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Receiving the ball

“If you keep the ball… the other team cannot score.”

A player who is not confident in his ability to receive a ball and use possession productively is about as effective as a basketball player who cannot catch!

So if you’re coaching young players, you need to plan regular coaching sessions, in which the focus is on improving their first touch and ball control.

Unfortunately, too many coaches show their players the basics of receiving once or twice then move on to more advanced skills without allowing them the time and opportunity to consolidate this crucial skill.

Receiving the ball… the key elements

1. Take a mental photo – what are you going to do when you receive the ball? Are you going to shoot, dribble, pass, hold or run with the ball?

2. Anticipate the flight of the ball – is the ball coming straight at you or do you have to move to get your body behind it?

Note: Not anticipating and reacting to the flight of the ball is a very common fault with young players. When you see children:Sticking a leg out in the hope they will make contact.

Missing the ball completely.

Allowing the ball to bounce off them as though their foot was made of concrete.

You can correct these faults quickly and easily by showing them the importance of getting their bodies behind the ball more quickly.

3. Choose the correct receiving surface – while it’s pretty obvious that the foot is the correct part of the body to use if the ball is being passed along the ground, your players need to decide which part of the foot should be used.

If the ball is in the air will the thigh, chest or head be used to control the ball?

4. Softly, softly – whichever part of the body makes contact with the ball, it’s essential that your players’ first touch takes the pace off the pass.

The foot, head, thigh or chest should be withdrawn as contact is made, allowing the ball to drop to the ground lightly. I tell my players that they have to be like a sponge and soak up the speed of the ball.

5. First touch should be out of feet and away from pressure – as contact is made, the ball should be directed away from the receiving player’s feet in the direction they want to dribble, pass, shoot or run. If the ball is “trapped” close to the player’s body, he won’t be able to get his head up to see what is going on around him.

How to practice and improve receiving skills

Numbers Passing

Tell your players to give themselves a number.

As they jog round in the playing area, they pass a ball to one another in sequence, i.e., one to two to three, etc.

After a minute or two, add a second ball or reverse the numerical order.

Tip: If your players find this easy, limit them to two touches of the ball or make the playing area smaller.

Ask: How can you make it easy for the player with the ball?

Ping Pong

Players work in groups of four.

Three players (the servers) stand in a semi-circle facing the fourth (target) player. The three servers share two balls between them.

The target player receives a pass from a server and has two touches to control the pass and return it to one of the players facing him. He can’t return it to the server who made the pass.

Rotate the players so that everyone gets a turn as target player.

Make it competitive – which group can deal with 20 serves with fewest errors?

Progression: Servers throw the ball in the air and the target player calls out the surface he is going to use before the ball gets to him.

What to watch for:

Getting into line with the pass.
Choosing the right surface to receive.
First touch soft and out of feet.
If you see any errors, step in and coach the player(s) in question. Remember that a good demonstration is worth a thousand words!

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

It’s a knockout!

Objective: to improve decision making, communication, passing and shooting skills.

Experience: any.

Set up: three goals are evenly spaced around the edge of a circular playing area.

The size of the playing area depends on the age and experience of your players. For players up to the age of about eight, I suggest the circle is about 25 yards across.

Divide your squad into three teams.

How to play: each team defends one of the goals and attacks the other two.

Each team starts with five lives. Every time they concede a goal they lose a life. When they get to zero, they are out.

Alternatively, the team that loses all its lives first can join forces with one of the other teams.

Key soccer coaching points: making the goals big and playing with no goalkeepers encourages quick shooting.

If you allow the first team that is knocked out to combine with one of the remaining teams, you will see how your players cope in outnumbered situations.

All skills circuit training

It’s important to vary the format of your coaching sessions occasionally.

The traditional format of technical skill, individual practice, opposed practice followed by a small-sided game is tried and tested and it works. But your players will appreciate it if you spend a little time and effort setting up something completely different sometimes.

Mini World Cups are a great way of injecting pure fun and letting your players do what they really want to at training sessions: play football.

Another interesting format is a short skills circuit.

Children love to compete with each other and a skills circuit allows them to do just that while, at the same time, improving the essential skills that you teach them all year round.

Set up: the skills circuit I use with eight or nine year olds consists of five 10 yards square playing areas marked out by cones.

Your players should be split into five groups. The groups should be small – no larger than four players in each – so if you have more than 20 players you should consider setting up two circuits or having the extra players take part in another activity.

Each activity requires an observer who records the results. He or she can be a coaching assistant, a parent or an older player.

Each group of players starts in a different area.

