SoccerCoachWeeklyIssue 275 Wednesday, August 1, 2012

1SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

TOOLS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

Turn it on like ToureCrazy Cones – players from each line weave through the cones and finish with a shot on goal

End Zone Dash – a goal can only be scored when a player runs onto a pass made into the end zone

TOOLS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly

Box Break – at the end of five successful passes the ball is released for attackers to try to finish in a 2v1

Replicate Yaya Toure’s key assets in this all-action practice

Manchester City’s charge to the Barclays Premier League title last season had much to do with the impact of Ivorian Yaya Toure. And here’s a session that echoes his characteristics in the centre of the park – great passing and shooting ability, lung-busting bursts between boxes, excellent passing and controlling sense, plus immaculate timing.

How to play it• Set up three areas as shown. Each practice requires eight players, and if your squad is big enough, you can run them side-by-side, rotating players between each practice, so everyone is active. Otherwise, for smaller squads, progress from one practice to the next.• The first task, Crazy Cones, requires players to negotiate a path through the cones whilst avoiding each other, before shooting at goal. • In the second, Box Break, attackers must retain possession in a 3v1 in the 10x10-yard box, making a minimum of five passes before releasing to attackers in a 2v2. Again, a shot at goal is required.• Whether a move ends in a goal or not, restart play in the 3v1 box. • In the final game, End Zone Dash, there are two fixed keepers already in place. Players in this 4v4 can only enter the zone in front of goal in running onto a through pass.• Play each game for six minutes. Rotate players regularly in Box Break.

Technique and tactics• In Crazy Cones, close control is essential, as well each player being aware of an opponent crossing his path.• In Box Break, possession with an end result is the aim, but encourage players to delay making the pass out of the box until the time is right.• In End Zone Dash, this is all about rehearsing good timing in running on to a pass.

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run with ball shotplayer movement ball movement

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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

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, Buck Scott, Steve Taylor, Darren Thomson, Steve Watson © Green Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pass, throw and controlHow to play it• Arrange your players into two groups, which begin 15 yards apart. You can set up numerous lines that go at the same time.

• The player in possession on the right dribbles to half way, then passes to the player on the other side.

• The receiver on the left must make a pass back to the dribbling player, following it and collecting the return.

• He then passes out to the right-hand side – both players join the back of the opposite line to where they started.

• The receiving players can:

- Make a grounded pass in order to receive a grounded return- Throw a bounced pass in order to receive a volleyed return- Throw an aerial pass in order to receive either a headed pass back, or for the player to chest the ball down and pass it back along the ground

Technique and tactics• Players need to adjust their feet and body in order to make an angle to receive a pass – be that a grounded return, a volley, or a chested down/headed pass.

• Using soft, cushioned touches when controlling the ball is essential.

• And as players grow more comfortable with the demands of the warm-up, expect them to move to a higher tempo.

White moves in from the right to half way and plays a pass left, for a one-two with grey

Upon receiving back, white touches the ball to his left and grey comes to meet the ball. White retreats to the back of the opposite line

Grey plays a similar one-two and lay-off bringing the next white into play, before moving to the back of the opposite line, as the move continues

Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach

SoccerCoachWeekly WARM UP

GOOD FOR

REACTIONS!

pass/serve run with ballplayer movement

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SoccerCoachWeekly FOOTY4KIDSWednesday, August 1, 2012

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

Wing attackThe objective of this game is to encourage

possession, using the full width of the pitch and converting crosses into goals. It’s great for players aged between eight and 14.

How to play it• Mark out a 40x30-yard area, as shown, using flat cones, training vests in two colours, and two small-sided soccer goals. Side channels are each five yards wide.• The game uses 10 players, but can be adapted for between six and 16 players by adjusting the size of the teams and the playing area.• Divide your players into two teams of five. Goalkeepers are optional. • One player from each team goes into each channel. The rest of the players are in the centre of the pitch.• Each team can score in either goal, but in order to do this, the team in possession must first make a minimum number of consecutive passes – start at three then increase the number – before passing out to a wing player, who cannot be tackled. • He must move the ball back inside – with a pass or a cross - offering a team mate a chance to score.• A team that scores a goal retains possession and the game is restarted from the goal-line. • After every goal change the scoring team’s wing players.

Advancing the session• Advance the game by allowing the team in possession to score without passing to a wing player first. Goals scored in this way count as one point; goals scored via the wing player count double.

Technique and tactics• Decision-making is an essential part of this game. Players must go wide if they are to create goalscoring opportunities.• Being able to ‘go wide’ requires vision, and players must play with their heads up. With a choice of going into the left or right channel, look for attackers and defenders alike to be responsive to which side the next move will develop from.

