercise. And it can be used for any age group. Set up a simple area with one-point cones in opposite open corners, and three-point cones in opposite corners behind each player. One player serves to the other, then follows his pass. The receiving player must the ball to a cone in order to score. The receiving player must take every opportunity to score points, but will he opt for a single point to the right or left, or a three-point reward that involves taking on and beating his opponent? point When a player scores a point he returns to the starting cone and tries again. This player again receives the ball from his opponent (effectively, he keeps possession) until it goes out of play, or until he is tackled. pass Soccer Coach Weekly

3 THE ART OF COACHING CHILDREN Bad behaviour is bad news by Steve Watson Following a strong reaction to one of the questions in last week s SCW Surgery regarding behavioural problems, here s a guide designed to help keep any problematic players in check. You can justify this by explaining that players who have been paying attention need to practise what they ve learned in the match. But the ones who weren t listening, don t need to. What is misbehaviour? Coaching tip: If your players persist in talking while you re talking, be silent and wait until they stop. Usually, peer pressure will prevail and the offenders will be told to shut up by their team mates. If this doesn t work, walk away. Tell them it s their team, not yours, and if they want to chat instead of work then that s okay. But you won t waste your time listening to them. Don t make the mistake of confusing immature behaviour with misbehaviour. Children don t turn up to training sessions to study football - they want to kick a ball, chat with their friends and have fun. So you have to allow them to let off steam now and then. That s not misbehaviour, it s natural. But they, and you, need to know where the dividing line is. The carrot is more effective than the stick A lot depends on your attitude and expectations A coach who demands eight-year-old children should listen to them 00% of the time is definitely going to get frustrated and anxious. Whereas, a coach who wants to be liked by his players is going to worry that he is not going to be liked when they need to correct poor behaviour. And a coach who feels he needs to control players will worry when he sees them having a bit of innocent, ageappropriate fun. These feelings of worry and frustration may well result in a coach making hasty decisions when confronted by behaviour they do not want to see. So it s important to manage expectations. Accept that sometimes, kids will be kids. Coach them with a smile on your face, not a frown. Good planning is vital. Age appropriate activities Trying to make six-year-olds do things more appropriate to -year-olds (and vice versa) is guaranteed to give your players frustration and yourself stress. You need to challenge the more experienced players, but you must also make certain all have the necessary core skills before moving on to more complicated moves and tactics. It s silly, for example, to try to teach the wall pass to children who can t pass the ball accurately over a short distance. Take your time and make sure all your players are proficient in basic ball skills.. Standing in lines Nothing will likely result in young football players turning off as using drills that involve them standing in lines. There are no lines in games so there shouldn t be any lines in training. Use small-sided games (SSGs) instead. Another mistake some coaches make is to punish but never reward. When a player (or players) make an effort to master a skill, tell them how pleased you are. Have the parents on your side You must agree ground rules You can t expect children to obey rules if: They don t know what they are. They are imposed without any discussion. They don t understand why they have to obey them. Discuss the need for rules and try to make them consistent with the aims of the team. But you don t need a rule book! Football practices are not supposed to be run like a prison camp. Two or three carefully thought out and agreed rules are more than enough. Parents are often viewed as a necessary evil useful for fetching children to practice and games, and that s about it. But having parents on your side is critical to maintaining good discipline. Explain the rules you ve agreed with your players and ask for the parents support if you have to enforce them. A quiet word with a misbehaving player that you re going to have to have a word with mum is usually very effective. Finally, if you follow these guidelines and your children still have days when they just won t listen to you, reflect on what you might have done wrong but don t beat yourself up over it. Youth football coaching is not meant to be easy. Make the punishment fit the crime You also have to agree what the punishment is for breaking the rules. Ask the players what they think the punishment should be but don t be surprised if they come up with some pretty extreme ideas! For a first offence, a quiet word might be enough. For a second offence, you may wish to remove the child from the group. Don t make a big deal out of it - just ask them to stand next to you or with an assistant until they feel able to join in properly again. For more serious offences, exclude players from the end of session, or give them less playing time in the next match. Soccer Coach Weekly

