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Triangle keep

It’s a good idea with young soccer players to rotate all the players in the team, so that everyone gets the chance to be goalkeeper. A lot of coaches just put their weaker players between the sticks but that’s not fair on those players and it’s also short-sighted. Star attackers can easily become star goalkeepers given the chance!

This is one of my favourite goalkeeping games.

Place three cones in a triangle 10 yards apart in the middle of a 20-yard square playing area. One player is inside the triangle as the goalkeeper.

Two or three more players try to keep possession of the ball and score goals by moving the goalkeeper out of position and playing through the triangle. If the goalkeeper intercepts the ball, the player who played the ball last becomes the new goalkeeper.

This soccer coaching game is fast moving, lots of fun and will give all your players a chance to practise their goalkeeper skills.

Rolling the ball out

Your goalkeeper has saved a goal, he has the ball and should be about to start your next attack but it doesn’t always work that way.

Very often a young, inexperienced goalkeeper will make the wrong decision, throw the ball to a team mate who is surrounded by the opposition forwards or kick the ball straight up in the air.

I’ve even seen a 10-year-old goalkeeper kick the ball back into their own net!

Mistakes, of course, will happen and they are an essential part of the learning process. But you can cut down on the number of avoidable mistakes your goalkeeper makes by spending some time going through distribution methods and decision making with him or her.

Let’s talk about distribution

Do not encourage your goalkeepers to hoof the ball down the field as far as possible, in the vague hope that one of your players will get on the end of it. That should be the last resort, not the first choice.

It’s far better for your goalkeeper to roll, throw or simply pass the ball to a team mate standing relatively close to the goal. But it is important that the receiving player is not under pressure.

As soon as your goalkeeper has the ball, your defenders should be moving into space and be ready to receive a pass. Your midfielders should also be in a position where they can support a defender who receives the ball.

How to roll the ball out

The leg opposite to rolling hand should be in front of the body.
Roll the ball like a ten-pin bowl, releasing it at its lowest point. Do not drop it.
The goalkeeper’s knees and waist have to be bent.
The rolling motion should be fast and there should be a good follow through.

Rolling or passing the ball out is the most accurate method of distribution.

But if there are no team mates standing close to the goal who are in a position to receive a pass, more distance can be gained by throwing or kicking the ball out.

There are three types of throw your goalkeeper can use: javelin, overhand and sidearm.

For the javelin (or baseball) throw, the ball sits in the palm of the hand and the throw starts with the hand level with the goalkeeper’s cheek and their fingers on the top of the ball. As the goalkeeper steps forward, the ball is thrown out.

A little more distance can be achieved with the sidearm throw. Again, the ball sits in the palm of the hand but this time the throwing arm is stretched back behind the body then brought forward with a slinging action.

The overhand throw is the most difficult to master but it is worth working on as many young goalkeepers can use this technique to throw the ball as far, or further, as they can kick it.

This time, the arm holding the ball is taken straight back with the elbow locked. As the goalkeeper steps forwards, the arm is brought forward (elbow still locked) and brought around in a circle over the head. The ball is released when the arm is at its highest point.

But if it’s not possible to pass, throw or roll the ball out, your goalkeeper needs to know how to kick it out of their hands.

This is often a dangerous moment in youth soccer matches as very often a young goalkeeper will only achieve a partial contact on the ball or miss it altogether. Result? Heart attack for watching coach!

There are two types of kick – the punt and the drop kick.

Most young players find the drop kick easier. This is where the goalkeeper drops the ball and kicks it as it hits the ground. A half volley, if you like. The low trajectory of the drop kick makes it a good technique for kicking into the wind and a drop kick is usually more accurate than a punt.

Although it’s not a very accurate method of distribution, goalkeepers can usually achieve more distance on their kicks with a punt. This is where the goalkeeper holds the ball in both hands, takes a short run and drops the ball directly on to the laces part of the foot. The kicking foot should be pointing at the target and come straight up and through the ball.

Whichever method of distribution is chosen, practice makes perfect. Goalkeepers should be encouraged to practise kicking and throwing as much as possible and they should not get disheartened if, at the beginning, they have little accuracy or distance. Both will come with practice and hard work.

