32_

The complete soccer coaching experience

SOCCERCOACHING No. 32 April/May 2009

International

Ariël Jacobs,

RSC Anderlecht

Joao Aroso,

Dan Micciche,

Sergio Soares,

FC Sporting Lisbon fitness trainer

MK Dons Assistant Academy Manager

São Caetano head coach

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Contents 4

ARIËL JACOBS, R.S.C. ANDERLECHT COACH

From the Editor

12

MANUEL SCHAMKE, SCHALKE U11S COACH

Dear subscribers, Welcome to the 32nd issue of SoccerCoachingInternational!

16

JOAO AROSO, FC SPORTING LISBON FITNESS TRAINER

22

DAN MICCICHE, MK DONS ASSISTANT ACADEMY MANAGER (U8 – 12’S)

26

HENNIE ARDESCH, FC TWENTE WOMEN'S GOALKEEPER COACH

30

YOUTH TRAINING SESSIONS

36

SERGIO SOARES, SÃO CAETANO HEAD COACH

39

BRAZILIAN CORNER

40

DEFENDING WITH THE 1-4-3-3 SYSTEM OF PLAY

44

LET THEM PLAY

48

COLUMN PAUL COOPER

Last month two students from the University of Utrecht began their internship at SoccerCoachingInternational. They are currently in their fourth and final year majoring in commercial economics. Because of their interest in both the international commerce and the beautiful game, they have chosen to research the product and market of SCI. As most researchers they conducted a survey amongst our readers and website visitors and I want to thank you for your answers, comments and feedback on their behalf. On top of our gratitude I also want to let you know that your input has already been used in this issue. 60% of the respondents asked for more youth articles, more articles on coaching women, goalkeepers and more on fitness.

Well, your wish is our command and that is clearly reflected in this issue, which features 4 youth articles starting with Schalke's U11 coach Manuel Schamke. From Germany to England for an article by Dan Micciche, MK Dons Assistant Academy Manager on Training the U12/13’s. And two contributions from our home soil with the second part of our Youth Training Sessions feature and a great article Bastiaan Riemersma, PSV U9’s coach and Erwin van Baarle, the author of 'Playing for fun' on letting our younger players, play.

Furthermore, we combined your wish for more goalkeeping and women's content in an interview with Hennie Ardesch, FC Twente Women's Goalkeeper Coach. And your last wish was answered in an interview with FC Sporting Lisbon fitness trainer Joao Aroso, who shares the clubs Periodic training methods with us.

This issue's cover story comes from Belgium where we interviewed R.S.C. Anderlecht coach Ariël Jacobs. We also have articles from Brazil and England and of course Paul Cooper's column. All in all another great, international issue! But, as you know, SCI is more than just a magazine, its the complete soccer coaching experience, so don't forget to visit our website where you will see your wishes answered in the near future as well.

If you have not done so, please let us know your thoughts on SoccerCoachingInternational by completing the student survey on our homepage. The survey will only take a couple of minutes and you will not only be assisting our students in the research, you will also have a voice in the editorial content of our next issues and the development of our website.

For now I wish you lots of reading and surfing pleasure!

Yours in soccer,

Maaike Denkers Managing Editor SCI

Ariël Jacobs, R.S.C. Anderlecht coach:

Photo: RSCA.be

"It's not about the system, but about the tactical details" Just behind the 'Constant Vanden Stockstadium,’ Ariël Jacobs passionately coaches a passing and shooting exercise. Here in Brussels we meet a coach with a clear vision, who focuses on the details. Not only are the tactical aspects important, the mental aspects are as well. After Anderlecht finished so close to getting their second national title in a row, the fans are expecting it this year. Jacobs goes a bit further than that. He begins his statement about his football vision with: "A club like Anderlecht should have the intention to dominant the play with attractive football". This is a vision that proved to be quite difficult to realize in a competition that is dominated by tactical and defensive play. Ariël Jacobs knows exactly how he wants to play, the tactical choices that should be made and the educational programme of the Belgian youth players.

By: Hans Slender and Paul van Veen

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No. 32 April/May 2009

On 24th February, 2008 an all-time low was reached in Belgian football. In the 13th round of the league competition only eight goals were scored. Three matches ended without goals, and 4 matches ended with just one goal scored. As coach of the largest club in Belgium (29 times champion of Belgium), AriĂŤl Jacobs takes his responsibility seriously.

"I look for certainty and standards; I think that is the only way a group can play good football."

"Belgian football lacks a clear vision. This is due to the culture of the country, because we have been dependant on countries such as the Netherlands and France. Our national product isn't the only thing we aren't capable of selling effectively, our national football isn't either. All around the world there are active Dutch coaches, but there are far less successful Belgian coaches. The Belgian competition isn't that appealing either, there are not a lot of Belgian players in strong foreign competitions and even less players that want to play in the Belgian league. This is mainly due to the perception Belgian clubs have towards the game."

Talents "Dutch football is characterized by technique, good positional play and fast ball circulation. The reason this isn't possible in Belgium is because the players do not get the opportunities to develop this." Belgian football had some good years at the end of the seventies and in the eighties. Anderlecht and KV Mechelen had success in Europe, and the national team finished a respectable fourth place at the 1986 World Cup. According to Jacobs this was achieved with reactive football. "Belgians have a great mentality and look at football from a collective point of view. This is usually based on a solid defense and fast counter attack. But when the focus is on the collective, people become blind by the individual development. For a long time too little attention was given to youth development. We always focused on short term results, but a change is visible. A lot of talented young players are breaking through and reaching strong foreign competitions. I think this is a very positive development."

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opinion suddenly changed and Trond Sollied and his system of play were labeled as too predictable. Because of this the Belgian teams often vary their playing style and teams are constantly adapting their system to their opponent’s. This leads to problems like insecurity and imbalance within the team. I believe in a more consistent way of playing with some subtle changes as this has a lot of possibilities and ensures the team does not loose their strength."

Building a team

Appealing football Stadiums and attendances are far less developed in Belgium than in Holland, or other European countries. This can be largely attributed to the appeal of the football. "As a coach in the Belgian league I noticed our competition isn't that attractive. Top foreign players are hesitant to come here. The big clubs, especially, should play with a more open philosophy. I understand that the big clubs hold back and play calculated football when they have important matches but the rest of the time they shouldn't.

Belgians are used to looking at the opponent and anticipating how they will be able to beat them without taking too many risks, even when they have good team. In other competitions you will see top teams trying to dictate the play, whether it be in home or away matches."

Varying playing styles Jacobs give a specific example of the Belgian way of thinking: "When Trond Sollied started as the Gent coach, he played with a clear 4-3-3 system and was successful right away. But after a number of matches the Belgian teams started to anticipate his system of play, and when Gent had a couple of poor results the

"There are Belgian coaches who choose to say play a 4-3-3 system against Club Brugge and a 4-4-2 system against Standard Liege. This could lead to some isolated successes but will not create a solid base for the players. I think it makes training session useless, because what's the use if you have a different formation every week. In a training session you try to create standard situations and repeat them, so players have something to hold on to in a match. Building a team is already hard enough here in Belgium. When I have an inside forward that scores 10 goals in the first half of the season, there is a good change I will loose him before the start of the second half of the season. These are developments in modern day football. I try to choose a positive philosophy on the pitch that suits the group, but of course I remain flexible because transfers, injuries and suspensions do occur.

Exceptions "Last season we mainly played with a 4-3-3 system with a small triangle in the midfield. In this system I found a couple of variations (see next page; Midfield Occupation). I was hoping to make some more subtle changes to the team, but because of some transfers I had to hold on to the system. We used the same system 95% of the time. There was one match in which I was forced by player availability problems to play with three defenders and a reinforced midfield against an opponent who played with two strikers. It turned out okay, but it felt wrong.

Players of course understand that as a coach I have to be flexible, but I also want to deviate as little as possible from my beliefs. I look for certainty and standards; I think that is the only way a group can play good football."

"There is a lot of room for variation within our style of play"

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No. 32 April/May 2009

Midfield occupation There is a lot of room for variation within our style of play, but we play with the same formation as much as possible. Variations are possible on, for example, midfield where you can play with the point forward (offensive, see diagram 1) or with the point backward (defensive, see diagram 2). Another variation is also possible with the spacing between your positions; are the players in the triangle placed closer together, near the heart of the field or more spread out? (see diagram 3). Also important is the type of player you put in a particular position, for example when we play with the point forward. I have to choose between a real midfielder with outside-forwards who play forward or a midfielder that functions like a second 'centre forward' with outside-forward playing deeper.

Diagram 1: A midfield with the point forward

Diagram 2: A midfield with the point backward

A recurring topic of discussion is whether to play the midfield with the point forward or backward. It's a bit of fashion hype. Four years ago a lot of teams played with one controlling midfielder, nowadays a lot of teams have two controlling midfielders. Jacobs doesn't see things this black or white, he looks for subtle differences. What is a controlling midfielder? Usually these players are a bit conservative, they win the ball and hand it over, and they have little depth. These players retain the balance. There is always the option to put one player in front of the defense who's task it is to clear the ball. When you play with two controlling midfielders, you should vary it more. A lot of French teams nowadays play with four midfielders, in the shape of a bowl. The controlling midfielders aren't really stoppers or a 'number 10' but usually a mix of both. Playing against a team with two controlling midfielders is very hard, they fall back or come up randomly, the question remains, are these still controlling midfielders?

