I might have titled this article Sequence of Touches for proper use of the sequence of touches will prevent a lot of poor first touches on the soccer ball. Everyone can identify obvious poor first touch. In watching a match today time and again players for one team had what their coach refers to as a heavy first touch. This simply means the first touch a player has on the ball is played too far away from him to control the ball. In effect a 50/50 ball is created by the players first touch.
That's the simple description or observation. We must once again revisit my favorite question if we are to solve this problem? Why do the players have a heavy first touch?
Too often the player receiving is unprepared to receive the ball and has no idea what he will do with it once he does receive it. A common scene is a heavy touch back in the direction the ball just came from. This isn't so much a technical consideration as it is a tactical consideration. If the player knew his next play before his first touch he could prepare for it by properly positioning himself to execute that play. Then instead of heavy first touches right back into pressure we might see the proper sequence of touches being utilized.
There is also a shared responsibility with the passer to deliver a proper pass. The pass needs to be to the correct foot leading the receiver into his next play. The pass must have proper weight behind it - pace. And when you pass the ball you must also pass information to the intended target.
These are but a few of the technical and tactical considerations that make the difference between a successful pass and a lost possession. One of our camp themes is based on pace of play and involves playing two-touch and eventually one-touch soccer. I warn coaches this camp experience will start off U-G-L-Y but with patience by midweek we will turn the corner. The reason for this is breaking down old habits and forming new habits. We basically retrain individual players and the collective teams brain - the way they think about passing and receiving. In doing so, things like heavy first touches disappear over the course of a few short camp sessions. We then leave it up to the coaching staff to continually reinforce the basic tenets of our philosophy on passing and receiving.
And trust me, we haven't re-invented the wheel. What we do is not radical and shouldn't be considered revolutionary. We simply teach the kids the proper details in the process of passing and receiving the ball in a manner that they take to with eagerness. The vast majority of players never learn these methods coming up through the youth ranks. As a result, key components in their thought process take place out of sequence with results like poor first touch.
Interested in learning more? Contact us and allow us to help you and your team out.
567-204-6083
tbrown@wcoil.com
Welcome to the web home of Conceive Believe Achieve Soccer. We specialize in conducting high school team camps. This website began as a means to promote our camps and keep campers informed of upcoming opportunities. There are now over 650 articles archived here. Use the search function in the right hand column below to find ones on topic for you. You may contact us at coachtjbrown@gmail.com or 567-204-6083 Thanks for visiting!
Showing posts with label receiving and passing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label receiving and passing. Show all posts
Saturday
Friday
"Football is a simple game
based on the giving and taking of passes,
of controlling the ball
and of making yourself available
to receive a pass.
It is terribly simple."
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly was a Scottish soccer player and manager. He is probably best known as the coach of Liverpool where he earned the reputation for being one of the games great managers.
Tuesday
Four Phases of Development. Part II
This is the second installment of a four part series looking at the development phases for youth soccer. I believe one of the priorities in coaching is to prepare those who wish to move on to a higher level to do so. It is with that premise in mind that I write today. I am going to look at a microcosm of the overall developmental process - U6 through U19 or Kindergarten through the end of high school. So, the end game here would be to prepare an athlete to play in college or professionally.
Part II
Passion - strong and barely controllable emotion.
The ages of 10 through 13 years of age are when a passion for the game fires up.
These are the years of rapid growth as players emotionally, mentally and physically begin to transform themselves and mature. These are also transitional years in the development of soccer players that see focus shift from a primary emphasis on skill development towards tactical application of skills in the game environment. Both work loads and work rates increase as the ability to concentrate and focus strengthen and mental toughness begins to develop. Coaching begins to transition from predominantly enthusiastic toward introducing an element of being more demanding.
Receiving - The player's first touch on the ball. Receiving on the move. Playing bouncing balls cleanly. Taking a ball out of the air. Turning with the ball as part of the reception.
Shielding - The ability to maintain the ball under pressure remains critical but should in some ways diminish as other skills become stronger decreasing the need to employ shielding skills as often.
Combining Dribbling and Footwork to maintain possession while defeating an opponent through individual moves or combination passing.
Passing - The ability to accurately convey the ball to a teammate with appropriate pace. Developing knowledge of both how to and when to pass short, intermediate or long and the techniques for doing so. The push pass remains the primary pass but the ability to play a driven ball, a bent ball, a chip using various surfaces of the foot become a stronger focus.
Contain - The ability to be patient on defense. Stay in front of the ball carrier to slow forward progress of the attack.
