Soccer Drills – Page 39

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

How to fix common ball control faults

These charts are a useful reminder of how to fix the most common ball control faults.

Soccer agility drills

Use these simple football (soccer) agility drills to improve your balance, body control, foot speed and co-ordination.

Like speed drills, agility drills should not be physically exhausting…

A slow jog or walk between each drill should allow complete recovery. The emphasis must be on quality and form.

Because these soccer agility drills are not physically demanding, you can perform them any time during the week and on any day. One quick tip however…

Many coaches like to get all the intense physical training out of the way before move on to (more enjoyable?) skill practise. The problem is skills need to be performed with near perfect form. Practise does NOT make perfect – it makes permanent. So rehearse getting it right!

With that in mind I would perform soccer agility drills and skill work after the warm up before moving into more enervating, fitness drills. A typical agility session could consist of 3-5 sets of 10 repetitions in total (a repetition being one drill).

Weave In – Weave Out
1. Place 4 markers out in a straight line approximately 3 yards apart.
2. In between each set of markers place another marker only 3 yards to the left. (see diagram right)
3. Sprint from one marker to the next bending down to touch each one with your hand.
4. The emphasis is on taking quick side steps, rather than turning to face the marker and sprinting forward – that takes more time (which don’t have in a game).
2. Follow the Leader

1. Mark out a large area – 20 yards by 20 yards for example.
2. Pair up with a team mate and have them run randomly within the area.
3. Try to maintain 2 yards distance from them at all times. Your team mate should be changing direction and pace constantly.
3. Box Drill

1. Use 4 cones or markers to mark out a square approximately 5yards by 5yards.
2. Place a cone in the centre of the square. This is your starting position.
3. Give each corner a number and remember it! Have a team mate (or your coach) call numbers at random.
4. Sprint to the corner shouted and return to the middle.

4. Mini Shuttle

1. Place 2 markers 20 yards apart. Place marker in the middle only 3 yards to the side. (see diagram left)
2. Starting from the middle marker sprint to one end (10 yards), turn and immediately sprint to the other end (20 yards) and then back to the start (10 yards).
3. Turn on a different foot at each marker and try to touch the ground with your hand.

5. Super Shuttle

1. Set a series of cones out in a cross formation. (see diagram)
2. Run backwards to the centre cone, side step to the right cone (or your left if you are performing the drill), side step back to the centre cone still facing the same way.
3. At the centre cone turn and sprint forward to the end cone. Now run back to the centre cone, side step to the left, side step back to the centre, then turn and sprint back to the start.
4. Phew! Sounds complicated – it’s not – the diagram explains it quicker than I can!

6. Slalom
1. Place 10 shuttles in a line 5 yards apart.
2. Weave in and out as fast as possible and walk back to the start.
3. This exercise is often performed much more slowly with a ball. The goal here is to develop speed of leg movement so no ball is used.

Use the soccer agility drills above as they are or adapt them to fit your individual or team’s needs.

Shuttle shooting

A simple but effective football (soccer) coaching drill designed to practice shooting technique. It’s a good workout for goalkeepers too!

first published as a FA level 2 session on www.worldclasscoaching.com

>> How to teach the basic shooting technique <<

Organisation

Grid 40 x 10 yards
1 goal set up at the 20 yard mark of the grid
1 goalkeeper and 6 players (3 players either side of the grid) per grid

Key Points

Position of the ball.
Part of the foot in contact with the ball.
Part of the ball that needs to be struck.
Angle of approach.
Check position of goalkeeper
Accuracy
Rebounds

Practice

Initially the blue player passes the ball to the goalkeeper.
Goalkeeper passes the football back to the blue player.
Goalkeeper turns around and repeats the process with the red player.

Progression

Players strike the ball to the goalkeeper and the goalkeeper returns the pass.
Players shoot on goal, whilst the ball is stationary, and goalkeeper attempts to save the ball (rebounds).
Players shoot on goal, whilst the ball is moving, and goalkeeper attempts to save the ball (rebounds).
A player acting as a server is introduced to feed players the ball from different angles (see the illustrations below).

1. Ball moving away from kicker

2. Ball moving towards kicker

3. Ball moving across the kicker

Shooting – teaching the basics

Tip: before teaching the right way to shoot, teach your kids how to kick a football correctly.

There are many different ways to shoot the ball in football. You can shoot with the instep, with the inside of the foot, the outside, and yes, even the toe. You can drive the ball hard, make it curve in or out or chip it.

But the first thing you have to do is to teach your children the basics: ‘from the nose to the toes’:

Head down – eye on the ball.

Tell your children that they have look up to pick out their target and then look back to the football as they actually shoot. This is because it is virtually impossible to strike the ball correctly if you’re not looking at it.

Plant non-striking foot along side the ball.

If you plant your foot behind the ball your kicking foot is coming up as you strike. This will result in a chip shot. As your children progress you may well want to show them how to do this, but to start with we need to practice keeping shots low and straight.

