SoccerCoachWeekly. Perfecting pressing. David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly. How to play it. Technique and tactics TOOLS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

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1 Issue 295 Wednesday, December 19, 2012 TOOLS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES Perfecting pressing David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly Closing down and harassing opponents on the ball is vital if players are going to turn over possession in a game. So here s a practice that gets every player perfecting the art of pressing. 20yds White players take it in turn to move across and tag opponents Set up a playing area, as shown two 25x15-yard areas with a 10-yard channel in the middle. Each team starts in its own box. At first, without a ball, invite a player from the right box to run across to the left box, press opponents with the intention of tagging a player, then sprint back to his area. The tagged player remains in the left box. Once the pressing player returns, a second player goes across to perform the same task. Continue until all five players have successfully tagged, then reverse the drill, seeing which of the two teams performs the task quickest. The quickest team is now given a ball. Once received, the team must now retain possession while two players from the other team come across to press the ball looking to tackle or intercept against a 5v2 overload. Keep count of the number of passes made before possession is lost. When possession is turned over, the duo sprints back to the other box with the ball and their team begins its own possession game. Now two opponents move across to take their turn at pressing the ball. 15yds 10yds 15yds Now with a ball, white pressing players must close down looking to win the ball When they do, play is switched across to their box Technique and tactics A pressing player must anticipate the next pass and move in quickly. He ll have most success by pressing a player who is near to a touchline or in a confined area. He must stay on his feet at all times. In order to avoid being pressed, players in possession must move the ball around quickly. 1

2 WARM UP Side and middle Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach Set up as shown in a playing area measuring 18x18 yards. This is an eight-man warm-up, though line up additional players if you want to make it relevant for a different number of players as long as it s a multiple of four. Two players on cones, starting parallel to one another, begin with a ball each. Each player in possession passes down the side of the square, then follows his pass. The receiving player then dribbles through the cones and moves diagonally across the square. Players work around the circuit and there will always be two balls in play at the same time. Continue for five minutes. Technique and tactics We re looking for good ball skills at all times. Players must be switched on in terms of movement, control, as well as ensuring they don t bump into one another. The practice runs best if players work at maximum intensity. 18yds 18yds Players make a pass down the line Then they dribble diagonally across the middle A GREAT MATCH DAY WARM-UP The move continues with the next in line on each base run with ball Soccer Coach Weekly is published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford, GU5 0AB, UK. david.clarke@coach-soccer.com Tel: +44 (0) Head Coach: David Clarke Editor: James Evans Publisher: Kevin Barrow Managing Director: Andrew Griffiths Customer Service: Duncan Heard Designer: Steve Southern Contributors: David Clarke, Pete Collins, David Lewis, Tom Scott, Henry Smith, Steve Watson Green Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved. 2

3 FOOTY4KIDS Watch your tail! Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk The objective of this game is to warm up your players before a training session, whilst generating team spirit. It s ideal for players between the ages of six and 11. Split your players into two teams. One player in team A tucks a tail - a training vest - into his shorts. The rest of his team forms a protective circle around him. Team B has 30 seconds to get through the protective circle and steal the vest. If team B succeeds, it wins a point. The first team to score five points now swaps the vest for a ball. Players perform the same task but with a ball. They get a bonus point for every 10 seconds they can hold on to the ball, up to 30 seconds. Now give the vest to the other team and continue. And so on. Changing the game You can change the game by making all of the players tuck a tail into their shorts and jog around while trying to steal another player s tail. The last player left with a tail is the winner. If some of your players are relatively poor at protecting their vest or ball, provide one or two safe areas (5v5-yard squares, coned off) where they cannot be tackled for a few seconds. Techniques and tactics Players need to work as a unit if they are to have any chance of protecting their tail or the ball. Players should be looking for space to move into as well as opposition players. Opposition players need to devise a way of positioning that can open up those defending the ball. Team mates successfully crowd around the tail and prevent the opposition snatching it Here, team mates do not organise properly and a gap is left After five points scored, the tail is swapped for a ball and the practice continues 3

4 TOUCHLINE TALES If it works for Barca... David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly Even Barcelona give their players targets. Sergi Roberto recently spoke about how he stepped into Lionel Messi s shoes in the first-team, all part of the club s policy of giving youth players the chance to prove their worth whenever possible. The 20-year-old midfielder featured for the full 90 minutes in Barca s goalless Champions League draw against Benfica, and he has made it clear that playing for the first-team always gives him something extra. It s good that so many Barca B players are getting chances because it shows things are being done right, and that the first-team coaches have faith in the young players. We always go out with a special attitude when we play for the first-team - that s why we try to do our very best for the whole match. They may be some of the best youth players in the world to but to get better even Barca s players need to have their own targets. In my own teams I give targets. A target might be something as major as moving into a team at a higher level, but often they are much simpler crossing, dribbling, heading - and every single player has his own. I was explaining my youth policy at a dinner party last week when one of the other guests on my table said, But is it necessary? After all, the players are all the same age why not just coach the same principles? They may be some of the best youth players in the world to but to get better even Barca s players need to have their own targets. What this guest didn t understand was that within an age bracket there can be up to a year difference between some of the players. And that makes a huge difference in youth teams. Some players will grow quicker than others they might be taller, struggling to cope with coordination; or smaller, finding they are brushed off the ball easily. So treating them like individuals rather than a group of 10-year-olds is actually really important. You should try to give each of your players targets to meet during the season. By helping them to develop in different ways and try out new things, you may just find a gem you didn t realise you had. So this week, why not try specific targets, such as Anthony will try to head every ball that comes to him at head height, or instead of dribbling into the box every time, Simon will cross the ball. Get your players changing their natural approach to a situation and you may just be surprised how much quicker they develop! The 3 ways to get players firing Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk If you re frustrated by your team constantly starting matches in third gear, here are three methods to get players ready and firing from the first minute: Players should arrive early to prepare and warm up 1. Warm up effectively The pre-match warmup is key. Your team is not going to be in the right frame of mind when the match starts if you allow players to turn up five minutes before kick-off, with your warm-up consisting of a few lazy kicks into the goal. Make it clear to players parents that you need their kids at the pitch no later than 30 minutes before kick-off. When your players arrive, set up practices that exercise body and mind in one. Ensure players get as many touches of the ball and that everyone warms up properly. And aim to finish the warm-up a minute or so before your players are due on the pitch. You only need enough time for them to have a quick drink and to listen to your final few words of encouragement. 2. A little psychology Pressure to perform well can inhibit your players and stop them playing as well as they can. One of the reasons that my girls team started their matches so slowly was the pressure they felt from their parents. Once I explained to the parents that their daughters would play better on match days and have bigger smiles on their faces if they just let them play without such encouragement, the difference was remarkable. 3. Tactics If you want your team to score an early goal you have to put your opponents under pressure straight from the kick-off. Teams don t expect it, and it immediately puts you on the front foot and shows you mean business, even if the move comes to nothing. It s a tactic that has worked for me on more than one occasion. Give it a try! Taking the pressure off will mean players enjoy themselves more 4

