Issue 287 Wednesday, October 24, 2012 Defending deep to counter TOOLS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly This game develops the counterattacking skills of players whilst helping them get organised for defending a lead. In this 5v5 (plus keepers) game you ll need balls, bibs, cones and goals. Mark out a 40x30-yard area as shown - one half being divided into nine equal squares. Only one defender can be in each box at any one time. They can move squares, but a player must vacate his square if a team mate enters it. Attackers, going from left to right, must make three passes before they can shoot, and any shot must be from inside the opposition s half. Can the attacking team make use of the squares limitations and get defenders out of position? If the defending team, going from right to left, wins the ball it must counter-attack quickly. If it fails to score within three passes of regaining possession, the ball is given back to the attacking team. Technique and tactics A useful scenario to present is that the defending team is winning 1-0 late on in a crucial cup match. They must try to protect their lead, but if they can score another goal the contest is effectively over. Defenders should use the halfway line as the first point of pressure. But the key areas defenders must protect are those spaces immediately in front of and behind their team mates. They have to make the decision of when (and where) to try to win the ball, and when to fall back into full defensive mode. 3 2 1 40yds Defending reds can only have one player in each box, so must plan their defence to attacking angles carefully Reds pressure the attacking whites to force a mistake With the ball turned over, defenders counterattack, but must ensure they despatch a shot within three passes shot 1
WARM UP Play out and go out Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach Arrange your players into teams of six on a 15x15-yard area. Each team has four players on the outside and two players on the inside. Pass a ball into the players in the middle. They must battle for possession and then pass out to a team mate. The player who completes the outward pass must leave the area, and the team mate he passed to dribbles in to take his place. The warm-up works continuously for 10 minutes. Technique and tactics Players on the outside must be ready to receive a pass at all times. Players on the inside must anticipate the next pass they ll make. Passing with positivity and confidence is crucial. We also want to see players using disguise in movements to enable their team to maintain possession 15yds 15yds The ball is played into the area The player takes possession and decides to pass it out straight away to a team mate NO HIDING WITH THIS CONTINUOUS WARM-UP He now swaps places with the player he passed to run with ball 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, David Lewis, Scott Mendy, Michael Peacock, Daniel Toner, Steve Watson Green Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved. 2
FOOTY4KIDS In the zone Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk This is a great game for improving passing and receiving skills, finding space to receive a pass, and supporting off the ball. It s best for kids aged eight and upwards. Each team lines up 5v5 looking to protect its end zone To set it up, create a playing area measuring 30x20 yards with a five-yard wide channel at each end, marked out with flat cones. These are the end zones. Divide your players into teams of five or six. Each team scores a point by dribbling or passing the ball into one end zone and back to the opposite end zone without losing possession. You ll need to tell your players which end to attack first and explain that tackling is not allowed in the end zones. If a team intercepts, they can attack the other end immediately, but must get the ball back to the opposite end zone in order to score a point. The first team to score five points wins the game. Advancing the game For a new challenge, place a neutral player (or players) in the end zones. Now the ball cannot be dribbled into an end zone, but instead must be passed to a neutral player who has to control the pass. The neutral player returns the ball to the team that passed to him, so that they can attack the other end zone. Techniques and tactics Encourage the attacking team to use the full width of the pitch, but to show patience whilst doing so they have plenty of time and do not need to hurry things. When a pass is fed into an end zone, look for forward players to make themselves available for the return pass so that they can then turn and attack the other end. It s essential for players to get their heads up when playing this game. 5yds 20yds 5yds Having found a player in one end zone, whites move to the opposite end, find the other zone and score a point Here a forward pass by the reds is intercepted. Whites instantly attack the opposite end zone A TOP GAME FOR IMPROVING VISION! run with ball 3
TOUCHLINE TALES The right drills get the right result David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly It s been a busy start to the season - we ve been working on possession play and making the most of attacking situations during my training sessions... and it is beginning to pay off! The team has been scoring freely, and a lot of that has been thanks to a decent supply line coming from within the penalty area. This is due to the advancement of passing skills of my players. Sure, the possession element is important, but the confidence it has given them has also led to them taking a chance and passing the ball into space behind the opposition defence. The whole thing has really increased team spirit, and confidence is high. At the weekend we played a team we thought would be much better than us - they play in a higher division for starters. But my players had so much confidence they were able to take the game to the opposition and ended up comfortable winners. As nice as it is to beat a tough opponent, it was the style of play which pleased me the most. The good thing about using possession sessions is that you can work on attack and defence throughout. But before I get carried away, I have to mention how hard the players have worked since we came back from the summer break. They have also been training more regularly during the week, and winning has certainly helped keep the parents onside! I think, however, it is a reliance on possession-weighted sessions that has really made a difference. The good thing about using possession sessions is that you can work on attack and defence throughout after all, playing out from the back and pressing high up the pitch are part and parcel of possession games. And I should add that every session I write up for Soccer Coach Weekly is first used by my own team - not only to make sure that it works, but so that I know it is developing my players the right way. The good news is that, from feedback you ve given me over the last few weeks and months, the sessions appear to be working very well for you too, not just me! That feedback will help me and inspire me to create more sessions with this type of end result, so please keep the comments coming. 