Diagram 3: A midfield that is spread out

chance to score. We also have more players who not only move towards the ball but also move away from the ball. This is an element of surprise, if these players develop a great sense for one and other, our midfield could become a very big weapon. Before the second half of the competition, these 3 players scored 10 times together. This proves a player, even with great deal of individual talent, is still dependent on the players around him.

We now often play with a defensive focus in midfield. We have a controlling midfielder, Biglia, who has great footballing ability. He wins a lot of balls. He positions himself very well, but isn't very strong in the tackle. Last season he focused more on the build up, but he didn't like this, because he was suppressing his urge to attack. This season we changed that and we now play with more dynamic players who have an offensive focus. Gillet played a lot as a back, but because of his attacking urge, scoring power and conditioning I moved him to midfield. Polak has a lot of power and experience, but is also very strong in positioning himself.

Because of these changes we have a more dynamic midfield. This gives our controlling midfielder, Biglia, more room and more

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7

Attacking

"Right now I choose a dynamic midfield and a creative impulse from the flanks."

Playing against two forwards "When an opponent plays with two forwards, I can solve this in various ways. I like to play with a system that most closely resembles our regular system of play, and a system that require the least adaptations for us during possession. Two solutions which coaches often choose, especially in amateur football, are to play with two defensive backs and push the central defender up a line (see diagram 4). Or move one back to the centre, and the other back pushes up a line (see diagram 5). In both cases you move from a 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3. Jacobs, however chooses to solve this in a zone. "We have backs who are very good football players; I want one back to always push up a line up when we are in possession. From a defending point of view I choose to push one back up a line and have one back cover at the side of the ball.

When an opponent plays 4-4-2, it may look like you have one less midfielder; this would be a typical Belgian way of thinking. But as far as I know both teams are still playing with 11 players... By shifting and moving well you will never have a numerical disadvantage. On the contrary when you do this better than the opponent you will be able to create a numerical advantage. This is, however, not directly created by the system."

Diagram 4: play with two defensive backs and one central defender who pushes up one line

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"You should be able to expect a club like Anderlecht to dominate the play. That's why I often base my choices on how I want to play when in possession. Putting together a good organizational defense is quite easy for a coach. The offense, however, poses more of a challenge, because offense requires some level of creativity as well as some level of tenacity. This aspect therefore is usually considered as the guideline for a training session. As a coach I hand them the tools, but as the process proceeds they will have to make their own choices. Eventually the players have to make choices near the opponent’s goal; were spaces are limited and they are often outnumbered. This asks for a level of creativity and intuition. Fortunately we have some players who are have that level of creativity and anticipation, both on and off the ball. Like Boussoufa, you could train with him on certain patterns for 5 years, but once the match starts he will simply use his intuition and creativity, and he will always do something unpredictable.

He needs this freedom, his team mates should realize that this is a strength for the team and another player should take over his defending duties. Having too many of these players does pose a threat, as they will look for each other too much. During possession this will create problems, the spaces will become too small, and there will be problems in transition. I put a player like Boussoufa on the right or left of midfield, but it's also possible to put him just behind the forward. This will, however, have great consequences for the midfield, as he will take up less positions when defending. The midfield becomes more static, where players operate from their positions, but adds a very creative impulse just behind the forwards. Right now I choose a dynamic midfield and a creative impulse from the flanks."

Freedom "As a coach I'm constantly searching for a balance between giving freedom to players to do the unexpected and playing with a certain system of play with set patterns. Changes in positions are inherent to this playing style. When you want to have this creativity, you should also be able to accept a failed action from time to time.

When you make the player accountable for his action, he won't do

Diagram 5: moving one back to the centre and the other back pushes up one line

No. 32 April/May 2009

Diagram 6: zone solution

it the next time around. This leads to loss in creativity for the entire team. Defenders on the other hand are a different story, they look for tenacity. Patterns are important for the build-up, and these can be trained easily in passing exercises. I repeat these exercises during the small sided games. To focus on the pace of the ball and the certainty within the team, we regularly train by means of small sided games on one half of the field with a maximum of two touches. On the other half of the field the number of touches is unlimited to encourage creativity. Off course we train on certain running lines in the final third. Who goes to the near post, who to the far post and who will go to the six yard line? But during a match the conditions are always different. When a player who was supposed to take up a position at the near post feels he needs to go to the far post, the other players should be able to anticipate accordingly."

Attraction to the ball

formation changes by the coach will win you matches. It's all about hammering away at these small details, which will eventually make the difference."

Passing and kicking "The most important thing when you're training on passing and shooting is the choice a player makes. When do I initiate the move? Where do I run off the ball? When do I close the gap? What weight of pass do I use? To which foot do I pass the ball? When do I control the ball and when is one touch needed? When do I turn? When you focus on the details in these exercises, you will see this during the match. It's the small things that decide the level of the play and that make a good team with good team players. I just don't understand why midfielders at this level receive a pass with which they can only do 1 thing; wall pass. It's essential players pass the ball in such a way that the receiver has numerous options. This is a combination of creating enough space to receive the ball, choosing the correct position when receiving the ball, passing to the correct foot and passing at the correct ball speed.

Especially with the passing and shooting exercises you should be on top of this. If not, you won't reach your targets. 100% concentration is required."

"If the right outside-forward makes a run down the field (see exercises) you will often see that the midfielder will follow him. When the outside-forward passes the ball back to the midfielder the ball often ends up in front of his left foot or just behind the right foot.

So the midfielder receives the ball at an awkward angle. If the midfielder moves to the inside, then he will be less predictable and he will be in a better position to receive the ball.

Coaching These are the little details I'm "A lot of attention should be paid to the constantly looking for. Players are basics, in which errors occur too often attracted to the ball, but when regularly. If you spend some time on they move away from the ball first this you will see the result in a couple of "I don't believe golde n substitutions they will create more time and weeks. That's why I don't just say when space to gain possession in a and where a pass should be made and or formation change s by the coach better position. This is illustrated in to which foot, it's about the explanation. will win you matches." the same exercise where the If the player knows why it's important to midfielder gets involved in the first pass in a certain way, they will do it build-up phase. He often stays in his position, quickly faster. But I always coach afterwards. turns and ends up just behind the forward. This results in small The player should make the choice and after that I will be able to spaces where every ball should be per fect. When the player coach him. You should tell the players exactly what to do; I believe moves a couple of yards before receiving the ball he creates space it's these little things that make the difference. Not the system or and is able to build up at a high speed and won't end up too near the field positioning that everybody talks about. The coach should the forward. This creates speed!" not make the game more difficult than it already is."

Positional play

Education

AriĂŤl Jacobs says he is a big fan of the Dutch positional play. Within this type of positional play it is important that some players move away from the ball, if the players creates more room for themselves they will be able to take possession more easily. This will result in less errors. A great example is the Dennis Bergkamp goal during the 1998 World Cup match against Argentina in Marseille.

Everyone wanted the ball and moved towards the ball, with a defender trailing them. There is only one player who went wide at the right time and received the long ball from Frank de Boer; Dennis Bergkamp. Of course the finish is extraordinary, but it's the timing of the move that matters. A lot of players on the field move towards a ball which leads to small spaces with only a couple of yards between players. The players who move away from the ball create space to receive a good ball. This is a focus point I repeat at Anderlecht. I don't believe golden substitutions or

During my career I have been blessed to have worked at different levels and with various ages. I have worked with amateurs, with professionals and with different age groups. This gives me a broad scope and helps me form my opinion about football. A critical point I frequently brought up during my time at the Belgian football federation was the strong focus they have on field positioning.

When the Belgians realized our education level was nowhere near the Dutch system, we started to analyze things. The conclusion was that the Dutch played with a 4-3-3 system from the youth onwards. The thought to just copy this and think we would improve was wrong. When you take two midfielders and put them on the flanks, you still lack the positive intension of attacking play. If you think too much about the system, you slow down the development of the individual. The system is no more than a guideline, the choices a player makes during a match is what really matters."

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Formation exercise (1) Organization: - Formation: central defender (1), wingback (2), winger (3), outside-forward (4) and striker (5) - Central defenders and wingers rotate, minimum of 4 players - Wingbacks and outside-forwards rotate, minimum of 3 players - Striker stays, and the attack starts on the other side - Two small goals in the corner of the large goal

Variation 1: - Central defender passes to the winger, who passes to the back - The back passes (instep) to the striker - The striker does a wall pass with the winger, who sends the outsideforward on a run down the flank - Striker runs to the near post, winger to the far post - Score in 1 of the 2 small goals

Formation exercise (2) Variation 2: - Back starts with the ball and passes to the winger who wall passes with the central defender - Central defender passes into the wingback's run - Who seeks the striker - Striker wall passes with winger who pass into the outside-forwards run

Coaching: -

No high passes 1 touch when possible Pay attention to ball speed, straight passing, wall passes with feeling Winger must create space for himself after the wall pass and must join the attack at the right moment - Pass to the correct foot

Formation exercise (3) Variation 3: - Now with a goalkeeper on goal - Wingback starts and passes to the winger who wall passes with the central defender - Central defender passes to the striker who wall passes with the winger - Winger crosses to the outside-forward on the other side - Outside-forward receives the ball on his run and continues or lays the ball off to the winger - Striker takes up a position in front of goal along with the winger who crosses the ball to the other side

Coaching: - Create space for the through pass - Take risks with the cross - Try to find the correct speed for the attack

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No. 32 April/May 2009

Manuel Schamke, Schalke U11s coach: At the international tournament in Mallorca for the Cala Millor cup, the Schalke U11s did very well. With a technically strong team they were very impressive and reached the final before succumbing to Ajax.