Whatever you do, don’t tell them to “just get rid of it!”. Allow your goalkeeper to decide how to distribute the ball in matches, be patient and accept that mistakes – that often lead directly to the ball hitting the back of your net – will be made in the beginning.

A goalkeeper distribution practice plan

Although young goalkeeper often kick the ball away in the interest of getting the ball away from the goalmouth, throwing the ball is much more accurate and is a great way to start the counterattack.

Warm Up (10 min)
Jog and stretch, putting more emphasis on upper body and arms: large arm movements (windmilling, etc.) will get the shoulders loosened up. Have goalkeepers throw & catch in pairs or facing lines, but make the distance a bit larger than usual.

Coaching Points Make sure the arms and back are thoroughly warmed up.

Rolling the Ball (5 min)
Demonstrate or review basic rolling technique; have them roll the ball back and forth in pairs; then have the target player moving so the roll must lead them, like a good pass. Keepers should receive the ball with their feet, like a field player, then pick it up for their throw.

Coaching Points The release point of the ball should be low, so the ball rolls smoothly. Rolls shouldn’t be slow and lazy; they should get there as quickly as possible, so put some zip on the ball! A moving receiver should be able to take the ball in stride.

Baseball/Sidearm Throw (5 min)
Demonstrate or review techniques for these throws. Again in pairs, practice the throw first to a stationary partner, then to a moving one.

Coaching Points As before, the release point should be low. The ball should not be high and looping; it should hit the ground half- to three-quarters of the way to the target so it has time to settle. Some backspin on the ball will help this happen. Again, the throw should have some pace on it. Keepers receive the balls with their feet.

Same/Switch (5 min)
This activity needs four keepers in a square about 20 yards on a side. One player rolls the ball an adjacent teammate. As this is happening, the player diagonally across the square will call “Same” or “Switch”. If the call is “same”, the goalkeeper returns the ball to the player it came from with a roll. If the call is “switch”, the keeper sends the ball to the opposite side with a baseball or sidearm throw.

The player diagonally across from the keeper receiving the ball calls “Same” or “Switch” and the sequence repeats.

Coaching Points Rolls are used for close distribution, which might typically be a teammate on the same side of the field as where the ball is. A baseball or sidearm throw is used for longer distances, as when the keeper might want to quickly switch fields. The diagonally opposite player should call “same” or “switch” before the keeper across from them has received the ball, so the keeper must quickly distribute the ball in the proper direction and with the correct technique. Make sure they keep up a quick pace in this exercise.

Overhand (Sling) Throw (5 min)
Demonstrate or review the overhand throwing technique. Keepers should practice in pairs at a distance of 25-30 yards.

Coaching Points Once again, look for a low release point with a low trajectory throw that hits the ground a ways in front of the receiving player. Three common problems I see with this throw: 1) Bent elbow. The arm needs to be straight, elbow locked, throughout the throw. 2) Ball not locked in. The ball must be held securely between the hand and the forearm with a bent wrist, not just held in the palm of the hand. 3) Sidearm throw. This throw should be straight over the top for better accuracy.

Throwing square (10 min)
Four keepers in a 25-yard square, with one defender in the middle. Keepers throw the ball around the square, using a roll, baseball or sidearm throw to teammates on either side, or an overhand throw to the player across diagonally, keeping the ball away from the defender. Keepers receive the ball with their feet before picking it up to throw; if the ball can’t be received cleanly the defender may challenge for the ball. If the defender in the middle are keepers, they can exchange places with an outside keeper if they win the ball. You can vary the number of players outside and number of defenders based on ability and the number of players available.

Coaching Points Encourage quick decision making — find the open player fast, before the defender closes down. Throws should find their teammates feet and be on the ground (not bouncing) to prevent loss of possession.

“Ultimate” Throwing (15 min)
Divide keepers into two groups, and mark out a field a bit larger than you would use with a similar number of field players. Add an 8 yard deep “end zone” at each end. This game is similar to Ultimate Frisbee, except that players receive the ball with their feet. One team throws the ball to the other to start; a team advances the ball by throwing to a teammate, who receives it with their feet and controls it. Once they have, they may not move, but must pick the ball up and throw it to another teammate from that spot. Score a point by throwing to a teammate who controls the ball in the end zone. Defenders on the other team may intercept the throw or win the ball using their feet if the thrower’s teammate does not control the ball. The thrower may not be closely marked; defenders must stay at least two arm-lengths from the thrower.

