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Fitness, passing skills and teamwork

A football (soccer) coaching session designed to improve aerobic fitness, passing skills and teamwork

Age group: U8 to adult
Number of players: 8 – 20

Warm up – passing skills

Set up: create groups of 4/5 players. Find a space that will allow each pass to be between 5-10 yards. No grid lines or cones. One ball between two.

The objective: to ping the ball from player to player in a one touch passing sequence.

Procedure: it’s important to stress that players do not stand still after passing the ball, so ensure the players sprint after their pass for a few yards.

Players can use their first touch to control the ball then pass with their second but they should try to pass one touch wherever possible.

Make it a game by seeing how many passes the group can complete in 45 seconds or a minute. Only completed one touch passes count.

When performed well, this exercise is attractive and satisfying, both to the players and the coach.

Team Escort Run – improves aerobic fitness

from catch them being good! by Tony DiCicco and Colleen Hacker

Note: there are two types of fitness – anaerobic and aerobic. Aerobic fitness can be sustained over long periods of time while anaerobic fitness is the ability to perform at maximum intensity for short period (up to about 12 seconds)

Objective: to improve aerobic fitness

Set up: create groups of 4. Each group stands behind a cone with a second cone about 20 metres away. The group decides in what order they are going to run (1-4).

Procedure: Runner 1 runs 20 metres to cone and back. On their return they are joined by runner 2 who accompanies runner 1 back to the cone while dribbling a ball. They return to the start with runner 2 leaving the ball for runner 3 who accompanies runner 1 . When they return, runner 4 takes runner 1 out and back. Then it’s runner 2s turn to be escorted out an back with her teammates.

Make it a competition between the groups to see who can complete the exercise the quickest.

This is a fun way to get fit that also serves as a team building exercise.

The pressing game – improves closing down, fitness and teamwork

from Paul Coopers SSG handbook

This game can have a big effect on how your team performs and is about encouraging the players to defend from the front. It is quite a high tempo game.

It is also good for conditioning and developing a physical and mental toughness.

Age Group – U8s to adults

Pitch Size 30/40 x 20 – or at the discretion of the coach, but basically a standard 4 v 4 pitch, with a half way line marking. (you can use two traffic cones at each side of the pitch)

Number of teams – 2

Team sizes – 4-6 players

Bibs optional

Goals –5 a side or mini soccer goals

The game is played as a standard small sided game with one condition. If a team wins the ball in the oppositions half and then goes on to score before the ball has left that half, they are awarded two goals.

A goal scored any other way counts as just one goal.

Very popular with the players and evokes good team spirit.

The attacking team need to work as a unit and both press and close down defenders.

Tip: try a short wide pitch so it’s easy to score goals

Finish with another SSG.

I like the 1-0 game for older children. The younger ones should just be allowed to play with no conditions.

How to teach the laces kick and driven pass

Ages: 6+; Materials: Cones, bibs; Players: 4+

The laces kick (a.k.a. instep drive) and the driven pass are very similar in terms of technique. The primary difference is that, in the driven pass, the player typically will want to keep an eye on play and has less of a need for added power on the pass. As a result, the player usually will not run through the pass or add any type of snap to the pass.

On the other hand, when a player wants to take a very hard low, shot like a penalty kick, additional power is needed. Also, smaller players will often need to add a significant follow-through to most shots in order to get enough power. Some coaches opt to teach the laces kick and the driven pass in the same practice. This is fine, as long as you have enough time and as long as you are careful to distinguish for players when each technique will be most useful.

Individual Work

Start with players, each with a ball, seated on the ground. Point out the big bone that runs along the inside laces of the foot. This is the hardest surface of the foot, and is the area which they will use to make a laces kick. Have them toss the football up in the air, and try to hit the ball solidly in the centre with the big bone of the foot.

Now, put them in pairs. One player will bend over and hold the ball with the hands, while the other player works on the foot position needed to make the big bone of the foot come into contact with the centre of the ball. Players with big feet often have to turn the foot sharply to the side and turn the knee inward to get this optimal contact. Furthermore, as they continue to grow, they may need to periodically redo this exercise to find the correct foot position, so coaches should not overlook the need to do this if a player suddenly becomes unable to do a low shot after having prior success.

Next, work on the correct distance for the plant foot. One of the most common problems with young players is a tendency to put the foot too close to the ball, which makes it almost impossible to make good contact with the ball. Tell the players to leave plenty of room for their hips to swing, because they will get power from the swing of the hips/legs.

