Soccer Drills – Page 66

Four Goal Scramble

This fun and simple game will keep your young soccer players alert as they look to score in three other goals while defending their own.

Objective:

To practise shooting, vision, communication and support play.

Skill level:

Intermediate/advanced.

Number of players:

The whole squad.

Set up:

Create a 40 yards by 40 yards playing area with a goal on each side (four goals). Divide your squad into four teams.
How to play:

Each team defends one goal and attacks the other three. You have no goalkeepers in this game. Play first to five goals wins the game, or play for a set amount of time.

Coaching points:

Encourage quick, positive play. Emphasise the need for the players to keep their heads up and switch play to unguarded goals.

Variations:

Play with two balls.

Have five teams. Play the game as described above but, when one team concedes two goals, they are replaced by the fifth team. Play does not stop, so the fifth team has to be observant and prepared to enter the game quickly. This improves transition.

7v7

Basic small sided soccer tactics

7v7 illustrates exactly how to build a small sided game that addresses a specific problem.

The problem is “What is the best competitive form to develop the attacking qualities of wingers, what are the minimum requirements?”

1) We want to have both wings involved and wingers, by definition, play on either side of a central player. This requires three top players.

2) The attacking qualities of wingers will include crossing the ball. A common result of crosses is the goalkeeper making a save, so a goalkeeper is necessary.

3) Since we are concerned with the attacking qualities the wingers will need someone behind them to defend. This will require three back players which also leaves the wingers with an immediate opponent that they will have to beat. (If you use two defenders against three forwards, 6v6, at least one of the top players will have to come back in order to establish a balance.)

From this assessment the minimum number of players needed for a competitive game that encourages attacking wing play is seven, three top players, three back players and a goalkeeper. Since this concerns the competitive phase of the game the opponents will play with equal numbers, 7v7. Since there are goalkeepers there must be goals and the field must be small enough to allow a lot of attacking opportunities but large enough for building up play.
7v7 – Counter attacking.

The examples above work well when the two teams are evenly balanced or you are coaching the team that can dominate the opponent. However, when you are faced with an opponent that is clearly superior then a different approach to the game might be necessary.

When you are sure that the opponents will have a lot of possession and can dictate play the counter attacking game can offer the best chance for success. In this game the probabilities are, 1) you cannot hold the opponents in their own half, 2) you will have little success building up the play from deep in your own half, 3) you will have very little time for any buildup, 4) much of the action will be in front of your own goal.

Instead of thinking in terms of a 3-3, using wingers and trying to spread the field, think how a 4-2, with the center forward withdrawn into a primarily defensive role, can help to answer some of the problems. In this example the number 7’s primary task is defensive, he becomes a center midfielder. When in possession he will support the top players from behind the ball. He will avoid runs out to the wings and ahead of the top players because these will take him too far away from the center of the field and hinder his basic task. (Remember, you won’t have much of the ball.) When not in possession he will take up a position very close to the back three to try to make up in numbers what you may lack in quality. While the number 2 and 4 can move up on the wings chances are they will be too far back to be of any real use.

The attacking strength will lay in the abilities of the two top players to quickly combine and exploit any mistakes by the opponents. They will need to have a good understanding between each other and communicate effectively. The attacks will be characterized by being over very quickly and coming primarily through the center. Speed of thought and action is critical.

This picture shows how important it is for children to learn how to play in all of the small forms of soccer. 2v2 for the two top players, 3v3 when the center midfielder becomes involved, 4v4 for the back four and 5v5 when you include the goalkeeper. This also demonstrates how when one players task is changed, the number 7 in this case, it can effect the rest of the team. Go to KNVB’s counter attacking game for a practice.

6 goal game

Develop team tactical awareness while practicing defending and attacking skills.

The Game

2 even teams. Each team defends their 3 goals, and tries to score in the opponents 3 goals. The team with most goals wins.

Coaching Points

Attack:

Vision, recognizing where pressure is coming from.
Possession / penetration decisions.
Switching the point of attack.

Defence:

Pressure , cover, balance.
Defending zonally since the 3 goals force a team to defend ‘numbers down’.
Immediate counter attack when ball is won.

Try These Variations

Dribble through the goals instead of passing. (Make goals 10 yds.wide)

Goals must come off a ‘one touch’

Limit attackers to ‘2 touches’

5 pass game

Improves passing and receiving skills while encouraging players to find space.