SoccerCoachingInternational spoke with the team's coach, Manuel Schamke.

By: Paul van Veen

“Coaches should know all the players at their club�

"The reason for our good performance here in Mallorca? I think it's because we have a lot of hard workers in our team and the attitude is right. Besides that they posses excellent technique, and when they enjoy the game then anything is possible. We also still play 7v7, where as teams like Ajax already play 11v11 in their own competition."

Specific strength

The best

Equality

"Our scouts always look for the best players, which doesn't always mean the biggest or fittest. The best players could be large or small. Within our search we are finding quick players, with good coordination and good attitude. We can teach technique and football intelligence here, as long as they the other skills mentioned. And if the best players are small, so be it!

This system will reward us in the long run. An example of this was already evident in Mallorca, where we were able to compete with the best European teams."

"I would like to emphasize again, we don't want to create eleven identical players. Every player has his own specific strengths, which can be intelligence, 1v1, fake moves or maybe his dribbling abilities. Our number 10 for example is very good in the 1v1 situations, so his training is focused on this. Off course taking the other parts into account. Not every player has to excel equally at every part, but every player in the end should have developed certain qualities at which he excels."

"We look at the specific strengths of every player, because we want to create individually strong players, not a team of identical ones.

We want players who excel individually. It is nonetheless important that a player has a basis in every element of play. If a player lacks this basis, we create an individual program for him to improve this."

Weak Fast learners "These players have been with Schalke for the last 3 or 4 years, most kids at this age learn fast. This is why we choose to play 7v7 in our own competition. We think the young players have to run too much in an 11v11 competition. These kids should be working on their technique, because with kids at this age it's, along with improving their coordinational skills, the most important element in our academy."

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"A professional football player shouldn't have weaknesses and when he does have weaknesses it should still be above average.

But we won't try to get his weakness at the same level as his strengths. He doesn't need to excel at this. He needs to work on improving his weaknesses to an acceptable level, and then go on with improving strengths. This can be trained 1 on 1 with a coach, or in small groups with players who have the same weakness or the same qualities."

Small sided games "We do not work on static exercises a lot at our academy, for example by training finishing by simply shooting on goal. We try to do as many small sided games as possible. In a 3v3 situation, as I mentioned earlier, the players learn a lot and by changing the rules slightly you will be able to train various parts of football."

Coordination "We train with our U11s, U10s and U9s teams, three times a week. When they get to the U12s team they train four times a week. These four training sessions are divided into three group sessions and one training session with the focus on developing their basic skills.

This training session has a focus on coordination. We hired a specialist in this field to deliver the programme.

Off course we coach coordination before they get to the U12s, but this is done by the coach himself. As they get older, this part of the training get's more important."

Two years "As a coach we have two years to look after a player, after each game or tournament we describe a player’s performance in a sentence. We evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. We submit this to our Head of Youth Education, who gathers these evaluations from all the coaches. At our academy we want coaches to know the other players from other teams within Schalke. The reason for this is that we want every child to have an equal chance and his coach might miss something or judge a player the same way every time, other coaches will look at it more objectively."

Evaluation "We want all the coaches to evaluate all the players within our academy, because this provides the kids with enough knowledge to develop themselves. This is why all coaches observe training sessions of other teams.

If only one coach coaches you, he will keep giving the same instructions, will keep coming up with the same problems and will point out the same weaknesses. We get together every Monday to evaluate all the players from the U9s-U13s; this will help the coaches to get to know all the players. When a team goes to a tournament which lasts more than a day, a coach from another team will go along to observe the team."

Fun "During a game, we try to send out the signals to the players that we're all having fun. It's not about me but it's about the kids enjoying themselves. We also want to show them we care, in a nice way off course. We want to motivate them, now and then by giving them some advice, but without telling them which choices to make. We want them to be able to improve themselves, by making their own decisions. This will make them better football players. I believe strongly that this will give them the best development possible!"

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2v2 speed tournament Organization: - Play 2v2 with goalkeepers, two players from each team rest behind the goal - When the attacking team finishes on goal (whether they score or not), the defending team leaves the field and the 2 players resting enter - This teams then starts the attack with a new ball

Variation: - 3v3, 4v4

Objective: - Improving transition speed

1v0 dribble with time pressure Organization: - Dribble toward an empty goal and try to score as quickly as possible - Which player scores the most goals?

- The players are only allowed to shoot on goal after the have entered the penalty area, illustrated here with 2 cones

Progression: - First without a goalkeeper, later with a goalkeeper - Add a defender at their back

2v0 dribble with time pressure Organization: - Dribble in pairs towards the empty goal and try to score as quickly as possible - Which team score the most goals?

Progression: - First without a goalkeeper, later with a goalkeeper - Add a defender in their back

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1v0 or 2v0 dribble with time pressure and competition Organization: - Two teams - Two teams start simultaneously, which team scores first?

Progression: - First without a goalkeeper, later with a goalkeeper

Variations: - You can do this exercise in a 1v0, 1v0+1, 2v0, 2v0+1, 2v1, 2v1+1

3v0 Organization: - Play 3v0, the team has to come in front of the goal as quickly as possible and score in 1 of the 2 small goals (goal size: 2m width) - Scoring is only allowed from within the 6m zone in front of goal

Variations: - Every player must touch the ball at least once before scoring - Another team starst simultaneously from the other side, which team scores first?

3v1+1 Organization: - 3 attackers dribble with the ball towards the two small goals, where they try to score as quickly as possible - The coach will call either number 1 or 2. If he calls number 1, defender 1 will run onto the field and 2 for defender 2 - The attackers must choose on which side they want to play, depending on which defender enters the field - The second defender assists by entering the field behind the play (enters later, has to catch up to the attack) - Scoring is only allowed from with the 6m zone in front of the goal

Variations: - Every player must touch the ball at least once before scoring - Another team starts simultaneously from the other side, which team scores first?

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João Aroso,

FC Sporting Lisbon fitness trainer:

"Periodic training in football" Football is the most popular sport in Portugal. The country's top teams compete in the Portuguese Liga, where they do not only compete for the national title, but also try to consolidate a spot in one of the two most demanding and profitable European football competitions - the European Champions League and the UEFA Cup. Sporting has been a major contender in the Portuguese Liga since its inception. The club's football department has developed a professional profile which operates in an increasingly competitive environment in both Portugal and Europe.

Sporting's youth academy system is one of the most famous in the world and has continuously developed many world class footballers – like João Moutinho, Miguel Veloso, Yannick Djaló, Bruno Pereirinha, Rui Patrício, Adrien Silva, Daniel Carriço and Marco Caneira in the current squad, and famous players Luís Figo (Internazionale), Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani (Manchester United) and Luís Boa Morte (West Ham United).

Modern football, with its extreme demands and both mental and physical pressures on the players asks for extreme preparation.

Finding a practical method to prepare football players for their professional activities, without risking injury is a very important task. This article outlines the special method used by Joao Aroso, the fitness trainer at FC Sporting Lisbon.

By: Dusan Petrovic

The training process and its cycle have changed throughout the years. The traditional model for soccer training was largely based on training methods used for individual sports.

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No. 32 April/May 2009

“Truth's” for the traditional and periodic training process: - The player was in shape if he was physically fit; - The use of the “load” concept in an exclusively physical dimension; - The variation of the Volume x Intensity relationship as one of the main aspects to obtain the sportive shape.

- The idea that to maximize performance it was strictly necessary to separate the components (physical, tactical, technical and psychological) and train them individually.

Traditionally we trained as follows: - Pre-season training: in which the main purpose was to develop the physical condition, with no attention for the Principle of Progressivity (i.e., progressively increasing the resistance) - Using alternative locations, such as the beach and the woods for condition training - Tactical-technical training through eleven-a-side games on a full pitch - Training to “recharge batteries” after competition breaks There are some traditional concepts still used nowadays and people (journalists, fans and even players) are still surprised when they find out there is no rigid fitness training sessions during the pre-season.

Nor thern European studies have valued the physical and energetic dimension of the game, which led to many studies on the energetic demands of soccer and about players' physical and

physiological profiles. This, in turn, led to the common use of fitness tests in soccer teams. In Latin-American countries, the term “integrated training” has been widely used, which consists of small-sided games as an alternative to achieve physiological goals, instead of the use of analytic or exclusively physical methods. Even in this methodology, the dominant factor is usually the physical dimension of per formance. However, soccer’s nature is mainly tactical-strategic and cognitive. So it seems that the tactical dimension is not sufficiently incorporated by those who believe in the integrated training.

In our periodic concept, our “specific playing model” is the biggest reference. As shown in figure 1, this tactical model corresponds to an effort model (and to a mental attitude). So, our objective is to create training exercises to develop specific parts of “our game”. Repeating the tactical tasks on the training ground, with the intensity (and attitude) that is also used in the game, players will be training very specifically for competition.

We believe that using this method will also prepare our players for the physiological demands of the game – they will be able to do the tactical tasks with higher intensity and recover faster from it. This is our interpretation of the Principle of Specificity. So lets look at the characteristics of our training process and its relation to periodic training.

