Quality of play is never an accident;

Quality of play is always a result of 

high intention

sincere effort

intelligent direction

and 

skillful execution.

Quality of play represents the wise choice of many alternatives,

the experience gained from many hours mastering the craft.

Quality of play also marks the search for an ideal 

after necessity has been satisfied 

and mere usefulness achieved.

Quality of play is what makes the game beautiful. 

50/50 Balls. Why some players are 1st to them and others win them.

First of all, there is a difference between being first to the ball and actually winning possession of the ball. Matthew is a player I have worked with for some time now. He is almost always first to a 50/50 ball anywhere in his vicinity. He rarely came away with possession of the ball.  Ian was a player who actually won 50/50 balls on a regular basis. He not only was first to the ball, but came away with possession of the ball.  The difference between the two players ability on 50/50 balls are two fold.

First, Matthew was what we typically describe as a one-decision player.  That is, his whole focus was on being first to the ball with little to no thought about what he would do with it once he "won" it.  For Matthew that was secondary to actually being first to the ball. This resulted in a lot of mindless kicking of the ball aka creation of more 50/50 balls.

Ian moved to win the ball in such a manner as to set up his next play with the ball. By doing this Ian could win and pass the ball with the same touch or settle the ball and play it away on a second touch.  Possession of the ball for his team was gained by Ian.  We refer to this type of thinking ahead on the pitch as playing multiple decision soccer.  A primary consideration is to know your next play before your first touch on the ball.  Ian was very good at this.

Player Development: What it does and doesn't look like.

Here are a couple of videos that demonstrate what player development should and should not look like.

Kick and run may generate wins at first,but development is needed to play good soccer and sustain results.

 

There is no real development without the ability to possess the ball.

What goes into increasing pace of play?

Anyone following this blog has likely realized I have been studying ways to improve pace of play for high school players. In order to do so I have watched countless professional matches paying particular attention to individual players and teams who play with great pace in an attempt to identify and define what it is that allows them to do so. I think I finally have ideas sorted well enough to put them down in writing. At least I hope so for that is what I am going to attempt to do in this article.

I begin with a vision of what optimal pace of play might look like. This is not a realistic vision for the game for it fails to account for many things, defenders and changing the pace of play as examples. What if an entire team were to be successful using one touch play? That is, the team could maintain possession of the ball until it is scored with players only requiring one touch to move the ball about the pitch and into the goal.  

I think the pattern or sequence of play should look like this.

Vision
Communication
Preparation
Technique
Execution
Mobility

Vision is assessing all options before your first touch on the ball. Being a game watcher instead of being a ball watcher. Seeing the big picture of the game instead of the smaller picture around the ball. The player must know where the opponents are, where his teammates are and where available space is before he receives the ball.

Communication between teammates is essential. The player passing the ball, the player receiving the ball and all supporting players must vocalize what they see, their vision of the game about them. Non-verbal communication in the form of body positioning, eye-to-eye contact between players and hand signals are not only appropriate but required as well.

Preparation to make a play with the before actually receiving it is essential. This involves having active feet, establishing proper angles to receive the ball while keeping hips open to as much of the field as possible, checking to the ball, making a run into space ahead of the pass.

Technique refers to the action of the player receiving the ball. It can include one touch or multiple touches, shooting, passing, volleying, heading or dribbling. In this case, a one touch play where the technique is the first and only touch on the ball.

Execution refers to the decision-making process used to determine the appropriate technique to use and the success or lack thereof in applying that technique to the situation at hand. Together the Technical and Execution elements of play are referred to as skill, the ability to select and implement an appropriate and effective response from a range of possibilities.

Mobility is off-the-ball player movement. Once the ball is played away to a teammate, the passer must re-engage with the remaining nine teammates to provide intelligent support to the new receiver. It is important to be in the receiver’s vision before the receivers head goes down to play the ball. In most instances, the passer will need to anticipate where the receiver will next play the ball and move to support that action or perhaps one even further advanced. It is important to recognize that ball movement is predicated on player movement - players must move if they wish the ball to be passed to them. Check to the ball, make runs and so forth.

If we add an element of control to the process, we then have two-touch play.

