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Tackling for U9+ players

Ages: 8+; Equipment: Cones, balls; Players: 4+

Warm-up

Play basic keepaway, requiring the attacker to become a defender when the ball is stolen from him. Use enough defenders so that the players are forced to move around quickly.

Individual Work

In soccer, the term “tackling” is used to describe any effort to steal the ball or knock it out. Thus, in soccer, a tackle can be on the ground (a slide tackle). It also can be done upright, either by knocking the ball out as you run along one side of the attacker or done from the front by blocking him from dribbling the ball forward. Unlike American football, a tackle really is not supposed to bring the opponent crashing to the turf. Indeed, in many cases, the tackle will be judged as a foul if you do so. As a result, your first job as a coach will be to explain the terminology to your players and make the point that the player is tackling the FOOTBALL ITSELF and not the opponent.

Alternatively, you can simply use a term like “ball-stealing”, so that they don’t have the idea that they will playing American-style tackle football with a pointy pigskin instead of a soccer ball.

Knock-Out

The easiest tackle to learn is the knock-out tackle, which is used to hit the ball away when the attacker gets the ball too far in front. Teaching tackling is usually begun right after basic work on First Defender skills and the defensive stance.

Use the same grid and follow the same ideas of patience and delay, but give permission to go in for the ball when the attacker allows it to get out too far in front of him. In this exercise, the defender gets a point for sending the ball out of the grid in any direction while the attacker gets a point by dribbling over the opposing end-line.

This tackle is used when you want to buy time for your teammates to get back and is particularly popular with wing defenders.

Bump

The next tackle, which is also very easy to learn, is the bump. To do this, quickly move into the attacker from a slight angle, lifting your lead foot over the ball so that your lead foot will end up between his legs. At the same time, turn into him with your shoulder/hips so that you can bump the him off the ball with your backside and take the ball away with the outside foot.

Once you commit, the key is to pounce aggressively and go in hard. The lead foot comes across the ball just when your shoulder/hips are firmly against the attacker. Try to time the move in so that the attacker is momentarily looking down at the ball and is standing on his dribble foot so that he is temporarily frozen. This exercise also can be done in the same grid, using the same procedure as before. One point for stealing the ball and one point if the attacker can get around the defender and dribble across the opposing end-line.

Block Tackle

The next tackle is the front, or “block”, tackle. The purpose is to block the ball into the attacker’s foot, then to drag/lift the ball over the attacker’s foot. Body weight must be over the ball to prevent the attacker from getting any leverage.

Key coaching points are: ankle of blocking foot locked, to make foot into an L-shape (hoe-shape) to use as a drag; keep body weight over ball; put support foot well to the outside.

Put the pairs back into their grid, one ball per pair. Have the attacker stop, with the ball just to the inside of his right foot. Now, have the defender step in so that his shoulder presses into the attacker just as his right foot blocks the ball into the attacker’s right foot so that the ball cannot go forward. As soon as the block is made, the defender will try to lift the ball to the outside and bring it over the toes of the attacker by getting his locked foot under the ball and lifting/rolling it over. Note that the support leg must be sufficiently wide of the attacker to allow the blocking leg/foot and the ball to come across.

This is a more difficult tackle to learn, so give the players ample time to experiment. Most young players can block the ball easily but have trouble with the technique of dragging it over. Some will try to put the outside leg too far forward, and bump knees and/or give the attacker room to push the ball through their legs. Others will try to put the outside foot too far to the back so that they have no leverage to use against the attacker. It takes some time to figure out the best place to put the plant foot so that the ball is quickly blocked, and then lifted across. Once some success is achieved by both players, start with some very slow dribbling and let the players try to do just a block. When most have made a good block, then let them try to lift the ball across.

Now, simply let the players play 1 v 1 in their grids, as follows. The players stand at opposite ends of the grid, taking turns on who is the server. After serving the ball to the opponent, they close him down defensively and try to tackle the ball. Play until the defender has made 3 successful tackles, then switch. Do two full rotations.

Match-Related Work

Next, play a game in which each successful tackle is worth 1 point. The attacker scores 1 point if he can dribble across the opposing end-line without having the ball tackled away. Play until one player reaches 5 points, then switch roles. Note: Be sure to watch carefully to make sure that you are getting success. Reassign partners; or place restrictions on above-average players; or make the grids narrower if necessary in order to be sure that the defenders win more often.

Now, combine the kids in adjacent grids, and make a hexagon with some cones. Put a player between the cones at every other leg of the hexagon meaning that they will be in basically a triangle. Put the last player in the middle of the triangle, and play keepaway with the outside players restricted to movement only between their cones.

This makes their movement more predictable for the defender. Play until the defender kicks the ball out 3-5 times, then switch. Counsel the defender to use patience when he sets an angle to bottle somebody up as his success is guaranteed by the placement of the outside players once he sets his angle properly.

Match Condition Work

Play keepaway in a small grid, with 1-2 defenders and about 4-5 attackers (the small space will favor the defenders.