Figure 1: This diagram represents our idea of the Specifity Principle

Pre-season In the first 2-3 training sessions it is important to allow players (that return to work, usually after about a month of vacation) to adapt to the intensity, avoiding exercises that could strain the still unprepared muscles. After the first week of training (micro cycle) we elaborate to the two pattern-micro cycles (with one or two games per week, see figures 3 and 4), which we are going to use in the Competitive Period. These microcycles have the same structure, but the effort level increases progressively. From week

Passport Name:

João Aroso

Birth date: 29/10/1972 Nationality: Portuguese

Education: Degree of Physical Education and Sports Master Degree in Sports Science - High Performance Training in Sports UEFA A level

Work experience: I was a football coach in “Instituto Superior da Maia” (University's institute).

I have been working in football since 1996. Between 1996 and 2003 as a youth

coach

professional

and football

since (as

2003

in

Assistant

Coach/ Fitness Coach at Sporting CP since 2003 until now, and at AEK Athens between July and October 2005).

No. 32 April/May 2009

17

to week, the effort duration period increases and the recovery time decreases. Thus, in the first micro cycle we have a greater duration per training session, because we allow more time for recovery (between the exercises).

Furthermore, this recovery time is also useful to give more information to the players, which is very important in this stage of the season.

We want to allow players to adapt progressively to our methodology – to the exercises we use, to the session dynamics, to the competition (by playing a friendly game against a lower division team at the end of the first week) and to the structure of the micro cycle(s). The player’s organism is adaptable to the training routines and cycles, so we must respect that and exploit this adaptability.

When there is a league break for a weekend (usually when the national team plays a game), we maintain our training pattern – we don’t “recharge batteries”!

Our training process' dominant element is tactics. So, what we do is adapt, depending on the micro cycle’s day, to the physical regimen we want. This doesn’t mean we don’t use analytic physical exercises – we use it, but mostly as a complementation (for example, if we think that a group of players needs more high intensity aerobic training and we don’t want to overload their muscular fatigue, we use running work instead of using game situations).

If we want to play with high intensity, we need to train with high intensity. Our training volume is obtained by the amount of high intensity periods of work (rejecting the traditional concept). So, instead of using long periods of exercise, we divide them into more periods with shorter durations. Once again, we think that the adaptation to a pattern of training, permits to maintain a high intensity training regimen, avoiding muscular soreness (frequent in the day after an exigent training session), which would be a handicap to per form high intensity work and would increase the risk of muscular injuries.

Competitive Period As stated before, we use a pattern-micro cycle to allow players to adapt to its specific effort. This helps them to deal with its exigencies and to recover from it. This means that the two micro cycles we use have the same structure from the first week of the pre-season until the last training session of the season. Of course we vary the exercises we use (and we try to make them tactically-evaluative, relating them to the evolution of our system of play), but we don‘t change the micro cycle’s structure. Figure 1 illustrates a theory and simple representation of our periodic training model.

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Figure 2: Simple representation of our periodic training concept

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Our objective for each training session is to provide a global effort level that we think is most suitable for the amount of time we have left until the next competition match.

For a better understanding we use designations for the session’s effort type.

Even so, the main reference continues to be the tactical dimension.

Figure 3 illustrates our pattern-micro cycle for one game per week; - As illustrated, on the day after the competition we do recovery training for the players that played more than 45 min, usually through low intensity running. The other players per form several small-sided games and running exercises.

- Tuesday is the rest day. We prefer to train on the day after the game to accelerate the recovery of the players who played, and provide, earlier in the week, a high intensity training stimulus for the others - On Wednesday morning, we do what we call a specific strength training session.

We use exercises with a lot of eccentric contractions (e.g. breaking, changes in direction), that take more time to recover from. We use analytic exercises to work on the explosive strength, and smallsided games to work on the tactical principles like pressure and transition from attack to defense (see exercise 1).

The number of players per team, the spaces are small and the duration of each period of exercise is short, to allow players to per form at a very high intensity. In the afternoon session we do tactical work with medium-low intensity, to promote the recovery from the exigent morning session.

- On Thursday, the aim is Specific Resistance. We mainly work on the team’s collective organization (through eleven-a-side games with specific tactical goals) and also exercises to develop tactical behaviors (e.g. pressure, transitions) involving less players per team (see exercises 2). In this session, spaces and duration are bigger, which results in a decrease of the muscular tension.

- On Friday the objective is Specific Speed, which means that all the exercises are performed at high intensity and that the duration and frequency of the recovery periods have to be enough to allow players to recover almost completely. On this day we use speed-coordination exercises, shooting exercises in “speed

Figure 3: Training Micro cycle for one game per week

Figure 4: Training Micro cycle for two games per week

regimen” (see exercise 3) and eleven-aside situations for tactical and strategically work. Comparing it with the day before, the spaces are smaller and the duration of effort is shorter.

- Saturday’s training is a “joker session”.

It can be used to train tactically, for example when we feel there are some details that have to be reinforced.

Otherwise, if we had a very good training week, with high concentration levels, we can perform exercises that allow players to recover mentally (it’s important to be aware not only because of the physical fatigue, but also the mental fatigue), like a recreational game where 2 players choose their own teams.

week. Thus, for example, the training session three days before the competition have similar characteristics in both micro cycles, as well as the session two days before, and so on. Players that played for a longer duration have two recovery sessions (both aerobic trainings, but with a higher intensity on the second day). We frequently use these recovery sessions (or just the second one) to work on tactics, as preparation for the next game. However, as we said before, it is important to pay attention to the mental/tactical fatigue as well. If we feel players are mentally tired, the best thing is to provide only physiological recovery.

Final thoughts Figure 4 illustrated our pattern-micro cycle for two games per week.

Our principle is to think “backwards from the next game”, in accordance with the micro cycle’s structure for one game per

Like I stated before there are several periodic training perspectives available.

This article sought to outline the one we developed at Sporting and is based on our daily work experiences.

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Specific Strength training session (pressing / transitions) 6+1 versus 3 Organization: -

White and reds (2x3 players) play with yellow against blue Field size: 12 x 12 meters Duration: approx. 1 minute Intensity: high

Progression: - White and reds work on possession with support (in the middle) yellow player (centre Forward or centre Midfielder) - The blue team presses and try to winl the ball by either gaining possession or by kicking it out of play - Maximum two touches.

- Tactical Objective – Pressing (first line) - Physical Objective – Specific strength (these kind of exercises provide a lot of eccentric contractions)

Variation 1: 4+4 versus 4 - Same field size, duration and intensity - Whites work on possession with support (on the sides) from the yellows - The blue team presses and try to win the ball by either gaining possession or by kicking it out of play - Maximum two touches - Tactical Objective – Pressing (first line) - Physical Objective – Specific strength (these kind of exercises provide a lot of eccentric contractions)

Variation 1: 5 versus 3 - Same field size, duration and intensity - 4 white players work on possession with support (in the middle) from an extra white player - The yellow team presses and try to win the ball by either gaining possession or by kicking it out of play - Maximum two touches - Tactical Objective – Pressing (first line) - Physical Objective – Specific strength (these kind of exercises provide a lot of eccentric contractions)

Specific Speed training session (shooting) 3 versus 1 + Goalkeeper Warm-up 1 versus 1 + goalkeeper -

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Play 1 v 1 with a finish on goal with goalkeeper Field size: 32 x width of penalty area Duration: approx. 1 minute Intensity: high

Specific Resistance training session (pressing / transitions) Warm-up: 4+4 versus 4 -

Field size; 30x30 Same duration and intensity 4 white and 4 yellow players play on possession The blue team presses and try to win the ball by either gaining possession or by kicking it out of play.

- Maximum two touches - You can use this exercise as a warm-up before the 7v4

7 versus 4 Organization: -

Blue against yellow Field size: 40 x 25 meters (2x20mx25m) Duration: approx. 2 minutes Intensity: high

Progression: - Two teams of 7 players in a space of 40mx25m; the blue team works on possession (maximum 2 or 3 touches) - It’s important that the player(s) that play in the middle are the centre forward and/or centre midfielder - The yellow team has 4 players pressing and 3 players waiting (2 players positioned outside the lines and 1 player on the other side).

- When the yellow team intercepts the ball they must transition from defence to offense. They can use the supporting players on the sides or pass it directly to the player on the other side of the playing field - The blue team also transitions immediately (from offense to defense) and must stop the yellow team from reaching the other side of the playing field - Tactical Objective – Pressing (first and second lines); transition defence-offense; transition offense-defence - Physical Objective – Specific resistance

3 versus 1 + Goalkeeper Organization: -

Blue against yellow Field size: 32 x width of penalty area Duration: approx. 1 minute Intensity: high

Progression: - 3 attackers (blue) play against 1 defender - The full backs and the wingers cross (after a combination with the coach) to one of the 2 attackers, who are marked by the centre back (yellow) - This exercise can be executed on both sides simultaneously - Tactical Objective – Coordination between crossing and finishing players - Physical Objective – Specific speed

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Dan Micciche, MK Dons Assistant Academy Manager (U8 – 12’s):

MK Dons FC was founded in 2002 as a response to Wimbledon FC moving away from south London.

It is an ‘infant’ in relation to more established Professional clubs in England but very ambitious and growing at a rapid rate, which reclub has a brand new 20,000 The . flects the town itself time of writing are 2nd in the at and um, all seated stadi Roberto Di MatLeague One. Former Italian international, section opeemy Acad the teo, is the manager. In 2004, on to other relati in e scarc are ned. Capital resources talent is local ry hung young of rce resou key clubs but its enviable and much sought after.

