In recent years there has been a lot made of the value of pressing defense in soccer at the high school level. The basic idea is to decrease the space / time an opponent has to play in. The thought behind this is to increase the rate of decision making and force the opponent from his comfort zone. If successful, the opponents should make more mistakes including turning the ball over more. In a sense, it is a strategy of defending to attack. In can also serve to change the tempo of a game.
The pressing strategy does not come without risk though. The backs in a zonal defense cannot step unless first in proper shape to support. A back stepping before shape is established is a recipe for disaster and will often result in opponents breaking through, a collapsed defense and lead to defenders running at their own goal. So obviously effective communication is a necessity to pressure properly. Keeping with our examples of backs in a zonal stepping to pressure the ball it must be a collective decision for an individual back to step. That decision has to be made and called by support players responsible for protecting the pressure defender.
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Showing posts with label breakaways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breakaways. Show all posts
Tuesday
Monday
Go to Goal!
Play the ball in behind the opponents backs and watch your teammate run onto it and go to goal!
This is direct play at its most extreme and often its worst.
Lionel Messi is considered one of if not the top player in today's game. He's a terrific "dribbler." That is, he runs with the ball extremely well. This ability to run with the ball can pressure defenses to the breaking point. When Messi is on the run with the ball everyone rises to their feet in anticipation of something great about to happen.
A great ball carrier who can break down the defense is an extremely valuable commodity to have on your team, but only if he knows how to use his ability for the greater good.
At my last stop as a high school head coach I had a young lady who was a state qualifier in track and could run as fast with the ball as she did without the ball. She was stunningly gifted in this regard. Unfortunately she never did learn to use her gift to the full benefit of her team. Kelly was content to break behind the defenders and go to goal. Taking a shot was the only thing on her mind. I have never witnessed more blown break-away opportunities than I did during her career.
Why?
The reason is found in how Messi plays.
Messi carries the ball with the intent to engage defenders. It's great if the only defender he must engage is the opponents goalkeeper, but more often than not it will be an opposing field player that must be engaged before a shot on goal opportunity arises. Messi knows when to pass. More precisely, Messi uses his run with the ball to set up the pass. He pulls players out of position to create numbers up situations with teammates and then utilizes a cross or combination passing to generate the shot on goal opportunity either for himself or a teammate.
There is a player on one of my son's teams who is good at getting played in behind the defenders. Jonathon has had several opportunities running with the ball at goal. Many of these occur with his path being from the corner, corner, post wedge. In a sense, by going to goal, Jonathon is engaging defenders and drawing them to him. Invariably he ends these sequences with taking a shot from a nearly impossible angle... while one or more teammates are open in front of the face of the goal. I would like to see Jonathon more fully explore all options available to him. This will necessitate a change from being a ball watcher to being a game watcher.
Kelly was never willing to make the transition from going to goal to intelligently and purposefully engaging opponents and incorporating teammates into attacking the goal. There's still time for Jonathon. To develop game intelligence, one must become a game watcher.
And that is what makes Messi so great, his game intelligence. When he carries the ball, Messi sees multiple options and chooses the one that best benefits his team more often than not. There is an understanding of engaging defenders to set them up to be defeated with the help of one or more teammates. Messi sees the broader game instead of just himself, the ball and the goal. When Messi goes to goal he purposefully takes a mate or two long with the intent to increase the chances someone will score the ball!
This is direct play at its most extreme and often its worst.
Lionel Messi is considered one of if not the top player in today's game. He's a terrific "dribbler." That is, he runs with the ball extremely well. This ability to run with the ball can pressure defenses to the breaking point. When Messi is on the run with the ball everyone rises to their feet in anticipation of something great about to happen.
A great ball carrier who can break down the defense is an extremely valuable commodity to have on your team, but only if he knows how to use his ability for the greater good.
At my last stop as a high school head coach I had a young lady who was a state qualifier in track and could run as fast with the ball as she did without the ball. She was stunningly gifted in this regard. Unfortunately she never did learn to use her gift to the full benefit of her team. Kelly was content to break behind the defenders and go to goal. Taking a shot was the only thing on her mind. I have never witnessed more blown break-away opportunities than I did during her career.