Finally, work on the proper approach to the ball. Put the player at an angle to the side of the ball, usually around 35 degrees, and back at a distance that he will need to take 3 steps to reach the ball . Note that a right-footed player will step L, R, and then put his L foot beside the ball. As the non-kicking foot is planted, the kicking leg is drawn back; the ankle of the kicking foot is locked with the toe down; and the knees of BOTH legs are bent so that the knee of the kicking foot comes over the ball as contact is made with the ball.

Coaching Note: Do not skip the phase of checking out the proper foot positioning. It is critical that the players be allowed to experiment with the positioning which feels “best” to them and they will automatically feel when they are making solid contact. The coach can make the rounds and to check each player while they are experimenting with their foot position.

Once both partners have tried this basic positioning, put partners across from one another at a distance of about 30 feet, each player with a ball, lining up the partners so you have two lines of players who are facing one another. Get some parents/assistants to shag errant balls and let the players work on their kicks. To maximize touches, allow both players to go at the same time and allow players on one side to use any ball which comes their way. While they are working on these skills, walk around and correct technique as necessary.

Common problems are:

Erratic shots caused by failure to lock the ankle/foot.
Tip: to get players to lock the ankle with the foot in the ‘down’ position, encourage them to curl their toes into the bottom of their boot.
Shot not staying low, caused by foot position too low on the ball or by putting the plant foot too far behind the ball.
No power on the shot, caused by poor leg swing or improper position of plant foot.
Stubbed toe, caused by poor run angle and/or failure to bend leg of kicking foot and/or failure improper foot angle.
Tip: cut the bottom off of a styrofoam cup and use the use the inverted upper half as a kicking tee); shorten the tee as the player improves
Lifting the head, which causes the ball to become air-borne or the shot to be erratic.
Tip: get the players to focus on a particular panel of the ball and “watch their foot hit the ball”.

Once the players have learned the basic mechanics of the shot itself, they are ready for the next stage, which is to teach the follow-through. In order to impart the maximum power to the ball, the player must continue to run through the shot, ending in a high-kick worthy of a can-can dancer, with his head/nose almost coming into contact with his kicking leg. To do this, it is easiest to practice the move without the ball. Simply put the players on the field and tell them to select a spot which represents the ball such as a mound of grass or a spot marked on the dirt. Have them start their run so that their foot will go over the spot; and then practice leaping through the contact with the ball so that they go over the spot and land on their kicking foot.

Coaching Note: Some players who are worried about stubbing their toes may be afraid of an exaggerated follow-through. For these players, it is sufficient initially if you can get them to run through the kick and land on their kicking foot.

Now, put the players back into their two lines. Because of the increased power, and the need to run forward, have the two lines alternate on doing these kicks and leave plenty of space so that nobody gets hit by a shot, Let the players see how much extra power is achieved by the follow-through.
Small Group Work

Of course, in an actual game, there will be very few situations where the player actually can take the time to place the ball and then take a careful run-up. As a result, players need to learn to control and shoot balls that are coming in from the front, from the side, or from behind them.

Divide the players into groups of 3, and put players in a long grid about 30 feet by 40 feet. Make two narrow cone goals at one end to imitate the corners of the net with a “keeper” stationed several yards behind the goals so that he can more easily shag balls which come through the goals. Have one player as a shooter and one with 3-4 balls as a server. Start with service of a ball coming from behind the shooter by having the server about 15 feet to one side and slightly deeper than the shooter. Server rolls the ball so that it will cross the path of the incoming shooter about midway to the goals. The shooter must take one touch to control the ball and then take a laces shot at either of the cone goals. After 3-4 shots, the players rotate positions.

Repeat, with balls coming in square by putting server about 20 feet wide of the shooter and about midway to the goals, and have him roll the ball out as the shooter starts his run. Again, the shooter tries to control with one touch and put the ball into position to make a laces shot with his second touch. Rotate after 3-4 shots.

Repeat, with balls coming in from the front by putting put server about 20 feet wide of the goals on the goal-line and have him roll the ball so that it intersects his path about midway to the goals. Rotate after3-4 shots.

Now, repeat the entire exercise again with the server becoming a lazy defender who just jogs slowly towards the shooter to add a bit of extra pressure on him after the serve. Rotate players after each sequence of balls (back, side, front) has been completed. Finally, end with shooters dribbling their own balls in, and the extra player acting as a lazy defender to apply some minimal pressure.

Coaching Note: If players are having difficulty, the coach may opt to delay square and front-coming balls for a later date. This is especially true of younger players, who may not have the ability to accurately judge or time these balls, either from the service or shooting sides of the equation. If you run into this problem, limit your initial drill to balls passed in from behind recruit parents to help as servers when you are going to work on other types of service at a future practice. When the slight-pressure rotations have been completed, turn the drill into a contest. To prevent sabotage by poor service, have the contest between the shooter and the keeper. Then put the servers into their own groups for their own contest, using the others as shaggers and servers. See how many goals can be scored in X tries, perhaps around 9-10 each, divided into the types that you’ve practiced.