"Training with MK Dons U12/13’s" A transparent and shared philosophy is essential for any successful youth development programme and at MK Dons, Mike Dove (Academy Manager), myself and the coaching staff, share a common aim - To produce players for the first team, if not at MK Dons, then at other clubs. We look ‘Holistically’ at Youth development and need players to be resilient, resourceful and reflective individuals who are willing and able to take control of their development rather than rely on others.

Consequently, we run a coaching programme that reflects these aims. Also, we try to follow the changing ‘trends’ in the game. We ‘evolve’ as the game itself ‘evolves’. 2009 football is characterised by Shorter, quicker Passing, Fast and clever Combinations and Counter Attacking - these are ‘core’ to our practices.

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This gives us flexibility and enables us (and them) to be creative. Children also tend to prefer variety and this helps with their motivation.

Below are some of the things we may focus on: U9 - U11s

U12 - U13s

Beating a player, e.g. with a touch (s) or without Receiving skills, e.g. number & quality of touches Ball Manipulation skills, e.g. playing out of tight situations Movement off the ball, e.g. to Receive, Defend, get in Position Combination Play, e.g. Wall Passing, Takeovers, Round the Corner passes

Changing Direction to ‘find the gaps’ When to play quickly When to pass Through / Over / Round defenders Possession to progress, e.g. playing forward When to ‘pressurise’ & When to ‘drop off’

Since it is likely that the mechanics (‘how to’) are in place by age of 12 we put great emphasis on the value of opposed practice. Consequently, and from Under 9s, we prefer to use unopposed practices very sparingly and strategically. We ‘get into’ opposed practices as quickly as possible, and from U12s we start sessions with at least some opposition. Too often coaches give players answers to remember rather than problems to solve. Our sessions are therefore characterised by randomness, variety, challenge, decisions, choices and problem solving. This is appropriate and relevant for all our age groups in varying degrees.

Significantly, players at MK Dons devote 4 ½ hours plus the game on Sundays to practice at the club. The ‘competition’ and challenge they can get ‘matched up’ against players of similar ability during that time is therefore more vital for their technical / tactical, physical and mental development than isolating any techniques. We must take advantage of this precious time and that is why we try to introduce opposition as soon as possible.

Does this mean players don’t need to practice isolated skills anymore? – certainly not. We set homework as an Action Plan (e.g. Ball Striking / Juggling, ball and the wall etc) and then regularly see how they are ‘getting on’. Those that are struggling with their essential techniques get advice, those that are striving ahead get advice too !!!

The sessions Rather than ‘tread the traditional path’ where a single focus runs through the entire session, such as Dribbling or passing, practices tend to enable players to move from one focus to another. ‘Practicing the game’, if you like, every time.

I strongly believe players are capable of jumping from practice to practice without a problem. One of the traits for example of talented children is being able to jump stages in learning. They don’t necessarily need those staging posts you may give someone of lesser ability and experience.

We see ability as diverse and recognise that some players are better at some skills than others. We celebrate these differences rather than try to make players all look the same. Our ‘game like’ practices enable players to express their strengths.

We also work on the basis that players ‘can do’ rather than they ‘can’t ‘do’.

Making the practice or tasks easier for those that need it, instead of holding back those that are striving ahead.

Another reason for working in this way is that we have an obligation to give the players key ‘memories’ from their football experience (see below).

1.Muscle Memory – Muscles and joints remembering what to do and how to do it efficiently time after time.

2.Football Specific Memory – how the skills fit with the game - developing a memory so they can recall situations that have happened before in the game.

3.Game specific Memory – common traits of the invasion games (hockey, basketball etc) e.g. recognising & using space.

Sound ‘memories’ such as these enable players to ‘fit their skills’ into the game.

Too often players have decent technical skills but cannot use them tactically and as a result are largely ineffective in games.

This is because they have not been able to ‘transfer’ their skills to the game efficiently.

‘Players need to be able to recall ‘situations’ and scenarios’ they have experienced before and build a library of images of how their skills fit in with the game. Only then can they start to be effective decision makers. Key, Assessing and adapting skills, essential for problem solving in the game, need to be developed.

Drills don’t really do this. Game related practices tend to expose the players to these repeatedly.’

Paul Holder (National development Coach FA)

The ‘Tools’ we use include: -

Arrival activities (pre – warm up game) Warm up (Introductory game) Repetition circuits Small group games Zonal Games Attack V Defence

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Introductory Game - Possession Game

Focus: - Playing through midfield

Focus: - Good passing & 1st touch - Movement off the ball

Reds: - Working from end – to – end - Pass through the middle to the other side = goal (3 v 4)

How to play: - 4V4+4 Yellows versus reds: - Blue supports (play for either team) - White use the blues to keep ball possession. 5 passes and attack the opposite goal (only whites can score) • When reds win it back, they do the same

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Zonal Game 1

Yellows: - Win it – break to any goal Progression: - Change the overload - 6 + seconds to score (counter attack) - Develop into a 2 way game

Small group Game 1 – Tight area work

Repetition Circuit

- Good for developing instincts and improving dynamic balance - Teams might be overloaded or under loaded and have different things to focus on or the players could be working on the same thing.

-

Focus: - Combination Play

Focus: - Defending outnumbered or attacking options

How to play: - 5 v 5 + 2 Neutral players (blues) - Use the neutral players to keep ball possession - 1 touch into neutral player = goal (round the corner) - 1 touch into neutral player and get it back = double (round the corner and wall pass)

Attackers (Blue): - Attack in groups of 4 - If go with 3 Attackers and score = double score

Progression: 1.Boxes empty – score 1 touch into neutral player or into box (one of your own players)

Development: - Play with offside - Play with a ‘resident blue’ forward in the final third (playing for all attackers)

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This practice enables players to ‘repeat’ certain problems they face in a game - Naturally overloads will change and players will find themselves attacking or defending with more, less or the same players as the opposition. Build in counter attacking where possible

Counter Attackers (Red): - Stuck in their zone until they win it - Score 3 = become attackers

Group Game 2

Focus: - Counter attacking How to play: - 6 v 6 (incl. GK’s) - Defend 2 v 3 in both zones - Defenders - join the Attackers to make 4 v 2 and score = counts double - Leaves 1 v 3 = opportunity to counter attack - Commit to a zone you stay - Out of possession – stuck in your zone

Attack versus defence

Games programme The success of our programme cannot really be measured in the short term. Another 5 years may give us a clearer picture but the early indications are encouraging (see below).

- Improved perceptions outside the club – quality of work and players.

- Evidence of Rapid progress of individuals, teams, coaching and recruitment.

- Improvement of performances (Yardstick that the gap is closing – results in games).

The ‘match’ remains a key ‘event’ for the players and we recognise and understand this. It isn’t just an extension of training for the players, although as coaches, we want to see as much transfer from training to game as possible. Accepting this, we still try to give the players variety in the match and added problems to solve, and this supports and underpins the aims of their training programme.

-

Useful for unit work / game-day preparation

Some examples of this can be seen below: - Playing in different formations and in different positions.

- Dealing with different size pitches.

- Playing with less players than the opposition.

- Dealing with different playing formats.

- Playing against older players.

Focus:

Summary - Defending outnumbered

How to play: - 6v8 - Yellows attack the goal - Re-starts from stack of balls - Reds score in either mini goal or by catching the yellows offside

At the time of writing, four Academy graduates had already made appearances for the 1st team this season, reflecting the continuous progress being made at the club. Mike Dove, Academy Manager, says: ‘We are very proud of our achievements so far but realise that in order to continue to rise to the challenges we face its important that our coaches are forward thinking and embrace our ethos of creating a stimulating and enjoyable environment that allows our young elite players to thrive in.’

We believe if we can continue to evolve and progress using our current method we will produce players that can even play at the highest level.

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Hennie Ardesch, FC Twente Women's Goalkeeper Coach

"Step by step a better youth goalkeeper" Hennie Ardesch is the goalkeeper coach of FC Twente women's team and runs the goalkeeper academy at Twente. He is also a goalkeeper coach at a regional amateur club.

"I always said, if I stop working, I'd like to give something back to goalkeeping." And so it happened. An inspiring story of the former SC Enschede, FC Twente, Go Ahead Eagles, ADO Den Haag, FC Den Haag and VVV Venlo goalkeeper who also played 10 UEFA Cup matches during his goalkeeping career.

By: Paul van Veen "Since the 1980s we have failed to develop good youth goalkeeper in the Netherlands.

The result of which is now apparent in Dutch professional football as we barely have any good goalkeepers anymore. At the youth goalkeepers academy (where I work there with Roy Elfering and Erik Maartens), have developed a course, especially for the youth goalkeeper coach. We're not only giving this course at CIOS (a physical education institute in the Netherlands), but also at many clubs in the region. This is a complete education for goalkeepers, where we focus on the teaching of the basic techniques. We've set standards like; boys of 10 to 12 should master these skills, they have to learn this when they are ages 14

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to 16 and so on." (an example of what is taught at the ages of 11 and 12 can be found later in the article).

Rotation "At U9s I recommend coaches to rotate.

Simply use a different player as goalkeeper every match, except if you already have someone who really wants to be a goalkeeper. You can work on the basic skills from U11s on. It is important to have a good plan so that every year you add an extra step. It doesn't make sense to let a 10-year old do strength exercises. But it happens often. Ex-keepers who become goalkeeper coaches, often tend to teach what they were taught as an adult."

