Analysing performance
I was asked recently by a fellow soccer coach whether it is worthwhile getting your young soccer players to go away after a match and analyse their performance in the match. The idea is that they would then deliver their analysis at the following training session. It’s common practice for academy players to write a short critique of the way they played in matches.
Their coaches also make notes and together they decide what to do about any areas of their game that need working on. It’s also a good opportunity for coaches to congratulate players for what they do well.
If you have the time to do it properly (it takes about 10 minutes per player at the training session following the match), it’s good practice to ask your players to do this two or three times a season. If you do it any more, it can become repetitive and a bit of a chore, and rushing the process makes it meaningless.
If you decide to give it a go, just make sure you keep the focus on what players do well rather than what they don’t do so well. Feedback should be given as a sandwich – criticism should be a thin filling, surrounded by plenty of praise.
Be honest (don’t give too much praise) and if there’s something that the player can do better, make sure you tell them exactly what they need to do to improve.
Marking the danger man
One of the most important defensive football skills which players should learn (even quite young children) is how to mark an opponent so he cannot receive a pass or, if he does, is closed down so quickly that he cannot do anything with the ball.
There are two types of marking:
1. At set pieces, such as free kicks and corners.
2. Marking a particular player for the whole duration of the match, usually in an attempt to stop them from scoring.
It could be argued that the second type of marking is “anti-football” and it is unfair to remove two players from the game in this way.
Certainly, it is hardly in the spirit of the game to encourage a young player to touch, nudge and try to annoy/upset an opponent. But as long as coaches and players keep to the rules, marking is a perfectly legitimate tactic and it needs to be taught.
How to teach marking
The idea of marking at U10 level is abstract at best, so I suggest that you wait until your players are at least 10 years old before attempting to teach them how to mark opponents.
When you start to teach the technique of marking, you will soon come across two problems: at set pieces, young players tend to watch the ball rather than the person they are supposed to be marking.
And when marking players in open play, children can be told that they only have to mark an opponent when the other team has the ball but they often find it hard to react quickly enough when their team gains or loses possession.
Both of these problems can be overcome by lots of practice but don’t expect your players to “get it” immediately.
Marking at set pieces
1. Corners and free kicks
Defenders should be “goal side” (i.e. stand between the goal and their mark) and also be slightly in front of the attacker. This position will help the defender to beat their attacker to balls played along the ground. It will also give the defender enough room to move backwards and challenge in the air for high balls.
Note: not every defender should be assigned someone to mark. One defender should be left free to attack the ball or pick up an attacker who has got away from his marker. The fluid nature of this role makes it suited for the more experienced of your players.
Who’s in charge?
Goalkeepers (even the very young) should be encouraged to organise their defence at corners and free kicks close to the penalty area. They are in the best position to see who needs marking and they should be allowed to instruct their team mates accordingly.
2. Throw ins
Markers should stand close behind the player they are marking. If they stand next to them or in front they risk having the ball thrown over their head.
Marking in open play
As I mentioned above, asking one of your players to stop an opposition player from playing by sticking to her like glue is a dubious tactic in youth soccer. It’s the sort of thing a WAAC (Win At All Costs) coach would do.
In my opinion it isn’t right to remove two players from the game in this way, especially if the marking player just follows their mark all over the pitch regardless of which team has the ball. It’s poor, unimaginative coaching and it spoils the game for both players.
If you decide you need to stifle a particular opposition player, you should make it clear to the marker that she only needs to mark when the other team has the ball. And that’s where a problem arises.
In youth soccer matches possession is often lost and won and lost again every few seconds. This makes it very difficult for a child to know when to mark and when they don’t have to.
My advice? Don’t bother with marking in open play.
Attack with speed and pace
“The most important thing for a forward is speed of thought. Top players read the game.” Samuel Eto’o
It’s useful if your players are fit, strong and have the speed of an Olympic sprinter.
Fast defenders can recover from a mistake and naturally speedy attackers can use their pace to run past defenders as though they weren’t there.
But playing football quickly – and with intelligence – requires much more than athletic ability.
Your players need the confidence that comes with having a good first touch and knowing how to shield the ball.
They also need to be know what is going on around them so they can decide if they should try to take on an opponent or whether it would be better to pass or shoot.
In short, they must be able to “read the game”.
The games described below will help your players develop this ability. They are designed for 12 reasonably experienced and competent young players.
I wouldn’t ask children aged less than nine or 10 to play them exactly as they are described but you can adapt them for younger, less skilled players by allowing more touches, more space to play in or creating more uneven teams.
Speed of play – general coaching points
- Your players will not play faster if you allow them to stay inside their comfort zone. Activities that are too easy are a waste of time.
- Challenge your players to think, to concentrate, to work hard.
- In small-sided games (SSGs), try freezing the play and asking the player on the ball “do you know what’s going on around you?”, “where are the opposition?” and “where are your team mates?”
- Don’t play any of coaching game or activity for too long. Playing for five minutes at 100% match speed is better than fifteen minutes at 75% or less.
- Remember that limiting touches and reducing the space decreases time on the ball and forces players to work harder and play faster. If your players don’t seem to be working flat out, keep making the area smaller until they are.
Before and during the activities, tell them to:
- Move after passing to support the player on the ball. Don’t stand still admiring your pass!