On your command, your players spend a specified time (two minutes or so) carrying out the activity in their area before moving on to the next one. I suggest that you blow a whistle to start and stop the activities.

In each area, the players are challenged to perform as many of each activity as possible in the time allowed. They are also encouraged to make the transition between area as quickly as possible.

Each player has a ball that they take with them from one area to the next.

Area 1: Ball control

Equipment required: one ball each.

Activity: Ball Taps – tap a ball between the insides of both feet.

Variation: the “hat dance” – sole taps on the top of the ball with both feet.

For more advanced players: ball juggling.

Area 2: Dribbling

Equipment required: 16 small traffic cones set up in four lines of four and balls.

Activity: Each player dribbles their ball up and down a line of cones as many times as possible without knocking them over or missing any.

Variation: Dribble with “wrong” foot.

For more advanced players: Dribble with a specified part of the foot: sole, inside, outside etc.

Area 3: Running with the ball

Equipment required: balls.

Activity: run with ball from one side of area to the opposite side as many times as possible. Ensure players do not turn short.

Variation: Two players start on one side and two on the adjacent side of the area. This forces the players to keep their heads up while running with the ball to avoid collisions.

For more advanced players: perform a specific turn at the end of each run: drag back, stop turn etc.

Area 4: Shielding the ball

Equipment required: one ball per group.

Activity: use an even number of players in each group.

Players split into pairs. One player has a ball and for one minute, he tries to stop his partner from touching it. He gets a point for every 10 seconds he is successful so can get a maximum of six points if he can keep the ball away from his partner for the whole minute.

After one minute, the players swap roles.

Variation: none.

For more advanced players: award one point every 20 seconds.

Area 5: Passing accuracy

Equipment required: a flat cone with a ball balanced on top. Alternatively, you can use a plastic skittle or bowling pin.

Activity: set up the area as for “knock out” (described below), except there is no goal to shoot into.

Players take it in turns to try to knock the ball off the cone (or knock over the skittle/pin).

Variation: use a specific part of the foot, such as the toes or instep.

For more advanced players: Use weaker foot only.

The whole circuit takes about 15 minutes to complete. At the end you should share the results with your players and, if you wish, give a small award to the player who scored the most points, either in each area or in the circuit as a whole.

Repeat the circuit every month or so, track your players’ progress over time and at the end of the season give an award to the player who has shown the most improvement over the period.

Hit the channel

This is a good way of practising passing into space and to a moving player. It also requires discipline and concentration from your players if they are to succeed. That said, I’ve seen six year olds perform this soccer drill as well as 16 year olds so with a little patience and encouragement, it is suitable for any age group.

Skill level: Any.

Set up: Two lanes with flat cones three yards apart, three yards wide and 30 yards long.

Split your players into four groups: Place a group of players at the end of each of the channels.

One player has a ball.

How to play:

1. On your signal, the player with the ball starts to run down his channel.

2. At the same time, a player in the group at the other end of the other channel starts to run down their channel, towards the ball carrier.

3. When the player with the ball gets within passing range, they pass across the gap between the channels to the player running towards them and continue their run to the other end of the channel.

4. The player who receives the ball controls it and passes to the player at the front of the group facing them and continues their run, joining the group the ball was passed to.

Repeat.

Develop the drill

1. When the players are comfortable passing across a narrow gap between the channels, increase the size of the gap.

2. Put a curve or zig-zag in the channels.

3. Reduce the number of touches each player is allowed.

Coaching tip: Challenge your players to perform this drill at pace without making any errors for two minutes.

Dribble races

This is such a simple game but it is one my players always enjoy playing.

Objective: To improve ball control.

Experience: Any.

Set up: A square playing area that’s suitable for the age of your players. If your players are very young, 20 yards by 20 yards is adequate.

Put four or five footballs in the middle of the playing area.

Spread your players around the sides of the square.

How to play: The first player runs into the square, collects a ball and dribbles it to the feet of a player standing on the side of the area. This is repeated until all the balls are with the outside players.

The player then collects the balls back from the outside players (one at a time) and dribbles them back to the middle of the square.

Time each player and see who can complete the game in the fastest time.

Tip: Set up two or more areas if you have a lot of players.

Key soccer coaching points: Encourage players to use both feet, turn quickly and keep the ball close.

How to make heading less scary

Timidity can be defined as ‘easily frightened or lacking self-confidence’.

But while timid football players may lack self-confidence, they aren’t lacking in bravery. Indeed, timid players can also be the bravest – it needs real courage to go out on to the pitch when you’re frightened of getting hurt or letting yourself or your team mates down.