Strike the middle of the ball.

If you kick the ball below the middle the ball will rise, if your child ‘tops’ it the ball will just roll along the ground.

Keep the knee of the kicking leg over the ball.

This technique determines the correct body position. Often, children will be standing too far behind the ball when they shoot. This results in too little power.

Approach the ball slightly from the side.

Coming straight at the ball results in ‘toe poking’. Younger children kick with their toes naturally, it seems easier and it’s often hard to get them out of the habit. You need to show them that they can hit the ball just as hard with their instep and their shots will be much more accurate. One way of doing this is to get them to shoot at a cone or pole set up 10 or 20 yards away. You should be able to demonstrate that is much easier to hit the target and knock it over using the instep.

Follow through.

Young children are often reluctant to kick through the ball. They tend to jerk back as they strike the ball and consequently do not get a lot of power on the shot.

The principles of soccer defence

Basic principles of team defence in soccer:

Most of the defending team collapses into the space in front of opponent’s point of attack.

The 1st defender guides the ball carrier into thickest part of defence or away from the middle.

Covering defenders cut off “through” spaces.

Together, first and second defenders squeeze the attack into a tight, difficult space.

Principles of individual defence:

Delay Then Pressure

• Player nearest the ball is “the 1st Defender”:

• Get the ball carrier’s head down by putting him under close enough pressure to make him worry about controlling the ball and so he cannot look for passing options, but not close enough to be beaten;

The player(s) not nearest to the ball get into position to intercept all short or desired passing options; (they provide cover)

• Leave open most difficult and longest passing options as long as there is good pressure and cover on the ball carrier and his nearest passing options.

The first defender should not run straight at the ball carrier, but should come in at an angle that would force the ball carrier to pass back or to attack toward our covering defenders or toward a touchline. This makes the opponent’s attack predictable and easy to read by covering defenders.

When the attacker has been contained, but still maintains possession of the ball, the defender would do well to force the attacker to move to the side or even backwards. By forcing laterally, the supporting defenders can gain time to recover. Once recovered, the supporting defenders can enhance their positions as they have more time to adjust. An attacker that is allowed to go forward, causes the whole team to adjust their vertical defensive positions.

If the defender can force the attacker to go backwards, the defender must try to maintain close pressure to keep the attacker from opening up space.

The supporting defence should use this opportunity to push forward as well, compressing the attack away from it’s own goal. If the on ball pressure is not there, then the supporting defence would do well not to compress as the attacker will have time and space to find and take advantage of the defensive weak spots.

The 1st defender, in applying pressure to the attacking ball-handler, should:

Delay

• Staggered stance, alternating front and back foot, feet shoulder width apart, legs bent, body bent, on your toes (don’t get flat-footed).

• Feints and stabs but do not commit until ball-carrier makes a mistake.

• Concentrate on player, not the ball, look at ball carrier’s hips, not his feet or upper body.

• With peripheral vision, see the space between the ball and ball carrier. If the ball gets away from feet:

Deny

• Deny the shot;

• Deny penetration by denying “through” spaces which ball carrier desires to penetrate.

• Close distance between self and ball carrier. Get close enough to force ball carrier to alter course of attack and to force his head down to concentrate on not losing possession of the ball.

• Choose angle of approach to guide ball carrier away from dangerous space.

• Block any attempted shot.

Destroy

• Win possession by stepping between ball carrier and ball if ball gets away from his feet.

• Tackle also if the ball carrier allows ball to be between his own feet. Tackles should be fully committed through centre of ball carrier’s position.

• The 2nd defenders, (those next nearest to the ball), are those who are marking up to close passing options. They must cover the space behind their teammate who is pressuring the ball; and if numbers are up than extra defender might decide to risk double teaming the ball carrier to win the ball.

• The 3rd defender provides Balance – the 3rd and other defenders cover deep and attacking spaces which may be used by the opponent to switch their point of attack, for example, by playing to the opposite wing.

Positional play – support behind the ball

The closer an attacking team gets to the opposition goal the more pressure the defenders will exert on the man in possession in order to prevent him from playing the ball forward. This means that the player on the ball needs support from his team-mates. It is important that the supporting players take up their positions early so that the tightly marked man in possession has the option of passing the ball with his first touch.
This drill helps to teach the basics of supporting play.