4 WEEKLY DAVID CLARKE S TOUCHLINE TALES This is a great game for angles of defence and changing roles in attack. Why mid-season friendlies can help your team We had three matches this weekend - two of them were friendlies. This type of game mid-season is very helpful to me with a big squad split across three teams. It means I can experiment with player positions and tactics without the pressure of league tables getting in the way. So I wasn t unduly worried about taking off one of my strongest midfielders and replacing him with a different sort of player - a playmaker. It worked a treat and the player showed a different side to his game in this role. He came to the team as a winger but watching him play in the centre I have immediately become aware of his other skills. Winning the ball and spreading it to the wings saw his impact on the game transformed. What a great find in this friendly, but would I have spotted this in training if he hadn t done it in the match? Maybe I would have - I play a lot of small sided games with the squad and it may have eventually come out. But regardless, this has saved me a lot of time, and now allows me the luxury of having two players who can play as the attacking midfielder. What a great find in this friendly, but would I have spotted this in training if he hadn t done it in the match? The other thing I was able to do was play my left winger in a left-back role, so he can be emergency cover if I lose my designated left-back. Left footed players are not always easy to come by and I know playing right footed players in that position does pull the defence over to the right, leaving gaps at the back. He played well in the role and showed good composure when under pressure, holding his position admirably when we were on the attack. I d recommend mid-season friendlies for any team. They re a great way of freshening things up after all, for many sides, it has been a pretty intense ride since those days of pre-season sunshine! Oh yes, I forgot to tell you the score... we lost - but the point is it doesn t matter the winners were my players for their efforts, and me for the knowledge I gained. SCW SURGERY This week s coach: Stig Alsopp Group: 5 to 8-year-olds Stig is a professional Academy coach from Norshopping, Sweden I have a player in my Under-7s who Q takes everything literally. If you ask him to stand still he will, or pass, he will. He doesn t have any learning difficulties but tends to freeze in games. How can I change things? Don Wishaw, Liverpool. This is, I think, a developmental issue A and there probably isn t much you can do about it. At training, this boy is surrounded by his friends. In matches, he is suddenly confronted by lots of people he doesn t know, which may be making him nervous. The atmosphere on match day could also be contributing. Even though I m sure you do all you can to take the pressure off your players, there is always an atmosphere on match days. Most players find this stimulating and enjoy it, and I m sure this lad will too one day. But right now he might be struggling to cope with the excitement. All you can do is wait; he must be getting something out of match days if he keeps turning up to training. Stay relaxed about the situation and he will, I m sure, start running around with the rest of the boys before too long. Got a question for SCW Surgery? it to us at james.evans@coach-soccer.com My six-year-old players cannot run Q properly. They scamper about, dance and gallop, but I am quite surprised over their lack of balance. I m sure their football skills would improve a lot if they had better control of their bodies. Am I wrong? Tim Miller, Colwyn Bay. You re right in one sense - it is normal for A six-year-olds to scamper about. That is how they develop motor skills including balance, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing and walking. You are also right to say that children need good control of their bodies if they are to have good football skills. That is why coaches of very young football players need to use non-football games in their coaching sessions. Doing this is said to help motor skills develop, and only when they re at a sufficient level can or should you really expect your players technical abilities to start coming to the fore through dribbling or shooting. Many coaches are afraid of activities without a ball, but don t be. You need to create a foundation on which football skills can be laid and it just doesn t pay to rush this stage of your players development. Should I be introducing light fitness Q training to my Under-8s? Some of my lads are quite overweight and I feel an obligation to get them in shape. Marcus Thompson, Oxford. This is an interesting one that many A coaches are confronted with. Is it their job to correct their players lifestyles or should they leave it to the parents? When players reach their teens, a football coach can give them advice about their eating habits, but it s an unwritten rule you shouldn t do that with children as young as yours. What would be better would be to ignore your players physical characteristics for now and concentrate on playing lots of fast-paced games during training. That way you will be doing your bit to keep your players healthy and fit. All the games you play during training should showcase speed, agility and quickness, and ensure there is an end point (such as scoring a goal), rather than a session that just fades out. At the age your kids are at, the most important thing is to keep the pace and energy up that way your players will soon get as fit as they can be. Soccer Coach Weekly is published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford, GU5 0AB, UK. james.evans@coach-soccer.com Tel: + (0) Fax: + (0)8 898 Editor: James Evans Publisher: Kevin Barrow Managing Director: Andrew Griffiths Customer Service: Duncan Heard Designer: Steve Southern Contributors: David Clarke, Paul Dargan, Chris Galea Green Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved. Soccer Coach Weekly

5 SMALL-SIDED GAME Perfect pairs Top notch two-player and v challenges Create a 0x0-yard area. Attacking You ll need cones and a goal for this game. Defending There are four outfield players, Awareness and a keeper who stands in the goal on the top edge. Players line up just inside the bottom edge on cones. Players are numbered,, and from left to right. SKILLS Teamwork Perfect pairs Player s and crosses to player, who shoots. Player s and crosses to player, who shoots. The coach now passes to player or player and a v game commences, with players and against players and. Then a ball is played to either player or for a similar attack. Rotating play: Player becomes Player. Player becomes Player. Player becomes Player. Player becomes Player. Player s and crosses for player Why this game works: This game was taken from Soccer Attack! by Michael Beale. Soccer Attack! contains 80 drills and games to develop shooting and finishing. Get your copy here: After 0 phases, the team with the highest score is the winner. This is a small-sided game that tests players ability to link with each other in both unopposed and opposed situations. The first attacking practice enables them to fine-tune each others offensive capabilities, but in the v game their skills are in relation to opposition players, so this creates a whole new challenge. This variation matches perfectly with situations they ll find themselves in during matches. Player s The players and pass the ball crosses for back and player forth Players and attack players and in a v drill Soccer Coach Weekly 5