Attacking with confidence

A youth soccer training session by Scott Placek

In several posts, I have advocated an emphasis on developing confidence with the ball at the feet, regardless of the position a player plays. In today’s game with the interchangeability of positions, any player may find themselves in an attacking position. Moreover, the ability to dribble confidently, whether for possession or penetration, will serve a player well in any segment of the field. A defender who is confident with the football at their feet will get you out of more trouble than they will ever get you into.

The first attribute to developing confident dribblers comes from you as the coach. You must support your players decisions to dribble, whether resulting in success or failure. That doesn’t mean that you don’t try to help them see options or discuss the wisdom of various decisions with them. But you must realize that each decision to dribble places the player at enormous risk of personal failure. You have to recognize and appreciate the player’s willingness to take that risk. If you can do that, realizing that failures will outnumber successes then you have taken the first step toward developing that confidence: you have created an environment where the courageous and creative dribbler can flourish.

MODEL TRAINING SESSION: (U14 and below)

Warm-up (10 minutes) Every player gets a cone and you make a circle (or use the penalty area). Dribbling in the area, each player with a ball, no defenders. The other players and the boundaries provide the match related pressure of space. Working at a reasonable pace have the players execute Coerver type moves, have them dribble with all surfaces of the foot. Encourage creativity, body feints, evaluate and correct dribbling posture. Each player will get plenty of warm-up touches if they work at a good pace.

STRETCH (5 Minutes) Stretch all major muscle groups.

TACTICAL – Without Direction (25 – 35 minutes) Back in the circle or penalty area, each player with a ball

1) Introduce the player to the two biggest assets in beating defenders – change of speed and change of direction. These two simple steps are many times more successful than all the feints, fakes and footwork. They are the building blocks for confident attackers. Have the players change speed and change direction on your call. Emphasize that dribbling speed in games is NOT maximum speed. If you are at maximum speed as you dribble, you can’t change speed to go by defenders. On the change of direction, watch that players are pushing, not cutting the ball. Cuts are emergency type manoeuvres in that they call for the ball to be changed rapidly and often out of immediate controlling distance or into space not protected by the body. Cuts have their place, but should not be a primary (or even secondary) weapon in the arsenal of tricks to beat defenders.

2) Now introduce the role of vision and how it ties to space. Encourage heads up dribbling and introduce the idea that with the ball at your feet you are looking for space. The sequence is as follows:
EYES see the space FEET push the ball to space (change of direction) ACCELERATE into the space (change of speed) Have players now dribbling look for space created by the movement of other players and perform the sequence. You should see and notice both the change of speed and the change of direction.

3) Continuing the EYES, FEET, ACCELERATE sequence, designate a “key player.” This player continues to perform the sequence, but randomly stops his ball. All players must stop their ball as soon as he does. Now the players are not only looking for space but must scan the field for the movement of their teammates.

Hospital Tag

I like to finish the circle work with a game that players seem to like a lot. Everyone with a ball dribbles in the area. 2 taggers (also with a ball) try to tag as many players as they can in 45 seconds. If a tagger chases you out of the area or you lose control of your ball (not kicked away by attackers: this is NOT KNOCKOUT) you are considered tagged. If tagged, you keep going and try to avoid tags for the rest of the time (no player ever stops and is “frozen”) If tagger looses control of ball making tag, they are not to count the tag. Go through the whole team as taggers. You can make coaching points out of the fact that if you are constantly going to open space, you will avoid the taggers. You can also make the point that if you are in a crowd of your own teammates i.e. trying to avoid the tag) you are still at risk because there is no room to manoeuvre. I also use this game as an evaluative tool at tryouts. It tells you a lot about the mindset of players. If they are risk takers, they will often dribble AT the taggers, trying to dart away at the last moment, daring them to tag them (what position do you see that player in?). More conservative players will keep moving to distances and space opposite the taggers (what part of the field do we want this mindset in?).

BREAK (5 minutes) I use this time to describe what we are about to do, give them water etc.