Force - The ability to take options away from a ball carrier and make him predictable thereby allowing your teammates to easily provide defensive help.
Tackling - Teach the cues for when it is appropriate to tackle as well as the proper technique for doing so. Do NOT attempt to tackle when the ball is between the ball carriers feet. Stay BIG when tackling. Do not dive in, stab or turn sideways.
Tactics the Passion stage of development should focus on developing pace of play through the ability to make quality decisions under pressure.
Psychological Training - Training and playing should remain FUN! Exploration of the game should be encouraged to foster imaginative and creative problem solving abilities. Mistakes are still okay. Mistakes are still learning opportunities. Discipline increases as demands increase.
The Game - 4 v 4 without goalkeepers or 5 v 5 with goalkeepers remains a staple of training. The game itself moves to 11 v 11 and focuses on developing and sustaining a coordinated effort to establish rhythm when attacking and developing and sustaining a coordinated effort focused on disrupting and destroying the opponents rhythm when defending.
Part II
Passion - strong and barely controllable emotion.
The ages of 10 through 13 years of age are when a passion for the game fires up.
These are the years of rapid growth as players emotionally, mentally and physically begin to transform themselves and mature. These are also transitional years in the development of soccer players that see focus shift from a primary emphasis on skill development towards tactical application of skills in the game environment. Both work loads and work rates increase as the ability to concentrate and focus strengthen and mental toughness begins to develop. Coaching begins to transition from predominantly enthusiastic toward introducing an element of being more demanding.
Receiving - The player's first touch on the ball. Receiving on the move. Playing bouncing balls cleanly. Taking a ball out of the air. Turning with the ball as part of the reception.
Shielding - The ability to maintain the ball under pressure remains critical but should in some ways diminish as other skills become stronger decreasing the need to employ shielding skills as often.
Dribbling - The ability to run with the ball becomes more important as a tactical consideration. Decision making begins to enter the equation on a grander scale. Learning how and when to engage an opposing defender to create numerical advantage becomes a focus.
Footwork - Applying moves to beat an opponent with forethought and intention. It's not enough to simply defeat an opponent. We learn how to set an opponent up to be defeated in a certain manner that is to our best advantage.
Combining Dribbling and Footwork to maintain possession while defeating an opponent through individual moves or combination passing.
Passing - The ability to accurately convey the ball to a teammate with appropriate pace. Developing knowledge of both how to and when to pass short, intermediate or long and the techniques for doing so. The push pass remains the primary pass but the ability to play a driven ball, a bent ball, a chip using various surfaces of the foot become a stronger focus.
Shooting - The ability to score the ball. Combining receiving and passing skills. Developing the ability to score on the move, off runs, on the turn, from crosses and from volleys - half and full. It is important to establish an ability to score from a variety of angles using a variety of skills.
Contain - The ability to be patient on defense. Stay in front of the ball carrier to slow forward progress of the attack.
Force - The ability to take options away from a ball carrier and make him predictable thereby allowing your teammates to easily provide defensive help.
Tackling - Teach the cues for when it is appropriate to tackle as well as the proper technique for doing so. Do NOT attempt to tackle when the ball is between the ball carriers feet. Stay BIG when tackling. Do not dive in, stab or turn sideways.
Tactics the Passion stage of development should focus on developing pace of play through the ability to make quality decisions under pressure.
1 v 1
Attacking - striking a balance between maintaining possession and taking risks predicated on where the ball is on the pitch.
Defending - how to pressure from in front, behind or the side. Channeling attackers to make them predictable. Pursuit angles to where the ball will be.
Small group tactics continue in 2 v 1, 2 v 2, 3 v 1, 3 v 2, 3 v 3, 4 v 1, 4 v 2, 4 v 3 and 4 v 4.
Attacking - Maintaining possession through support ad combination play. Introduction of Penetration, Depth, Width and Mobility as elements of the game. Simply set pieces for restarts.
Defending - As a group and with intent. Pressure including the angle of approach, bounce step, channeling and making the ball carrier predictable. Combined with defensive spacing in the former of cover. Difference between and value of intercepting passes as opposed to tackling the ball away.
Team
Attacking - Gain and maintain pressure. Safe Pass as a means to establish rhythm. Play away from pressure. Penetration, Depth, Width and Mobility. Spacing and Balance. Interchanging positions through the run of play.
Defending - Coordinated pressing to regain possession. Recovering behind the ball to establish defensive shape while teammates are pressing. Line of Confrontation is introduced. The difference between containing an attacking and destroying an attack - when each is appropriate.