Now, divide the groups up so that the top scorers are in one group; the middle ones in another; and the lower ones in the last group. Run the contests again, making a mental note of strength levels of the various shooters.
Large Group Work

Divide the players into 2-4 evenly balanced teams (good/average/poor shooters) and run some relay races or have some contests. Use your imagination about conditions. Ideas include:

Put players in 2 lines about 40 feet out from goal. On your shout of “go”, first player dribbles and shoots with laces kick. If he misses, and shooting high counts as a miss, he must run and tag the goalpost before running back to tag hand of next player on team. If his shot goes in, he can run back and tag hand of next teammate in line. If you do not have even numbers, let one member of the team run twice. First team to finish wins.
Create distance lanes, and see which team has the most balls that land in the farthest lane out.

Have a penalty kick contest.

Play for points. Teams are in two lines, about 40 feet out from goal, and will alternate shooting. Coach has all balls, and teams take turns in shooting on balls served by coach. Team with most points wins.
Similar to last drill, except players have balls. Coach stands in between the groups; players serve balls into coach, who lays them back out to the incoming player for a shot.

Scrimmage

Because you’ve already made balanced teams, you can proceed to a regular scrimmage at the end of the contests. Alternatively, you can allow the winning team to decide how to end the practice, and let them choose the ending game. Periodically, repeat this practice during the seasons to continue to work on shooting balls which are coming in from various angles.

Almost all players enjoy shooting work, so these sessions are good to include after several hard practices.

How to teach the slide tackle

What is a slide tackle?

The slide tackle is usually used when the attacker and defender are running in the same direction and the attacker’s threat is such that the defender must stop them immediately…
a word of warning!

Mis-timed or poorly executed tackles can result in free kicks (or penalties) against your team and….

lead to yellow or even red cards against your players and…
cause serious injury to an opponent or the player themselves.

What to tell your players about slide tackling

1. Watch the ball

When an attacker is running at you with the ball, it’s difficult not to concentrate on her body movements. Doing so, however, could cost you a tackle.

More than a few flashy forwards have tricked a defender out of her socks while only nominally touching the ball. Such situations, however, can be avoided by keeping your eyes on the ball. If someone is trying to dribble by you and she’s coming right at you, you’ve got to watch the ball. No matter where the attacker’s body moves — she can go right, she can go left — the ball always sits still.

2. Don’t tackle unless it’s necessary

The best place for a defender to be is on her feet, not on the ground, and so one should resist the temptation to leap at an opponent’s ankles every time the opportunity presents itself. It’s better to contain the forward and prevent her from penetrating. You should also try to work with your fellow defenders to close off the attack without direct confrontation.

If you are the last line of defence, it is particularly important to remain upright. If your slide-tackle fails, your opponent’s path to the goal will be clear.

Any time you dive in, there’s a chance of you getting beaten. Even if you do dive in and get the ball, it can always bounce or deflect off your opponent and get past you.

3. Wait for your opponent to separate from the football

As long as your opponent has the ball at her feet, he’s in control and a slide tackle could be suicidal. Wait for her to knock it ahead two or three feet before tackling.

If you tackle when it’s at her feet he can knock it away from you or dribble past you.

Timing is the crucial ingredient, both for safety and effectiveness. But the quality of the timing is elusive. If you don’t have the right timing, your opponent is going to run right past you.

Note: Developing timing requires constant practice, but it is not really something you can do in practice. Kids always want to practice slide-tackling, but be content with demonstrating the technique. The more they play, the better they’ll get at it.

4. Be decisive

Every time a good defender player tries to complete a tackle, he takes the attitude that he is going to get the ball. That’s the way you have to think.

Mentality is important, especially at the highest level where the difference between success and failure can be confidence. Players can’t hesitate, or they’ll be beaten.

When you decide to go down, you have to go down. You can’t think twice about it. If you go into a tackle halfway, you can get hurt. Decide 100 percent that you are going, and then go.

Knowing when to go requires instinct built through experience, and it requires the ability to read the game. All these come with match practice.

5. The angle of attack

Do not attempt to slide-tackle an opponent from behind or from the front. It’s dangerous and almost always results in the referee calling a foul or even a straight red card. The only way to safely slide tackle someone is at an angle.

Alternatively, while racing alongside an opponent, wait for her to separate from the ball. Then step into her path, between her and the ball. Step right into her line. Now you’ve got the ball, and you can shield it. Chances are, she’ll trip you or foul you because you’ve cut her off.