TACTICAL – Unidirectional 30 minutes 1v1 in a 20×10 area. Pairs, one ball per group. Set up 20×10 areas for each pair. Each partner on a opposite end line 1) D on end line plays ball up to A 2) A receives and tries to beat D across end line Coaching Points: A moves to ball, don’t wait on it, receive it on the move D follows ball and assumes good defending position A should attack the front foot of D, force D to turn. If D turns, go by him as he shifts. If D is not set (i.e. still coming forward as you meet) push the ball into space behind D and accelerate Encourage use of feints and fakes to unbalance D If you beat D, accelerate through the end line. How many times have we seen attackers run down form behind after beating a D? We want them to continue acceleration for a good 5-7 yards to put the D out of the play. Then they come to normal speed to seek out the next chance. A pushes the play – don’t give other Ds time to get back. Try to put this D out of play as quickly as possible (to reinforce this point (“Delay helps the defence”) I condition this game to provide that A CANNOT turn his back to the Defender, but must face him up. REMEMBER this is a practice for the attacker. We want to vanquish our defenders quickly and decisively.

Switch roles every 10 balls. Switch partners frequently so all players are matched against one another. Praise creative attempts, even if they are unsuccessful.

Escape

This game is played in the penalty area. 2 defenders 6-12 yards off goal line, all other players in the goal mouth with a ball. When the coach calls “Escape” players try to get out of the penalty area (over the 18 or either side line) They must dribble over the line with control. Defenders try to dispossess and shoot the ball back into the net. If the defenders score the shot, attacker joins defenders. If defenders don’t score, or player kicks the ball over the line (as opposed to dribbling) the attacker must reenter the field through the goal mouth and try to escape again. Round continues until all players have escaped or been turned into defenders. Then remaining attackers go back to goal mouth and coach calls escape again. Game continues until only one attacker left.

Coaching points: vision – find space, sides as well as straight ahead. great chances to escape with good change of direction you are not out if you lose ball, chase and prevent shot

TACTICAL – WITH TRANSITION (15 minutes) Side against Side, to two 4 yd goals, no keepers (or full goals with keepers) Regular game with 2 modifications: no forward passes (only square or drop) dribbling gates in the field – if a player dribbles through the gate in either direction, they score a point for their team. You can set up a scoring system as you wish (i.e. goals 1 pt., gates 3 pt. other systems have given points for beating a defender, doubled points for beating the second defender, “quality points” for a great move, “brilliance points” for recognizing and attempting a good 1v1 even if unsuccessful, etc.

END MODEL TRAINING SESSION This session is good for U11-U14, and I use it even for U19 and college teams as a reminder/introduction early in the year, with a few modifications.

Attack the play of 5 and 6 year olds or….

By Mike Parsons, former Director of Coaching Education for the National Soccer Coaches Association reproduced by kind permission of the Abbotsford Soccer Association

It’s good to know that some things never change in life – like the play of 5 & 6 year olds on the soccer field.

We can all agonize over how to discover the special training techniques that will enable them to score more goals – certainly those who have been in the game for a long time must know the secrets! Or we can stay up late at night and draw diagram after diagram that reveals in precise detail where every player should be in relation to the ball – that will solve the bunching up problem and it will look like real soccer! Or one might infiltrate the marketing department at Mickey D’s to figure out why the Happy Meal is more important than the score! However, to Mom and Dad (especially Dad – he’s a winning machine!), the game of soccer at 5 & 6 years old remains a game – with the thrill of winning taking a back seat the excitement of merely chasing the ball!

Anyone… and I mean anyone… can look at a situation and tell you the problems. Instead of that approach, I’m going to make some suggestions for possible solutions to some of the common problems coaching the very young in “chase-the-ball-no-matter-where-it-goes-until-I-need-a-break-and-then do-it-again-‘til-the-game-ends” (that’s what soccer for 5 & 6’s should be called). Here we go;

Bunching Up Around the Ball. God forbid that all of the kids chase the ball – that would mean that every child would be having FUN!! You see, that is what every player at this age likes about the game – they can run anywhere they like – no adult is going to tell them to walk – and they love the challenge of touching the ball all by themselves! We tend to forget that there is very little organization in the mind of a 5-6 year old and that sharing is not on the top of the list of their favourite things to do. (Do they share their favourite toys with their brothers and sisters???) Remember … It’s my ball !!!!!! Soooooo…..let them chase the ball!! They will spread out as they learn to play with their teammates.