Vision
Communication
Preparation
Control
Technique
Execution
Mobility

Control is simply a term I use to identify taking more than one touch on the ball. This does not necessarily mean the quality of first touch was poor only that more than one touch was required for the Technique and Execution to be fulfilled. The “extra” touches naturally slow the pace of play. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a possibility for play that exists – nothing more, nothing less.

Two touch play comes in four basic varieties. Right foot / Right foot combination. Right foot / left foot combination. Left foot / left foot combination or left foot / right foot combinations. These are actions of the receiver (first touch) transitioning to ball carrier / shooter / passer (second and succeeding touches).

These first two descriptions of play describe a fast paced brand of possession soccer that can be difficult to attain with great consistency in youth or high school soccer. Let’s be honest, it can be difficult to attain and sustain at any level of play, but that should not preclude us from striving to do so. 

What set me on this journey was the process of play I found existing in most youth soccer and high school matches. The sequence is out of order and because it is the pace of play is considerably slower. This is what I have found to be the norm:

Poor Preparation
Efforts to Control
Technique
Vision
Communication
Execution
Mobility.

Instead of being the first priority, Vision is found in the middle of the process after possession has been secured. Equally remiss is finding Communication in the latter part of the process. A fourth order of play leaving communication out entirely is about as slow as soccer can be played..

In identifying these four progressions of play, it is easy to discern great players play at levels 1 and 2 while lesser players are at levels 3 and 4. Think of it in terms of video games. One must complete the levels in order to progress through and ultimately win the game. It is my goal to put together a development curriculum that will by-pass or at least minimize the time spent on levels 4 and 3 and progress young players to the second and ultimately the first level in quicker fashion. Cheats for Proper Play if we wish to look at it in video game terms.

Part of my thought process involves reduction and minimization of the transition phase of the game and the number of times a team must regained possession of the ball in a match. In my mind, those are negative aspects of play. It is similar to the idea a team does not have to be great at playing balls out of the air, if they keep the ball on the ground. If we minimize the number of turnovers and resultant need to regain possession of the ball our quality of play should rise dramatically, yes?

Statistics: Quality of 1st touch

Unlike traditional American sports soccer does not keep many standard statistics for evaluating player performance. Sabremetrics has yet to find its way to grass roots soccer. Over a decade ago I began tracking what I refer to as "Quality of First Touch" statistics as a means to measure a players readiness to participate at a given level.  I utilize a simple +/- system for tracking Quality of First Touch.  What I am looking for is the players ability to gain and maintain possession with his first touch on the ball. I do not extend the evaluation to what he does beyond his first touch (shoot / pass / dribble). The focus is solely on a players first touch on the ball.

What I discovered was a varsity level player generally requires a Quality of First Touch of 80% or higher.  In a really good program that number might approach 90% +  to be a starter.   I do "spot checks" of this statistic when scouting or watching soccer matches and this has held true throughout the years.  I conducted such a survey again last night and the results remained startlingly consistent.  The best players are the ones with the best Quality of First Touch.

As a coach, if I have a limited positions being contested by multiple players, I will often utilize Quality of First Touch statistics from tryouts and training to decide who wins those spots and who will be cut or relegated to a lower level team.

Players who are first to the ball, who win a lot of 50 / 50 balls but do so with a poor Quality of First Touch are not really winning the ball at all. They are creators of more 50 / 50 balls.  Some coaches place a priority on players winning 50 / 50 balls and there is certainly value to winning 50 / 50 balls created by the opposing team.  If it is your player or team that is creating a lot of 50 / 50 balls, chances are the lack of Quality of First Touch is a major contributing factor.

This all relates back to the recent posting on Pace of Play. If a team wishes to increase their pace of play it must be accomplished by increasing the Quality of their First Touch.  This can be done by teaching them to play smarter through preparing to play properly so as to provide the best possible chance to have a high Quality of First Touch.  Sometimes this involves slowing down a players physical pace of play so it is aligned with the players capabilities in mental pace of play. 

The key to Quality of First Touch is found in a players ability to prepare properly before executing his first touch on the ball. Players whose primary focus is on being first to the ball often fail to have a plan for what they want to do with the ball once it is won. This can lead to frantic, if not panicked, play often resulting in poor Quality of First Touch and creation of yet another 50 / 50 ball to be won. It's a vicious cycle that must be avoided at all costs.