- Receive the ball with your body facing the field and be ready to pass the ball with your first touch.
- Glance around just before receiving the ball so you know who is behind you. Tip: Make sure your players glance round before the ball gets to them, not as it is getting to them. If they take their eye off the ball as they make contact with it, their first touch will be poor.
Activity 1: The warm-up
Players work in pairs, six or seven yards apart, two-touch passing to each other. Challenge them to play perfect passes every time and play the ball hard. Then move to one touch.
The first player to make three mistakes loses.
Key coaching points: Stay on your toes, keep ball out of your feet and don’t let the ball stop.
Activity 2: 4v4 to target players
Three teams of four play in a 40 yards long by 30 yards wide playing area. Two teams are on the pitch and two players from the third team stand on each end line. These are the target players.
The teams on the pitch score a point by passing to a target player at one end then passing to a target player at the other end of the pitch.
The first team to score three times is the winner.
Progress by limiting the number of touches the players are allowed.
Key coaching point: Talk to each other!
Activity 3: 7v4+1
Seven players (team X), four players (team Z) and one target player work in the same playing area as above.
Team X tries to keep the ball away from team Z which must try to put pressure on the team X player in possession of the ball and cut off passing channels.
If team Z wins the ball, it earns a point.
Team X gets a point by passing the ball to the target player.
Rotate the players between the teams every three points.
Key coaching points: Team X – support must appear on both sides of ball instantly. Team Z – put immediate pressure on the ball carrier, try to force a mistake.
Finish with two 3v3 SSGs on small pitches with small goals. Look for and highlight any examples of fast, intelligent play.
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How to correct technical errors
It is worth running a refresher session with your soccer players every so often, to remind them how to receive the ball, keep it, pass, tackle and shoot.
It is especially important to do this with young players because bad habits can quickly creep in and, if they are not corrected promptly, they will be very hard to eradicate later.
Key coaching points:
The ball should be struck with the inside of the foot as close to the heel as possible, certainly no further forward than the middle of the arch of the foot.
The foot should be made into a firm striking surface by lifting the toes slightly above the heel as the ball is struck.
The non-kicking foot (sometimes called the plant foot) should be alongside the ball as it is struck and pointing towards the intended target.
Young children often don’t know where they should be looking when they pass. Make sure they are looking at the ball at the moment of impact, not the player they are passing to.
The ball should be struck firmly and the kicking leg should follow through towards the target.
And if your players get it right, make sure they don’t stand admiring their perfect pass.
Children often seem to think that their job is done when they pass to a team mate. Make sure they always move to a supporting position after they pass – they should want to get the ball back!
Common Mistakes
These are some common mistakes and how to correct them:
- If the ball is struck with power but off target – the player has not pointed their non-striking foot at the target.
- If the pass lacks power – the ankle was not locked when striking the ball, the player is hitting the ball with the side of their toes rather than with the arch of their foot or the top of the ball is being struck, forcing it into the ground, instead of the middle.
- If the ball goes in the air – the player has struck the ball below the centre line.
- If your player looks unsteady (or even falls down after passing) check the position of the plant foot and that the follow through is straight.
Summary
Don’t let your players develop bad habits. Continually checking how your players’ perform the basic skills and correcting their errors is just as important as teaching the skills in the first place.
All skills practice plans
| From Amhurst Soccer | |
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Dribbling Lesson Plans Passing & Receiving Lesson Plans |
Defending Lesson Plans Attacking Lesson Plans Tactical Lesson Plans |
The one goal game
Suitable for: all ages/experience.
Set up: use a suitable sized playing area with one cone or pole goal set in the middle (not on the end line).
Pick two teams of three or four, plus a goalkeeper.
How to play:
Both teams attack and defend the one goal.
Goals can be scored from either side of the goal.
The player who has the last touch on the ball before it crosses the line is the scorer, even if it is only a slight deflection.
If a goal is scored, the game continues from the other side of the goal.
If the goalkeeper makes a save, they throw the ball to the edge of the playing area.
The ladder game
This game will encourage your players to move the ball quickly from defence to attack.
It will also encourage them to take their shots quickly and to follow up on their shots in case the goalkeeper drops the ball.
It is also a good workout for your goalkeeper and you can use it to reinforce the importance of good positioning.
Experience: any.
Objective: to be the first team to score.
Set up: place one normal-sized goal at one end of a playing area 40 yards long by 30 yards wide.
Split your squad into two teams of four plus one goalkeeper. If you have more than nine players consider setting up two games.
The first player in each team has a ball and stands on the end line furthest from the goal. Each team’s players form a zig-zag line between the first player in their team and the goal.
The teams should be separated by about ten yards.
How to play: on your command, the first players in both teams pass to their nearest team mate. This player passes to the next player and so on.
When the ball reaches the player nearest the goal, they have to control it quickly, shoot and score.
After a goal is scored, the shooter takes the place of the player on the end line and everyone else moves down one position.
If the goalkeeper saves a shot, the ball is thrown out and the shooter has another go. If a shot misses the goal, the shooter retrieves the ball and tries again.
The first team to score gets a point and X number of points wins the game.
Key coaching points:
Does the shooter follow her shot in? Remember, it’s the first team to score that gets the point, not the first team to shoot.
Is the goalkeeper moving out to narrow the shooting angle?
Progression: add a defender who plays between the shooters and the goal.