Protect Yourself

The first law of slide-tackling concerns safety. It begins with shinguards. Full guards may not be as comfortable as smaller models, but defenders don’t really have a choice. Nor do they have a choice once the decision to tackle has been made. Don’t take it easy! You must go all out.

The mechanics are important. Tacklers should keep their leg unlocked with a slight bend. Then when you get to the ball, extend your leg through it. Make sure you get the ball right on your shoelaces and swing your leg through it.

Get The Ball

If you don’t get the ball your goalkeeper will most likely be picking the ball out of the back of the net in a matter of moments. Make sure you get the ball.

Coach your players to:

Approach from the side and tackle across the path of the opponent – REMEMBER, THE TACKLE FROM BEHIND HAS BEEN OUTLAWED

Decide early whether to knock the ball out of play or ‘hook’ it to win possession
Be decisive and committed
Tackle using the leg furthest from the ball and keep it slightly bent
Tuck the leg nearest the ball underneath the backside and ideally slide on the outer thigh
Kick through the ball, or get the ball on the shoelaces (instep) and swing the leg around in a wide sweep to ‘hook’ or trap the ball with the foot
Meet the ball solidly and make contact with the centre to top half of the ball so it doesn’t roll over the foot
GET BACK UP as quickly as possible, whether the tackle has been successful or not

How to teach heading

There are two important aspects of good heading technique:

Accurate contact with the ball: Contact with the ball should always be made with the forehead area. From time to time, a player may use the top of their head to flick the football on from a long flighted pass or throw-in. The eyes should always be open (at least until impact) and fixed on the ball and the body positioned in line.

The player’s mouth should be CLOSED!

To direct the ball downwards, the forehead must make contact with the top-half of the ball. The side of the forehead can be used to glance headers on and the middle for more direct power headers. In a stationary position, the power comes from the legs, back and neck. The player “rocks” backward and pushes his body forward to meet the ball.

Attacking the ball: As mentioned earlier, this is an extremely important technique. To put power into a header, this requires successful co-ordination of different forces. To gain power, a player can run and jump off one leg to meet the ball. This requires good timing of the run as well as anticipation of where the ball will be placed. After take off, the upper body arches backwards and this momentum produces a snapping action where the body is propelled forward.

At the same time the neck is extended then snapped forward in synchronisation with the body to strike the ball with maximum power. The ball must be struck at the top of the jump, if the player jumps to early, he will touch the ball on the way down and lose all power. The ability to run and jump is useful in winning the ball in a crowd of players and should be practised to ensure perfect synchronisation of the action.

It is important to mention the technique for flicking the ball on which is often neglected by soccer coaching books. This technique involves jumping for the ball to play (or continue) it in more or less the same direction where it was played from.

Many teams will play a long flighted pass from the back to the centre-forward who will try to win the aerial challenge and flick the ball on to a team-mate running behind him. This requires good timing and the ability to jump high. The player jumps in the same way as mentioned earlier but drops his head slightly forwards before making a backwards flicking movement with the head to strike the ball (usually with the top of the head) and keep it moving forwards.

To build up heading technique, the coach may want to start with simple practices such as encouraging players to juggle the ball with their head. Gently throwing the ball in the air so the player can head it back to the thrower or to players positioned around the receiver (the receiver can be static to begin with then try attacking the ball) will allow the player to gain in confidence before moving onto more complex techniques. Once the basic technique has been acquired, then differently flighted balls can be played into the player to test and improve his ability (e.g. crosses to be headed into the goal or high balls to be cleared).
soccer coaching – heading the ball soccer coaching – heading the ball 2

Now it’s time for a little practice:

Progression 1: Set up in threes, two balls per trio, players in a triangle with about 3-5 yards between them. Working player receives underhand lobs alternately from partners. Lobs from partner A must be headed up to partner’s head; lobs from partner B must be headed to partner’s feet. Run for a minute and switch working player. Coach corrects the basics as above; emphasises good service. This progression may be too advanced for younger players, who tend to do better by learning one specific skill at a time (e.g., heading downward).

Progression 2: Move players farther apart (about 5-7 yards), and put one ball down. Player A serves underhand lob to B who heads to C. Player C serves A who heads to B, and so on. The difference here is that players are getting a ball coming from one direction and heading it in a different direction as opposed to the simple back-and-forth in the basic work. Emphasise moving entire body to enable powerful headers to be struck with the forehead. This progression, and the progressions which follow, probably will be too difficult for players under about age 10-11.

Progression 3: Groups of four children with two balls, players in a diamond with approx. 5 yards between players. Single working player receives underhand lob serve, locates a player without ball (other than server), and heads to her. Next lob comes immediately. This results in the working player having to deal with balls from a variety of angles, identify a target, and perform the header. As players improve, increase distance and allow non-working players to move around.