Split players into 2 even teams (play 4 vs 4 up to 7 vs 7)
Mark a large grid with cones (approximately 40 yards x 30 yards)
A neutral player is placed at each end of the field.
To score a goal, a team must make 5 or more consecutive passes to teammates and then must make the 6th pass to one of the neutral players without the ball being touched by the opposition.
After 5 consecutive passes are completed, the players from that team may pass to either neutral player to score, no need to alternate between neutral players.
A player (team) does not get credit for a pass if the ball is passed back to the player
from which it came. (But they still keep possession and play continues)
Any time a team is dispossessed of the ball before completing 5 passes, the opposition starts at pass #1.
Once the neutral player receives the pass that counts as the goal he/she must pass
the ball first time (one touch pass) to the same team that scored the goal and that
team begins play again at pass #1.

Coaching Points

Players keep their heads up, know where your teammates are and pass to the open player.

Play quickly

Teammates must support the player receiving the pass

A minimum of 2 players give close support options
A minimum of 1 player gives long support
Thus spreading the defenders and opening the field

Players make runs to open space to receive passes

Make quick (change of speed) runs to get open to receive a pass.

(Don’t be a Johnny Jogger) who always jogs the same speed and is easy to defend.

Competition, Variations & Restrictions:

Play games to 5 and losing team does 5 jumping jacks

Restrict players in the grid to 2 touches … if a player touches the ball 3 times they lose possession of the ball.

Restrict players to 1 touch soccer.

4v4 four goal game

This traditional coaching game is great for getting players to play with their heads up, watch what is going on around them and move into spaces where they can influence the game.

Experience: beginners/intermediate.

Set-up: Play 4v4 on a 30-yard square with two goals at each end.

The goals should be set a few yards in from each corner of the pitch.

How to play: Each team defends the two goals at one end of the pitch and attacks the other two.

Coaching points: Watch for attacking players moving to unguarded goals and congratulate them. Similarly, stop play and congratulate defenders who track attackers or cover open goals.

Progression:

Place a goal on each sideline and allocate each team two goals to attack and two to defend. This may look chaotic to begin with but it improves spatial awareness.

Restrict the number of touches each player can have before passing or shooting. For younger players, three touches is appropriate. For older or more experienced players two-touch is good. You can even try restricting them to one-touch

4 super tips for goalkeepers to both recover and maximize performance in the off-season

Have you been there before?

After slugging it out for 11 months of the year, your body is about to break down like a freight train with no coal in the furnace. You may be thinking that you should push on full steam ahead, though nothing can be further from the truth. In fact, possibly the most critical stage in any goalkeepers development is the need to take a step back to move two steps forward, this is why rest is critical to maximizing your goalkeeping performance in the off season.

So, now you can kick your heels up on the couch, pop open your favorite bag of chips, grab the TV guide and your home and hosed?

No, you may end up derailing all your hard work in an instant. Let’s see how any goalkeeper can recover and maximize their performance in the off-season with 5 simple and fun training tips.

Two of the key components why many young footballers fail to progress in their physiological development is that they miss two critical components throughout their training year.

Being aware of a “detrained” state: Detraining is the partial or complete loss of training-induced adaptations, in response to an insufficient training stimulus. Detraining characteristics may be different depending on the duration of training cessation or insufficient training.

Taking time off to recover from the harsh demands of competitive football entails a fragile balance, where timing is everything, and if left unchecked the untrained goalkeeper can pull apart much of the platform for success that was built over a competitive season. Having too much of a break means that the muscles and cardiovascular enhancements created over a year can be lost over a very short period of time. The time taken to rebuild those muscular and cardiovascular responses which are lost in the off season can take considerable time to be re-built, which can lead to a short term road block in competitive performance.

2) Understanding the concept of active rest:

Active recovery refers to engaging in low-intensity exercise after workouts. There are two forms of active recovery. One is during the cool-down phase immediately after a hard effort or workout. The second form of active recovery includes the days following a competition or other intense workout. (Quinn, E. Sports Medicine Guide, December 2, 2007).

The above definition refers to a period after each and every training session, though we can easily apply this to the rest period in a year long periodized plan, over 2-4 weeks (depending on the structure of the competitive season). Active rest is the key component to being able to curb the effects of a detrained state, by reducing activity intensity rather than cutting off activity completely.

