Fundamentals of Team Attacking Play

There are 4 cornerstones needed in order to attain a consistently high level of team play - quality of first touch, purposeful passing,  intelligent support and communication. The four components are inter-related and as such the quality of your team's play is dependent on the ability to execute effectively in each area.

Quality first touch refers to a players ability to gain and maintain possession of the ball with his first touch of the ball. Although usually used in association with receiving a pass we also need to include the ability to gain possession of a loose ball or a contested ball in our definition. Therefore we can say a player executing a quality first touch will receive the ball under control and away from pressure utilizing his first touch to facilitate his next touch(es)on the ball.




Once possession of the ball is attained it is important to maintain possession. Before the ball arrives the player should predetermine where and how the ball will be played next. In order to achieve this the sequence of play must be to scan, touch, scan, play. If this sequence of play is followed it should allow for quality decision making in terms of where and how the ball will be played next. Quality first touch leads to purposeful play and greatly reduces the risks associated with panicked play brought on by self-inflicted pressure resulting from poor quality of first touch.

We are discussing teamwork today so the focus will be on passing the ball purposefully, but purposeful play might also include shooting or dribbling when on the attack. The most commonly utilized pass in soccer is often referred to as the push pass. This is what we will focus on at this time although any properly executed technique for passing the ball would apply.

The push pass involves having one's toes up, heel down and striking the ball on the large ankle bone and not the instep or even the inside of the foot necessarily. Try it as you read this - pull your toes up and leave your heel down. The ankle becomes locked in place. The angle formed with the ankle bone as the center is a broad and stable surface that is used to strike the ball squarely and accurately. Now, it is not enough to have toes up, heel down and strike on the ankle bone. The plant or non-kicking foot must be pointed at the target you are passing to - either a teammate, the goal or the open space you wish to play the ball into. It is also important to strike at the midpoint of the ball and follow through with the kicking leg to place proper weight or pace on the ball. While the general rotation of the ball is forward it is a misconception that a push pass should move strictly along the ground. Watch a professional or international match and you will notice that push passes are often driven balls 2 to 3 inches off the ground that skip about 2/3's of the way to the intended target.

Presenting a viable target for the player in possession to pass to is the cornerstone of intelligent support in attacking play. When the word support is mentioned many young players initially think to "back up" their teammate but support may involve presenting a viable option to any side of the player in possession of the ball. Typically, in a basic sense, we will want options at 45 degrees both in front of and behind the ball carrier. How close teammates providing those options should be positioned to the ball carrier depends on the amount of pressure the ball carrier is under.

If the ball carrier has little or no pressure, the players providing support options can be at quite a distance. This opens space around the ball carrier for him to play in. The basic concept here is that space equals time. The more space the ball carrier has to operate in the more time he will have to play the ball. This does not necessarily mean the pace of play should slow down, only that the ball carriers field of vision is much greater allowing for a broader spectrum of play to be considered.

If the ball carrier is under pressure, then the players providing support options must be much closer or be in the process of moving closer to the ball. When under pressure the ball carriers field of vision may be greatly reduced as his concentration is on maintaining possession of the ball at his feet.

This brings us to another component of support - verbal communication. If we reflect back to the scan, touch, scan, play pattern suggested here we notice that in two different instances the players eyes will go to the ball - when executing his first touch and again when playing the ball. If the players eyes are focused on receiving and playing the ball he is unable to see the action about him. Therefore his teammates must become his eyes and they must communicate to him their interpreation of what they see.

Titling this article the Fundamentals of Team Attacking Play does not do the topic justice. It is a seemingly simple topic but as you now understand it is also quite a complicated issue based on just the brief consideration given to it here. Individuals must be encouraged to learn and develop the necessary skills and then be provided with repeated opportunities to apply their skills in controlled tactical settings before they can be expected to execute team play during the run of play in an actual game. The coordination, cooperation and choreography needed to play as a team is developed as part of a process in which not only technical and tactical skills are developed but trust in one another is instilled.

Quality of first touch, purposeful passing, intelligent support and verbal communication are necessary ingredients for successful attacking play. Goals can be scored without following this recipe but in order to achieve consistent success all must be present on a regular basis.