Scoring Goals … is an accident most of the time at this age. Let’s be honest-that clump of grass has more to do with the direction that the ball travels than the one who kicks it (at this age shooting and passing are merely “kicking”). However, scoring goals should be the only thing on their mind at this age. Remember this…we can all focus on one thing at a time – focus the young on scoring goals – that’s the object of the game!

He/She is a Ball Hog…. Which brings us to the question – Are Ball Hogs good or bad? As a parent the answer is (like it or not) bad if the neighbour’s son/daughter won’t give the ball to our little cherub – good if the ball is always with our “talented little child prodigy”. Wrong!!! This age is the beginning of individuality – flair for those who really want to exaggerate. Encourage them to dribble the ball and try to beat other players – my best friend boldly told his son at six years old…“ don’t pass the ball until you are eleven – and don’t worry about the coach when he screams at you to pass. His son can’t dribble!”. In fact, all training sessions at this age should be based around each child and a ball. Acceptance of failure (it’s OK not to succeed at first …try again) and the encouragement to try again will help the learning process.

Practice Sessions…the longer the better! What a great way to turn play into work! Ever try to play golf every day on your vacation – double rounds if possible? It gets old fast. So why do we keep 5-6 year olds at the practice field for an hour or more during training? Mom got some more shopping to do? Or is Dad feeling a win coming on after 90 minutes of practice? More is not better at this or any age. Train them for the same amount of time that the game will take on Saturday. Thirty to forty minutes will be long enough to wind them up …then give them back to their parents to calm them down. The excitement of the soccer experience will then remain fresh.

WINNING … it’s why we are here… Wow, I hope we all have had childhood experiences that were fun and not necessarily based on winning. Everything in life is based on winning… Do we really want to emphasize the down side of competition – losing – to 5-6 year olds? They are not concerned (except for that Happy Meal) what the end of the game brings – so why should we? Remember that youth sports were started so that kids could have fun. So, bring a chair and your favourite beverage to the next game and save some room for a Happy Meal of your own afterwards!
Work on the Fundamentals in Practice… While other sports work on fundamentals (and soccer’s numbers keep getting larger) we have found that the most important things to teach at this age are motor skill development – the ability to control my body – and an appreciation for the fun aspects of the game – me and the ball – look at what we can do! We tend to forget that soccer is not a hand-eye coordination activity like all other sports in the U.S. In addition the kids are presented with an incredible challenge to make their bodies do what they want them to (kind of like Dad playing in the over forty league in any sport – he gets it going, you better get out of his way cuz’ no one knows if he’ll be able to stop). As a result, the objective becomes one of making my body and the ball work together as one.

Goals and Objectives for the age group…Are they necessary? Can a teacher instruct a group of students if he/she doesn’t know where to start – to end – or what they should be able to accomplish at a particular age? Obviously, the answer is no. Therefore, it is necessary for all clubs and programs to develop a list of goals and objectives for each age group. Has your club or league given you – the coach – your goals and objectives for the season?

So – Sit Back – Relax – and Have as Much Fun as They Do!!!!!

Anything goes!

This soccer drill is NOT meant to teach or condone unfair physical contact.

But it is does help players to cope with such contact when they encounter it!

Age: U12 and up.

Equipment: Coloured bibs, footballs, access to a small field with full goals, or cones and flags to create a small, pressure-cooker type of field.

Players: Typical team of 16 or so.

Space: Pressure Cooker Field (small field 30×30 – 40×40 or so, with full sized goals).