So let’s look at 5 super hot tips to help maximize goalkeeping performance and enhance recovery rates from the harsh demands of competitive football:

1) Make Rest a Part of The Bigger Picture: Coaches whom have a periodized plan are more likely to help their team succeed throughout a competitive season than the coach that doesn’t take the time to plan their training sessions throughout the year. Though the off season should also be part of the bigger picture. Having a 2-4 week rest period should entail that the goalkeeper and the rest of the team are active, though not to the same intensities as before and during the season.

2) Do Fun Stuff Other Than Football: One of the great things about growing up in Australia is that Aussies have a great array of different sports and football codes. Playing a different sport outside of the regular football (soccer) season not only helps young players take their mind off the game, but allows them to work different muscle groups and expand their skill set outside of regular training. Get involved in basketball, get a rugby ball and play some touch football with some friends, the list is endless and the key again is differentiation and the ability to recover actively outside of the competitive football field. Goalkeepers can gain invaluable experience in eye-hand coordination by playing other sports in the off season to boot!

3) Get Your Body Back in Alignment: Everyone knows that the goalkeeper goes through some serious knocks and bumps throughout their season. Holistic therapies are now widely practiced in elite sports, and nothing beats a better recovery than some massage and physiotherapy to knock out any roadblocks to your football development. In fact, massage therapy during the off season will help the mind refocus, and help the muscles recover from the strenuous demands encountered throughout the season. If you have had any niggling injuries during your competitive season, get down to a physiotherapist to help knock them out, so that you are fresh and ready to go when the new season gets under way.

4) Eat Right To Fuel Recovery: Don’t let the Christmas break make you look like Santa when the time comes to get back out onto the pitch! As with the whole season, a focus on solid nutrition should be the norm, even when it is time to take a break from the pitch. What you also need to steer clear of, is going to the extreme with unconventional diets that can hinder rather than help your recovery. Whole breads, cereals, fruit, vegetables, plenty of water and lean meats will contain ALL of the nutrients you require to fuel your recovery and maximize your performance when it comes time to hit it out in your next competitive season. Now no one likes an overweight goalkeeper (that’s why they put us between the sticks in the first place, right?), but having one day during the post season to have a “cheat” food (something you really like but is usually taboo during the season) is ok as well.

Taking the foot off the pedal is both healthy and normal for the competitive goalkeeper to maximize their performance. Resting completely can lead to detraining effects which can really take the edge out of the goalkeepers performance throughout the season. In summary, planning your off season is vitally important to maximize goalkeeping performance, making sure that you take the time to get out and play other sports (outside of football) to help enhance your skill set is also vital. Throughout the season, you are bound to get some knocks that may be prolonged if no rest and recovery is taken during the off-season, having some sports massage is a great way to iron out aches and pains and get the body ready for pre-season. The post-season is no time to be slack about your nutrition either. Make the effort to keep your diet lean and mean, but also leave one day (every now and then) in your post season training schedule to have a little cheat food as well!

4 square soccer

Number of players: 4v4 (or 5v5 if you use goalkeepers)

Age group: U10 upwards

Set up: divide a 40×30 grid (with a goal at each end) into four quarters using flat cones or lines.

Assign the following positions to the players in both teams: defender, left midfield player, right midfield player and attacker.

How to play: The defender works in the two squares nearest her goal, the left midfield player must stay in the two squares on the left of the grid, the right mid player works in the two squares on the right of the grid and the attacker plays in the two squares nearest the other teams goal. Otherwise, normal soccer rules apply.

Play to a set number of goals or for a set time. You could also award ‘goals’ for a set number of passes.

Tip: encourage quick shooting and tight defending by not having goalkeepers and making the goals big. The younger the players, the bigger the goal should be.

3v3 – 1 goal

Game Rules
A normal 3-a-side game in an area approximately 30 yards by 20 yards, except that it is played around one goal rather than two.

Emphasize shooting at goal at the earliest opportunity.

Players combine to create goal-scoring opportunity.

Team in the dark uniforms can score only from the left side of the field, and team in white only from the right side.

Re-start game with a throw-in any time the ball goes out of bounds.

When goalkeeper makes a save from one team, he throws the ball into the opposing half of the field.

Player Objectives

To take early shots from within shooting distance of the goal.
To provide support for the player with the ball