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How can I make my players play bettersoccer? Every coach, at any level,wrestles with that question. In this articlewe will try to answer this age oldquestion.

The starting point: Even as a youth coachyou must be able to read a game beforeyou can translate that information into apractice. Insight into what all happens in agame is improved if you have played thegame yourself. But even if you attend acoaching course, you will get a better

understanding of how to read a game. At acoaching course you will learn how tosimulate the game at a practice just bysimplifying the game.

If you stroll around the field at youth gamesyou can hear the strangest things shouted tothe kids by the adults.The terminology used in professional socceris used to educate the young players. Shouldyou not talk about tactics with the youngplayers? The great Dutch player Johan Cruyff

said it perfectly, All the young players need isa game organization. The right fullback onlyhas to know that he has to cover the rightzone in front of his own goal. The centerforward/striker knows he has to play closer tothe opposing goal than his own goal. No moreis needed when coaching youth-players.Simple, basic principles are all that areneeded for the younger players.

Examples: Play together.

If you can play the ball forward then thathas preference over playing the ball wide.

Defending and attacking is done withthe whole team.

These principles create an excellent toolfor a youth coachs soccer vision. Take, forexample, the starting-point, playtogether. As a youth coach you canconclude from that statement that when afree kick is taken, a player doesnt justsend an uncontrolled kick into the directionof the opposing goal, but that the playerwho takes the free kick passes it to a

player nearby, so the team stays in ballpossession and tries to pass together ordribble from there. If the first pass to theplayer nearby goes forward then basicprinciple #2 has also been achieved (playforward). To create the ideal fieldoccupation, we preferably play 4:3:3 in theyouth. In ball possession we try to createas many triangles as possible. In themidfield we play with 3 players. In offense

we play with a right forward and a leftforward (drawing #1). In this series we willdiscuss the various tactical principles thatoccur in youth soccer. In part 1 we willstart with ball-possession of course; that isthe starting point in the Netherlands, isntit? Once you have the ball you start withthe build-up.

KNVB Academy // 2008 Translation: Paul Driesen

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TO PASSIn the build-up it is very important that aplayer passes the ball perfectly to ateammate. Over a short distance a playerdoes that with the inside of the foot and overa larger distance with the instep, if a youthplayer is physically able to do so. What arethe points a youth coach should look at whenpracticing passing?

It is possible to explain to youth playersthat no player is faster than the ball. Provethat during practice. The ball always hasto do the work.

Offer practice situations in which it ismade obvious to the youth players thatsometimes a ball must be passed hard

and other times a ball must be passedsoft; for example if the player receiving theball has more time.

If the players are a little older, the coachcan spend more time on a good variationbetween short and long passes. Be sureto include the important cross-pass, whichcan be a very efficient weapon. Obviouslyyou can only practice this if the youthplayer physically can execute such apass. If needed, one extra player can getinvolved to transfer the ball from one side

of the field to the other side. The player that receives the ball must ask

for the ball (get away from the opponent).

PLAY WITH THE BALL (U10 AND UP) Good positional play means that the

ball will be played back and sideways asfew times as possible.

A pass to a teammate should be played infront of him and not behind the player(drawing #2).

PLAY WITH THE BALL(STARTING AT U12/13) When one-touching a ball one must pass

the ball into the team-mate with thecorrect speed and on the correct side ofthe player. The player receiving the ball isthen able to one touch the ball to asupporting teammate. Thus the playersautomatically create the triangles that areso crucial for good positional play. Oneplayer concentrates on the pass, oneconcentrates on receiving the ball andone supports in such a way that he canreceive the ball (drawing #3).

PLAY WITHOUT BALLWhatever the playing style and formation, it ismost important to get into open positions bymovement. Explain to a youth player that if hemoves with an opponent to a certain position,then space will open up there where the playerjust was.

Talking to each other means you arehelping one another and that is crucial onthe field.

Coach your teammates (Go, Now,Time, One touch.)

Understand that your teammates canmake errors.

IN CLOSING

The goalkeeper is the first attacker. Too often it isforgotten that the build-up starts with the keeper.If the defenders and midfielders are covered bythe opponents, then a long kick can be thesolution. But, definitely with the younger players, ithas preference that the keeper throws the ball toone of the midfielders or defender. Accept as thecoach of the team that this can go wrong andeven result in goals against. Build-up from behindfits perfectly into the before-mentioned basicprinciple; just play and have fun.

KNVB Academy // 2008 Translation: Paul Driesen