Crawl, Walk, Run

I recently conducted a coaching clinic for a soccer organization. I gave a brief presentation on the idea of practices being preparation for matches with very little instructional coaching actually taking place on game day which is reserved for match (and training) analysis.  We then had an open question and answer period.  As is often the case many of the queries were about advanced skills and tactics.

One coach wanted to know how to teach shielding the ball from an opponent. I have seen her team play and to be perfectly blunt about things, they have trouble gaining possession of the ball. She has a bunch of go-getters that are often first to the ball which is different from actually winning the ball.  In order to shield the ball one must first be in possession of the ball, correct? 

I did not call out or chastise the coach in front of her peers.  I discussed the general concepts associated with shielding the ball and explained a couple of drills and ssg's designed to work on shielding.  I felt somewhat conflicted about this but 30 years of coaching experience has taught me coaches tend to be a strong willed tunnel vision lot.

As I drove home afterward the idea of soccer being a series of 1 v 1 battles with the winner usually being the team who wins the majority of these came to mind.  In the modern game, I do not believe this has the credence it once held.  Gone are the days of man-marking defenses that lent themselves to 1 v 1 confrontations all over the pitch.  Today's game requires attacking zonal defenses and that is usually accomplished by overloading a defender and creating numbers up situations for the attackers. And on defense pressing has been the trend which is being numbers up around the ball when defending. With this in mind, I once again considered the art of shielding the ball. 

In today's game the target forward probably shields the ball more than any other player on the pitch. Backs will shield the ball when running at their own goal, but running at your own goal is taboo in zonal defending so this should not be a regular occurrence. Checking back towards a ball being played to his feet the target will often have a defender in close proximity. The target must either sit in a post up position or come sideways on to the ball looking to immediately drop the ball back or self pass.  In either case the act of shielding is part of the act of receiving. Therefore, being first to the ball cannot be the entirety of the thought process. The target must be thinking of sustaining possession of the ball for his team.

Zonal defenses are designed to intercept "passes" and are by-and-large not tackling defenses. Pressure and support around the ball cutting off forward advancement. Intercept a pass and counter.  When tackling in a zonal defense the art of dribbling (not to be confused with running with the ball) is often the strategy of choice. This in and of itself might be considered a form of shielding, sort of.  I teach players to think of it as winning the ball to be followed by the execution of a safe pass to secure possession of the ball.

This brings us back to the coach wanting pointers about shielding the ball.  Regardless of whether we consider the game of yesteryear or today's modern game before we can shield the ball we must gain possession of the ball.  It stands to reason then, players must be taught how best to gain possession of the ball before learning how to maintain possession of the ball which shielding is a useful tool for doing. 

When I conduct a camp on attacking soccer one of the first questions I ask of a coach is, "where on the pitch is your defense designed to win the ball?"   Many coaches are taken aback by this question but it goes directly to what your team's style and system of play will be.  I can guarantee you this, if forethought is not given to this consideration your team's style of play will be direct - win the ball and go to goal.  Heck, winning the ball might not even be the primary consideration giving way to simply getting the ball moving towards the opponents goal which requires only being first to the ball.

Babies learn to crawl before they learn to walk and eventually run.  The same holds true in soccer.  The basic FUNdamentals need to be learned first.  How to gain possession of the ball considered before maintaining possession.  How to utilize possession to manipulate the defense comes after winning the ball and securing possession.  Can we really expect soccer athletes to understand and execute advanced techniques and team tactics without first having a solid foundation in the basic FUNdamentals? 

Little Things Make a Big Difference

If you have been around sports for any length of time at all you have undoubtedly heard a coach state that it is the little things that make the difference between winning and losing, between being good and being great.  I mention The Details of the Process on a regular basis.  That coaches constantly speak about the "little things" is testimony to their importance, but how often do you find the "little things" identified?

Toes up / Heel down / Strike with the ankle bone ... these are little technical things that make a difference.

Here is a small tactical detail to remember that can make a significant difference in a teams ability to defend.

Great defensive teams move on the movement of the ball.

 

Poor defensive teams move on the completed pass.