Betaald voetbal "I only see a few good goalkeepers when I watch professional football. Take Piet Veldhuizen of Vitesse for example, seen as one of the best keepers in the Netherlands. He's very good on the line, but out of goal he's just moderate. But that's something you can teach! When I was a goalkeeper, I trained for three years with three strikers and two defenders, practicing coming for high crosses. I could almost come out of the goal blind folded by the end. You get so much confidence, that every ball is yours. When I heard that Ajax was interested in Veldhuizen, my first thought was that he doesn't fit the Ajax mould. Ajax has an attacking playing style. You need a goalkeeper who can function as an extra defender."

Development "Developing goalkeepers is a continuous process. Of course you work differently with youth goalkeepers than you do with women's goalkeepers at FC Twente. You may assume that the latter master the basic principles. With adult goalkeepers you work on development. I have noticed that female goalkeepers have trouble with high balls. This is due to their lack of jumping power. So I tell these women to practice their jumping power at home. They must repeat it frequently and every time a little higher. That's what I used to do. When I was still at school I had a job in which I had to walk through a warehouse with steel bars. During my walks I would try to touch the bars, as high as possible. This developed my jumping power, without even noticing it. So the women also practise at home now. Our current goalkeeper took a ball out of the top corner, and I thought: how did she do that? So it works and that's what it's all about.

Switch "You have to realize that it is a completely different discipline which requires you to adjust. Goalkeepers have experience on how to catch a ball, but they have probably never thought about how to teach this to a young talent. This is what we focus on in our course, in both theory and practice.

Diving "One of the basic techniques that must be taught well is diving towards the ball. You have to dive diagonally towards the ball. When in the middle of the goal, you do one step forward and dive diagonally forward. You often see amateur keepers dive sideways or even backwards. That isn't the intention. We teach them to dive diagonally forward from the start. This is a must for every goalkeeper."

Feather like Last year, during my visit to Vietnam, I was introduced to something new; a feather-like object, that you can hit (or kick) into the air and it will drop back down vertically. I introduced this object into my keeper training. We now use it in the warmup, but also with the reaction exercises for the goalkeepers.

It's ideal for hand-eye or foot-eye coordination. I let the younger keepers do this with their hands, and the older keepers with their foot. In my opinion, this is a great addition to the goalkeeper training.

Trying to juggle the 'feather'

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Objectives for U12 goalkeepers: Technique:

Tactic:

1. Defending without the ball

1. Defensive situations where the goalkeeper has to learn to make a choice in the following aspects:

• Starting points for shots on goal and 1v1 situations • Move in and in front of goal, with good footwork. It's about starting, walking, sprinting and turning in all directions • Make the goal small and stand still when the shot comes

2. Defending with the ball • Picking up low crosses • Catching balls underhand • Blocking balls by catching the ball into the stomach/chest or attacking such balls by reaching for it with your hands • Catching balls underhand (all these action are done on and next to the body • Falling • Diving • 1v1 duels

1. With ball possession • Shifting of the defense • Positioning the defense

• Reorganizing the defence • Learning to coach with names and brief instructions ("Steve, cover your right") • Learning terms for balls between the player and the goalkeeper (Clear, Yours, Time, Forward)

Kicking from the hands; volley Throwing; rolling and slingshot Goal kick Dealing with back passes

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Coaching, organising and guiding:

2. Ball possession, opponent

3. Build-up and attack • • • •

• Positioning and positional play in the goal with direct danger in front of goal, in the penalty box • Positioning and positional play in the goal with indirect danger, so outside the box, especially the position where the ball is knocked into the box, but also the positional play when the ball is around the midfield or the other side of the field • The positioning of the keeper in 1v1 situations

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Goalkeeper coaching is a process. It's about learning new things and repeating things that have already been learned. You have to keep three things in mind and write them down.

1. Planning When planning a session, you always have to know what your goal is for that training and what they have already learned. It has to be clear what skills they already control, and what they don't control. If you don't, there's a good chance your goalkeeper can get bored because it's too easy for him, or they don't like it because it's too hard.

2 . Execution The training takes place in this phase.

3. Evaluation Looking back at your coaching is an evaluation. You look at yourself (what did I do well and what didn't I do well), to the training (which parts where good and which weren't) and to the goalkeepers you coach (who masters what and who doesn't). Write these evaluations down, so you can use it for the next training.

Gathering in the dressing room Getting the materials together Warm-up (10 minutes)

The actual training

What does keeper coaching look like?

General

- Without ball movement exercises - Stretching ( not necessary for the youngest keepers) - With ball, bouncing and catching, rolling and picking up the ball - Bouncing games - Two against two, three against three, etc. throwing the ball to each other

Core (30 minutes) -

In this phase, the theme has to be taught Explain the technique first Let them practice the exercises alone Let them practice the exercises with someone else Limit your training to a maximum of two themes Observe your goalkeepers well, so they learn the techniques correctly

Finish (15 minutes) - At the end, the things that have been learned will be practiced in a small match - It has to be intensive - Everyone should join the match

Clear up.

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Youth Training Sessions

U13’s Finishing on goal Last year we featured Training Sessions from around the World in this section, and this year we have changed the theme to Youth Training Sessions. This regular section will feature complete youth training sessions and in this issue we outline an U13’s finishing on goal session.

In order to win a soccer match you have to make sure you score more goals than your opponent. Scoring is therefore an important component for every age category. Training on scoring is often associated with shooting on goal from distance. However, scoring actually involves a lot of aspects of play, because often scoring a goal means being at the right place at the right time. This is often a gut feeling that players develop and is therefore hard to teach.

As a coach you should train all possible situations that create scoring opportunities. A good tip is to keep track of all scoring opportunities that your team creates during the next five matches.

Divide these into categories and you will find out which situations lead to scoring opportunities and you should be coaching those with your team. We will obviously be unable to outline all scoring situations in this section. After your evaluation you will see that goals are scored from long

distance shots, 1v1 situations against the goalkeeper, simple tap-ins and once in a while a goal will be scored with a header.

These are the situations you should coach, however the most important aspect is to pay attention to the technical execution.

The execution, especially with the U11s who are learning techniques, but that doesn't mean the U13s aren't learning anymore. They are simply more developed and you should make sure they continue to develop. The U13s will start to develop more power, which means that, for example with the instep kick, you have to ensure they are continuing to execute it well.

want to shoot low and straight on goal, you should hit the ball just above the middle. For a normal instep kick you will hit the ball right in the middle 4.Make sure you swing through, as the speed of your shot is determined by the way your leg swings when you hit the ball. When you don't swing through your leg will already be slowing down when you hit the ball 5.Allow players to experiment with the two ways of finishing after a shot. As you can remain on your standing foot or you can swing through in such a way that you will end on your standing foot again.

Exercises The instep kick Even though is it not the only way to score, a good execution of the instep kick is an important weapon to score (more) goals.

An U13s player should be able to instep kick a rolling ball.

The execution of the instep kick: 1.The last step should be a big one, place your standing foot just behind of next to the ball 2.Kick the ball with the instep (top of the foot) and make sure your foot is tense when hitting the ball 3.For a high, far shot on goal hit the ball just below the middle of the ball. If you

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When training to score by means of a long distance shot with the instep you will often see the following exercise:

In this exercise the players will finish on goal after a combination with the coach.

We strongly recommend you DO NOT do this exercise. The amount of repetitions in this exercise is minimal. In ten minutes the player may get a chance to shoot on goal 5 or 6 times. This is of course very little for an age group where it is all about developing technique. On top of that exercise like this will also increase the risk that two players in the queue will get into an argument (out of boredom).

The exercise above really only provides the coach with a lot of ball contact, and as far as I know the session should be about the players, not the trainer. Does this mean this exercise is worthless? No, but it needs some modification. First of all you should always substitute the trainer for a player. Secondly you should do the exercise on two goals, meaning you divide the group into 2 smaller groups, making the queue smaller (see diagram below).

can win something with it. Using a pointsystem it is fairly easy and it makes the training more intense and enjoyable at the same time. Each player will simply keep track of the amount of goals they have scored. The one who scores the most goals after, for example, 3 minutes will win.

Another way to do this is by having two teams compete against each other. One goal will have a blue goalkeeper; the other goal will be guarded by a red goalkeeper.

The red team can score on the goal with the blue goalkeeper and vice versa. They have to shoot before the cone and the next player can start when the player in front of him has shot on goal (see diagram below).

Or add resistance by adding a defender.

The red defender will pressure the blue attacker and vice versa (see diagram below).

The exercise above was with a combination, but you can also do the exercise, dribbling towards goal (see diagram below). The players have to shoot before the cones. The team that scores the 10 fastest goals is the winner.

Another possible variation is to divide the group into two. One group will play a small sided game (i.e. 3v3) and the other group will finish on goal (see diagram below).

But there are more options. You can also have the player with the ball pass to the player at the cone. This player will receive the ball, turn and finish on goal (see diagram below).

If you want to give the attacker a passing option you can also add another attacker, creating a 2v1 situation. Attacker 1 can either dribble and try to beat the defender or pass the ball to the other attacker, who will finish on goal. Don't play with offside, as it will be hard for you as a trainer to check on 2 games at the same time.