In a large area, it’s 3v3 in the middle, while a player from each team starts in each top and bottom channel

The team in possession moves the ball right to the wide player, who controls, advances and crosses for a goal to be scored

The scoring team must change wing players after each goal

Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk

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player movement ball movementshot run with ball

1. Allow time for socialisingSoccer coaching sessions are social

occasions for all young players. As anyone who coaches girls will tell you, young ladies simply must catch up on the latest news and gossip before they can even think about getting their boots on!

Boys also need to have a few minutes to themselves before the session starts, so whichever gender you coach, consider leaving your players to their own devices for five minutes or so before getting started.

2. Vary the warm-upsIt is important to start your sessions in

a dynamic, energising way, not with a few shuttle runs and a lap of the pitch. Your players want to get on with the action, not jog around aimlessly.

And your warm-up routine should be changed every week or so. But whatever warm-up you choose, make sure it involves a ball, lots of action and a game.

3. Keep the tempo highYour coaching sessions should gradually

build in intensity, not lurch from high tempo to low and back to high.

The reason for this is if you go from a warm-up to a small-sided game (SSG) then go back to demonstrating a skill, you’ll have a lot of energised players who suddenly don’t have an outlet for their energy, so they’ll start messing about.

Some coaches have had success with a ‘SSG sandwich’: a SSG then a technical session followed by another SSG. It’s certainly worth trying.

4. Have guest coachesIf you have been in charge of your

players for several seasons, it is a good idea to invite a fellow coach or club official to take charge of one of your coaching sessions.

You can get his opinion on the behaviour of your players, as well as watching how he handles all the little disputes and problems that crop up.

How does he deal with the challenges differently?

5. Make every activity a competitionWhile it may be true that

competitiveness is a learned behaviour and children are not naturally competitive, as soccer coaches we know that if our players are playing a team game they want their team to win.

A good coach will make sure all his players can be winners (even if they are not very good at soccer) by praising effort, setting objectives that are attainable and making sure teams and individuals are engaged in fair contests.

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SoccerCoachWeekly TOUCHLINE TALESWednesday, August 1, 2012

C is for communication

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

Steve Watson wrote a great piece in Soccer Coach Weekly 273 about how to get and keep your players’ attention in training. One way to ensure this is to ask questions of your players to check they are listening. And rather than just do this through verbal means, why not create challenges? Not only does this reveal to you how well certain elements have been understood, but practical play is a great way of cementing ideas in the minds of the players too.

Thus:1. The answer needs some thought

from the respondent, allowing the questioner to effectively gauge their level of understanding

2. Asking a player ‘an open question’ helps to reinforce learning, and the learning of the other players around him. A ‘yes/no’ question requires virtually no effort from a player. He’ll brush it off and you’ll be left with nowhere to go!

3. And answers to open questions give

you immediate feedback on the player’s understanding of a technique, skill or situation

Before you head to training, think about some of the situations that will crop up. By anticipating what may happen during the session it will help you plan in advance the challenges you want to set and the sort of questions you might ask.

Examples of challenges- In a counter-attack session, develop

a scoring chance within three passes of gaining possession.

- When running with the ball or dribbling, challenge a player to attack and shoot without using his team mates.

- In team sessions, instruct that the player who starts the attack must pass the ball on and receive it back before a goal can be scored

Examples of questions to follow- What did you do as an individual

(or group) to successfully penetrate the defence with three passes?

- What did you do as an individual to keep the ball and get past your opponents? What did you do if you lost the ball?

- In the team session, what factors influence your choice of action? How can you make sure you are successful?

The answers your players give you will provide you with opportunities to further explore their understanding. You can do this by asking supplementary questions.

And when listening to answers, replicate and use their words as a focus for different questions.

And of course, if a player comes up with a ‘wrong answer’, try saying, “I like your thinking. Can you think of an alternative?”

Great communication can make such a difference to how players take on board information. Why not try it for yourself?

5 ways to invigorate your coaching sessions

David Clarke Head Coach, Soccer Coach Weekly

Steve Watson Editor, Footy4kids.co.uk

“A ‘yes/no’ question requires virtually no effort from a player. He’ll brush it off and

you’ll be left with nowhere to go!”

Make sure players get the most out of sessions

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SoccerCoachWeekly SMALL-SIDED GAMEWednesday, August 1, 2012

3v3 defendingThis game develops an understanding of

pressure, support and depth when defending. The game situation will see possession being won and lost. How do the players react and re-organise themselves to defend?