 

 

Think of the times you have seen a team chasing the ball around the field as the opposing team strings pass after pass together. Perhaps you have even been on a team that has chased the ball around the field?  Not much fun is it?  And it is physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. In a word, it can be demoralizing.  To prevent this from happening TEAMS must defend as if they have one heartbeat shared by 11 players.  Great defensive teams know everytime the ball moves they must collectively move with it.

 

What about great offensive teams?

 

 

Great offensive teams move before the ball moves.

  

Poor offensive teams move when or after the ball moves.

 

 

Small but subtle differences between defending and attacking.  "Little things"  that make profound differences in the quality of play. Good teams pay attention to the details of the process. Great teams never allow themselves to become bored with the details of the process.  It's a matter of choice.  Choose wisely for the quality of your game depends upon it.

 

 





Defending to Attack

The ideas represented here are from an article originally presented to me by Graham Ramsay that I later edited and adapted for presentation to one of my teams. We played zonal defense so the approach to defending and regaining possession is with that in mind.

DEFENDING TO ATTACK

 

There are two reasons to defend; 1) To prevent the opponent from scoring and 2) to win the ball and begin an attack so that we can score. Making positive decisions when defending is the key to winning R.P.’s that can be a deciding factor in winning a game. What is an R.P.? An R.P. is a REGAINED POSSESSION – or winning the ball back when it has been lost.

 

How do we win R.P.’s?

Value the Ball

Matches are not won quickly.

 Matches are not lost quickly.

Matches are 90 minutes long.

Matches are played one possession at a time.
 

Matches are won one possession at a time. 

 

Matches are lost one possession at a time. 

 

Value the ball.

The Circle Game

I have had a request to share one of the exercises we use in camps settings.  I have never given it a proper name usually referring to it simply as The Circle Game.  This is an intensely demanding game on every level.  With this in mind a proper Introduction is in order.
 

The genesis of this exercise grew from a need to increase the pace or speed of play. I noticed that many of the players we work with play “one decision soccer”.  That is, the focus is on gaining possession of the ball either by receiving it from a teammate, intercepting a pass or winning what we call a 50/50 ball.  My observation was little thought being given towards what to do with the ball until after possession was secured. I wanted a training game that would force players to plan ahead what they would do with the ball before they received it.

As coaches are want to do, I poached the general idea behind this game from something I saw presented at a coaching clinic.  The premise of the clinic presentation was increasing the speed of play by forcing players out of their comfort zone.  The clinician speeded up the physical aspects of play under the assumption the mental, psychological, technical and tactical facets of play would follow along.

Dennis Mueller's Daily Footwork Exercies.

Dennis Mueller had an Internet link to his Daily Footwork Exercises at one time.  The link I had is no longer working. If I find an active one I will post it here.