Give a point to the defenders for each time that they tackle the ball away or steal it and pass it to the other defender.

Give a point to the attackers for each time that all of them can touch the ball without an intervening tackle by the defender. Play to 5 points and switch.

Steal that ball

Objectives: To improve dribbling and passing skills, teamwork, decision making.

Age range: U5s to U8s.

Number of players: Minimum of eight but can be the whole squad.

Set-up: Create a 25×20 yards playing area with a three-yard home base in each corner.

Divide your players equally into four teams.
Each team is allocated a home base.
Place at least 12 balls in the centre of the playing area.

How to play:

On your command, the first player from each team runs to the centre of the playing area and dribbles a ball back to their home base.

When the first player gets back, the second player goes.

When all the balls have been captured, allow each team 30 seconds to steal balls from the other teams’ home bases.

Note: Balls that are in the home bases must not be guarded!

At the end of the 30 seconds, the team with the most balls in their home base is the winner.

Progression:

Ask your players if there is a quicker way to get balls back to their base. Let them think about this for a few seconds.

Now play the game again with no restrictions.

See which team realises that the way to get the most balls back to their base is for all the players to run to the middle of the grid at the same time.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

Target team tag

Target team tag is a fun warm-up you can use before a coaching session or a game.

Objective: to improve teamwork, communication and to introduce the basics shielding the ball to very young players.

Set-up: One player is nominated as the tagger and one player as the target.

The target player tucks a bib in the back of their shorts and the rest of the team link arms and huddle round her.

The tagger stands a few yards away from the group.

How to play: On your command, the tagger tries to pull the bib out of the target’s shorts.

The target tells the rest of the group which way to turn so that they are shielding her from the tagger.

Play for 30 seconds or until the tagger gets the bib.

Progression: Split your players into teams and allow them to choose their tagger and who should be their target.

Play several rounds to find out which team makes the best decisions.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coaching Club.

Handball!

Try this soccer warm-up to coaching sessions with all ages of players – from six to 16 – and they will all love it!

Young children really like playing games that involve adults and as there’s no physical contact in Handball, mums and dads can join in too. I’ve found that mixing mums/dads and players in games like this is good for team bonding and makes for a good, fun start to a session.

Objective: improving off the ball movement, support play, quick passing and communication.

Set-up: Handball is played in teams of four to six on a small football pitch with a goal at each end. About 30 yards long by 20 yards wide is good for 10-year-olds.

Put your teams in bibs (pennies) to aid identification.

How to play

Points are scored by throwing the ball into the other team’s goal.

Alternatively, teams score by throwing the ball to a team mate who is stationed on an end line.

The rules

Players can only pass the ball by throwing it.
Once a player receives the ball they cannot run with it. They must stand still and look for the next pass.

Tip: allow very young children to take a limited number of steps with the ball.

The team not in possession can only win the ball by intercepting a pass or picking up a dropped ball – no grabbing the ball out of a player’s hands!
If the ball goes out of the playing area award a throw-in to the opposing team.

Physical contact is penalised by a penalty throw from a spot about 10 yards out from the goal.

Progression:

Players must pass the ball in less than four seconds. If they don’t, the ball is given to the other team.
Take the goals away and place a player from each team on the end lines. The objective is now to pass the ball – with feet – to your team mate on the end line. If you can make a successful pass, you join your team mate on the line.

The first team to get all their players on their end line is the winner.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coaching Club.

Power passing

This is a great warm-up to use before a training session or a match. “Power passing” gets your players into the habit of moving immediately after they pass, works on their ball control and it’s a good physical workout too.

Age group: U8s to U14s.

Set-up: Create a circular playing area about 25 yards across.

Divide your squad in two.

Place one half of your players inside the playing area and the other half evenly spaced around the outside of the playing area. The players on the outside have a ball each.

How to play: Players on the inside run towards an outside player, receive a pass, return the ball and move quickly to another outside player and repeat the process.

Switch the inside and outside players after a few minutes.

Progression/variations:

Receive and return the ball with one touch.
Receive the ball with the left foot, return it with the right and vice versa.
Receive with ball with one surface of the foot (inside, outside, sole etc) and return it with a different surface.
Add a blocker – a player who tries to block passes.
Add a halfway line across the playing area. Now the players on the inside have to pass across the line to an outside player in the opposite half.

Coaching Points

Discourage your players from watching their passes, they now turn and run to the next player as soon as the ball leaves their foot.
This exercise takes place at full speed. Do not allow players to walk around.
Encourage players to call for the ball as they approach a player on the outside.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

An U6 training session

WARM-UP: A brief warm-up is appropriate in order to get the players thinking about soccer and to prepare them physically for the time ahead. This should involve individual body activities that may or may not involve the ball. Anatomy dribbling is easy and fun. They can also chase their ball as it is thrown by the coach, bringing it back with different parts of their body. Or, they can chase someone with their ball at their feet. Freeze tag is a good example.

Static stretching is also appropriate at this time, again, hopefully done with the ball.

