Attacking – Page 4

A simple game that every player will want to play!

The best coaching games are usually the simplest, and “1v1 Wars” is both simple and one of the best.

Children from five to 15 love to play it!

Objective: To encourage a “be first” mentality and to take quick shots on goal.

Age group: U6s to U10s.

Number of players: Whole squad.

Set-up: Place a small goal at one end of a 20×10 yards playing area. Place a flat cone on the end line opposite each goal post.

Use a goalkeeper and divide your squad into two teams. Place each team next to a goal post. You stand to one side of the playing area with a supply of balls.

How to play:

On your command, the first player in each line runs around the cone in front of their post. As they run, you play a ball into the playing area midway between the cones and the goal. Both players try to be first to the ball and score in the goal.

Scoring: One point for a goal, one point if you can stop the player with the ball from scoring for 30 seconds.

If the ball goes out of play, players return to their teams.

The first team to 10 points wins the game.

Variation: Instead of one goal on the end line, put one small goal on both sidelines. No goalkeeper is used.

4v4 overload

Objective: To improve defending and attacking skills.

Age group: U9s and upwards.

Set up: Use a 30×20 yards pitch with a goal at one end.

Divide your players into teams of four.

How to play

One team starts as the attacking team. The other team defends.

The defending players are numbered 1-4 and each takes a turn as goalkeeper.

Defenders get a point each time they stop attackers from scoring for 20 seconds.

To start the game, one attacking player dribbles the ball onto the pitch and attempts to score in a 1v3 situation.

If he scores, his team gets a point. If the defenders win the ball or force it out of play, they get a point.

When the first ball is dead, a second attacker dribbles a ball onto the pitch and combines with the first attacker to make a 2v3 situation.

Again, if the attackers score, they get a point and if the defenders win the ball or force it out of play, they get a point.

When that ball goes dead, the third attacker enters the playing area. Finally, the fourth attacker enters to make it a 4v3 in favour of the attackers.

When all four attacks have been completed, the teams switch roles.

Teach your players to take more shots

Soccer players who hesitate to shoot on goal even when it appears that they have a clear shot are obviously holding onto the ball too long. There are many drills that can help forwards and midfielders to take more shots on goal even if it doesn’t look like they have a clear shot. A common misconception that many players have is that they can only take that “perfect shot,” and many will wait for that very rare moment when they have a perfect angle and a perfect touch on the ball. Unfortunately, if all players waited to score until the perfect moment, we’d end up with a lot of scoreless games …

The first drill to get your players shooting more frequently is the Four Goals Square drill. On a half-field area, set up goals on each of the four sides of the square. Divide the players into two equal teams of 4-6 players. Place the ball in play. Whichever team has possession may try to score on any of the four goals, and the opposing team has to defend the shots (no goalkeepers). This drill, taking place in small space, keeps your players focused on the shot rather than keeping the ball away from the opponent. If the players are still having trouble going for the shot, make the playing field smaller.

A second drill that can help the players to go ahead and take the shot is a two touch drill. Again, use a half-field space but only set up two goals, one on each opposite end. Divide your players into two sides of 4-6 players each. Again, the object is to score goals, but each player can only take two touches on the ball before either passing it or taking a shot. If a player takes a shot with only one touch on the ball, that goal counts for two points rather than one. See how your players perform in the Two Touch drill; if they are still having trouble taking a shot, again, make the playing field smaller.

Now teach them how to finish!

While watching my son’s high school team tonight I noticed just how bad a “finishing” team they are. They out-shot their opponents 15-4 but lost the game 1-0. They had several opportunities for easy goals when the keeper muffed his catches but they failed to capitalize on them because they never followed up their shots. In two cases the football rolled across the face of an empty net but the forwards had already turned back up the field when they wrongly assumed the keeper had an easy play on the ball.

In the past when I watched their practices I noticed that they practiced shooting – but not finishing. They always ran good shooting drills and 2v1+keeper passing and shooting drills BUT once they took a shot neither the shooter or his teammate followed up the shots.

I’m a firm believer that no matter no good a shooter you are you have to practice finishing not just shooting. There will be games when the opponent’s keeper is just too good or lucky for you to rely only on your shooting skills – no matter how good a shooter you are.

Here’s a good practice tip that can be used with most shooting drills/games:

Tip #1:

Use a parent or field player in goal and ask them to intentionally muff, drop or parry any shots. Don’t use your regular goalkeepers because you don’t want to ingrain the bad habit of parrying or muffing shots that the keeper should catch. When an attacker shoots they know that the “bad” keeper will drop the shot somewhere in front of the net. It is their responsibility to put that muff into the goal.