Daily Footwork Drill

FAST FOOTWORK

1. Inside Roll -- Roll the ball across your body from outside to inside with the inside and sole of the foot and stop the ball with the inside of the other foot.
2. Outside Roll -- Roll the ball across your body from inside to outside with the outside and sole of the foot and stop the ball with the inside of the same foot.
3. Side to Side Push-Pull -- Tap ball back and forth with inside of feet, push ball forward with one foot and pull it back the sole of the opposite foot.
4. Side to Side Step-On -- Roll ball to outside with the sole by stepping lightly on the ball, then tap ball back to the inside with the inside of the foot.
5. Side to Side Front Roll --Tap ball back and forth with inside of feet, push ball slightly forward then pull the ball across your body with the front part of the sole.
6. Pull Instep Push -- Push ball forward and pull it back with the sole, then tap ball forward with the instep of the same foot.
7. Pull a Vee -- Push the ball forward and pull it back the sole of the foot while turning and then take the ball with the inside of the same foot.
8. Pull & Take with Outside of Foot -- Push the ball forward and pull the ball back with the sole then push the ball diagonally forward with the outside of the foot.
9. Pull & Roll Behind -- Push the ball forward and pull the ball back with the sole of the foot then pass the ball behind the standing leg with the inside of the foot. Control the ball with the sole of the other foot. feet.
10. Pull turn --Push ball forward with one foot and pull it back with the other while turning toward ball and take the ball in the opposite direction with the inside of the first foot.
11. Inside of foot turn -- Push ball forward, move past ball and turn toward ball and take it with the inside of the foot in the opposite direction.
12. Outside of foot turn -- Push ball forward, move past ball and turn toward ball while taking it with the outside of the foot in the opposite direction.
13. Cruyff -- Push the ball forward, fake kick with inside of foot, but instead pull ball behind the standing leg and change directions.
14. Stepover Turn -- Push ball forward, step over ball with one foot, turn toward ball and take it in the opposite direction.
15. Full Sole Roll -- Roll the sole of one foot forward over the ball and to the outside so the ball stops against your heel. Turn and take the ball with the sole of the other foot with a Step-On.
16. Scissors -- Starting with the ball to one side, step over or in front of ball so that the ball ends up on the other side of you. Take theball in the opposite direction with the outside of the other foot and then stop ball with the sole of the first foot.
17. 360 -- Push ball forward, stop it with the sole of one foot while stepping past it, turn and drag ball back with sole of other foot, continue turning all the way around and take the ball with the inside of the first foot.
18. Kick Over ball -- Kick over ball with inside of foot then pull it back with the sole of the same foot.

Possession Soccer

 

The intent is not to move the ball,

 

Rather to move the opposition

 

So the ball can be moved towards goal

 

Via the path of least resistance.

 

 

How about a fallacy of the game?

I have previously written about Truths of the Game. If we accept that there are indeed truths of the game then by extension we must also admit there are fallacies of the game.  Today, I am going to take a look at one of the great fallacies of the game:  A possession based system of play cannot be utilized without technically sound players.

This is an argument I hear all the time and one I have proven to be false time and again.

Let's begin by asking the obvious question: How "technical" do players have to be before they can play a possession based style of play? Is there some magical standard for technical excellence to meet before possession play can be considered and if so, what is that standard?  How is it defined?

Perhaps we need to look at a second question even as we consider the first, What is possession play? How do we define  possession play?

You see, this fallacy of the game is accepted because of an assumed logic attached to it. And we all know that to assume makes an ass our of u and me, right?  

Space = time.

This is a generally accepted concept of playing soccer. So, when it comes to playing possession based soccer shouldn't the question be: How much space / time do your players require to be technically sound?

Now, if your vision as a coach is to play a possession based style, your challenge is to help your team manipulate space / time in such a manner that they can execute technique proficiently or at least sufficiently in.  It stands to reason players and teams with weaker technical abilities must provide themselves more space / time to execute in. In this manner, through the use of tactics, any team can play a possession based style of play provided they understand how to recognize, create and utilize (manipulate) space / time to their advantage.

If your definition of possession is the ability to play keep-away under match conditions you are not likely to experience a lot of success without technically gifted players. But possession based soccer is not about being able to string 10+ passes together.  Possession soccer is simply the ability to move the ball into position for a shot to be taken and this should be accomplished by the fewest amount of successful consecutive passes as possible.

Simply find the path of least resistance to goal.  That requires identification and utilization of space and time commensurate with the technical abilities the players possess.  This is the fundamental attribute of any system of play.

What I expect players to see and execute on the pitch.

It seems difficult for many youth players to understand that purposeful off-the-ball movement predicates the movement of the ball when attacking. There are so many advantages to moving without the ball it really is a wonder players do not embrace this idea more than they do.

If you watch a typical youth soccer game there certainly is off-the-ball movement but it will mainly consist of teammates of the ball carrier running in the same direction as the ball carrier and at the same pace as the ball carrier. These movements are usually accompanied by cries of "play me through" or "cross the ball!" Watch off-the-ball action when a cross is about to be made. Typically the potential targets for the cross are aligned with the crosser rather than trailing and staggered near to far.  In the grand scheme of things defenses like this type of straight line off-the-ball movement.  It is predictable and rather easily defended in comparision to other possibilities.