“Soccernastics” activities are very appropriate, like: rolling the ball with the bottom of their feet, with their elbows, backwards, with the back of their neck while holding on to it; throwing it up and catching it; keeping it up with their feet while sitting.

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES: Follow the warm-up with some kind of individual activity, not a real 1 v.1 game, but some kind of activity where players act as individuals in a game environment. An example would be a kind of tag game, or “Red Light – Green Light”, or a game where players are trying to knock their ball through gates. Keep players in motion at all times. Avoid having them wait on lines. Play games of “inclusion” instead of games where the “loser sits”.

PLAY THE GAME: Move on to the real game, but, make sure it is a 2 v. 2, 3 v. 3, or 4 v. 4 game. Switch the game every 5 minutes or so. Be creative. Play with 4 goals, or 2 balls. Play with or without boundaries. Use cones if you don’t have real goals. Keep players involved. Have more than one game going on at a time if necessary. It is important that every player has a chance to shoot on goal as often as possible.

WARM-DOWN & HOMEWORK: Finish the session with a warm down. Give them some more stretches to do with the ball. You may want to review what you started the session with. Also, give them some homework so that they practice on their own. Think of some ball trick that you would like to see them try to do, like, bounce it off their thigh and then catch it. It is important to finish on time. This is especially essential if the players are really into it. Stop at this point and you will get an enthusiastic return.

U-6 PRACTICE IDEA “Keep Your Yard Clean”

Here is a game that involves kicking and is a good example of parallel play in that it involves all players on the team at one time, but, they are all acting as individuals during the game. This allows for individual differences in skill. The game is simple, fun, and easy to adapt to account for team size and experience.

THE GAME: Create a ‘neutral area’ between the two teams where no player is allowed into. This area can be as small as one yard and as big as 10 yards wide. The width is determined by how far the players can kick the ball.

Each player starts with a ball at his / her feet. On command, each team tries to keep their side of the game free of balls by kicking their ball over to the other teams side.

After an appropriate amount of time (when the balls become too scattered, or, the players are losing focus), stop the game and count which side has the most balls on their side.

Distribute the balls evenly for another try if the players are still interested.

After players have found some success with this basic game, try these variations:

Players can only use their left foot.
Throw the ball back.
Kick the ball back.
Dribble the ball around a cone that has been set up in the middle of their “yard”, then, kick the ball back.

U-6 PRACTICE IDEA

“Red Light…Green Light”

Here is a game that should be familiar to most U-6’s. Again, the game is fun, simple to set up, and has direct application to the game. The skill that it is targeting is dribbling.

THE GAME: Each player has a ball, except the one player that is designated as the “light”.

Lines from start to finish should be approximately 20 – 30 yds..

Players start from the line opposite the “light”. The “light” then turns away from the group shouting out “GREEN LIGHT”. At this signal, the players start to dribble towards the “light”.

When the “light” turns back around, calling out “RED LIGHT”, players must freeze their bodies and their ball.

If the “light” catches players or a ball still moving, that player must take 5 steps back.

The first player to cross the line where the “light” is standing is the winner and becomes the new “light”.

You can start the game without using balls for younger players, then have them roll the ball with their hands, then use their feet.

Charge!

This game is a small-sided game (SSG) that improves teamwork, speed of transition and concentration.

Age group: U5s and upwards.

Number of players: 12 (but can be easily adjusted for different numbers).

Difficulty: Easy.

Set-up: Use a 30×20-yard playing area with a goal at each end.

Divide your players into four teams of three.

How to play: Two teams play 3v3. The other two teams go to the goals where they link arms or hold hands on the goal line.

The teams on the pitch attempt to score past the human chains who try to stop shots with their bodies.

After a couple of minutes play, shout “Charge!”

This is the signal for the teams that are playing to leave the ball where it is and take the place of the human chains in the goalmouths, who unlink arms and Charge onto the pitch!

Scoring: Goals and saves are each worth one point. The first team to 10 points wins the game.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coaching Club.

4v4 to lines

Objective: to improve passing and receiving, playing “heads up” and communication skills.

4v4 to lines also encourages wall passes (give and go) as well as spotting team mates who are making a move into a space where they can receive a “killer” pass.

Experience: intermediate upwards. This game is probably not suitable for most players less than 10 years old.

Set-up: set up rectangular playing areas marked with lines or flat cones suitable for the age and ability of your players.

The younger and less experienced the players, the bigger the space needs to be. That may sound a bit illogical but the smaller the space, the more pressure you’ll be putting on your players and the harder it will be for them to experience success.

How to play:

Teams of four try to score by getting the ball across a nominated line.

The ball must be stopped on the line or just past it to count.

After a score, the ball is left on the line for the other team.

Variations:

The ball must be passed through a target player before scoring.
Award extra points for defence splitting passes, i.e., through a gap between two defenders.
After scoring on one end line, the scoring team must attack the opposite line.
Split the pitch into horizontal thirds and place two players from each team in the centre third and one from each team in the end thirds. Players cannot move out of their zones.
Try splitting the pitch into vertical thirds – left, centre, right

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coaching Club.