8 ways to ensure player safety Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk One Use the right equipment (for example, soft, flat cones, not hard plastic traffic cones) and check regularly for damage. Discard any kit that is not in perfect condition. Two Make sure children use the equipment properly. Don t allow them to use poles as javelins, or swing on crossbars! Three Check the playing area for hazards before you do anything. Look out for potholes that could snap a young ankle, dog excrement that could transmit a nasty disease and broken glass that could cause cuts. Four Never leave children unsupervised. You or an assistant must be with them all the time. They are in your charge. Five Keep age groups separate and be careful to match players of a similar size when playing 1v1s. Six Make sure children wear clothing appropriate to the weather, as well as boots and shin pads. Seven Provide sufficient drinks breaks. Children s cooling systems are not as developed as those of adults, so youngsters need to consume plenty of fluids in all weather conditions. Eight Don t train in very hot or very cold weather. Hot weather that you or I consider bearable may be anything but for a nineyear-old. And coaching children in cold weather is pointless - they don t want to be there and won t give anything like their best. And what s more, I bet you d rather be at home too! Left: Keep kids safe by matching ages and sizes during 1v1s Right: Allow for plenty of drink breaks so that your young players stay cool 4
SMALL-SIDED GAME Wednesday, October 24, 2012 5v2 three-goal defend Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach The defenders must work to their maximum in order to pressure their opponents and block shooting opportunities. Create a playing area measuring 30x30 yards, configured as shown with three poles creating a triangle of goals. Split players into two teams an attacking team of five, and a defending team of three (comprised of two defenders and a keeper). The attacking team attempts to pass the ball quickly in order to create a goalscoring opportunity. The defending team must work as a unit, pressing the ball and constantly repositioning in order to stop the attackers scoring. The defenders will have to move quickly and hedge their bets as to where the ball will be played Technique and tactics Teams must work together well. They ll need to be organised and versatile given that a goal can be scored from any side of the pitch. Defenders need to cut out all attacking options, being led by their keeper in terms of communicating the danger that arises from various areas. Attackers should switch play in order to test defenders ability to shut out the danger. A GREAT GAME FORG IMPROVIN PLAYERS STAMINA The interesting layout of goals will test your defenders decision making The defenders will do well to get in blocks like this one shot/clearance run with ball shot 20yds 5
YOUR SAY SCW Surgery This week Daniel Toner Dunstable My nine-year-old has had Q almost nine months out with a broken leg. He sustained it in a non-soccer accident, but it has affected his confidence on the pitch. What can I do to help? Tom Walsh, Liverpool It s shocking when young A players suffer the sorts of injuries that would floor even an adult for a concerted length of time. Naturally, he ll be nervous coming back into the game because he now has an inherent fear that something like this might happen again if not to his leg, then maybe even another part of his body. What you can t do is humour those fears for too long. Sure, maybe at first, keep him away from the tackle, and bring this element back in gradually. If you don t, he may injure himself through actually pulling out of a tackle. But the overall message must be to encourage the lad to get back on the horse, as it were - to take a deep breath, and to play on. You should find that, given time, he ll naturally get his confidence back. You can of course manufacture some situations in training where he ll get a chance to score lots of goals (if he s a striker) or clear his box repeatedly (if he s a defender). But overall the biggest healer in this instance will be time, so be patient and offer him your full support. TACKLED: Results Here s the result of the poll we ran in Soccer Coach Weekly 285 asking if you felt youth soccer was right to follow the pro game in becoming less physical. YES NO 71% 29% TACKLED: Undercover coaching YES Should we be moving our training indoors as soon as the cold and rainy weather arrives? Scott Mendy Leicester Colts Under-12s Sometimes a change for change s sake is a great idea when it comes to sport. It s a great idea to get kids inside. They can try out new skills that being outside won t offer them futsal, for starters. This is a game that s transforming soccer in some countries, and the effects are already seeping through into national teams. Persisting with the standard form of the game when outside in freezing conditions does neither the players nor you any favours. Carrying out skills on a hard surface, or in muddy conditions, can be difficult for a player of any age. What skills will a young lad really take from having to contend with a bobbly surface? By taking the session inside, you ll help players retain confidence, because they won t be disadvantaged by the inclement weather conditions. It s a well known fact that most kids simply don t like cold and wet weather. You re doing them no favours by keeping them out there, and you may find attendance numbers dropping if they know they re going to be faced with another hour of being cold, wet and unimpressed. Sometimes a change for change s sake is a great idea when it comes to sport. Switching to an inside environment will most likely help them regain their interest after the early season honeymoon period comes to an end. If you reenergise your players you ll see the reward in their performances. NO Michael Peacock Staines Under-14s Where are matches played? Outside! By training inside you re creating a completely different environment. Personally, the best solution for my team is to continue to train outside with one or two indoor sessions every few weeks. Just because pitches become a bit muddier, we shouldn t all run for the warmth of indoors that s just not what soccer is all about. A combination of outdoors and indoors practice is a great idea, but this is something I d recommend for all year round, not just when there s rain in the air! Moving to an indoor environment can soon become quite costly. Indoor practice areas are in frighteningly short supply in some towns and cities, and the cost may be prohibitive for you, or for your players. And it s not just the hire of the facility that has a price many players will use going indoors as an excuse for new trainers and other bits of gear! Where are matches played? Outside! By training inside you re creating a completely different environment and that can spoil some of the synergy that you want to build up between training and match day. At the end of the day, if a match can be played outside, then so too can training be held outside. Sometimes playing indoors limits the style of coaching you can perform there s limited aerial practice, for a start, and games can only be small-sided because of the demands on space. No such limitations exist when playing outdoors, where you and your players really have the ability to express yourselves. 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 6