Playing fast soccer is all about vision and brain power.

I often recognize problems in the game of soccer before fully identifying them.  I will allow that to sink in for a moment.

Soccer is a game that is all about angles.  To play at the highest level possible players need to see as much of the game as possible.  This is a fundamental truth of the game.

In watching our local high school team the last couple of fall seasons this has been driven home hard. They tend to play in channels which makes their play extremely direct. Now, I am not against direct play, per se.  However, if a team's m.o. is to play in a single channel, they become very predictable. As I watched these teams play my mind began to scream "Change the Channel!"  In this day and age of "pressing defense," remaining in the same vertical channel on the pitch plays right into the press.


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Okay, so I recognized the problem.  One might think identifying what the problem is would be simple. Say, the coaching is unimaginative, for instance. To me, that remains in the realm of recognizing a problem exists. We have recognized a symptom, but not necessarily the root cause of the problem.  To really identify the problem we need to break it down in greater detail. We need to find what is causing the problem.

Playing mainly in a single channel is akin to training players to have tunnel vision.  It is in effect kick and run soccer dressed up with a token bit of  possession. Kick and run soccer values quantity of possessions over quality of possessions.  Playing straight, vertical, mainly one channel soccer greatly increases the danger of losing possession of the ball.

Soccer enthusiasts the world over love to see a team possess the ball while advancing quickly to goal. Tiki Taka and Total Football are all about possession with pace.  The idea is to advance the ball as quickly as possible to goal by finding the path of least resistance.

Let that sink in as well for a moment.

The channel driven approach to soccer is something of a jack hammer approach - just keep pounding away at a central point and the defense will begin to crumble eventually... hopefully.  Think about it.  A jack hammer pistons up and down at great speed.  Playing primarily in a single channel can be very much like that. Wielding a jack hammer is tiring work and can be a long tedious process. It is predictable work. Just stand there pounding away at concrete until it gives way.

Now, if a team is continuously changing the channel the ball is in and doing so by utilizing angles the pace of the game can become very fast making it extremely difficult for the defending team to recover to the ball and regain possession. The rhythm at which your team plays the game can become such that the opponent will struggle to find it let alone match it.

Okay, so how does a team develop this rhythm?  In addition to training in the techniques of the game players must be trained in perception.  Peripheral sight and split vision become equally important as fundamental on-the-ball skill sets.

Peripheral vision is the ability to see objects and movement outside of the direct line of vision.  In the context of this article peripheral vision is the ability to see players and movements outside of the channel the ball (and / or player) is currently in.

Split vision is technically extraordinarily acute peripheral vision that allows a person to see out of opposite corners of their eyes at the same time.  This is not something a lot of people possess, but the idea does hold true for the game of soccer. It is accomplished by constantly scanning the environment of the game rather than being focused on a single aspect of the game - usually the ball and the players immediately around it.

In other articles on this site we have spoke of the difference between being a Ball Watcher and being a Game Watcher.  This is essentially what we are discussing here once again. Channel soccer plays into the idea that most players are ball watchers so why not play to that "strength?"  What I am proposing is the development of Game Watching skills as a means to increase both an individual's and a team's collective pace of play.  The idea is to not only play the game faster, but to do so in an intelligent manner.  Use the brain to play faster.

If this philosophy is all that, why doesn't every coach, manager, club, program and player accept and embrace it?  The answer is fairly simple, it takes time and effort to properly train players to be game watchers.  It is easier to play to the exiting "strengths" of a ball watcher, even if it is not wiser to do so.

Think to yourself what sets apart really good teams from all the others.  What do the good teams have that the rest lack?  Don't settle for recognizing a problem exists. Identify the root cause of the problem and spend time addressing this rather than attempting to treat symptoms thinking this is the cure all.