Tip #2:
This can be used in any games or practice drills involving a goal. Lazy attackers have a bad tendency of watching their shots when they “know” that the shot is going in. They then miss the opportunity to score when the ball hits the posts or bar or is batted down by the keeper.

So we add this requirement for a goal to count: On any shot that an attacker takes, that attacker has three seconds after shooting to enter the goal and touch the net or the goal is disallowed. This ingrains the habit of going to the goal every time they shoot. Once you start doing this, the defenders will learn to count out loud at every shot. It also teaches the defenders to follow up and clear missed shots!

Tip #3:

Enforce the habit with positive and negative feedback. If disallowing a goal doesn’t encourage them to attack the goal you can add an immediate “punishment” of having the attacker run a short distance (100 – 200 yards) if they don’t follow their shots.

If this is in a practice game or drill such as 4v4, 6v6 or 8v8 that means their team will have to “play down” at least one man for the time it takes for them to run to a cone placed 100 yards away and back.

Positive reinforcement would be giving two points for a goal scored off a “put back” instead of the one point for a normal goal.

Remember: Great shots, no matter how pretty, only count once the ball enters the goal. There are no style points in soccer. That toe poke “put back” from one yard away counts the same number of points as that beautiful 30 yard scorcher that hits the top corner of the net.

Ingrain this habit of attacking the goal early at U8 or U10 and your team will pick up at least one goal a game by following their shots.

Ken Gamble

Triangle goal shooting game

The Game

Set up a triangular goal in the middle of a 50 x 50 grid.

Play an even sided game with both teams having their own keeper.

Both teams try to score through any one of the three sides of the triangular goal.

It is best to place the goal in the centre of a 20 yard in diameter circle, with only the keepers allowed inside the circle.

If the keeper catches the ball, his or her team must take the ball outside of the grid before they may attack again.

Play with 2 balls for real excitement.

Goalkeepers may become attacking players when their team has possession.

Coaching Points
Attacking and defending principles of play.
Shooting
Finishing
Possession
Goalkeeper positioning, shot saving and distribution.

Stop trying to score!

Minutes: 10-20 Players: 6-10 Ages: 9-99

Objectives: Passing, Controlling, Supporting in Space

Description:

OK, the title probably got you to read this far. Too many teams focus so intently on scoring that their entire approach is unidirectional–whichever direction the goal is in. Players focus on scoring so much that they never fully develop the ability to see space and control opportunity around them in other directions. This game solves that problem.

Setup just like a regular small sided game with even sides:

3v3 20×30 yds.
4v4 25×35 yds.
5v5 30×40 yds.

Oh, and there are no goals.

Each team needs to string together consecutive passes. Their score is the high count of the number of passes they can make consecutively without an opponent intercepting the ball.

After a few minutes they lose sight of which end of the field they initially perceived as theirs to defend. They start to move to space and they start to communicate.

If a ball is lost out of bounds, the other team brings it back in–set your own rule on dribble in or throw in, depending on how much work you need with throws.

If players still try to dribble too much, remind them that it’s the passing that counts. If it continues, you can institute a number of touches rule.

Hit the wall

Start with a 1 v 1 game in a 20 x 10 grid with an extra player on each sideline. See diagram, left.

X gets a point by dribbling the ball, with control, over the lower end line. O gets a point by dribbling the ball, with control, over the upper end line. The player can either beat the defending with the dribble or can pass to either of the S’s who are providing offensive support, for both teams.

The support players are limited to one touch and the idea is to either simply play the ball right back to the player who passed to them (if the defender drops back) or to try to complete a wall pass if the player who passed can get behind the defender. The support players can pass to each other but are still limited to one touch each.

The purpose of the game (besides working on 1 v 1 defending and attacking) is to train the defender to drop back quickly when their player passes the ball to prevent the wall pass.

When the defending player drops back quickly after the pass, it prevents the attacking player from getting behind the defence for an easy score.

The game is a 3 minute game and then the two support player play against each other and the two players in the middle become the support players.

The next step in this game would be to play 2 v 2 with a support player on each side.

5 goal game

Split the field into vertical thirds with an 8 yard wide goal (made with cones) at the centre of each zone (see the diagram below).

This game is best with 7 a side or greater (11 a side works great if you have the numbers) and if you have 3 keepers it is wonderful but two works well also). The field should be full sized for 11 a side and only slightly smaller for less numbers.

You play a regular game of soccer. If the football is dribbled through any of the three goals at midfield, it’s worth one point each time. If a ball is PASSED through any of these goals and received by a teammate it’s worth two points.

