Spatial Awareness

High school soccer presents a vast array of problem solving opportunities for coaches.  In the best of programs there will exist multiple teams on a developmental scale - Varsity, JV A, JV B, Freshman and Middle School teams.  I've been there.  At the other end of the spectrum are high school teams with varsity only.  Sometimes these varsity only teams are even co-ed.  I've been there too.

As a new parent-coach back in the mid 1990's I inquired of the local high school coach what he believed most freshmen were lacking when they came out for the high school teams. His reply was"the ability to execute a push pass". As this man would become a mentor to me, I took him at his word. The youth players I worked with could all successfully execute the push pass when they entered 9th grade. When my son was being recruited to play in college I often asked coaches what they believed was the biggest weakness in most recruits games.  The answer was a near unanimous - "spatial awareness". If you have ever worked with a team of wide ranging abilities, you will surely appreciate this response.

My most recent club team and most recent high school team both suffered from a lack of cohesive and uniform understanding of spatial awareness. It's often said a team is only as strong as its weakest player on the field. There is a measure of truth to this especially as it concerns spatial awareness.

I often inform my teams the game is a living breathing thing and they must work on developing a relationship with it through listening and observing how it changes in response to ball and player movement. The boundaries and various lines affect this as well as the distances required on restarts.  Even the referee crew impacts responses to spatial awareness. So too do the technical ability, tactical understanding and physical ability of individual players.

In essence, spatial awareness is about the relationship between Space and Pace. In this context spatial awareness becomes about learning to manipulate the game to your and your teams benefit.  Using spatial awareness in conjunction with the principles of play is what formations and tactics are all about.  When a player is able to consciously recognize how to create space for a teammate and use space created for himself by a teammate, intentionally manipulating the game becomes a real possibility.  

These relationships are simple and yet very complex all at once.  Bringing someone new to the game up to speed with a player who has several years experience can be a daunting task. The difference in understanding of spatial awareness between a seasoned player of club soccer and a recreational player can also be significant. When players of widely varying abilities are all on a single team it can prove difficult to find common ground. This where ideas about a team only being as strong as its weakest player take root.

This is the problem I am seeking to solve going forward. Spatial awareness in soccer is something that begins developing at the youngest of ages.  Simple ideas like boundaries and which half of the field is to be defended and which half has the goal to be scored in are spatial awareness.  When a player comes to the game later in their youth the theory of these simply spatial awareness concepts might be known yet the practicality of them never experienced.  Extend that train of thought to the differences in understanding of spatial awareness between a recreational player and a club player or even an entry level club player and an elite level club player. This s a recipe for frustration all around for both players and coaches alike.

In past seasons I have relied on older more experienced players to mentor younger or inexperienced players in practical settings. I've come to question this approach as results have been found to be wanting.  I have also used a classroom and written homework approach using soccer journals.  The two approaches in combination have been effective.  The issue has been in players being steadfast in their commitment to recording what they are learning in their journals.  I must assume responsibility for this as in the interest of players being able to write down their thoughts honestly about any and all things soccer I have deemed a measure of privacy to be important to the process. I am being forced to make daily writing assignments mandatory and checked by the coaches.

I am also going to include more handouts and more opportunities for visual learning experiences. This will include instructional videos and analysis of videos of practice and games.  A multi pronged approach to the situation.  This is not an ideal scenario, of course. It is however a necessary one.  I would rather spend time on the field than in the classroom but must also face the reality of the situation and adapt what I do accordingly to be as effective as possible in coaching my teams.  

Denying Negative Space

I learned about negative space and early retreats at a coaching clinic in Florida conducted by our USMNT staff a few years back.  I want to share some of the things gleaned from those sessions.

What is negative space?

Negative space is the area located behind the backs and in front of the goalkeeper.

This is the area that teams attacking a zonal defense want to play in. 

The preferred method for attacking negative space is through balls or dump and runs. When done successfully, breakaways occur with defenders in a foot race with opposing forwards to see who can get to the ball first.

Naturally zonal defenses have a strategy to defend against balls being played through or in behind their backs. This strategy is known as Early Retreat.  There is a very simple cue to be read for when to begin an early retreat:  When an opposing ball carrier is not being pressured, the backs must begin an immediate retreat.

By giving ground the backs are shrinking the amount of open space behind them and in front of the goalkeeper.

They are also providimg themselves time to solidify their spacing and support angles amongst themselves.

Executing an early retreat also provides midfield and forward teammates time to gain proper position behind the ball and bring pressure to the ball carrier.

So, how far back should the backs retreat before making a stand?

The backs Hold! once pressure on the ball has been re-established in front of them.

OR

The backs retreat until they reach a position approximately 25 yards from their own goal. At this point the 4 backs and goalkeeper should normally be able to defend until help arrives in the form of midfielders and / or forward teammates.