The purpose of off-the-ball movement is to move the defense.  I call it manipulating the defense. We want to move individual defenders in a manner that causes the defense to lose shape opening seams that our team can attack through. Purposeful off-the-ball movement can make attacking so much easier.

Let's look at some examples of purposeful off-the-ball movement.   A forward who makes a run at the backs only to execute a "V" cut and show back for the ball will 1) push the defense back and then 2) draw defenders forward as he receives the ball at his feet. This is simple target play but the benefits can be enormous. If the target forward plays the way he faces, that is he drops the ball back to a midfielder or his withdrawn partner forward and takes a diagonal step or two away from the pass, the defense is likely to step forward again opening up the possibility to play a third man running in behind the  defense.

Two forwards making simultaneous runs across the face of the defense can bring the defense to one side of the pitch. Whether the runs are diagonal or flat to be bent off, the first can often serve as a decoy to open space for the second runner to be played to. The combined movement of the two forwards in one direction across the defense can open space on the back side of their runs for a ball to be played into against the flow of the defense.

When the ball carrier is under light to moderate pressure a strong diagonal run toward him from in front can set up a wall pass or give and go sequence. This purposeful isolation of a single defender to play 2 v 1 against him is known as playing numbers up, something teams should want to do as often as possible both on attack and when defending.  The overlap sequence is another example of isolating a defender and playing 2 v 1 against him.  These are situations that create or extend time on the ball for the ball carrier and when combined with the type of forward play described above the effects on the defense can be devastating.

Simple switching of the attack forces a defense to move.  When accomplished through the backline the actual off-the-ball movement might be slight in terms of those actively involved in the switch, but what of the forwards and mids in front of the action? Player movement away from the eventual destination of the switch even as others are moving toward that destination forces the defenders to watch contrasting movement - do they follow the ball and general flow of play or mark the runners against the grain thereby guarding against a quick switch back by the attackers?

Deception, sneakiness or clever play are all a part of off-the-ball movement.   A simple takeover well executed can serve to change the flow of play and even the point of attack suddenly. If the player gaining possession on a takeover is able to pass to a player making a strong diagonal run in the original direction of play a double sudden change of attack can occur that correspondingly forces two quick changes of directions from defenders.

Introducing purposeful off-the-ball movement can be difficult and often requires a lot of pattern play followed by shadow play just to establish the ideas talked about in this article. Patience will be rquired.  Lots of explanations and demonstrations as to why players need to move purposefully without the ball will be necessary. Any means necessary to help players visualize and see the disruptions off-the-ball movement creates in a defense. You may have to sell  some on these ideas more than others.  Many players look at purposeful off-the-ball movement as a lot of work in comparision to how they have always been allowed to play and will be reluctant to buy-in until they experience success.  the effort put into teaching and developing purposeful off-the-ball movement will pay off in enhanced attacking play resulting in more goal scoring opportunites. And often in better goal scoring opportunities!

Playing quickly is all about allowing the ball to do the work for you.

Much has been written on these pages about playing quickly.  Playing fast actually has as much or more to do with the thought process as it does with actual physical speed. Learning to allow the ball to do the work for you is part of the maturation process youth soccer players go through.

The key is to give the ball and get the ball with efficiency limiting play to between 1 - 3 touches on the ball.

Holding onto the ball too long or taking excessive touches serves to draw defenders to you and allows others to organize their defense around you. Chances of losing possession of the ball increase expotentially with each successive touch taken. Excessive touches can also kill an attack by turning teammates into spectators. If a player is unwilling to pass the ball his teammates will become unwilling to put forth efort to prepare to receive the ball from that player. This stagnates the attack..

The key to quick play is being prepared to receive the ball at all times. Moving without the ball so as to be in the vision of the teammate about to receive the ball provides options. Having options for play leads to creativity and unpredictability in our play. Body positioning with hips open to the ball and as much of the field as possible before receiving is a king consideration. Having a plan for playing the ball before you receive it is essential. This will allow you to play the ball in one or two touches or take space if it is available.