Winning Telling a group of U13s that the training will consist of finishing exercises, we be received with much enthusiasm. This feeling will grow when you tell them they

These are just a few example of how to have 2 teams compete for points in finishing exercises. Your imagination is the limit here!

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U13 Finishing Training 1.1 Scandinavian Passing Organization: - 4 cones with a player at every cone - Player 1 start with the ball

1

Progression: 4

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- Player 1 passes the ball (instep) to player 2 and changes positions with player 4 - Player 2 receives the ball and passes as quickly as possible to player 3 - Player 3 passes back to player 2 - Player 2 passes long to player 4 and changes positions with player 3 - Player 4 passes to player 1 again, who passes back to player 4, etc.

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Finishing after a wall pass Organization: - Two teams; blue and red - Two set ups next to each other, with a large goal, two cones 12-14 meters from the goal and 25-30 from the goal another cone - 1 player from the red team will defend the goal on the side of the blue team and vice versa - 1 player from each team functions as a wall passer - The rest of the players line-up behind the far cone

Progression: - Play for 3 minutes - Next player in line may start when a player in front of him shoot’s on goal - Which team can score the most goals in 3 minutes, keep score out loud

Small Sided Game with scoring from a distance Organization: - Play 6v6 with 2 goalkeepers - Place an imaginary line at 12-14 meters from the goal, by placing cones on the sidelines - Normal rules, but a shot from distance (which means from behind the line) equals 2 points

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U13 Finishing Training 1.2 Warm-up with passing and beating your opponent Organization: - In 3s - 2 players with 1 ball are positioned at 1 cone, the third player at the other cone

Progression: - Player 1 passes to player 2 and follows his ball - Player 2 beats player 1, who provides passive resistance - Player 2 passes to player 3 and follows his ball, etc.

Finishing after a action Organization: - 2 sets ups - On both sides a large goal and 2 cones at 12-14 meters from the goal and a third at about 40 meters - A goalkeeper (from the defending team) on goal, a defender (from the defending team) at the 2 cones and a queue with players from the attacking team at the last cone (each with their own ball)

Progression: - For 3 minutes the attacking team tries to beat the defender and score - The next player starts when the player in front of him has shot on goal or the defender has intercepted the ball - Which team scores the most goals in 3 minutes. Keep score out loud

6v6 Organization: - Regular game of 6v6 with goalkeepers - Keep track of the score

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U13 Finishing Training 1.3 Passing in pairs Organization: - Players stand about 20-30 meters apart in pairs - They pass the ball with the instep back and forth

Progression: -

First free choice Then mandatory high passes Then mandatory low passes Last receive the ball and quickly pass it back (speed of play)

Details: - When the players are doing really well, increase the distance - When they are having problems with the passes, decrease the distance

2v2 with distance shots Organization: - 2v2 with goalkeepers - Field size: 25x25 meters - Play a regular game of 2v2, but when a player scores with a distance shot from his own half they are awarded 3 points

6v6 with rotation Organization: - 6v6 with 2 large goals (defended by neutral goalkeepers) on 1 side and two empty small goals on the other side

Progression: - Team A tries to score on 1 of the small goals, Team B will try to score on 1 of the large goals with a goalkeeper - We play a game of 6v6, where you change sides whenever the team who has to score on the small goals scores. So when team A scores, we change sides. Team A now has to score on the large goals and team B has to defend and try to score on the small goals whenever they have intercepted the ball. The attacking team (team scoring on the large goals) always start in possession.

- Whenever a team scores on the large goals the teams do not change sides

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U13 Finishing Training 1.4 Two-way Finishing Organization: - There are two large goals across from each other and 2 groups play simultaneously, each on their own goal - Every player has a ball

Progression: - 1 players dribbles to the cone, makes a move and finishes on goal - The player gets his own ball and joins the back of the queue and waits for his next turn

4v4 on large goals Organization: - 3 teams of 4 players each - 2 teams play 4v4 on large goals with goalkeepers

Progression: - Team A plays against Team B - Team C rests on the sideline by training technical skills at low intensity - Team A plays against team B for 3 minutes, the winning team stays on and plays against team C - Winning team always stays on - With a draw the 'new' team will stay on

4v4 with 4 wall passers Organization: - Play 6v6, 2 players from each team are positioned on each side of the opponent's goal - Play a regular game of 4v4, but when a team scores after a wall pass with one of the players next to the goal they get 2 points (only counts if goal is scored directly after the wall pass) - After 3 minutes 4 other players become the wall passers

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"Photos by: Anderson Rodrigues / AD São Caetano"

Sergio Soares, head coach São Caetano

At the age of 42, Sérgio Soares began his career coaching a small team in the São Paulo state. This season, he took command of São Caetano, a team from the Brazilian, Serie B National Championship. São Caetano is the second team in 2009 that Soares has coached. After promotion into Serie A with Santo André last year, he began the 2009 season in charge of Ponte Preta. However, the results were poor, which meant an early departure for Soares, who joined São Caetano shortly after.

In his work as a coach, Soares tries to ensure all exercises are as closely related to the match as possible and always focuses on developing speed. To be able to do this Soares uses a lot of small sided games, which according to him is the new trend in Brazilian football. "It works on the basics as well as speed development, as both are crucial for the development of football players," says Soares.

By: Guilherme Costa

No. 32 April/May 2009

"Photos by: Anderson Rodrigues / AD São Caetano"

"When I was 25 or 26, I played in Saudi Arabia and began to really think about coaching after I had retired as a player. I started to see football in a different way from that point on. I would look at the game more tactically and would pay closer attention to the link between what we did in training and how that was reflected in the match. In 1994, when Candinho was in charge of Saudi Arabia’s National Team, I became involved with coaching for the first time. Candinho asked me about some players and I had to observe them during a training session to help him. This changed my views on the game."

"After I retired as a player I went back to school to study Physical Education at the university. In 1999 I took a trainers course. In 2004 I received a call from Pericles Chamusca, who was coaching Santo André at the time and he asked me to become his assistant. We won the Brazilian Cup and this marked the beginning of my coaching career."

Training then versus training now "Training has changed greatly throughout the years, especially since football became more dynamic and faster. In my time there was more rhythm, even in training. Before, the training was based on group exercises, which is slower.

Today, you work much more on the field.

Today's training is based much more on small sided games, mainly because it addresses both the tactical positioning and the speed of reaction. When I was a player we only played small sided games when the training was geared towards technical skills. Nowadays we do exercises on the field with very limited movement, and rotating teams. Three sessions of 21 minutes, which allows the players to develop their ball handling speed."

Speed "This is also very dependent on the players you have in your team.

São Paulo won the Brazilian championship three times with fairly slow players, but their passing skills were excellent and they made the ball do all the running. This is also the key in modern football, let the ball run. Alex, a Brazilian midfielder at Fenerbahçe is a slow player, but he moves the ball with great speed. What you need is constant movement and when you can you must do this quickly.

A player in possession must always have at least two passing options. This dynamic element is crucial to the functioning of any team."

Finalization "In the past you would work on finishing on goal in a line. A coach would roll the ball towards a player, who would finish on goal whichever way he pleased and the rest of the team would patiently watch him do it while waiting for their turn. Today it is quite different, with a lot more movement. The ball starts from the back and is passed along to reach the flank. The strikers then choose a position in the area to finish on goal."

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Play-maker "We train several situations according to the strength of my team. Of course some situations are dependant on the opponent, but it’s important to always think from your team's perspective and focus on that first. If you have players, who are good at attacking the ball you must take advantage of this. Another important aspect is the play-maker, who needs to be the player that moves the ball and directs the play."

The opponent "I always work from my own team's capabilities. When the team plays a certain formation, I don't change that. I want the opponent to adapt their play to ours, not the other way around. The focus of the training session before a home game is the same as for an away game, but I do study the opponent to minimize the surprises. I use these observations in my preparation for the various situations we may encounter, but I do it from our team's perspective and formation. There are always some adjustments from one game to another, depending on the opponent, but the key ingredient in our play is to play based on our own qualities."

Sérgio Soares da Silva Date and place of bir th: 11/01/1967, São Paulo (SP)

Position as player: Defensive midfielder

Clubs as a coach: Santo André (2004-2005) Juventus-SP (2006) Barueri (2006-2007) Santo André (2007) Juventus-SP (2008) Santo André (2008) Ponte Preta (2009) São Caetano (2009)

Titles as a coach: São Paulo State Serie B (2008), promotion to the Brazilian Serie A (2008)

Results

Reduced field

"Results are fundamental to the behavior of players. If you win a game, they will become more confident and this will in turn increase your chances for better results in the forthcoming games.

I try to minimize this influence, as it works both ways. When they loose a game they will be less confident and it will be harder to win the next one. I believe players should be mentally strong and maintain their composure at all times, good and bad, so we are less dependent on the results and can depend more on the mental qualities of our players."

Team training "In Brazil, the turnover of coaches is very high. Because of this Brazilian coaches have to take the phase in which they join a team into consideration. The difference between starting at the beginning of a season or starting during a season is huge. When you join a team at the start of the season, you can work with the team from the beginning and really implement your vision and work towards a playing style that suits your team. However, when you are hired during the year, you need to adapt to what is there and build the team according to the characteristics of the players."

Experienced players

Organization: -

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Two teams, each team with 11 players, on half a field Two smaller goals, made with cones, one at each end Each player is limited to 2 touches The objective is pass the ball around to as many players as possible before attempting to score

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I love to work with more experienced players. They help you lower the margin of error in the passes, help in the tactical aspect, and are a great assistance in helping with the younger players. It’s important to have five or six older players in your team. However, the same rules apply to all players, whether they are experienced or not. Everyone has to do the same activities.