As a youth soccer coach you may not be able to turn a mouse into a tiger, but you do have it within your power to give a timid player confidence in their own abilities. And remember that the benefits of having a team full of self-confident players are not confined to improving your win:loss ratio.

A self-confident child who has enjoyed success on the soccer pitch will be more likely to succeed academically, and will have better relations with their peers and adults.

All you have to do is recognise that there are one key technique that, when mastered, will turn the most timid of children into a strong, confident player.

Heading the ball

How to remove the fear. Despite the fact that some football authorities recommend young children do not head the ball at all, I believe they are never too young to teach the right technique.

Step 1: Even children as young as four or five will enjoy keeping a balloon in the air with their head, and that’s a great starting point.

Make sure you teach the ‘mouth closed, eyes open’ technique from the start and encourage your players to jump up to meet the balloon on its way down.

You can also make it a fun team game. Have four or five children in each team and see which one can keep the balloon in the air the longest.

Step 2: When your players are a little older they can begin to head the ball with a small, soft ball or an indoor football. If they have been playing with a balloon for a while, they shouldn’t fear ball against head contact, but it’s still a good idea to take things slowly.

Have your players hold the ball in their hands and move their forehead to the ball (you want to ingrain the habit of meeting the ball with the head, not waiting for the ball to hit the head). Then ask them to throw the ball a couple of feet in the air and head it back into their hands.

Step 3: Now you need to introduce a purpose for heading the ball. Split your players into groups of three or four. Put three flat cones in front of each team and balance a ball on each cone.

One member from each team stands on one side of the cones about three feet away from them. His team mates stand about three feet away on the other side of the cones.

The single player tosses a ball to his team mates who attempt, in turn, to knock the balls off the cones in front of them with a header. The first team to knock the balls off the cones wins.

Step 4: The next step is to introduce movement. Put your players into groups of three and ask them to throw/head/catch the ball as they make their way up a football pitch. The first team to head their ball into the goal wins. If the ball is dropped they have to start again.

Step 5: Now combine heading with healthy aggression. Play a small-sided game (SSG) where every time the ball goes out of play you restart by throwing the ball in the air and awarding a point to the team whose player heads it first.

Don’t allow players to push each other to reach the ball. You’re looking for decisive jumping and a desire to get to the ball first. If the ball hits the ground before anyone heads it, throw it up again.

Playing simple heading games like these from an early age will stop your players having a fear of heading the ball from taking hold.

But if your players are not used to heading and are reluctant to begin, return to step 1 and gradually work through the sequence, only moving on when your players are confident and showing no fear.

Positions? Don’t bother…

If you’re new to coaching young soccer players, then you might be uncertain about when to introduce the concept of playing in set positions. As a broad guideline, U8s really don’t need to be constrained by having to play in fixed positions. At that age they should be practising their ball skills, dribbling, shooting and tackling all over the field and they will not learn very quickly if they are waiting for the ball to come to their own little patch of grass.

Don’t worry too much about coaching set positions at this stage. Sure, you might get some flack from parents and some amused looks from other coaches who have managed to plant their players in specific parts of the pitch but hey….your kids are having fun! And that is surely the most important thing. There’s plenty of time for positional play and tactics when the players get older.

A spin off from letting your players have the freedom of the pitch is finding that one or both of your defenders have the potential to be star attackers and vice versa.

Just make sure your players know that when the other team has the ball, they are all defending and when you have the ball they are all attacking.

And don’t forget the goalkeeper. Make sure she gets her chance to play outfield. Rotate all your players through the position of goalkeeper and you will reap the benefits:

1. The outfield players will appreciate how hard it is being in goal

2. You will have a pool of reserve goalkeepers for you to draw upon when your regular one is absent.

My advice? Let your players run around and enjoy themselves while they can.

Sneaky fitness

Number of players: Whole squad.

Equipment required: Training vests in two colours, cones to mark out the playing area.

Set-up: Create a playing area large enough for your players to move around in safely. For twelve 10-year-olds, it should be about 20×15 yards. Place a pole or distinctive cone on each side of the playing area, about five yards from the sideline.

Split your players into two teams.

Each player tucks a training vest into their waistband. Use a different colour for each team (e.g. team A has red vests, team B has yellow vests).

Send each team to opposite ends of the playing area.

How to play:

On your command, players try to take a vest from a player on the other team and drop it on the ground.

If a player loses his vest, he must run around one of the poles outside the playing area and rejoin the game, picking up his vest and tucking it into his waistband as he returns.

Play for one minute. The winners are the team who have the most bibs when you call “time”.

Play best of three.

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