A brief look inside our Pace of Play Camps

Combining the Keys to Pace of Play, Sequence of Touches and the Four Elements of the Game of Soccer are essential to playing fast soccer. This is a THINKING man’s game.

Keys to Pace of Play

·        Be in your teammate’s vision early

·        Know your next play before your first touch

·        Be a back footed player

Do not close your hips to the passer

Keep your hips open to as much of the field as possible.

Heels to touch when playing in wide channels

·        Play the way you face

Sequence of Touches – Two touch play with the inside of the foot. Toes up heel down only

·        Right / Right

·        Right / Left

·        Left / Left

·        Left / Right

The Four Elements of the Game of Soccer

·        Penetration

·        Depth

·        Width

·        Mobility

There's more, of course.  We build activities around these ideas.

Pace of Play

A coach recently lamented he didn't have enough athletes on his roster to compete with the teams in the competitive league. Opponents were bigger, stronger and faster than his players.

Pele is 5'8"
Messi is 5'7"
Neymar is 5'9"
Romario is 5'6"

The point being made is simply this, pace of play is about how fast we can think this game we call soccer. One thing each of the greats listed above have in common with the other greats of the game is an economy and efficiency of touches on the ball.

In order to play faster we must emphasize the following:

* Prioritize Playing Fast
* Think ahead in the game by becoming GAME watchers instead of ball watchers
* Know your next play before your first touch
* Hone and refine your technical ability

Prepare to Play the Ball

*  If you wish to receive the ball from a teammate be in his vision early, before his first touch on the ball
* Ask yourself, if my teammate about to receive the ball wants to play one touch, where and how do I need to be positioned to receive that one touch play? Then get into that position.
* If I am expecting my teammate to play with two touches, which sequence is he likely to use and where and how do I need to be positioned to receive his pass? Then get into that position.
*  If at all possible, position yourself to receive the ball across your body keeping your hips open to as much of the field as possible
*  Know your next play before your first touch. Which of your teammates is moving to be in position to receive your pass?
** If your teammate about to receive will be under pressure you will need to move closer to him as his vision will be restricted.
** If your teammate about to receive will not be under pressure stay out of his space and open the     pitch up to as many possibilities as you can for him.

Shared Responsibility 

Pass the Ball to the Proper Foot.

* The proper foot is the foot furthest from defensive pressure
* A ball to which foot will help your teammate avoid defensive pressure?
* The foot the pass is played to is a cue for how the receiver should prepare to play the ball.
* If the ball is passed to the front foot (the foot nearest the passer) this is a cue that the receiver will be under pressure when receiving.  A self-pass or one-two combination pass with the passer is indicated.
* If the pass is to the back foot (across the body) this is an indication the receiver has time to play the ball away or turn and advance the ball himself.
* Pass the ball with proper weight or pace. A good rule of thumb is the pass should travel at a pace that would carry it 10 yards beyond the intended target.

The idea is to set teammates up so they too can play fast soccer. 

Attacks lose pace or completely break down when passes are made to the wrong foot,

* Give a pass you yourself would like to receive.
* If a proper angle is not available to make a good pass, don't make that pass. Find another option.
* If you must make that pass, pass the ball to where your teammate should be.
* When you pass the ball, pass information.
* Non-verbal communication is passing the ball to the foot of your teammate furthest from defensive pressure.
* Verbal communication might be a call to "Turn! or  "Man on!"  if your pass has missed the targeted foot. It might also include calls for combination passing,

Receive the Ball with the Proper Foot

*  Position yourself as you wish to play the ball
*  Read the pass and adjust your positioning according to the information the pass is sharing with you.
* If the ball is passed to your front foot (the foot nearest the passer) this is a cue you will be under pressure when receiving.  A self-pass or one-two combination pass is indicated.
* If the ball is passed to your back foot (across the body) this is an indication you have time to turn and advance the ball yourself or play the ball away
*  Play the way you face
*  Play the ball with the proper foot if attempting one touch play.
* The back foot if you are going to advance the ball
* The front foot if you are going to utilize a drop pass or one-two combination
* Play the ball with the proper foot for the appropriate two touch sequence of touches. This sequence should be predetermined before your first touch on the ball.
* Right / Right
* Right / Left
* Left / Left
* Left / Right
* Listen for information being shared with you by the passer and other teammates.

Communication

Pass the Ball, Pass Information  OR  Give the Ball, Give a Call

Both non-verbal and verbal communication must be with the best interests of the ball in mind.

* Body positioning of the potential receiver communicates to the passer which foot to pass to.
* The foot the ball is passed to communicates to the receiver where defensive pressure is coming from.
* Verbal communication from the passer communicates where defensive pressure is arriving from      and or what play is available to the passer
* Verbal communication might also be used to communicate a particular type of combination pass   and the timing involved in executing said passing combination,

All information passed must be useful, concise and convey information that will help teammates solve problems presented by opponents.