Progression 4: 6 players plus coach and assistant (or a couple of parents), each with a ball set up on the outside of an area about 20×20. Working players stand in the centre of the area. On “start”, working players make eye contact with outside player and run to them, receive underhand lob for attacking header, defensive header, leaping header, and diving header for more advanced players. The heading player continues round the outside of the server and re-enters the grid to look for another server with ball. Run for a minute and then have players switch roles.
Large Group Work

Put several players around the edges of a large circle, with about 2-3 players inside circle. All of outside players have balls. Inside player asks for service, then heads ball back to server, and moves to another server. Swap out and inside players after 5-6 headers.
End game

Option 1 (for younger players): Play a 4 v 4 game, but any goals scored by heading the ball count as 2 points. Alternatively, count ANY header as a 1 point. If you taught headers and chest traps consecutively, you might count either a chest trap or header as a goal.

Option 2 (for players 11+): Set up a field 30×40 yards with small cone goals, divide into two teams with different colour bibs and play “toss-head-catch” as follows: Sequence MUST be a “toss” followed by a “head” followed by a “catch”. Object is to move down field and score with a header. Ball is ‘lost’ if a player goes out of sequence or the ball is not caught from the header or the header is not done correctly.

How to teach dribbling

Dribbling is, perhaps, the most important skill a player can have or work on. Your children will put opposition players out of the game by dribbling past them.

They will also demoralise the opposition and make themselves feel good.

And by dribbling they’re showing that they’re not afraid of being tackled.

That said, there are occasions when it is wrong to dribble.

Why? Because the most skilful dribbler cannot always beat the opposition.

So, if they are dribbling in the attacking third, a 90% success rate is good and your children will score plenty of goals.

But if they dribble near your goal the same success rate can easily lose the game because every time they lose the ball they will present the opposition with a great chance to score.

The lesson is? Don’t dribble in front of your own goal!

Start your dribbling practice with games that have players repeatedly touching the football. Add pressure as the practice continues by limiting the space and adding defenders. End the practice by having players perform skills in match like conditions.

Two games in particular – Musical Balls and Blob Tag – are also great warm ups to begin a dribbling session. Your kids will love playing them!

Some basic dribbling moves

The Stop and Go.

This is simply a change of pace. You jog slowly with the ball, usually when a defender is along side of you, and then burst past the defender. The key is a change of pace with the ball.

You can also put the sole of your foot on top of the ball when stopping the ball and then push it forward with your instep when you break off on the dribble again to escape the defender.

The Cut Back.

With the inside of the foot you cut the ball back behind your body. Using your right foot to cut the ball back you plant your left foot to the side of the ball and then bring your right foot up to cut the ball back.

You can often tie this in with a fake shot. Dribbling away from a defender into space you fake a pass or shot and then chop the ball back with the inside of the foot you used to fake the pass or the shot.

The Fake Shot.

Simply cocking the leg back like you are going to shoot can buy you time.

The Step over.

You take your right foot over the ball and dribble away with your left. Also often called the scissors.

Inside Outside.

You kind of fake like your going inside and then rush to the outside. With the inside of your foot on the ball you carry the ball a little bit to the inside and then when you think the defender is off balance or not ready, you make a dash for the outside and with more space to cross the ball, or make a pass, or shoot.

Outside Inside.

This time use the outside of your feet, this is usually more difficult because you don’t have as much control with the outside of your feet, in terms of surface area, so make the dragging of the ball to the outside a little shorter in distance. Same as above but reverse.

Dropping Your Shoulder.

Dribbling slowly at a defender you feint with the shoulder, kind of ducking your shoulder down a little bit one way and take off the other.

Sole of the foot turn.

Pull the ball back with the bottom of your shoe and burst away with a change of speed.

Scoop.

Life the ball over the defender’s foot. This is usually done while feinting one way and then scooping the ball the other way just over the defender’s planted foot.

After you lift the ball over the defenders foot make sure to take off with a burst of speed. Often, you want to scoop or lift the ball over the defenders foot and to your other foot so your body will be between you and the defender after you make the move. So you are dribbling with your right foot and scoop the ball over the defenders foot and to your left foot or the other way around. Also, this move is also usually done when you are in an almost standing position and the defender is rushing at you or you’re suckering the defender in and then lifting the ball over their foot as they came in towards you to fast and you then slip away.

The Lean.

Leaning to one side, as if you are going to dart that way and then when the defender leans that way take off in the opposite direction.

Sucker them.

Entice the defender to try to go for the ball, exposing the ball as if the defender can steal it and when he or she makes a move to go for the ball you cut the ball away and take off. Again, change of pace is the key when beating a defender on the dribble.