Why?
The reason is found in how Messi plays.
Messi carries the ball with the intent to engage defenders. It's great if the only defender he must engage is the opponents goalkeeper, but more often than not it will be an opposing field player that must be engaged before a shot on goal opportunity arises. Messi knows when to pass. More precisely, Messi uses his run with the ball to set up the pass. He pulls players out of position to create numbers up situations with teammates and then utilizes a cross or combination passing to generate the shot on goal opportunity either for himself or a teammate.
There is a player on one of my son's teams who is good at getting played in behind the defenders. Jonathon has had several opportunities running with the ball at goal. Many of these occur with his path being from the corner, corner, post wedge. In a sense, by going to goal, Jonathon is engaging defenders and drawing them to him. Invariably he ends these sequences with taking a shot from a nearly impossible angle... while one or more teammates are open in front of the face of the goal. I would like to see Jonathon more fully explore all options available to him. This will necessitate a change from being a ball watcher to being a game watcher.
Kelly was never willing to make the transition from going to goal to intelligently and purposefully engaging opponents and incorporating teammates into attacking the goal. There's still time for Jonathon. To develop game intelligence, one must become a game watcher.
And that is what makes Messi so great, his game intelligence. When he carries the ball, Messi sees multiple options and chooses the one that best benefits his team more often than not. There is an understanding of engaging defenders to set them up to be defeated with the help of one or more teammates. Messi sees the broader game instead of just himself, the ball and the goal. When Messi goes to goal he purposefully takes a mate or two long with the intent to increase the chances someone will score the ball!
REACT & RID for November 12, 2012
REACT moment for November 12, 2012
This one is for the goalkeepers.
Attacking ball carrier breaks free behind defense for a score.
Real Time:
Did I come out to cut down angles and transfer pressure to make the play to the attacker?
Did I approach the attacker at the same pace he was coming at me?
Did a stay BIG for as long as possible to force the attacker to make the play?
Did I read the cues to know when the attacker was going to take the shot?
Was I set?
Did I execute a proper collapse dive?
Immediate:
Remind yourself to take control of the situation.
Remind yourself to relax, stay calm and transfer the pressure to make the play to the attacker.
Remind yourself when you can make the play - when the ball is outside the attackers feet (being layed off to set up a shot) or when the attacker plays the ball more than a step ahead.
At halftime or at the first opportunity practice a couple of collapse dives.
Delayed:
Practice collapse dives alone.
Practice collapse dives with a partner - both of you going to the same stationary ball to get used to congestion about you when performing this technique.
Place 2 benches on their sides approximately 25 yards out from goal with flat surfaces facing goal and seperated about 10 yards. Have a partner stand another 5 yards in back of the benches. Serve the ball against a bench. When the ball touches the bench, the partner moves forward to play the ball creating a 1 v 1 situation. Working on breakaways in this manner allows the GK to control the pace of the activity.
This one is for the goalkeepers.
Attacking ball carrier breaks free behind defense for a score.
Real Time:
Did I come out to cut down angles and transfer pressure to make the play to the attacker?
Did I approach the attacker at the same pace he was coming at me?
Did a stay BIG for as long as possible to force the attacker to make the play?
Did I read the cues to know when the attacker was going to take the shot?
Was I set?
Did I execute a proper collapse dive?
Immediate:
Remind yourself to take control of the situation.
Remind yourself to relax, stay calm and transfer the pressure to make the play to the attacker.
Remind yourself when you can make the play - when the ball is outside the attackers feet (being layed off to set up a shot) or when the attacker plays the ball more than a step ahead.
At halftime or at the first opportunity practice a couple of collapse dives.
Delayed:
Practice collapse dives alone.
Practice collapse dives with a partner - both of you going to the same stationary ball to get used to congestion about you when performing this technique.
Place 2 benches on their sides approximately 25 yards out from goal with flat surfaces facing goal and seperated about 10 yards. Have a partner stand another 5 yards in back of the benches. Serve the ball against a bench. When the ball touches the bench, the partner moves forward to play the ball creating a 1 v 1 situation. Working on breakaways in this manner allows the GK to control the pace of the activity.
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