System of Play - The relationship between attacking, defending and transitioning from one to the other. They must fit together in a cohesive plan with each position and positional unit knowing how they link with other positions and positional units within the system of play.
Positions - Players should continue to be given access to explore all positions. Interchangeability is becoming an ever increasing consideration in modern systems of play that specialization at this age is no longer an option. This is the only way to develop an awareness for the game in its entirety. Emphasis must be on developing an understanding of all principles of play and exposing the player to the total game.
Positions - Players should continue to be given access to explore all positions. Interchangeability is becoming an ever increasing consideration in modern systems of play that specialization at this age is no longer an option. This is the only way to develop an awareness for the game in its entirety. Emphasis must be on developing an understanding of all principles of play and exposing the player to the total game.
Formation - At one time there was a huge emphasis on playing either a 3-4-3 or a 4-3-3 formation during the developmental stages of youth soccer. I personally believe with the growing emphasis on playing Total Soccer or having complete interchangeability of players in the game formational considerations are not what they once were. It is true that some formations do provide artificial sub formations of triangles and diamonds conducive to passing or defending and the corresponding support angles. However, todays game increasingly calls for players to recognize, create and utilize these concepts in a disciplined free wheeling environment.
Physical Training - Any and all fitness work at these ages should be done with the ball. Both dynamic (pre-game or pre-training) and static (post game or post training) stretching should become a staple. Core training for strength, explosiveness, balance and agility should begin to be introduced.
Physical Training - Any and all fitness work at these ages should be done with the ball. Both dynamic (pre-game or pre-training) and static (post game or post training) stretching should become a staple. Core training for strength, explosiveness, balance and agility should begin to be introduced.
Psychological Training - Training and playing should remain FUN! Exploration of the game should be encouraged to foster imaginative and creative problem solving abilities. Mistakes are still okay. Mistakes are still learning opportunities. Discipline increases as demands increase.
The Game - 4 v 4 without goalkeepers or 5 v 5 with goalkeepers remains a staple of training. The game itself moves to 11 v 11 and focuses on developing and sustaining a coordinated effort to establish rhythm when attacking and developing and sustaining a coordinated effort focused on disrupting and destroying the opponents rhythm when defending.
Monday
Intelligent Effort or A Ball and a Wall
Over the years I have listened to many a young player tell me they want to play in college, play professional and make the USMNT. There is a huge difference between wanting to do something and actually accomplishing what you want to do.
Anyone who plays the game, wants to be that guy who scores the game winning goal in the World Cup final. A very select few are ever in a position to do so and fewer still actually do score the winning goal in a World Cup final.
The bridge between "want to" and actual achievement is work and more precisely, working intelligently.
I have watched young players work tireless on their game. They work to master foot skills and moves to beat an opponent. They can juggle proficiently. In a 1 v 1 environment they look like the next great one. More often than not they are left to wonder why no academy program or major college is recruiting them. They cannot figure out why their path to glory is seemingly blocked.
How many young players have you seen who are capable of passing accurately with either foot for distances of 10 yards, 20 yards and 30 yards?
All the fancy footwork in the world will not make you an elite soccer player. Sean Garnier is a Freestyle World Champion, but is unlikely to ever score a game winning goal in the World Cup. Mr. Woo is amazing but he isn't going to be seen scoring that World Cup winning goal either. So, how do you become Super Mario Gotze?
Receiving and passing.
Watch Gotze's game winning goal once again. He receives the ball and passes it into the net. Now, the reception was difficult - he took it off his chest while directing the ball towards his next play. His first touch led him towards goal. He then used his left foot to volley the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.
Next time you drive by a pitch and see a lone player "working" on his game observe exactly what it is he is doing. Practicing fancy moves? Juggling the ball? Shooting the ball? Perhaps running with the ball? Think for a minute... these are all individual skills ... that can only take place in a match after the player has received the ball. And they lead to the intent of passing the ball either to a teammate or into the goal.
Receiving and Passing.
So, many players spend a disproportionate amount of time on individual skills when soccer is a team game. That player putting in work on his own, is he working on team skills? Is he working on receiving and passing the ball?
When I mention this to people they are quick to point out that the individual player did not have a partner to work with. There was no one to pass him the ball so he could work on receiving the ball. There was no one for him to pass to. That is nothing more than an excuse for close by is a kickback wall or a bench that could be turned on it's side to be used to play a ball against.
The term is a ball and a wall.