In short, quick play in soccer is all about preparation to get and give the ball.  Purposeful off the ball movement allows for the ball to be moved quickly. It is all about allowing the ball to do as much work as possible for you.  A simple tried and true demonstration can be used to illustrate this.  Have two of your fastest players, each with a soccer ball stand at the center line.  On command have one pass the ball to the top of the 18 and the other run with the ball at his feet to the top of the 18. The pass wins every time. 

If before you receive the ball you know you will have space to advance into, by all means take that space.  However, it is important to recognize the purpose of taking space is not only to advance the ball but also to engage defenders or the goalkeeper - that ultimately we take space to give up the ball via pass or shot. We should seek to purposefully engage a defender drawing him in and then release the ball via pass or shot just as they are about to close you down and attempt a tackle.

Just as excessive touches on the ball by an individual player can slow play and break the rhythm of the attack and even that of the game, a team that shares the ball utilizing a minimum of quick touches will play hard for one another and establish a tempo and flow that can frustrate opposing defenders.  When the ball is doing a lot of the work it is not necessary to have great physical speed to play soccer quickly. As Johan Cruyff said, "Soccer is a game that's played with the brain."  Preparation, the speed of thought, the decision-making process and quick skillful execution utilizing the least amount of touches possible are the keys to fast play.

Match Hazards: Wind

Coaches and players will encounter "match hazards" or conditions that can impact the quality of play. It is good to have a plan prepared before match time to deal with these. We will look at some of these hazards, possible coaching instructions and team management or tactical solutions that could enhance results. We will address common match hazards and progress to others of the course of the series. 

Wind

Strong winds can present very real tactical difficulties to consider. If given the choice, take the wind in the first half of the match. There exists the chance the wind could die down for the second half.  This can be especially true for twilight games.  However, it's always good to check hour to hour weather forecast on a smart phone during pregame.  Take every advantage you can, even technological ones brought to you by smart phones.

Five Golden Rules of Soccer

Previously we looked at the 10 Commandments of Soccer and the 7 Deadly Sins of Soccer  so I thought I would present the Five Golden Rules of Soccer today.  As with many rules, there might be exceptions, but these are good rules of thumb to keep in mind when playing.

1) The key to scoring is controlling the ball.

This is true from both the individual (first touch) and collective (possession) perspectives.

2) Make sure your teammates know where you are or can find you easily.

It's all about support.  Constantly ask yourself, "Where on the field do I need to be in the next 5 seconds?"

3) Don't dive in!

Is it ever wrong to play contain or delay defense?  Remember the cues for when to attempt a tackle: if the ball is between the attackers feet you can be beaten to either side.  Wait until the ball is outside of the attackers foot prints or he misplays it too far away from his feet.

4) Receive the ball away from Pressure.

Use your first touch to change the direction the ball moving it away from pressure and out of the pursuit path of the defender. Receive the ball across your body whenever possible.

5) Keep your photo album updated.

Don't get caught watching the ball or the action around the ball.  See the whole field.  Constantly survey the pitch to know where your teammates are, where available space is and any danger the opponents might present.

Attacking Play

 

Gain Possession

 

Maintain Possession

 

Utilize Possession

 

Strike on Goal!

Crossing the Soccer Ball.

What I am about to write will seem sacrilegious to soccer purists, but if you bear with me I think you will eventually understand the point being made.  The traditional crossing of the soccer ball is the most inefficient tactic for scoring the soccer ball in the game today. 

For years I have taught my teams to deny the opponents cross. The foundation of any good defensive scheme is to take away what the offense wants to do. In soccer finishing off crosses has long been a   staple of training around the globe. So, I have for years instructed my outside defenders to turn the ball inside toward their center backs thus denying the opponents the traditional cross.  This simply makes sense and I have noticed ever increasing numbers of teams adapting this strategy.

My own teams rarely practice crossing the ball in a traditional sense - driving the ball down the flank to the 18 extended and crossing into the space directly in front of the face of the goal. We do practice taking the ball to the end line and engaging the goalkeeper then slotting it back between the penalty mark and the top of the 18 - the bangoo.

