An Introduction To SMALL-SIDED GAMES Fewer Payers = More Touches FREE
Dear Coach, Soccer Coach Weeky offers modern and easy to use footba (soccer) dris, coaching sessions, practice pans, smasided games, warm-ups, training tips and advice. The resources are created for the grassroots youth coach foowing best practice from around the word and insights from the professiona game. Teephone +44 (0)48 89894 Head Coach David Carke david.carke@coach-soccer. com Iustrations Mike Ronad Cover Photography E.W. Scripps Schoo of Journaism/Fickr Production Green Star Media Ltd Customer Services Duncan Heard Marketing James Turner Managing Director Andrew Griffiths Pubished by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramey, Guidford GU5 0AB, UK. Green Star Media Ltd. A rights reserved. No part of this pubication may be reproduced in any form or by any means graphic, eectronic or mechanica, incuding photocopying, recording, taping or information or storage and retrieva systems without the prior permission in writing of the pubishers. Note: Whie every effort has been made to ensure the content of this book is as technicay accurate and age appropriate as possibe, neither the authors nor the pubishers can accept responsibiity for any injury or oss sustained as a resut of the use of this materia. If you re reading this, the chances are you ve heard of sma-sided games, but may not have used them not knowingy, at east. In fact, I m certain you wi have used them. After a, in its basic form a smasided games is exacty what it sounds ike, a game between two teams of fewer than norma payers normay 4- or 5-a-side. Sma-sided games are popuar for many reasons, some specificay reating to payer deveopment, others down to practicaity. How many of us are abe to run a fu v game in training with imitations on space and payer avaiabiity? Using sma-sided games in training gives a number of coaching benefits:. More payer participation. More touches of the ba. More passes attempted 4. More vs attempted 5. More goas scored 6. More goakeeper participation 7. Different games mean different probems to sove and skis to use I put together An Introduction To Sma-Sided Games to show you how the sma-sided game in its simpest form can be deveoped to coach specific skis and tactics. The games are taken from my coaching manua 64 Sma-Sided Soccer Games. To highight the breadth of what can be achieved with games I ve seected two games from the beginner, intermediate, and advanced sections of the manua. But fear not! Those ratings are ony reative. The basis of sma-sided games is that the game is the teacher so even if you or your assistants - have itte or no soccer knowedge, your payers wi sti be earning. And you ook ike the professiona soccer coach you dream of being! I hope you enjoy the games. Yours in soccer, Michae Beae To subscribe to Soccer Coach Weeky ca Duncan Heard on +44 (0)48 89894
Wide Pitch Pitch size: 0 x 0 yards (minimum) up to 40 x 5 yards (maximum) Pace the goas on the onger touchines, making the pitch wide Two teams of four payers Two keepers No offside If the ba eaves pay, you have a few re-start options:. The coach passes a new ba onto the pitch. The payers take a ro in. The payers take a throw in 4. The payers make a pass in 5. The payers dribbe in Rues The game is payed on a wide pitch that is short in ength. This encourages the foowing tactics from the teams:. Shooting from distance. Passing the ba into wide areas to create crossing opportunities. The coach feeds the ba to the back team to begin attacking the white goa.. The wide pitch shoud encourage your payers to shoot from distance.. It shoud aso encourage your payers to get wide and get crosses on goa.