Introduction: Physical play is part and parcel of the game of soccer. Getting players used to “mixing it up” is a necessary part of team preparation. This game focuses on preparing the players for physical contact in a game setting. It is NOT meant to teach or condone physical contact that is against the Laws of the Game. But it is meant to teach the players how to “play through” such contact when they encounter it. “Play through” refers to using your body and skills to allow you to continue the play without injury and while maintaining an attack.

Setup: A small, pressure-cooker style field, which measures anywhere from 30×30 to 40×40 with full sized goals. You can also use corner flags to create appropriate goals, and cones to delineate a field of appropriate size. Split the team into 2 equal groups, each identified by a different coloured bib.

Execution: Keeper plays in each goal. Each team protects a goal. Essentially, this is an 8v8 (or similar numbers) game played in a very small space. Explain the purpose of the exercise: To prepare them to play physically, within the Laws of the Game, and to react appropriately (not retaliate) when they encounter overly physical play. Conditions for this game are that the defensive players can use their hands, push, shove, pull shirts, anything safe to try to win the ball from the ball carrier. Girls and boys typically react differently to this exercise. With boys it will start out with shirt pulling and holding of the arms, and quickly degenerate to full blown rugby style tackling. This is OK as long as it is being done safely. DO NOT allow hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, or tripping.

Girls do not naturally take to this type of exercise with their teammates. You need to encourage them to hold, pull, push, etc. for the exercise to have good effect.

You should see the physical play break down the technical skills of the ball holder initially. The ball holder must become aggressive as he or she protects the ball. And as the defensive players close down on the ball carrier, knowing when to pass the ball, rather than try to hold it against the extreme defensive pressure becomes important. As does moving to support the ball carrier, and the ball carrier knowing at all times where his available passing options are located, and which direction they are moving. The number of players on the small field should create an environment where there is immediate, intense pressure brought to bear on the ball carrier after every pass. It should also create a crowded environment where passing is quite difficult, resulting in the ball carrier having to work through traffic (and intense pressure and physical play) himself, or herself.

Coaching Points:

1) Keep a low centre of gravity and a wide stance to keep from being pushed off the ball.

2) When being held, especially if it is shirt or shorts grab, it is often best to quickly and decisively move away and break the hold, rather than try to steadily pull against it.

3) Always have a plan: What would you do with the ball RIGHT NOW, if you received it from a teammate. Where would you put the ball with your first touch, and what are your shooting or passing options?

4) Try to play the ball into space with your first touch (there should be precious little space available to do this), and sprint onto it.

5) Use your first touch to set yourself up for a shot with your second touch.

6) Try to receive the ball in an area outside the reach of any defenders.

7) Try to place all passes in such a way that your teammate is either outside the reach of any defenders, or can immediately one-touch a shot on goal.

8) Don’t coach the defenders. You don’t want them thinking that you condone this type of play. Make certain they understand that you will not condone the type of defending that you are encouraging in this exercise!

Ball control and ‘vision’ for U7s

A fun youth soccer practice plan for U7s

Soccer Simon Says

All of the players dribble around in a box and on command from “Soccer Simon” do various ball control/moves (pull backs etc), leave their ball and collect another, pass to the nearest player, sit on the ball etc. (be inventive!). Throughout the game, the girls are instructed to keep looking up so that they don’t run into anyone else or touch anyone else’s ball. If they are caught by “Soccer Simon”, they have to put their hands over their head, bend over shaking their head and say “oh no, you got me Soccer Simon”.

Stop with body parts

Continue in the box and have the players stop the ball with various body parts, ie. knee, elbow, nose, hand. Rather than a voice command, the assistant coach or I would touch the body part that we wanted the kids to use. This way, they have to keep looking back and forth between both coaches who are moving around in the box for the commands. All while keeping control of their own ball and avoiding their team mates.

Nutmeg soccer

Split the kids into two groups. One group spreads out within the box and stands still with their legs apart. Each of these players are given different coloured bibs. Each of the players in the other group has a ball. On the coach’s signal, the players with balls try to score by “nutmeging” as many of the other kids as possible within a minute or so. After they have been going for a little while, tell them that they can only score on “nutmegs” with red bibs. Keep changing the instructions as to where they can score… for example blue bibs, white socks, blonde hair, glasses, coaches etc. This keeps them looking up to see where they have to go next. Have the kids keep track of how many scores they get within the allotted time period and do a couple of rounds so that they can try to beat their record. If the kids are moving too slow, add a shark without a ball that runs around and tries to kick the other kids balls away.