I always try to stay ahead of developments in the game. My teams played zonal long before it became popular to do so. As I just stated, my teams rarely cross the ball in a traditional sense. We are different yet highly successful. Perhaps we are successful because we are different?

The traditional cross was viewed as a fundamental strategy when playing against a diamond man-marking stopper / sweeper system. It was intelligent play to shift the diamond towards one side of the field and play back against its grain to generate scoring opportunities. With zonal defenses being the staple of todays defending schemes that strategy is not nearly as effective unless a team over shifts its entire back line to ball side. If the backs remain in their channels it renders crossing the ball far less effective.

Changes to combat zonal defending schemes are driving todays game like never before. This is something I noticed 4-5 years ago and resulted in a different approach for our offense being developed. As I said, my teams have never been ones to spend much time in training on finishing off crosses. I have always considered this to be an inefficient means of generating quality scoring chances. We have always looked for different means to advance the ball into scoring position.

The head high school coach I worked as an assistant under was the first to utilize a zonal defense in our area. Our school was way ahead of the game in that regard and it was ultra effective. He was also a possession style coach for attacking the opponents goal.  Those teams were great defensively and struggled to score. A typical score would be a 1 - 0 victory and we were the dominant team in the area.  I remember countless discussions with that coaching staff on how to generate more goals.

Possession in those days and on those teams saw a primary focus on the number of passes a team could string together. Training games were built around this and those teams became pretty impressive in building up the number of consecutive passes they could make in playing keep-away. That was also the rub - playing keep-away doesn't do much for you if the intent is to score goals.

As a head coach in both the scholastic and club ranks I have stuck with zonal defending and a possession style attack, but it would be unrecognizable to those old teams. The foundation for our attacking philosophies are rooted in my love for basketball. I remember legendary coach Bob Knight instructing at one of his camps that you had to move the ball from side to side to open seams in a moving defense through which to attack.  Attacking zonal defenses in soccer works the same way. The beauty of this is it also works extremely well against man marking systems of defending.

So while traditional crossing of the soccer ball has been increasingly looked at as an outdated low percentage means of generating quality scoring opportunities the value of intelligent crossing of the ball has actually risen.

A 2010 study of the UEFA Champions League saw that while 16% of goals scored came from traditional crosses only 1 in 92 crosses resulted in a goal being scored. An efficiency rating of .01%. Yikes! Here's another interesting statistic from that study, possession was lost 73% of the time a traditional cross was made. In fact, the study suggests the cross is so inefficient teams would score .57 of a goal more per game if they abandoned the cross entirely. 

Comparisons between qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup and qualifying for this summers World Cup also bolster the idea traditional crossing is becoming less prevalent in the game. There were over 3 fewer crosses per match in this last round of qualifying than there had been in the previous.

Tiki-Taka or touch-touch is surely responsible for some of this as possessions became longer and by extension fewer over the course of a match. Yet, tiki-taka was exposed in this summers World Cup for being nearly as ineffective as the traditional crossing style has become. So, what's going on?

To begin with, tiki-taka is basically what those high school teams I referenced earlier played in the late 1990's and early 2000's.  Those teams won games with typical scores of 1-0 or 2-1. They possessed the ball. They made opponents chase the ball. That is tiki-taka soccer. The underlying premise being the opponent cannot score if you possess the ball. However, the priority in tiki-taka is not about possessing to attack.

Over the last half dozen years I have directed and urged my teams to find the path of least resistance to goal. We do not work on traditional crosses at all. We do still work on the bangoo cross. And we work on early crosses as if it were a religion.  I provide two simple templates or patterns for advancing the ball up the field with both relying heavily on having at least two complete changes of field. If we can change the point of attack with one huge cross, I love it. If it must be done by 2 or 3 shorter passes, I still like it. But then the ball must immediately begin it's journey back across the pitch as we enter the final third. This can be done by another cross or by a player carrying the ball across. The entire premise is to force a defense to move to one flank then catch them moving in recovery to the other flank.  Flat or square passes are near useless as they do not force a defense to change its vertical positioning on the pitch. The key is for diagonal crosses. This is heretical to traditionalists who have long viewed the flat or square cross from the 18 extended to be the option of choice in attacking the oppositions goal.