Key Consideration for backs playing near the center line:  Normal spacing when defending in the defensive third is approximately 10 yards between backs. They can fairly easily cover the width of the penalty area (44 yards) and a bit more.  However, when the ball is in the middle or attacking thirds of the field the spacing of the backs is often much greater. Typical horizontal spacing between backs near the center line can be as great as 20 yards.  It is much more difficult to support one another at that spacing than it is at 10 yard intervals.  The spacing is greater near the center line or in the attacking third because the backs are in support of the attack more so than in support of one another.

Another Key Consideration for backs playing near the center line is when one or more of them push forward into the attack.  The vertical spacing between backs can go from relatively flat to the normal 7 - 10 yard support drops all the way to one or more backs being pushed 25-30 yards forward in support of the attack.  Early retreats allow the backs to consolidate their shape and regain the necessary angles for properly supporting one another before fully engaging the attack.

The strategy behind early retreats is to slow the opponents attack thereby providing time for the team to regain its shape.

Teams that allow their backs to step to pressure the ball in the middle third of the field before their spacing is consolidated open themselves to being attacked via through balls. It can lead to a lot of unnecessary running towards your own goal and having your team strung out over 40-60 yards of play from which it is nearly impossible to support on defense or on attack. It's a recipe for disaster.

An amazing thing often occurs when a team executes early retreat properly. Players are taught that when they have open space in front of them they should take it via the dribble.  Is it faster to advance the ball via the dribble or by passing the ball forward?  Yep, inviting the opposing ball carrier to dribble at a retreating back line is all part of the strategy of slowing the attack while actively denying negative space thereby allowing teammates time to recover and pressure the ball.

Backs in a zonal defense also need to realize it is not a ball tackling defense.  It is a defense based on support and designed to intercept passes to start counter attacks from.  Therefore it is helpful to know another set of cues that provide a guideline for when to attempt to tackle the ball away from a ball carrier.

1) Establish containment of the attack.  Slow forward progress by giving ground while staying in front of the attacker.

2) Make the attacker predictable. Force the attacker to move laterally in one direction towards support provided by a teammate.

3) The time to attempt a tackle is when the ball is outside of the attackers footprints or has been mis-touched too far away from him to maintain control.  When the ball is between the attackers feet, the defender can be defeated to either side - the attacker has the advantage. WAIT, be patient until you have the advantage.

What about backs stepping to win 50 / 50 balls?

I will answer that question with one of my own:  Do you have teammates in support of your attempt to win a 50 / 50 ball?  If not, you must be 100% confident that you will win the 50 / 50 ball. Otherwise, organize as a back line unit and  prepare to play the second ball by getting into the anticipation area. In this case the anticipaton area can serve dual purpose by also being the start of an early retreat giving the backs options for play.

Okay, that is a brief overview of negative space and the strategy behind early retreats. Watch the USWNT and USMNT as they both practice early retreats. Especially the women's side.  It is a terrifically sound strategy once it is understood and executed properly. Hope this has been helpful to you.

I learned attacking soccer from a goalkeeping coach.

One of the first coaching courses I took was the old NSCAA State Level Goalkeeping course.  I was extremely fortunate to have Tony Waiters, Tony DiCicco and a young man named John Murphy as the instructors for this course.  Tony Waiters and Tony DiCicco were each stars in their own right before becoming clinicians and I thoroughly enjoyed their presentations and learned so much from each of them about the fundamentals and some of the nuances of goalkeeping, but it was John Murphy who stole the show, in my opinion.

Before becoming the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's first Director of Goalkeeping, Tony Waiters had a long and distinguished playing career in England before turning to coaching / managing. He coached Team Canada in the '84 Olympics and '86 World Cup.   Waiters is the founder of World of Soccer which led to Total Player Development which in turn spawned  Byte Size Coaching.

Tony DiCicco is probably best known as the coach of the United States Women's National Team compiling an impressive record of 103-8-8. A lesser known aspect of his career is he started as the USWNT and Men's Under 20 National Team goalkeeper coach before getting the head women's job. In 1982 DiCicco founded Soccer Plus Goalkeeper School.  In 2006 he succeeded Waiters as Director of the Goalkeeper Institute for the NSCAA. 

John Murphy has coached in the college ranks and is currently at Anderson College. At the time of the coaching course I took he was the goalkeeper coach for the New England Revolution and soon to become goalkeeper coach of the Columbus Crew. Murphy has also coached Livingston of the Scottish First Division and in doing so became the first American to coach British professional soccer. Murphy remains on the National Staff for the NSCAA.