Supporting players have to determine two things;

(i) the correct angle of support
(ii) the correct distance of support

By taking up the correct angle and distance the supporting player will achieve:

a position in which he has a full range of forward vision
a position in which he receives the ball comfortably
a position in which he can switch the play
a position in which he can play the ball forward without being under pressure

Organisation

Area: 30×40
Players: 4 Attackers, 3 Defenders
Equipment: Footballs, Bibs, Markers

Practice

X plays the ball into X1 who is tightly marked by O1

X follows his pass and supports X1

X2 must lose his marker O2 and provide support for X1

X1 lays the ball off to either of the supporting players X or X2

X3 makes a forward run and provides the outlet for the through pass from X or X2

O3 is the recovering defender who tracks the run of X3

X’s must run the ball through the markers to score

Key Points

Assess the angle and distance of the support positions offered by X and X2
Assess the timing of the forward run made by X3
Assess the accuracy, timing and weight of pass played by either X or X2 into the path of X3
Ensure that O’s defend properly

Passing with value

Good passes are positive actions that contribute to the team; bad passes are negative actions taking away from the build up or the attack. In the list below, each action has been assigned a value. While you want your players to always look for the highest-value pass it has to be balanced by the risk to return.

Many children think that they can hit a defense splitting pass every time — no matter where they are or what the situation is. This leads quickly to kick and run and loss of possession. Not good soccer. On the other hand, a player with the opportunity to play a penetrating pass but opts for one that just maintains possession has also played unskillfully. It’s a lost opportunity.

Developing patience in the build up and recognizing when to play the decisive pass is a vital skill to learn. One that is necessary as the precursor to scoring goals.

Type of Pass	Description	Value
Shot or goal	Think of shooting as passing the ball into the goal.	4
Assist	This pass leads directly to the shot.	3
Penetrating pass	By advancing the ball past a defender(s) or a line, this pass contributes to the build up and gets the team one step closer to an assist. Penetrating passes can be played from anywhere. For example: The goalkeeper rolls the ball out to the right back, who’s behind the opponent’s left wing. This pass puts the left wing on the wrong side of the ball and therefore out of the game. The greater the number of opponents put out of the game with a pass, the better.	2
A pass that keeps possession but doesn’t put any opponents out of the game.	This pass contributes to the build up by keeping the ball away from the opponents. It represents at best a probe and at worst a safety first approach. While it’s often played backwards or square it can be played forward in front of the opponents.	1
Crimes of Omission
Missed opportunities	The team keeps possession, but has lost an opportunity. For example, a pass is played backwards, a 1, although a forward pass, a 2 is available. It takes take a degree of experience to see lost opportunities in the heat of a game — for coaches as well as players. New coaches tend to focus too much on the player with the ball, what’s happening in their immediate space and their problems. Experience will help you to develop the necessary game awareness to see these missed opportunities.	0
Crimes of Commission	Crimes of commission are easier to spot, because the player has just given the ball to the opponents.
A risk worth taking	Every player faces opportunities to try a difficult pass that could produce a good result. Encourage players to try when the risk is worth the return and to accept the consequences when they fail. It’s important to have players who will take this responsibility. They aren’t afraid to try the difficult; they can live with failure; and they are mature enough to calculate the chances of success and not just to rely on chance.	0
Giving the ball to the opponents unnecessarily	Sometimes it’s because of a poor decision; other times it’s poor execution. Either way, now the entire team must come together and work to correct the mistake. The difference between this error and the previous one is a matter of game maturity. This quality only comes through experience and that is best learned in small-sided games.	-1
Giving the ball to the opponents is met with an immediate counterattack.	The team’s lost possession and now faces serious consequences. Mistakes like this will largely take place in your own back or middle third.	-2

Just use the above as a general guide for yourself; it won’t mean anything to your players if you tell them they hit a 1 or a –1.

You can utilize small-sided games to analyze your players and use the information to guide your decisions and evaluations. For example, a player who consistently plays -1 passes is a poor choice for a key midfield distribution role.

Tips to Make Passing Pay

There are a few general rules that all players can follow that will improve the passing game.

Don’t overestimate your own ability: Too often players try to hit a game-winning, defense-splitting pass every time they get the football. Relax, keep your composure and if you can’t find a “good” pass quickly, settle for a safe one. The time that you’re thinking about things is time a teammate in another position could make good use of the ball.

Always look for the deep pass first: Look at the players who are at the edge of your passing range, and if you cannot get the ball to one of them, start working your way back. Make the first deep pass that you can make, and try to get as many opponents on the wrong side of the ball as quickly as possible.

Learn how to calculate the risk to return of each pass: There are times to try the risky passes and times to play it safe. When in doubt, don’t lose the ball, play it safe. Pass with a purpose and not just hope.

Don’t telegraph your passes: Look away from your target and use your peripheral vision. Your eyes can tell the defenders everything they want to know, so use them to misdirect the defenders.

Remember your teammate. Keep in mind their situation, and what they need. If you can’t supply them with the quality serve they require you should look for another target. Make them look like a better player.

Quick, simple and accurate passes get the job done. Don’t hold the ball and dwell over things. This slows down the team.

Don’t run with the ball if you can’t keep your head up. Trying to run with the ball half the length of the field doesn’t help if all you can see is the ball and your own two feet. Develop your field vision. And remember, the ball can travel faster without you attached to it.