Pretend as if both the ball and your teammate about to play it are blind.  You must be their eyes. Do not lead either into an opponent,

Gimme Three Steps ...

Believe it or not the name of this Lynyrd Skynyrd song is applicable to soccer.

When your team is in possession of the ball you will be filling one of two roles

* Passer

* Potential receiver or passing option

When the ball leaves the passers foot he immediately switches to the role of a potential receiver.

*  MOVE!

* Three quick strides to gain separation from the defender who was pressuring you is the minimum distance you should move

* Before the pass you should have looked for a possible combination passing or third man running   option. Take advantage of these runs if available. Be sure to make the proper calls for your teammate,

* Space. Find open space near you and be in the vision of the next potential passer if possible.

Ask Questions of Yourself.

* If the ball comes to me now, what's on?  Know your next play before your first touch.

* Where on the pitch do I need to be in the next 5 seconds?  Be in your teammates vision early.

* Can the ball see me?  Position yourself in an open passing lane not somewhere where a defender is between you and the ball.

* Where is open space and can I get there OR can I communicate to a teammate to move there OR can I communicate to the passer to play a ball there for a teammate to run onto?

While this may seem overwhelming as to what must go into each successful pass and reception it is actually just the tip of the iceberg. I will post some additional thoughts on this subject in the coming days.  For now, take the time to digest this. Please, print it off and distribute it to your players, Yes, even the very young ones. This is basic information. Attacking Soccer 101 that we must teach and instill in our players.

 

Insanity is doing the same thing,

 

over and over again,

 

but expecting different results.

 

 - Albert Einstein -

Using 4 v 1 to develop basic possession fundamentals

Just when I think I have camp curriculum set a team will present a bit different problem for me to help them solve. Such was the case twice this summer when I found a need to adapt our standard camp fare to more appropriately fit the needs of teams we were working with. In both instances we were looking at increasing pace of play utilizing a possession style.

When working with a group for the first time I prefer to have game film from the previous season to review. I also rely heavily on their coach's description of play including their strengths and weaknesses. Even with decent prep work before beginning camp there are times when we need to adjust on the fly as we seek to establish a baseline we can start from. I often fall back on 4 v 1 as an evaluation and teaching exercise to accomplish this.

I consider 4 v 1 with the attackers on the outside of the grid and the defender inside the grid to be the most basic of possession games that also allows for the teaching of proper touch sequences, establishment of proper angles, vision, decision making and rhythm.

In most instance a 10 yard by 10 yard grid is appropriate to begin this exercise in. It is important to establish immediately that players should be positions along the sides of the grid and not in the corners. If you have the luxury of field space and striping equipment circles ban be even better to play "in" than a squared grid with players moving along the sides of the circle to establish passing angles. 

I really like this exercise to reinforce and give practical application to the two touch sequences of play - Right/Right, Right/Left, Left/Left and Left/Right. If there is a need introduce these sequences you might wish to utilize the breaking lines warm up exercises before moving on to 4 v 1.  I prefer each station work on the same sequence of touches at the same time. A basic element in the proper sequence of touches is found in receiving the ball across your body to the "back" foot. We call this being a back footed player.

When playing 4 v 1 it is essential for potential receivers of the ball to slide along their side of the grid in order to establish the proper angle to receive the ball on the back foot.  One of the rules of thumb that can be emphasized and reinforced while playing 4 v 1 is that when the ball carrier is under pressure teammates need to move closer to him.  The ball carriers eyes will be on the ball at his feet and under actual game conditions his attention might be on shielding the ball from the opponent. Moving closer, while making the playing area smaller allows for the larger angles necessary to safely pass the ball while also allowing the receiver to remain a back footed player.

A basic truth for receiving and passing the ball is that ball movement is predicated on player movement. While we are merely asking players to slide along the sides of the grid this is nonetheless an essential part of the exercise and a building block for the dynamic runs you want to see in games. This is one of the foundations for "being in your teammates vision early"  and "knowing your play with the ball before your first touch."

What we are discussing is properly preparing to play the ball before your first touch on the ball. Setting yourself up to be a back footed player is an example of one fundamental way to accomplish this. In being a back footed player your hips will be open to as much of the field as possible providing you with good sightlines to teammates and allows them to be in your vision early. It is important to stress the necessity for players to be game watchers instead of ball watchers.

As game watchers we can increase both the quality and the rate of our decision making which in turn allows us to establish a rhythm to our attacking play. Remember, attacking soccer is all about rhythm while defending is all about disrupting rhythm. We use rhythm to manipulate the opponents defense in order to create seams to penetrate to goal through.