4 Goal 3v3 scrimmage

Divide your team into 3v3 or 4v4 games with two goals at each end. Let them play for a while. Pick a point in the game when everyone is clustered around one goal and freeze them. Ask them to take a look at the open goal and ask them which goal would be easier to score on – the one they are currently trying to blast through or the open one on the other side of the field. They will usually see the light. Let them play some more.

Conclusion

Have the kids pick up all of the cones. Review the focus of the practice very quickly, congratulate anyone who did particularly well and send them home (providing someone you know is there top pick them up, of course).

Animal Ball

This game works on aggressiveness, winning balls, passing, defending and finishing.

It can be done with as few as 8 players or as many as 18.

The field should be approximately 30 yards long and the width of the 18-yard box (44 yards wide). A full sized goal is on each end line with a keeper in each goal. There are two teams on the field. A server starts out wide and serves balls into the playing area in the air. Whichever team wins the ball tries to score by shooting into EITHER goal. This means you have two teams trying to win the ball in the air, and get a shot hit as quickly as possible. If the first team that wins the ball then loses it to the second team the second team then tries to score in either goal.

Animal ball works on winning the ball in the air (if a team doesn’t like to win balls in the air you can put in a requirement that if the ball hits the ground from the initial serve without a player touching it first, it is a “dead ball” and a new ball gets served in it’s place) and getting to goal quickly. While there is some passing in this game, it’s more about the willingness to take a chance and shoot rather than passing the ball around till the perfect opportunity arises for a shot. This game is more about finishing than it is about shooting (when you work on shooting you frequently work on proper technique and placement of the plant foot etc but when you work on finishing it’s frequently a case of being willing to put any part of the body on the ball to get it on goal).

First team to score 10 goals in Animal Ball wins the game.

Anatomy dribbling

Focus: Dribbling, quick reaction

Area: 10 yard square

Players: Any number

Equipment: One ball for each player

Formation: Players dribble freely inside the square.

Procedure: While players dribble, coach calls out a body part such as “left foot”. Players put that part of the body on the ball as quickly as possible. Let anticipation build between calls. Body parts can include hand, elbow, shoulder, nose, ear, knees, buns, etc.

Variations:

1) Use two or more parts, such as “nose, right elbow and left knee”.

2) For older players, include combinations that require teamwork such as “two left hands” or “six right feet and three knees”.

All up and all back

How to play: In an area approximately 60X40 yards, with portable goals on the end lines and a half-way line marked on the area, two teams play soccer with the following condition of play: for a goal to count, the entire team must be over the half-way line and into the opponents’ half of the area when the final header or shot is struck.

Development: A team can be awarded two goals if they score with their players over the half-way line and if they catch ‘stragglers’ from the opposition who have not managed to get back into their defensive half of the area when the goal is scored. Attackers who cannot get back are punished by a free-kick being given to the opposition from the point at which they were caught.

All skills warm up

I first saw this practice being used by an English professional club’s Academy coaches.

I have used it with my kids with some success. It’s fun, fast and reinforces basic skills in a competitive atmosphere. It also has an element of conditioning.

Set up

Set up as for shuttle races (teams of 4/5 kids facing a line of cones evenly spaced about ten metres apart). In the plan below, Xs mark the children and the cones are shown with a ‘C’.

Start with simple shuttle races (the children run to and from each of the cones in turn. When they’ve run to each one they hand over to the next in line. The first team to finish is the winner).

Then tell the children that the handovers require the successful completion of a basic skill.

For example, place a ball between each line and the first cone. The runner must handover to the next in line by passing the ball to her, receiving a return pass and then passing it back. This exercise has to performed correctly before the next in line can go on their shuttle run.

After passing, get them to practice other skills: heading, side foot volleys etc