So, yeah, I was not exaggerating when I stated I was extremely fortunate to be a member of that particular goalkeeping course. I was also not kidding when I stated John Murphy stole the show.  The one point Murphy made and illustrated for us in both film sessions and on-field work was the fact that to be a good goalkeeper you must understand attacking soccer. In the film sessions Murphy broke down goals allowed by tracing them to their point of origin out on the pitch. More often than not he could trace a goal to a specific breakdown 30, 40 or even 50+ yards out on the pitch....  but he didn't just focus on the defensive break down. No, Murphy was interested in what the attacker(s) had done to create or force the break down.  Then he would look for, define and detail what defenders could have done differently to recover position preventing a cross or shot from being taken.  Murphy would then show us film of defenders and goalkeepers making the correct plays in similar situations.

The bottom line for me was coming out of that course with improved knowledge about goalkeeping and a vast appreciation for becoming a student of the art of goalkeeping and the overall game. Any goalkeeper I have worked with over the last couple of decades will surely tell you that I make them analyze every goal scored in a match - both allowed and scored for their team.  We trace goals back to their point of origin on the pitch and discuss what went right and / or what went wrong on the play. It is through studying the game from this perspective that I have come to understand attacking soccer.

Knowledge has a ripple effect as one thing learned leads to another avenue to explore. The cycle of learning never stops. And so it was that I realized there is real value to rotating players through a variety of positions. The back line positions are especially valuable in helping players learn a broader perspective of the game. Think about it for a minute, the whole of the game is before the backs. They are able to see the game unfold before them and if they are astute and wise, it is a learning experience for them in terms of attacking soccer as much and perhaps even more so than learning to be a defender.

This, of course, goes back to the idea of Total Soccer that advocates a nearly complete interchangeability in players manning positions on the pitch.  Versatility combined with specialization is the epitome of a modern soccer player.  It goes back to the 1980's business mantra of cross training employees in various roles within a business. Each player has a role to fill, but each players value is enhanced by his ability to fill multiple roles.

I have learned if a forward is struggling, the key to unlocking his potential might be a stint as a back and vice versa. We must be able to learn from the players we play against and then apply that knowledge against them. Some high school players are exceptional at this while others will obviously still need to work on developing this ability.  Make no mistake that as the modern game continues to evolve the value of an individuals Soccer IQ continues to increase in value as well. Close no doors to education. Kick them all in and learn as much as you can from every available source. That is the lasting lesson one John Murphy imparted to me.

Tactics are about manipulation of Space

Whenever two or more soccer coaches are gathered to talk about the nuances of the game talk invariably turns to formations, tactics and space. Formations are employed to accentuate certain and specific areas of space on the pitch that a team either wishes to deny to an opponent or utilize themselves to attack through. How a team manipulates space is its system of play. Specific tactical emphasis such as a pattern of play, particular combination play or purposefully channelling an attacker a certain direction serve to manipulate play towards or away from specific areas or space on the pitch.

In it's simplest form, when defending a team will want to deny space in front of the goal and when attacking will look to create space in front of the goal to be used only at the moment of striking a shot on goal. In a broader sense, manipulation of space must in each phase of the game and in each third of the field of play.

If a team wishes to attack directly they must preserve "negative space" between the opposing backs and their goal keeper until they are ready to play in that space. Target players playing in the seams between defending backs and defending midfielders are essential in keeping the defending backs high and negative space open while looking for vertical seams to attack through.

If a team is more about possessing the ball and building an attack, they will want forwards pushing the defending backs to create more space in front of them to possess the ball in. Possession teams are very much about changing the point of attack and forcing a defense to move laterally to create seems to attack through.

In summation, the coach needs to identify individual and collective strengths and weaknesses of his players. Then the coach must selection a formation that will accentuate strengths and cover weaknesses. Finally a decision needs to be made concerning space - how to deny space, how to create space and how to utilize space to his teams best advantage. This manipulation of space is what tactics are all about.

We need a new goalkeeper! Analyzing Goals.

Goalkeepers are the last line of defense. The lasting impression many will have when their team is scored upon is of the goalkeeper's failed attempt to prevent the score. Some will be supportive of the goalkeepers efforts and others will make comments like "He should've made that save!" or "We need a new goalkeeper!"

In the article I Learned Attacking Soccer from a Goalkeeper Coach I relate of learning the importance of analyzing goals from current Anderson College coach John Murphy. If we wish to prevent future goals we must learn from the goals we have allowed, and even those our team has scored. While it's easy to blame the goalkeeper as the last line of defense I have fond that less than 10% of high school goals scored can be solely attributed to goalkeeper error.

In reviewing video of a recent high school match it occurred to me the goals one team allowed were ideal to illustrate that goals often originate from far out on the pitch. There usually exists a chain of events that lead up to that heart dropping moment when the ball gets by the goalkeeper. The idea here is not to transfer blame from the goalkeeper to a field player, but to demonstrate that there is a shared responsibility.