5 SMALL-SIDED GAME Wednesday, December 19, v4 lives Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach The game starts off 1v1v1v1 A team game of survival played as individuals Mark out a playing area as shown using the centre circle. The game requires four teams of four, with one player from each team beginning on the pitch. Pass a ball onto the pitch to start. The object is for any player to score in any other player s goal. Any player who concedes a goal must leave the area, and a team mate comes in to replace him. Thus, each team has four lives. When all four players are out (in other words all four lives are lost), the team is beaten and no longer participates. The winning team is the one with the last man standing. 30yds If a player concedes a goal, he s out. A team mate comes in Technique and tactics Players must be able to switch from attack to defence quickly and effectively. We look for speed of thought at all times. We also want to encourage players to see all of the options around them after all, until a team loses all four of its players, any player in possession of the ball will have three goals to aim at! R GREAT FO G PRACTISIN VISION! The winning team is the one that has the last player on the pitch shot run with ball shot 20yds 5

6 YOUR SAY SCW Surgery This week Pete Collins Alsager One of my players is a Q constant sulker. Whether he plays five or 50 minutes, he constantly seems down in the dumps, and that goes for training as well. I know his home life is happy, so why the long face all the time at soccer? Kevin Peacock, Stirling Some players give off an air A of discontent when really they are just going through the motions. In your , you didn t mention the age of the player, but if he s a teenager then the answer there might be more to do with adolescence than apathy! In this instance you could confront the player and ask him if something is the matter, but my strong suspicion is that you ll get a blank face and he ll be genuinely surprised that you think there is a problem in the first place. Naturally, you don t want his mood to bring down the rest of the group. You can avoid this by bringing humour into your training sessions with more fun drills and games, and by getting as much communication as possible going between players. The more you make the whole squad lively and vocal, the more he might come out of his shell. TACKLED: Results Here s the result of the poll we ran in Soccer Coach Weekly 293. We asked if you felt that in difficult times teams should consider merging to ease the burden on coaches. YES NO 11% TACKLED: Size matters? NO Henry Smith Ashford Under-12s Would you feel it appropriate recommending to an unfit player of yours that he should lose weight? The responsibility of a child s physical appearance is 100% down to his parents. These are the people who should have real control over how much exercise he is or isn t doing. At the end of the day we re soccer coaches, not nutritionists. We re there to teach soccer skills. Players will be able to take those skills on in different quantities depending on whether they re fat or thin, depending on whether they re alert or distracted, depending on whether they re dedicated or laid back. It s not for us to pick one area to change. As long as we present a platform of soccer coaching, then we re doing our jobs. How the children embrace it past that is really up to them. The danger of isolating one player is that you re giving added press to what is already quite a sensitive issue. His team mates will undoubtedly get wind of what is going on and you may find yourself creating an issue that becomes highly embarrassing for the player. The responsibility of a child s physical appearance is 100% down to his parents. These are the people who tend to his meals and diet, and who presumably have real control over how much exercise he is or isn t doing. It s not your responsibility to be trying to manufacture a solution when it s the parents who should be doing it. It would be better for you to divert your energy into educating the parents, surely? And even if you do construct a plan that goes out to the parents of all your players, you must do it in a way that seems as if you are reaching out to the group as a whole, not just the parents of the child in question. YES Tom Scott Team Latics If a sports coach isn t the right person to have a quiet word to a child struggling with his weight, then who is? If a sports coach isn t the right person to have a quiet word to a child struggling with his weight, then who is? We need to be realistic here. As a soccer coach you are better placed than probably anyone else to offer advice and insight into shedding some pounds and getting fit. You might even go as far as saying it would be an abuse of your role if you didn t think you should step forward and do something about it. What s the point of a sports coach who isn t promoting health and fitness? The child in question is obviously aware that he has a weight issue, so it s highly doubtful that subtly tackling the subject would cause any kind of surprise or shock. Consider too that this child is coming to soccer practice maybe he s actually one step ahead and is already setting out to do something about his excess weight? Instead of ignoring issues in youth soccer, we have to confront them. This method of thinking is a great exemplar for how we are meant to behave and the standards by which we live our lives. It is this sort of philosophy that is so important when it comes to tutoring kids setting standards by which they can live the rest of their lives. 89% PUT IT TO THE VOTE: Which of our guest coaches do you agree with? Visit our Facebook page or your thoughts to David Clarke at david.clarke@coach-soccer.com 6