Possession v Pressure Pitch size: 0 x 0 yards (minimum) up to 40 x 5 yards (maximum) Two teams of four payers Four keepers No offside If the ba eaves pay, you have a few re-start options:. The coach passes a new ba onto the pitch. The payers take a ro in. The payers take a throw in 4. The payers make a pass in 5. The payers dribbe in Rues One team starts on the pitch and passes the ba around. On your whiste, the team on the outside must race onto the pitch and try to win the ba and then score a goa. The passing team must try to keep possession. The passing team can use their keepers to keep possession of the ba.. The white team pass the ba around amongst themseves.. The back team enter and appy pressure on the white team. The pressuring team have 0 seconds to win the ba and score a goa - if they fai then the passing team is awarded the goa Rotate the teams for the next game.. The back team win possession and create an attack. 4
Possession - Add One BALL MOVEMENT PLAYER MOVEMENT Outer pitch size: 0 x 0 yards Inner pitch size: 5 x 5 yards Two teams of four payers No goas Rues One team act as the passing team. The other team act as the defending team. The passing team spread out into the 5 x 5 yard area and begin the game by paying 4v. After 0 seconds, an extra defender is added to make the game 4v, then another for 4v, and then 4v4. The game is payed for minutes. The passing team must count the number of successfu passes that they make. The teams rotate roes for the next game and the new passing team tries to beat the number of passes made by their opponents.. To begin with, this is a simpe 4 v possession game.. Adding one more defender makes it a bit more of a chaenge.. 4 v 4 takes it to another eve. Which team can make the most successfu passes? 5
Overoad Game Continuous Pitch size: 0 x 0 yards (minimum) up to 40 x 5 yards (maximum) Two teams of four payers Two keepers If the ba eaves pay, pass a new ba onto the pitch Rues To start the game, the first payer on the back team enters the pitch and has three touches to score against the white goakeeper. Immediatey after this ba has been payed, two white team payers enter the pitch to create a v situation against the back payer. The game continues unti a the payers are on the pitch. The series of attacks is as foows: Back V White V Gk V V V 4 4 V 4 When a the payers are on the pitch, the game continues for a set time period. The next game starts with the white team attacking first.. Enter the pitch, three touches and shoot!. Two opponents enter and try to score in the other end.. Move on to v etc. for a different chaenge each time. 6
Midde or Wide Advantage Pitch size: 0 x 0 yards (minimum) up to 40 x 5 yards (maximum) Two keepers Two teams of four payers One team pay with a four payers on the pitch The other team pay with two payers on the pitch and two wide payers off the pitch This set up gives the teams different tactics when in possession and when defending. Rues. Start with 4v. The team in possession must ook to use their use their numbers advantage to score quicky. White team The white team have a four payers on the pitch. When in possession they need to pass the ba quicky in order to create an opening to score a goa. In defence, this team can pressure quicky as they have the extra payers and attempt to force the back payers to pay inside and not towards their wide advantage. Back team In possession the back team need to try to pass out wide quicky. This enabes them to get another one of their payers into the game. The receiving wide payer can choose to dribbe down the outside unopposed or dribbe onto the pitch and attempt to score. In defence, the back team must try to drop off and reduce the space for the white team to expoit.. The back team have won possession but the white team are forcing them inside preventing use of their wide payers.. But the back team manage to get the ba wide and the attack is on. 7
Two Goa and End Zone Pitch size: 0 x 0 yards (minimum) up to 40 x 5 yards (maximum) Two goas, one at either side of the pitch Two end zones, 5 yards deep, at either end of the pitch Two teams of four payers Rues This game is a combination of two games - the Two Goa Game and the End Zone Game. Each team attacks one goa and one end zone. The aim of this game is to score a goa in the goa or by dribbing out and stopping the ba in the end zone. You ca out the name of the game to be payed. The payers must react to your ca in order to change games quicky and take up any advantages.. The teams start 4v4 attacking the norma goas.. When you ca for the end zone game, the attack shifts and white team try to get it to a payer in an advanced position.. The white payer must stop the ba in the end zone to score a goa. 8