Coaching Points: Find open teammates quickly and hit them in the feet. Enforce good goalkeeper throwing techniques; often players begin to simply lob the ball up towards the end zone. Using a neutral player or two who is always with the team in possession will make this game easier.

Throwing Distribution Game (20 min)
This game uses two keepers in goals at each end (cone goals are fine for this activity) and field players in the middle, one or two of whom are neutrals who always play with the team in possession. Minimum in the middle is 1v1+1 (1v1 plus neutral), it can go all the way up to almost full sides if you like (8v8+2). Field size varies with the number of players, but it should be on the large side. Play like a regular game, except that the objective of the offence is not to score goals — it’s to “shoot” the ball right to the goalkeeper so they can then distribute. The neutrals make this work by giving the attackers a couple extra players to get “shots” on goal, and giving the goalkeeper a couple more distribution options. Defenders can play less than 100% as well to give the keepers more work.

Coaching Points Keepers should look to distribute quickly when the receive the ball — look long first, and if there is nothing there go shorter. The longer they wait, the harder it will be to find an open player as the defence gets organized. Make sure throws are to feet and easy to receive, and have enough pace to get to the receiver before the defence can pick off the ball.

Soccer Golf (Throwing Only) (15 min)
Soccer golf is one of the most popular activities with my goalkeepers every season. Before practice, chart out a “golf course”, noting “tees” and “holes”. Tees just need to be a grassy location; holes should be 75 to 150 yards in length with an object at the end to hit. Please use objects nobody will mind getting hit with a soccer ball! Trash cans, street signs, goalposts, and fenceposts are some items that are usually acceptable. You can also mark out your own course using corner flags or coaching sticks. Then play “golf”, using throwing technique to get the ball near to, and then hitting the “hole” object, in the fewest throws.

Coaching Points Use the appropriate throw — tee off with a long overhand throw, then a more accurate baseball throw to get close, and a roll to finish it off.

The importance of the cool down

Most youth football coaches understand the importance of warming up their players before a coaching session or a match.

An effective warm-up reduces the risk of injury by increasing core temperature (that’s why it’s called “warming up”), improving the flow of oxygen to muscles and thereby making muscles and joints more supple.

A warm-up also prepares players mentally for the game ahead by helping them to focus on football and forget about outside distractions.

And almost every team has some sort of warm-up routine – although some consist of little more than a couple of laps of the pitch followed by outfield players trying to knock their keeper into the back of the net!

Cool downs are another matter.

While many coaches understand that players should cool down after playing football, very few youth coaches have any sort of cool-down routine.

That’s a shame. Cool downs don’t take long and they strengthen your players’ cardiovascular system by gradually lowering their heart rate rather than let it drop suddenly as soon as the coaching session or match finishes.

A good cool-down also reduces the likelihood of Delayed Muscle Soreness (the stiffness and dull aching felt one to two days after exercise) by removing lactic acid and other by-products of exercise.

And cool downs are a good opportunity for reflecting on the match or coaching session and praising players for their hard work.

Who should cool down?

Even very young players should spend a few minutes cooling down and as players get older and less flexible, the cool down becomes even more important. By the time players are U11s or U12s, the cool-down should be as much a part of their pre-game routine as the warm-up.

How to cool down

A good cool-down typically consists of a light jog followed by gentle, static stretching of the main muscles.

It’s also important to take the opportunity to rehydrate and replace lost carbohydrates with a sports drink.

But I thought dynamic stretching was better than static?

Static stretching consists of stretching a muscle (or group of muscles) to its farthest point and then maintaining or holding that position. This helps realign muscle fibres and thereby speed recovery after exercise.

Dynamic stretching involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both. Basically, it’s stretching while moving.

Dynamic stretching is used in warm-ups because it helps to increase muscle temperature and flexibility.