Today's crosses must be diagonal, early and repetitive to be effective in moving zonal defenses not only channel to channel but also vertically up and down the pitch. Moving zonal defenses vertically is the key to opening seams to attack through.  And you know what?  It works against man-marking systems as well!  I do not have a formal name like "tiki-taka" for what we do. I call it possessing to attack although possessing to score might be a better description.

Now that the game seems to be catching up with our defensive philosophy I am strongly considering inviting the opponents to cross the ball in a traditional sense. We have the results and the stats to prove we can win convincingly by possessing to score through intentionally manipulating a defense. From what I am seeing the game is moving in this direction on the world stage right on down to the club and now high school ranks.  This is the driving force behind the ever more popular 4-2-3-1 formation we are seeing - opening flank play for the purpose of early crosses with an emphasis on intentionally orchestrated versatility in the attacking third of the pitch.

Traditions are great but like everything else in life they must also change with the times The new traditional cross is the early and repeated cross before reaching the attacking third.  The 4-2-3-1 formation opens the space on the flanks for this to occur. Whereas early penetration followed by successful use of width was once the accepted formula for attacking, the modern game sees utilization of width to open seams through which to penetrate as the emerging norm for attacking play.

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.

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.

Move. Control. Pass. Move.

A couple weeks ago during a discussion analyzing a teams play I made the following statement, "I don't know that they have the technical excellence to play possession soccer."  That comment has haunted me for several days. I awoke this morning with a better understanding of why.

Possession soccer is actually quite simple to play from the standpoint of technical skill.

Technically all a player must have in his arsenal are two basic skills he has been working on since his very first practices.  1) The ability to control the ball and 2) the ability to pass the ball. 

The picture of possession soccer many of us have involves a series of short secure passes that move the ball about the pitch quickly in a variety of directions. This description infers possession soccer is a slow probing style of attacking soccer. That does not have to be the case at all. The pace of play sessions I conduct at camps are all about possessing the ball at pace after all. In fact, we have achieved some very good results in increasing the pace of play with teams whose technical skill level could be described as average at best.

Why?

More on Decision Making in Soccer

Much of yesterdays focus was on the decisions that need to be made when an individual is in possession of the ball.  As I re-read that article I decided the next natural progression is to take a look at how to make those decisions. Training players in the art of decision making is perhaps most overlooked facet of the game here in the United States.  I would like to change that even it it is one camp at a time.

A significant part of the problem is the emphasis placed on winning youth soccer matches. In recreational leagues winning is often fueled by the coaches need to win to prove his worth as a coach. Parents certainly get caught up with winning as this seems to somehow validate their child's rank at the head of his class? I am not against winning, per se.  No, I am against winning at the expense of proper development. What does this have to do with decision making in the game of soccer?

Glad you asked!

At the youngest and most basic levels of the game it is often the biggest, strongest, fastest kids that dominate through natural ability. Even as the players grow older and the level of play advances play often remains pretty much the same. Teams look to "play through" fast forwards in pursuit of goals. It is dump and run soccer. It also limits the decision making process by all but eliminating other choices or options. The method of attack when in possession of the ball becomes very predictable thereby actually increasing the risk factor with every successive through ball played.

I refer to the thought process behind this style of soccer as "See ball. Win ball. Whack ball."

Okay, at the better levels of club and high school soccer it is more than that, but often times not much more. When conducting speed or pace of play camps for teams I attempt to redefine the way most players think the game. Even though see ball, win ball, whack ball has three parts it is basically one decision soccer. What I mean by this is the decision for what to do with the ball is made when the ball has been won. I believe the key is to make the decision on how to play the ball before your first touch.

Once again, I am going to leave you the reader hanging as I want you to ponder the significance of timing in the decision making process.  Until tomorrow.....

The point of possession is to create

numerical advantage so as to attack the

opposition in a fashion that will lead

to a GOAL for your team.

My goal is to win the next game

one possession at a time.