This free ebook is a sampe from the best-seing manua 64 Sma-Sided Soccer Games 64 SMALL-SIDED SOCCER GAMES Fewer Payers, More Touches by Michae Beae To buy the manua visit: www.soccercoachweeky.net
touchline tales get out of your comfort zone TEAMWORK AND TACTICS TO EDUCATE YOUR PLAYERS THRILLS AND SKILLS ON EVERY PAGE February 8 05 Issue 408 $6.99/ 4.99 5 wanted In new YORK STOPPER SESSIONS ATTACKS START AT ThE back > COMBINATION PASSING > KEEPER AND DEFENDERS > DEFENSIVE DIAMOND FRANK LAMPARD S ADDED INGREDIENTS KEEP BALL OR SHOOT! ATTACK IN NUMBERS TECHNIQUE, VISION AND HARD WORK PaSSInG technique FUN WAYS TO GET YOUR TEAM LINKING PLAY proven coaching tips for your team SCORe March 4 05 Issue 40 $6.99/ 4.99 CREATE COMPLETE MIDFIELDERS SOCCER WARM-UPS SESSIONS DRIBBLE TURN BE A GOAL SCORING, TOUGH TACKLING, GAME CHANGER GHOST INTO THE FINAL THIRD Learn Train Deveop Enjoy Learn Train Deveop Enjoy TOUCHLINE TALES why warm-ups work DAVID DE GEA safe hands at Man UTd > February 5 05 Issue 409 $6.99/ 4.99 Learn Train Deveop Enjoy touchine taes ThE LEssons of MarIo BaLoTELLI CREATE A CONFIDENT goalie GAMES THAT INVOLVE YOUR ORGANISE YOUR DEFENCE STANDING POSITIONS COME AND COLLECT SET PIECE POSTIONS Learn Train Deveop Enjoy PLAYMAKER MAGIC KEEPER PLAY LIKE MAGICIAN DAVID BLAINE WIN GAMES WITH CLEVER PLAY DON T LET THEM SCORE March 05 SWAP ATTACKERS MANAGING TEMPERS March 8 05 Learn Train Deveop Enjoy DEFENDER ATTACKS Issue 4 $6.99/ 4.99 FIvE MINUTE workshop < FRANK LAMPARD ON FIRE FOR RUNNING WITH THE BALL MANCHESTER CITY ONE-TWO WORKOUT PHILIPPE COUTINHO > A MATCH WINNER team tactics THE best SOCCER TRAINING TIPS EvERy week PRESS & GO V < BRANISLAV IVANOVIC I SCORES WANT TO BE THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD GOALS FOR CHELSEA > FORCE MISTAKES HIGH UP > ATTACK FROM HALF-WAY LINE > IMPROVE DEFENSIVE PRESSING > WORK YOUR STRIKE FORCE > SCORE LIKE POGBA 4 TURN DEFENDERS INTO STRIKERS THE BEST SOCCER PRACTICE PLANS EVERY WEEK WHY YOUNG PLAYER DECISIONS ARE NEVER WRONG > GOAL SCORING DEFENDERS > RECOGNISE WHEN TO ATTACK FROM OUtSIde the BOX THRILLS & SKILLS WITH TONY DICICCO WARM UP / FREE-KICK / LONG SHOT ExCLUSIVE SESSIONS EVERy week the best sessions for payer deveopment < PAUL POGBA JUVENTUS GENIUS POGBA CAUGHT OUT ON THE COUNTER LATE RUNS IN THE FINAL THIRD ATTACK CENTRAL OR WIDE GIVE PARENTS A PLAN FOR BEHAVIOUR ON MATCH DAYS AND REMIND THEM OF IT WHY ARE THE UNDER-4s S0 GOOD? Issue 4 SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST $6.99/ 4.99 DAN ABRAHAMS GIVES SIX TIPS CREATE OPTIONS BY ATTACKING FROM THE BACK IN CONTROL OF THE TOUCHLINE banter TOUCHLINE TALES SOCCER PRACTICE PLANS for TEAm PLAy 0-DAY TRIAL FOR 97p ATTACKING CENTRE BACKS Become a better coach and win more games with 0-day tria of Soccer Coach Weeky for just 97p! PSG s David Luiz scores against Chesea WORKSHOP NEW SERIES 5 Minute Technique: Dribbing > Dribbing and changing direction Focus on contro to change direction SCORE LIKE POGBA Each payer has a ba we used 6 bas in the session This is a great warm-up to get your payers ready for a match or training session. Work Your Strike Force Key eements > Running with the ba under contro, changing direction and passing. > Arrange your payers into two groups. Two bas work simutaneousy. Pass, turn, shoot then move quicky to get back into position this>>session encourages The payers must dribbe between the your payers to get to the ba first and shoot quicky first two poes then back between the WHY USE IT On match days it is aways great to be given the roe of attacking midfieder but payers must be up to the task this session wi give them a good workout for scoring goas. second two poes in order to make a pass to the opposite team. > Get your payers to run with the ba out of their feet and then sow down in order to change direction. > The practice is repeated for a set time period. A server passes the ba each time into the striker who has his back to goa Turn Defenders Into Strikers The payers make one change of direction and make a return pass away from the direction of run Goa scoring centra defenders ike Thiago Siva and David Luiz can offer an attacking threat to catch opponents by surprise P SET UP You need bas, bibs, cones and a goa. Use haf your norma pitch for the session. four cones 5 yards from the haf way ine, spread out across the pitch, with one cone in the penaty D and two cones on the six yard ine. HOW TO PLAY You need a server, a goakeeper and a working striker. The server passes into the feet of the striker who takes a touch to move the ba, turn and shoot through