Graham Ramsay introduced our local high school soccer athletes to a ball and a wall many years ago. Turn wood benches on their sides and practice passing the ball against the bench. Many people think of this as practicing their passing, but every time that ball is returned by the bench to the player he receives the ball. Set two benches up with their flat surfaces facing one another or three benches set up in a "U" shape or four benches in a square - now you can practice receiving across the body, turning with the ball and leading touches into your next play, your next pass.
If you want to play on the next level you will need a well rounded skill set, but you must be an exceptional receiver and passer of the ball. All those fancy foot skills and moves to beat an opponent are useless if you cannot flawlessly gain possession of the ball and they don't count for much if you cannot deliver the ball accurately and in a timely fashion to it's next destination, be that a teammate or the back of the net.
Work alone is not enough to get you to the next level of play.
You must recognize and appreciate what the most critical skills of the game are - receiving and passing. You must work intelligently and that calls for working on these two skills 1) receiving or gaining possession of the ball and 2) precision delivery of the ball to it's next destination. The individual skills that fall in between receiving and passing are secondary in nature.
You do not need a coach, a personal soccer trainer, no fancy shoes or perfect playing pitch. You do not need anyone or anything except yourself, a ball and a wall. The rest is up to you.
Anyone who plays the game, wants to be that guy who scores the game winning goal in the World Cup final. A very select few are ever in a position to do so and fewer still actually do score the winning goal in a World Cup final.
The bridge between "want to" and actual achievement is work and more precisely, working intelligently.
I have watched young players work tireless on their game. They work to master foot skills and moves to beat an opponent. They can juggle proficiently. In a 1 v 1 environment they look like the next great one. More often than not they are left to wonder why no academy program or major college is recruiting them. They cannot figure out why their path to glory is seemingly blocked.
How many young players have you seen who are capable of passing accurately with either foot for distances of 10 yards, 20 yards and 30 yards?
All the fancy footwork in the world will not make you an elite soccer player. Sean Garnier is a Freestyle World Champion, but is unlikely to ever score a game winning goal in the World Cup. Mr. Woo is amazing but he isn't going to be seen scoring that World Cup winning goal either. So, how do you become Super Mario Gotze?
Receiving and passing.
Watch Gotze's game winning goal once again. He receives the ball and passes it into the net. Now, the reception was difficult - he took it off his chest while directing the ball towards his next play. His first touch led him towards goal. He then used his left foot to volley the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.
Next time you drive by a pitch and see a lone player "working" on his game observe exactly what it is he is doing. Practicing fancy moves? Juggling the ball? Shooting the ball? Perhaps running with the ball? Think for a minute... these are all individual skills ... that can only take place in a match after the player has received the ball. And they lead to the intent of passing the ball either to a teammate or into the goal.
Receiving and Passing.
So, many players spend a disproportionate amount of time on individual skills when soccer is a team game. That player putting in work on his own, is he working on team skills? Is he working on receiving and passing the ball?
When I mention this to people they are quick to point out that the individual player did not have a partner to work with. There was no one to pass him the ball so he could work on receiving the ball. There was no one for him to pass to. That is nothing more than an excuse for close by is a kickback wall or a bench that could be turned on it's side to be used to play a ball against.
The term is a ball and a wall.
Graham Ramsay introduced our local high school soccer athletes to a ball and a wall many years ago. Turn wood benches on their sides and practice passing the ball against the bench. Many people think of this as practicing their passing, but every time that ball is returned by the bench to the player he receives the ball. Set two benches up with their flat surfaces facing one another or three benches set up in a "U" shape or four benches in a square - now you can practice receiving across the body, turning with the ball and leading touches into your next play, your next pass.
If you want to play on the next level you will need a well rounded skill set, but you must be an exceptional receiver and passer of the ball. All those fancy foot skills and moves to beat an opponent are useless if you cannot flawlessly gain possession of the ball and they don't count for much if you cannot deliver the ball accurately and in a timely fashion to it's next destination, be that a teammate or the back of the net.
Work alone is not enough to get you to the next level of play.
You must recognize and appreciate what the most critical skills of the game are - receiving and passing. You must work intelligently and that calls for working on these two skills 1) receiving or gaining possession of the ball and 2) precision delivery of the ball to it's next destination. The individual skills that fall in between receiving and passing are secondary in nature.
You do not need a coach, a personal soccer trainer, no fancy shoes or perfect playing pitch. You do not need anyone or anything except yourself, a ball and a wall. The rest is up to you.
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