An example cool-down routine

1. A couple of minutes slow jogging.

2. Two players share one ball. One player gets behind their partner. The leading player walks and the player behind pushes the ball between their partner’s legs as they walk. The ball is stopped by the leading player and the action repeated. Go a few yards then switch the players round.

3. Perform static stretches in a circle. Work up from the bottom, i.e. ankles/Achilles, hamstrings, quads right up to shoulders and neck. Hold stretches for a few seconds.

Summary

Cooling down:

Improves your players’ fitness.
Reduces the likelihood of injuries.
Is a very good habit to get into!

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

Give your players a goalscoring mentality

Scoring goals requires technical skills – the ability to dribble, run with the ball, receive a pass, find space and strike the ball correctly with the appropriate part of the foot or body.

But goalscoring also requires a certain mental attitude.

Top class players such as Lionel Messi play with the certain knowledge that they are going to score goals. It’s just a question of when and how many. This “goalscoring mentality” is what separates Messi (and players like Rooney, Ronaldo, Drogba, David Villa, and Ronaldinho) from players who have similar technical skills and has made him into one of the most valuable players in the world.

But even if your players are as young as eight or nine they can be helped to develop the self confidence that will allow them to perform to their potential in every match and for a striker, that means converting scoring opportunities into goals.

Hans Westerhof – a respected Dutch soccer coach – says:

“If you want to improve an individual player, you will have to work on his self-confidence. Self-confidence is really nothing more than knowing what it is you have to do (your basic tasks) and knowing that you can do it. The coach must send his players on to the pitch with the right basic tasks. Players must not be given orders they are unable to carry out.”

This is true for players of all ages but especially true for young players.

Children have to be taught the mechanics of football but they also have to be given the self-belief to use their skills on match days.

That means allowing players to take chances and express themselves without fear. To do that you have to manage the pressure that children inevitably feel on match days.

The message from you to your players before they take to the pitch should be simple: If you are within range and you can see the goal – shoot! It’s OK to miss. If you don’t shoot, you’ll never score.

The confidence to act on this instruction to “shoot on sight” can be given in training sessions by playing small-sided games (SSGs), involving 4v4 or 5v5 matches on a short, wide pitch that has really big goals at each end. Award two points for a goal scored from within your own half and one for a goal scored in the opponent’s half of the pitch.

You can also encourage a shooting mentality by only playing possession games such as keepaway if they include an element of goalscoring.

Teaching your players how to keep the ball is essential but possession without an end result – a goal – is pointless. So play 4v2 or 6v3 games by all means but always allow players to shoot at a goal when they have completed a set number of passes.

If you teach your players the skills they need to need to score goals then lower their anxiety level in matches by making it clear that you value attempts at goal as much, if not more, than actual goals you will soon have a team that thinks “this isn’t so hard!”.

Once that degree of self confidence is reached, goals will follow.

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

Ghostbusters

Objective: This game is a good warm-up for a training session or a match.

It’s also a great way to improve dribbling skills, ball control and physical co-ordination.

Set up: Create a 20-yard square for every 12 players.

Each player has a ball.

How to play:

Inside the area, 10 players have a ball while the two remaining players are the ghosts.

The players with a ball dribble around in the area and try to stay away from the ghosts who attempt to tag the dribbling players.

Once a player has been tagged they freeze and stand with their feet apart holding their ball above their head.

See how many players the ghosts can freeze in one minute.

Alternatively, the pair of ghosts who can tag all the players in the quickest time wins.

The last two players to be tagged become the ghosts in the next game.

Progression:

Allow free players to unfreeze tagged players by playing the ball between the frozen player’s legs.

The frozen player should shout ‘Help!!’ or “I need a ghostbuster!!”.

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

Get your team into shape!

In the early years, team shape and formations should be very far from the coach’s mind.

At U4s to U6s, or even older, the emphasis should be on teaching basic skills, playing 3v3 or 4v4 and allowing your players to get as many of touches on the ball as possible.

There is no need to try to make children play in recognisable positions and they should be free to express themselves in whatever way they choose.

But once your players have developed reasonable passing, receiving and ball holding skills, they can be introduced to the the concept that allows football teams from Old Town U9s to Manchester United to play “proper” football: Team shape.