the two cones. Then runs and touches a cone and returns to get the next ba. Once a four cones have been touched, switch the payers around and see who scores the most from four goes. Add a defender to put pressure on the striker. TECHNIQUE The striker must take a touch and turn and shoot making sure the shot goes through the cones on the six yard ine 5 Minute Fitness: First touch and pass If the shot misses going through the cones it doesn t count as a goa > One-two work out This is a about first touch and anticipating the pass. Good for fitness and getting payers ready for movement and passing in matches. The working payer receives and passes back to the server How to do it > Spit payers into pairs with a working payer and a server. > Put cones in a triange with 5 yards between each cone. When the striker shoots > The server stands 5 yards in front of he then runs to touch the triange. a cone and returns to > The working payer shoot startsthe at the nextback ba cone. > The server passes a ba to the outside of the cone on the working payers right and the payer runs to receive it. > The payer returns the ba and runs back around the top cone to the far cone where the pay is repeated. > Switch payers every minute. Add a defender to make it harder to score who can press but not tacke the attacker First touch to get the ba from under their feet is important for the striker. Good shooting technique to shoot through the cones. SoccerCoachWeeky.net Payer movement remier League history boasts many vita goas scored by centre backs en route to winning the tite. Who can forget Tony Adams unstoppabe voey for doube-winning Arsena versus Everton in 998 or Vincent Kompany s header for Manchester City at home to oca rivas United in 0? It shows that having a scoring centre back in your team can be a rea asset, not ony giving extra support to your front men at set pieces, but aso shaking things up in the penaty area and enabing your team to take the opposition by surprise. Whie the Premier League can currenty boast it s share of proific centre backs, such as Tottenham s Jan Vertonghen, Manchester United s Nemanja Vidic, and Chesea s Then the Branisav working Ivanovic, Gary Cahi and John payer runsterry, around perhaps Europe s best goascoring the cones to the far defender pies his trade in and Spain. side repeats So far this season, Rea Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos has netted seven times for Rea in La Liga and has scored neary 50 goas aready in his professiona career. As we as his many headed goas when joining the attack for set pieces, his most notabe goas have incuded a ong-range free-kick for former cub Sevia against Ba movement 5yds 5yds Rea in his debut season, and a goa for Madrid away to Getafe in 007 when he ran the fu ength of the pitch to side in a move he had started on the edge of his own penaty area. If you want to turn your centra backs into strikers, take note of the training sessions on the foowing pages. These wi not ony show you how defenders can be an attacking threat in the air at set pieces, but aso how they pay a part in forward movement to score in open pay. To iustrate the variety of goas a centra defender can score, show your payers the highights of the Chesea versus Paris St Germain match in the Champions League. PSG scored both goas through their centra defenders and Chesea aso got a goa through a centra defender from a shot in the penaty area. Indeed Thiago Siva won the tie for PSG with his headed goa and moved them into the quarter finas. Gary Cahi scored first for Chesea with a voey but former Chesea payer David Luiz scored to bring the game eve at - and then Siva won the game for PSG on away goas. That is some goa scoring by the PSG defenders both with headers. Try using the training sessions on the foowing pages and encourage your centre backs to score their fair share of goas, just ike PSG s David Luiz and Thiago Siva and Chesea s Gary Cahi. Issue 40 David Carke Ensure your attacking centre backs keep their pay simpe by making quick, short passes around their own haf, but they mustn t be predictabe and shoud try to recognise the right time to make a difference to the game. They shoud > Advance higher up the pitch and join in with the midfied > Pick out risky passes to the forwards and foow with support pay > Attack a aeria bas with power, purpose and timing > Shoot when the opportunity arises > Support attackers with good movement around the box Issue 4 6 Shot Run with ba Activities by: TIPS FOR ATTACKING CENTRE BACKS SoccerCoachWeeky.net Issue 409 Words by: Andy Greeves 4 Start your tria now! Go to www.soccercoachweeky.net Thiago Siva ceebrates 7