How to teach block tackling

In soccer, the term “tackling” is used to describe any effort to steal the soccer ball or knock it out. Thus, in soccer, a tackle can be on the ground (a slide tackle) or it also can be done upright, either by knocking the soccer ball out as you run along one side of the attacker or done from the front by blocking him from dribbling the soccer ball forward – a block tackle.

What to tell your children about block tackles

The non-kicking foot should be placed alongside the ball (approximately 10″ to the side). The ankle joint of the tackling foot must be firm and locked. The knees should be bent to lower the centre of gravity of the player. This will produce a compact and more powerful shape.

The head and upper body should be over the ball. The hands should be closed (make a fist). This will tighten the upper body.

Contact is made with the inside of the foot. Contact on the ball should be made through the horizontal mid-line and centre of the ball. Quality tackling is as much an attitude as it is technique. Players must develop an aggressive attitude towards winning the ball.

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 BALL ITSELF and not the opponent.

The Side Block Tackle

When a defender is beaten and is giving chase, the side block tackle is on of the most effect tackles that a defender can use. While a side block tackle and a sliding tackle can both be effective in dispossessing an attacker, I prefer my players to use the block tackle because it requires them to stay on their feet longer. If the side block doesn’t work, then slide the player.

The side block tackle can be broken down into four main stages:

1. The defender must give chase and run hard to get along side the attacker

2. Once along side the attacker, the defender should then turn into the attacker using the nearest foot to the attacker and leaning their body weight to the nearest shoulder to the attacker e.g. a good old shoulder barge.

3. The defender then crouches down adopting a low centre of gravity, pivots on the standing foot next to the attacker

4. Then with the tackling leg, hook the foot around the ball using the instep and complete the hook turn with force striking through the ball.

Quite often the ball will break free from this type of tackle. So its important to stress to your players that they should stay on their feet. At best the ball will break in their favour and they can then instigate a counter attack. At worst the attacker may initially lose control but the ball still breaks their way, in this instance if your player has stayed on their feet they can still give chase. If they are on the floor they can’t!

How to teach basic marking

Ages: 7+: Materials: Cones, balls, bibs: Players: 4+

One of the most important defensive soccer skills which players should learn (even young children) is how to properly mark an opponent so that he does not appear “open” to his teammate. This is a difficult skill for beginning players to learn, because they tend to watch the ball instead of their marks. Furthermore, because it is only necessary to mark your man when your team doesn’t have the ball, younger players can get confused about when to mark and when to get away. As a result, it is necessary to break these skills down into manageable steps, starting with just staying with your man and teaching some tricks on how to do this.

The first basic rules of marking are to be stay within 2-3 feet of your man. Start by putting players in pairs, with one player in each pair as the attacker. It is the job of the attacker to try to get away from his marker, and the job of the marker to stay with his attacker. Do not bother using a ball. Just put the players in a grid and play it like tag. When you blow the whistle, everyone must freeze and any defender who is not within 3 feet of his mark must do a “special exercise”. Pick silly special exercises, like doing a duck walk for 3 steps, quacking “mark, mark, mark”, etc.). Play for several minutes, then switch roles between defenders and attackers. Reinforce the idea that those who are sticking with the opponent are “defenders” and that attackers can go anywhere and should try to lose their marks.

Now, introduce the idea of transition which means the switch from offence to defence when possession is lost. Put bibs on one member of each pair and give them a team name. Also give a team name to the kids without bibs.

Put them back in the grid, and periodically shout out a team name for the kids who are to act as defenders. Require that they find their marks and get within 3 feet of their marks by the count of 2 which requires them to always have a good idea of where their marks are, even when trying to lose them). Once again, use a silly “exercise” for those who do not quickly switch off.

Now, introduce a football and make the team without the ball the defenders. Put small cone goals at the ends of the grid so that each team has a goal to defend. At this point, things will fall apart with new players, as they will start watching the ball and stop watching their marks. Expect this. It is normal. Let them play for 2-3 minutes, and find the kids who have gotten the concept down. These are the kids whom you will name as captains.

Blow your whistle; stop the game; and assign captains for each side. Their jobs are to yell “Rockets, mark” or “Rockets, attack”, depending on whether or not their team has the ball. Always try to have 2 captains for each side, as somebody will get tied up in the excitement and forget to shout instructions.

Play the game again, and watch the transitions. Don’t interfere, just let things sort out for 3-4 minutes. Then, announce a new game, where the entire team has to do a “special exercise” if, when you blow the whistle, they are not marking properly. The use of a team special exercise is important, as you want the entire team to learn to look out for somebody who is not marking his man. This will be crucial in games when, for instance, a defender falls down and it is essential that another player pick up his mark, so get them used to the idea of watching each other.