How to play it• Set up a 40x20-yard area. Add two goals, six mannequins (or poles) and six flat cones to the area, as shown.• The two teams have to complete the group defending technique tasks, depending on the coach’s call:

- If he calls “1” or “3”, the nearest defender pressures and shows inside, the central defender supports and stops the forward pass, while the defender furthest away offers support and depth to the central player.- If he calls “2”, the central defender pressures the mannequins while the two wide defenders take up supporting positions behind and to either side to stop the forward pass

• Next, the coach passes a ball to the team that shows the best defensive shape in the technique work.• Immediately, both teams must run onto the pitch and now use their new techniques in a ‘live’ environment to win the game.

Technique and tactics• Reactions are important - players must respond to the call, organising and positioning quickly and effectively.• Good defensive technique is essential too, as is the need to adopt the correct shape.• And in applying those standards to the game, we want players to show rehearsed elements straight away.

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player movement ball movementrun with ball shot

The coach calls for the technique. Defenders on both teams have to take up relevant positions

The coach serves the ball to the team that shows the best positioning

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

Defenders adopt the same pressing technique and positioning in closing down the opponent in possession

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Michael Beale Premier League Academy soccer coach

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SoccerCoachWeekly YOUR SAYWednesday, August 1, 2012

TACKLED: Stick or twist?

SoccerCoachWeekly Essential tools for your team

Into the second half, and your best striker is having an awful time of it in an important league game. Do you replace him with, on paper, a slightly weaker

player, or leave him on?

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

This week Steve TaylorFulham Elite

Q Shall I move an advanced 10-year-old up an age

group? Michael Grey, London

A It’s good to provide young players with new challenges,

whatever their skill level, but it needs to be done in a sensitive way.

Moving an advanced 10-year-old into an older team where he doesn’t know anyone could slow his development and spoil his fun. It could even lead to him wanting to stop playing football altogether.

So before committing to such a move, I suggest you ask the child if he wants to play for an older team or if he would prefer to stay with his friends.

The player will probably say he would prefer to stay where he is simply because it’s a step into the unknown, but if you think he might enjoy playing with older, more experienced players you could test the water by taking him to a training session with the older team to see how he gets on.

The main thing is to let him have input into the decision.

TACKLED: Results

Here’s the result of the poll we ran in Soccer Coach Weekly 273 asking if you thought it should be a requirement that youth soccer coaches are fit and in good shape.

SCW Surgery

YES

43%

NO

Darren ThomsonPark Celtic Under-12s

Quality will always shine through in the end, and as long as the player is putting the required effort in he will always come good. Give him the opportunity to show you what made him your best striker in the first place.

Removing him would be doing one thing – telling him he’s having a bad game. As things stand, he’ll be fully aware of that himself, and won’t need the reminder, so in terms of that player and that player alone, there’s no benefit in withdrawing him, but everything to gain if you keep him on.

Rather than remove him entirely, what about switching positions? Maybe he’s left his shooting boots at home? Switch him to the wing and let him provide the supply line rather than the goalscoring touch.

Consider too in what way he’s having a bad game. Is it him who’s at fault, or is he simply being shut out very effectively by a determined and organised back-line? Is this actually poor form on his part, or instead poor tactical planning on yours? Decide quickly what you can do to change things. If you can find a solution, you’ll be better for the experience and so will he.

Here’s an ideal opportunity to practise something that all of us advise in training – go back to basics. Tell him to start again from scratch, do the simple things well, and see how that improves his game.

“Here’s an ideal opportunity to practise something that all of us advise in

training – go back to basics.”

Buck ScottMiami Dade

To keep a player on when he’s not enjoying himself (and the assumption is he won’t be if he’s having such a poor game) is a complete abuse of coaching responsibility. There’s no match too important when it comes to doing the right thing by players, and in this instance I’d have no hesitation in removing the player.

If, like most, you’re a subscriber to the concept of Equal Playing Time, then you should probably be thinking about making changes anyway. Replacing a player having a poor game is an ideal way of going about it. Tell the player he’s coming off so that everyone gets to play, not because he is playing badly.

What’s to say the ‘weaker’ player won’t do a better job? There’s only one way to find out. After all, how good really is an accomplished player playing at maybe only 40-50% of his potential?

Taking the striker off during the game actually gives you an ideal opportunity to talk to him, one-to-one, while his team mates are still involved in the action. Having a quick chat to check everything is okay while others are engaged in match play means he won’t feel so much in the spotlight for a poor performance.

And at the end of the day, every single accomplished player has an off day. It’s what makes us all human and not robots! Players are allowed to ‘have a stinker’ every now and again. Laugh about it as a coach and as a team and it will take away any notion of failure and embarrassment.

“To keep a player on when he’s not enjoying himself is a complete abuse of

coaching responsibility.”

KEEP HIM ON TAKE HIM OFF

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