What’s the difference between a team formation and team shape?

Team formation is the arrangement of players on the pitch.

2-2-2, for example, is a common seven-a-side formation that has two players in defence, two in midfield and two in attack.

3-3-2 is a nine-a-side formation with three defenders, three midfielders and two strikers.

The position of goalkeeper is assumed.

Team shape, on the other hand, is how you want your players to spread out relative to each other within your chosen formation.

Click here to see an image that shows the relationship between team shape and team formation.

What shape do I want my team to have?

It doesn’t matter if you’re playing 4v4, 7v7 or 11v11. The shape you’re looking for is a diamond.

Why a diamond?

A diamond is a simple shape that most children can visualise.

It’s also a logical shape for your team. The top of the diamond provides a focus for your team’s attacks, the two points on the side provide width and the base of the diamond provides stability and a platform to mount attacks.

How to teach your team to play with shape

Begin by asking your players to draw a diamond on a tactics board or make some diamond shapes with cones. Then explain why you want your players to become “your little diamonds”.

Once you’re sure that everyone knows what a diamond looks like, put four players into a diamond shape on the field and walk around holding a ball in your hands.

They should mirror your movements as a unit and maintain the diamond shape, no matter where the ball is.

Every player should move forwards, backwards and sideways as though they are joined together with string.

Progress to playing a 4v4 match with both teams starting in a diamond shape.

Your instructions are simple: To move the ball to the sharp end (the point of the diamond nearest the opponent’s goal) as quickly and directly as possible. If a direct pass isn’t possible, the ball should be passed around the other points of the diamond until it is.

Tell your players that if they can’t pass the ball forward, they should try to pass it sideways. If a sideways pass isn’t on either, pass the ball back to the base of the diamond.

Tip: Don’t be tempted to put your players in set positions. It’s easy to tell Susie she is always at the right point of the triangle or tell Mary she is always at the top of the diamond but the emphasis should be helping your players to understand that it doesn’t matter who is playing on the right side, left side, or at the top and bottom points of the diamond… as long as someone is.

They should be encouraged to look around and fill spaces, not get totally focused on maintaining their own position.

Be patient

Don’t expect your team to abandon the swarm and begin playing like Barcelona overnight.

Many hours of practice (playing games like Lane Soccer) will be required before young players start to play with anything like a recognisable shape.

The maturity of your players will have an impact too. For team shape to “work”, your players have to be able to put the interests of the team before their own desire to get close to the action.

But some of your players will mature faster than others and it only takes one or two children to lag behind the rest in terms of putting the team before self to force you to postpone your plans until every player is ready.

But if you are patient you will, one day, have a team of players who know where they should be at any given point in the game and what they should be doing when they are there. to practise passing, shooting, dribbling and changing quickly from attack to defence.

Stay in lane

Objective: To help young football players understand they don’t need to bunch round the ball.

Set-up: Mark out a 30×20 yards playing with a goal at each end.

The pitch is divided into three channels (lanes) running from one end line to the other with flat cones.

Play 3v3 to begin with and put one player from each team in each lane.

Goalkeepers are optional.

How to play:

Players can pass, tackle and dribble but they can’t go out of their channel.
If they leave their channel (even if it is just by stepping over the line), they concede a free kick where the infringement took place.
Swap the players to a new zone every two or three minutes.

Progression:

1. After playing 3v3, widen the centre lane and play 4v4 (2v2 in the centre lane).

2. When playing 4v4, allow two players of each team to be in any lane at one time. If a third player from that team wants to enter that same lane, one of the two players from that team must leave the lane before he can enter it.

3. Set up three teams of four players. Two teams play “winner stays on”. (I play one goal wins the game).

When playing winner stay on, add these conditions for balls played out of bounds:

Balls kicked over the end line result in a corner kick or goal kicks in the usual way but balls kicked across the side line mean an automatic loss for team that last touched the ball.
This encourages the waiting team to stay alert and be ready to start playing as soon as the ball goes into touch.

4. Do not assign players to a specific zone. Instead, allow movement between zones provided at least one player from each team is in each zone.

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