Let them play for about 1 minute, then blow your whistle. Resume, and blow again when the other side should be marking. Now, play a game where a goal counts for 1 point, and good marking counts for 2 points. Be sure that you give equal chances as you blow your whistle for both sides to get 2 points. At this stage, do not give out any “special exercises” as the loss of the chance for 2 is quite sufficient to get the point across. Additionally, and you don’t want to do anything more to single out the poor kid who messed up.

For younger players, this may be as much as you can handle in one session. However, for older players, you can proceed to the next step, which is learning where to stand in relation to your opponent, assuming that teams are equal in numbers. In general, the safest place for a defender to stand is goal-side AND ball-side of his mark. In the midfield, it is more important to be ball-side than goal-side. When in the penalty box, you normally should be ball-side unless your attacker is considerably faster/quicker in which case you should be goal-side. Inside the goal area, you should always be goal-side if standing still, and ball-side if you are running in towards the goal with your attacker.

By ball-side, we mean that the defender is standing between his mark and the ball, so that the ball cannot “see” the feet of his man. “Ball-side” marking looks like this:

Small Group Work

Put a pair of players in a grid, with one goal at one end, and put another pair in a long narrow grid that runs along one sideline. To score, the team in possession must have passed to a teammate on the sideline, then shot on goal without an interception by the opposing side. The use of the alley forces ball-side marking – and helps to show why it is effective. It also shows the players that, to succeed, they must play to space ahead of or behind the marked teammate and immediately move to accept a quick pass back. In the meantime, once a pass has been made to the outside, it places great urgency upon the inside defender to either intercept the ball before it can come back in or to get between his mark and the goal. Play for about 3-4 minutes, then switch inside and outside players.

Large Group Work

Add another inside player for each team so that they are 2v2 inside, and put a goal at both ends. This is the stage where the players start to learn to balance the defensive principles of Pressure/Cover with the concept of marking. When outside of scoring range, it is more important that the other inside player act as Cover so that, if the Pressure player is beaten, the on-ball attacker does not have a free run at goal. As a result, he will drop off vertically from his man, so that he is goal-side of his mark and also slightly goal-side of the Pressure player. He does this so that he can keep an eye on both. If the Pressure player can bottle up the opponent at the touch line away from the outside support, he will turn his efforts to winning the ball since the opposing inside player should drop back to provide an outlet pass for the beleaguered attacker and also to provide instant cover for his own goal if possession is lost.

However, as the attackers start to come within scoring range, the off-ball inside attacker becomes a much greater threat, so he will close down on him in an effort to be both goal-side and ball-side. He will be sure to choose goal-side if he does not believe that he can stay ball-side on a run towards goal. The outside defender, on the other hand, will generally try to stay ball-side because he knows that the outside player is just a relay person who will try to cross the ball in quickly if he ever gets possession.

After quickly discussing these ways in which marking decisions change as you add a third person, let the players experiment. The game is truly the best teacher for these concepts, as the kids will learn much more quickly from trial and error than by any extended lecture. So, just stand back and watch for at least 5 minutes. Praise good marking decisions and good interceptions, and overlook the poor decisions. To mark well is a skill that will take many years to develop properly, as there are a number of very complex variables that enter into the equation in a split second. Errors are common and the kids can see for themselves when they make an error so give lots of reassurance and encouragement.

Scrimmage

Add an alley on both sides of the field; put a pair of opponents in each alley; and put the rest in the middle. Require that a team must use one set of alley players before scoring and that goals count double if they use both alleys. Then, sit back and enjoy yourself, as the players go about teaching themselves the reasons why good marking is so important.

How to stop children kicking a soccer ball with their toe

How many times have we heard it shouted from both the coaches and the parents? “Kick with your laces, not your toe.” Sounds like an easy request, but you must understand you are trying to change the evolution of a child. This is why so many struggle with this seemingly simply task.

While many think this is a problem for very young soccer players, 5 – 9 years old, we have seen this problem frequently in the 13 – 16 year olds as well.

Curing the toe kick is often the first step. It really is quite easy to understand if you take the time to study the progression, the cause and the cure. We spent 18 months studying every phase of the soccer kick from 6 year olds all the way to professional players. Once we captured this “evolution” on video and slowed it down, it became quite evident why we kick with toe and the steps to cure it.

First understand how we first start to kick a ball. Very young players really don’t go into a “kicking mode”. They are simply running at the ball and when they think they are close, or their foot makes contact with the ball, they “push” their leg through the shot. They are simply trying to force the leg forward so it moves the ball. During this stage there is no “forethought” to the soccer kick. (This could be called the ‘collision’ stage.) Kicking the ball is simply an afterthought that combines with the running gate of the player.