A goal scored into the regular goal (at the end of the field, remember we are still playing a regular soccer game here) is worth 5 points. A team can score as many points at a centre goal as they want and a point can be scored going in either direction (young players will get caught up going back and forth through the side goals for points so it becomes important to remind them that the ultimate goal is to score in the real goal). There should be a keeper in each of the regular goals.

This game will encourage teams to stay spread out offensively and will also encourage them to try to compress the field defensively (it’s hard to be chasing from side to side in defence when the attacking team simply has to play a long switching ball to get either one or two points).

If you are fortunate to have three keepers, two keepers play in the regular goals and the third keeper is responsible for the goals on the midfield line. Any time a regular goal is scored (the five point goals) the keeper who gets scored on switches with the keeper in the middle. This should encourage the keepers to do whatever they can to not let in goals because the keeper in the middle is responsible for three goals in both directions. This will require a great deal of conditioning on the keepers parts but again, they need to know how important it is to NOT give up goals in a game.

This game can be played for time (for example it could be a 20 minute game) or it could be played to a certain score (first one to 20 wins). It works on so many important facets of the game that I think if you give it a try, you will soon find yourself using this game (and variations of us) frequently throughout the season.

Cross the ball!

The big mixed bag practice that you can see at the bottom of this page is suitable for 12-14 players who have the power and technique to cross the ball from the sides of a full sized pitch.

The medium mixed bag, below, is more suitable for smaller numbers and/or younger players. It is useful for three reasons:

We can never do too much practice on crossing, but we have to modify crossing practice according to age, ability and numbers.

Younger players cannot cross from the flanks of a full field, but should be encouraged to do so with a modified field.

For older players 14-years of age and upwards there are times when a coach would like to work on crossing, but may only have 9 or 10 players at practice on any given evening.

Medium mixed bag

Objective:

To encourage young players to think more about using the width of the field.
To develop crossing skills and to look to finish (or defend) attacks from the flanks.

Organization:

Mark in an area 36 yards long (two penalty areas long) by 30 yards wide and then further extend the width with a 6-yard channel on either side. For older players (13+) go wider; younger players (U 11 and less) make it narrower.
Put in a half way line, but not in the channel.
Play 2 Attackers vs. 1 Defender and a goalkeeper in each half or whatever the numbers allow you.
There are two neutral “crossers” of the ball – one on each flank.
Keep a supply of balls in each net.
Goalkeeper at one end starts by throwing the ball out to one of the “crossers” (wingers).
The wingers play a cross in towards the goal.
If the defender or the goalkeeper gets the ball they play out to one of the two wingers and the attack goes the other way.
At younger ages try to rotate all players at intervals – possibly through all positions.
Use the offside law to prevent attackers standing in front of the goalkeeper.

Teaching:

Encourage an accurate thrown ball from the keeper to the winger.

Wingers should aim to cross the ball towards the far post with a hard driven pass or a lofted pass.

The wingers should also aim the ball to split the difference with the cross in between the defender and the goalkeeper.

Attackers should go away from the crosser and then come in as the ball is played in – one to the near post area the other to the far post.

Defender and goalkeeper have to work well together as the defender cannot man-mark two attackers.

Goalkeeper should take charge and organize the defender(s).

Big mixed bag

Objectives

To place field players and goalkeepers in decision-making situations with attacks developed from the flanks.

Organization

Use half of a full-sized field. Mark out a 6-yard channel each side of field.
Use cones/flags at the half if you don’t have a portable goal.
Mark in a centre line.
The one or two players in each “flank channel” have no allegiance, they play for both teams. 3 vs. 2, plus a goalkeeper, in each half.
When the goalkeeper has the ball, the practice is always re-started by goalkeeper throwing to flank players.
Flank players can pass to one another, overlap, cross the ball or pass the ball into the 3 attackers.
If on their own, take it and cross it.
Change the players’ positions periodically to give everyone experience in different roles (except goalkeepers).
Offside rule in each zone should be applied by coach.

Coaching Points

Goalkeepers must work on good quality throws to wide players, and be encouraged to “switch” play.

Goalkeepers must communicate their requirements, organize the defence and adjust to changing situations.

Quality of cross from wing players critical for successful attacking play.

Three attackers in each half need to communicate and work “off” one another, with particular attention to “near-post” and “far-post” runs.

The two defenders in each half have to work skilfully because they are outnumbered.

Challenge

For the “wingers” to deliver quality crosses; for the rest to outmanoeuvre the opposition.