We will need to set the background in order to develop as complete an understanding as possible. The defending team in this case plays a 1-4-3-3 formation with a well defined attacking system. It's defensive system is flawed both it construct and, of course, in execution. They employ a zonal back 4 with a holding mid and two attacking mids manning the midfield triangle. Three forwards with the wing forwards responsible for weak side width on defense.

GK = Goalkeeper
RB = Right Back
RCB = Right Center Back
LCB = Left Center Back
LB = Left Back
HM = Holding Midfielder
AM = Attacking Midfielder
RW = Right Wing Forward
CF = Center Forward
LW = Left Wing Forward

Goal #1

This goal is scored off a break away but actually originates from action off an opposition goal kick.

The opposing GK played a goal kick into a gusting wind of 15-20 mph. A wind of this strength indicates that a short goal kick is likely to occur. It is quite possible the ball might be blown back towards the GK if played high enough that the wind catches it. Therefore the defending teams forwards must not only guard against a short goal kick but also be prepared to play the anticipation area on a longer kick that will be played by their midfield or back line teammates.

In this case, the teams HM won a flighted ball with a leaping header playing the ball strongly back up the field. This is where the goal originates. There are only 3 opposing players in the anticipation area. Neither the AM's, or any of the three forwards are present to play their teammates header

Naturally an opponent won the ball and immediately made a long ground service through the defense. The best pass in soccer is one that successfully defeats as many opponents as possible. In this instance the pass defeated seven players -both AM's, the HM and the entire back line.

Film shows no pressure on the passer and both the LCB and RCB advanced 7-10 yards out of position. The pass went through the center channels to an opposing forward bending off a flat run behind the LCB and RCB.

It is important to note at this time that the RCB was not only advanced but also in the right outside channel. The LCB was even further advanced and in the right center channel. The teams LB was in the left center channel. This is an extremely odd deployment given the ball has been located located centrally in the teams atacking third. Only the teams RB appears to have been positioned properly and his role was being duplicated by the RCB.

It is also important to note that with no pressure on the ball carrier / passer the cue for the backs is to "retreat" in order to deny negative space between the backs and their GK. While two of the tactical cues for pressing were technically present - 50/50 ball and an opponent restart - it was within the purview of the midfielders to press, not the backs.

Because the RCB was out of position both vertically and horizontally his pursuit angle to the play actually cut off the pursuit of the RB effectively eliminating the RB from the play. And because the LB was positioned in the left central channel his pursuit angle was much sharper than it should have been effectively eliminating himself from the play. As the opposing forward had a 10 yard head start on the RCB and LCB and was noticeably faster than either of them this was essentially a 1 v GK situation beginning 45 yards out from goal.

With the ball 45 yards from goal and on the attackers foot, the GK's role of sweeper / keeper was effectively eliminated. His only choice was to give ground and establish himself inside the penalty area. The attackers next touch pushed the ball 20 yards forward for him to run onto. This is the touch that the GK needed to cue on. The ball would next be touched at a distance of 25 yards from goal. The attackers first touch essentially resulted in a 50 / 50 ball to be contested between the goalkeeper and the attacker.

Unfortunately the GK had retreated all the way to inside the goal area. From this position he could not challenge for the 50 / 50 ball created by the attackers first touch. When the ball is off the attackers foot, the GK must take ground and close down the distance between himself and the attacker at a pace that matches the attacker pace. The GK had retreated himself out of position to do this.

One more small touch by the attacker put the ball inside the penalty area and the next touch found side netting at the back post from a distance of 16 yards. The goalkeeper remained 3 yards off the line and dove laterally in an attempt to make the save. Even with an properly executed diagonally forward collapse dive he may not have been able to make the save from that near his own goal line.

From this analysis it should be clear the goal allowed was because of total team breakdown.

1) The forwards did not play the anticipation zone nor did any of them pressure the opponent who would make the through pass.

2) The AM's did not play the anticipation area or support in behind the HM. They also did not pressure the opponent who would make the through pass.

3) The center backs were far too aggressive in their advanced position and completely missed the cue for early retreat. Instead of denying or shrinking the negative space between them and their GK, they actually aided the opponents by creating more space behind them for the opponents to play into and utilize against them.

4) The LB was out of position in the central channel and effectively eliminated himself from the play due to having too sharpe of a pursuit angle to run down the break away.

5) The RB. although positioned properly might have had the best chance to prevent the break away had he not read the cue for early treat correctly and had been improperly positioned inside behind the advanced RCB.

6) The GK completely misread the cues and failed to challenge the 50/50 ball created by the attacker breaking through. In missing this play he also eliminated any chance to "come out and close down the angles"  as the attacker shot early from near the top of the penalty area. Lastly he dove laterally and again missed the opportunity to cut the angles on the shot.

Quite literally, all 11 players on the defending side played a role in this goal being scored against their team. A complete and total team breakdown on a play that originated 114 yards from their own goal.