As players mature they learn that the harder they “push through” the shot, the farther the ball goes. This seems great in their eyes, but it starts a habit that is hard to cure. Some even “push through” so hard they fall onto the ground after a shot.

Next realize another reason for a toe kick. It is the natural foot position. When we run or walk our foot changes position. At the end of our stride our toe is naturally facing down because we have just finished “pushing off” the ball of our foot or toe area. As our foot comes forward in a walking or running stride the toe naturally returns to the forward pointing position. Have someone walk across the floor. Concentrate on their foot position at the end or back of their stride and then watch as it comes forward. The toe naturally starts to swing forward and upward.

Then ask them to walk or jog with their toe pointed down as long as possible. The result is a child or adult “high stepping” across the floor like a Clydesdale horse.

The problem is that this “unnatural position” is really what we are asking them to do when we tell them to kick with their laces.

Here is a little test you can do for yourself. (Only adults are allowed to do this.)

Kick like a toe kicker. Yes, we said kick wrong. Let your foot swing through naturally just like it was a walking or jogging stride. Your foot stays very close to the ground.

Now, WITHOUT CHANGING ANYTHING ELSE, point your toe to the ground and swing your leg through again.

If you did this properly you are now cursing me. You are grabbing your foot because your toe struck the ground as you came through and you severely strained the muscles on the top of your foot. Don’t worry. There will be some minor swelling and you will limp for the next 4 days, but hey, if we ask our kids to do this, why shouldn’t we try it?

So how do we start to teach this “unnatural” movement?

We created Blast The Ball™ video and research program because much of this is hard to describe in writing. We will give it our best shot.

1- Have patience. This unnatural movement or change takes time. You will practice it and it will look good. Then, come game time, the child will revert back to the movement that is instinctive. Eventually the new kick will become a muscle memory or instinctive.

2- Start by having the child step closer to the ball. Most youth players step their plant foot well behind the ball. This causes the ball to be struck on the “upward swing” and naturally kicked by the toe. Having them step next to or even slightly past the ball forces the ball to be further back in the swing circle.

3- Practice loading the leg. We have an entire section devoted to the “soccer hop” on Blast The Ball™. It is the slight hop or large stride just before kicking a soccer ball. Just as in any sport such as baseball, golf, tennis etc, when you are going to come forward to hit a ball, you must first load or have a backswing. The entire leg will come back and with “power shooters” you will notice the load or backswing is so large that the sole of the foot almost touches their “behind”. Now instead of a “push” we are preparing to release and kick.

4- Shorten the kicking leg. No not by surgery, but by maintaining the “V” position of the leg all the way through the swing. When our leg is in the backswing and just starting to come forward, there is a strong “V” position. We want players to maintain this “V” all the way through the shot. Stand up with both feet close together. Raise the kicking hip slightly, and then bend the knee slightly. You must do both. You will notice that if you hold this position you can point your toe down and swing your leg back and forth. Your toe will not hit the ground. While the shape and size of the “V” will change through the kick, it should never totally disappear. (No locking straight leg.)

5- Start with an angle approach. We teach the many different styles of correct kicking. One is the straight kick which has no angle approach or “wrap around” leg swing. With the straight kick, the ball IS struck with the laces. However, the angle kick has an angled approach and the leg will slightly swing across and around to our front. This angle arch also allows the toe to be pointed slightly “outward” requiring less “shorting” of the leg and less chance or the dreaded “toe stub”. When working with young players, the angle kick is taught first.

6- Learn the part of the foot. When we use the angle kick, we really are NOT kicking with the “laces”. We are kicking the ball with the “first metatarsal”. In simple terms that is the bone just above the “knuckle” of the big toe. This is the largest bone in the foot and when the ankle is locked, creates a huge amount of impact force.

7- Learn to strike the ball just left of center. (For right footed kickers.) This applies to the angle kick because we are approaching the ball from an angle. Striking the ball in the center will cause the impact to be more of a “glancing blow” and create a huge amount of side spin.

One of the most important points of working with young players is to start them off in slow motion. A child only wants to do one thing, KICK A BALL HARD. Forcing them to kick slowly and gently is EXTREMELY hard. I recommend you start this exercise against a wall. If you put them 6 feet away from a wall, they will have a fear of the ball bouncing back and hitting them. This will force them to kick softer. Also, if they kick too hard they have to go chase the ball. DO NOT start this process 18 yards out from a soccer goal. Their overpowering instinct to kick it hard into the net will force them to focus on power.

Plan on this process taking 6 – 12 months depending on the child’s age. Have them practice the movements several times a week. Eventually it will become the instinct rather than the unnatural. Have patience and keep practicing.