This article is a contribution from Universidade do Futebol

Brazilian Corner Flamengo’s goalkeepers train with tyres Brazilian Serie A team Clube de Regatas do Flamengo adopted an unusual strategy to coach the goalkeepers' goal kicks. Roberto Barbosa, the club's goalkeeping coach, created a training technique to improve the direction of goal kicks whereby he uses a tyre. Two goalkeepers hold the tyre in position in front of goal, while the third goalkeeper is positioned outside the penalty area and tries to kick the ball through the tyre.

Mancini revamps Santos training Vagner Mancini, who was appointed head coach by Santos this year, changed the Brazilian Serie A club's training schedule drastically. Before the Mancini era at Santos they only trained in the afternoon. However, Mancini has now scheduled the training session in the morning. All athletes must report at 08:30. On top of that Mancini has also looked at the players' nutrition. The players must have at least one meal a day at the club, so Mancini will be able to influence the intake. "He is changing a lot, but I think it’s good. It complements what we are done in training", said defender Fabiano Eller.

Dorival Júnior criticizes the Brazilian football model Vasco da Gama coach Dorival Júnior criticized the Brazilian football model used by the clubs. According to him, Brazilian clubs rush young players to the professional level and forget the importance of fundamentals. "The problem is that Brazilian players think they know everything about football and, at certain times, refuse to learn. A good example is volleyball. Before, we were just anxious to attack, but after we looked at it we realized we were lacking the fundamentals.

The Brazilians worked on the fundamentals of defense and blocking at all levels.

Since then Brazil has become the best volleyball nation in the world and has been able to maintain that position for nearly a decade", said Junior.

Acupuncture for insomnia Brazilian Serie B team Bahia has adopted a new therapy to avoid insomnia and muscle pain in their players. All their players will undergo regular sessions of acupuncture by physiotherapist Carlos Eduardo Magalhães who specializes in this acupuncture. "I developed a specific type of care for professional football players and all the players that have undergone the therapy have found it to be beneficial", said Magalhães.

The Brazilian corner is a contribution from Universidade do Futebol

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Defending with the 1-4-3-3 system of play:

I have recently started to focus more of my coaching philosophy and teams I work with on the 1-4-3-3 system of play. If you observe the starting positions on the field of play, it comprises of many triangles and opportunity for rotation of positions.

Depending on your playing personnel, there are several variations to the 1-4-3-3 and can be easily adjusted to 1-4-5-1 or 1-4-4-2.

With loss of possession, I encourage the wide players to become compact and switch to a 1-4-5-1 system if under pressure. With 1-4-5-1, there should always be double wing cover if players’ recover and show discipline in their positioning. The decision when to press can be triggered in the middle third, with the goal of denying space behind and forcing the opposition to play in front of you. Closing down as a unit is a method of winning back possession from the opposition. To be effective, players need to show a group work-ethic and when done methodically can ‘strangle’ the opposition.

By: Andrew Blight

"Triangles and oppo for rotation of posit 40

No. 32 April/May 2009

Defensively 1-4-3-3 provides a solid platform enabling a team to defend higher up the pitch. If this is the game plan, the three forwards can positively defend further up the field against a back four (see diagram1). To increase pressure on the ball the whole team has to be geared to do it. Problems are created when some of the team are on the front foot and some on the back foot.

Diagram 1: Forwards role in 1-4-3-3

• 7 presses the fullback 3 (force him to go backwards) • 9 pressurises the GK or engages the 6 if he goes deep into the penalty box and keeps play on the right-hand side of the pitch • 11 ‘narrows-across’ and focuses on the number 5

Generally, one player usually furthest forward can trigger closing down to win the ball back as a unit. The basic principles apply with emphasis on nearest man between the ball and goal and closing on the travel of the ball. Once triggered everyone in the team must do it, aiming to apply enough pressure to make the opposition give the ball away, win it by interception or tackle or force them to go backwards with no penetration.

rtunity ions"

The midfield triangle shows two pressing midfielders, with the point backwards. This involves a disciplined ‘holding’ midfield player (who screens the opposing strikers) and ensures more support for the forwards and it is easier to break with numbers on winning the ball back (see diagram 1): • 4 screens the space in front of the opponents for wards 9 and 10 • 8 and 10 on the front foot and mark tight to opposition midfield 8 and 4

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The further up the pitch you play, the more space you leave inbehind. The defence must always be thinking what happens if we lose the ball? e.g. be aware of long passes behind or into the forwards feet. Concentration is paramount, one central defender marks the striker and the other provides cover with full-backs tucked in. Players in the back four must be positioned compactly to enable pressure together as a unit (see diagram 2) There are periods in a game when the opposition have good possession and a team has to drop off and play with patience.

This is also a frequently used strategy in International games. The aim is to encourage impatience in the opposition resulting in loss of possession (see diagram 3) Diagram 4 illustrates an example of when a 1-4-3-3 cannot put pressure on the ball. The key here is to ensure movement of the defensive team unit i.e. on movement of the ball replicates ball backwards or sideways defensive unit pushes forwards or shuffles sideways to always apply pressure to ball without actually closing down. The central striker has an important role to force play in one direction.

Diagram 2: Midfield in 1-4-3-3

Diagram 3: Dropping off as a 1-4-3-3

• • • •

• 9 initiates the pressure (splitting the centre-backs) and try’s to force the play onto the weakest player (5 or 6) isolating him and ensuring he can only play down one side of the pitch • 11 and 7 drop-off and tuck-in to create a compact ‘triangle’ with 9, they engage and get out to the full-back (2 or 3) if they receive the ball and force play inside to where there is player cover • Ensure space between defenders is minimised to prevent passing ‘through’ us

9 presses the back pass from 3 10 on front foot to press if ball is played short to 6 4 squeezes up and marks opponent 4 if 10 presses 5 and 6 are aware of the long ball in-behind and ball into forwards feet • 2 and 3 tuck-in as the ball is passed back to GK and aware of any switch of play • Gk high starting position to ‘sweep’ and information to back four

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A 1-4-3-3 can often be caught on the counter if they have committed numbers and possession is lost in the attacking third.

It is important here not to close down if outnumbered by the opposition. In say a 4v2 situation if the man with the ball is closed down it leaves an easy pass to others who are unmarked. As much time as possible should be bought by the defenders with the objective to recover and delay as a team. Players caught out of position must take responsibility and make recovery runs (sprint!) centrally to provide support to outnumbered team-mates.

The importance of defensive patterns of play need to be continually practiced and rehearsed in order to achieve individual/unit understanding and success on the field of play.

Within coaching this is a vital component and determines whether players have demonstrated learning and how to identify the when/where/how from the coaching practice by executing the correct decision in a game situation. Any facet of the game involving teamwork requires practice to instil organisation and promote understanding between players.

Diagram 2: Midfield in 1-4-3-3

Name:

Andy Blight

Email: Andib20@hotmail.com Education: -

BA Hons degree PGCE PE UEFA ‘A’ coaching licence FA Coach Education tutor SAQ tutor

Coaching: -

Middlesbrough FC academy Newcastle United academy

-

England schools’ FA U18 coach

• 9 forces 6 to play in one direction and play cannot be switched back to 5 • If 3 receives a pass 7 presses the ball and forces the play inside with the rest of the team shuffling across with the direction/pace of the pass • 3 and 11 tuck-in and should be approx. in line with the far post • Full back 3 always be aware of long diagonal pass in behind • Check Gk positioning and info When defending deep, the basic principles of defending apply: • Pressure/support/mark/cover + balance.

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Bastiaan Riemersma, PSV U9’s coach and Erwin van Baarle, the author of 'Playing for fun':

“Let them play” In the autumn of 2007, Playing for fun was published, a Dutch language handbook for youth soccer coaches. SoccerCoachingInternational has asked the author of the book, Erwin van Baarle, to outline the 5 most main principles of his book. These principles are essential for the younger players ( U-10). These principles are also relevant for coaching older players and even seniors. In this article, Bastiaan Riemersma (PSV Eindhoven) and Erwin van Baarle discuss the principles behind: “let them play”.

writing Playing for Fun. How can you expect initiative and creativity from your players when you overload them with precise instructions?

Playing for fun principles: 1.let the kids play 2.pay compliments, be positive 3.ask questions; be curious 4.adjust rather than instruct 5.know yourself

How did we arrive at this development? Are our clubs and trainers afraid to create excellent players? Isn’t the Netherlands the country of attacking football, Wiel Coerver and total football? Are we not the country that created the individual genius of Cruyff, Bergkamp and Van Basten?

Street soccer players This season, Dutch papers have sung the praises of the importance of “Let them play!”, with articles headed ‘Adventurers on the soccer pitch’. The central point of these articles was.....that you hardly ever see them anymore. It takes some considerable effort to put together a team of street soccer players, apart from the

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‘usual suspects;’ Amrabat, Affelay and Suarez. It is remarkable that players who are only just beginning their careers serve as an example. Apparently, the older players need to ‘unlearn’ to be adventurous. This particular article cites Joop Brand, former director of youth developments with PSV. He describes watching an Ajax academy match in the company of Piet Keizer (the famous Ajax player in the seventies). Both of them are taken aback by the no risk passing around of the ball. Piet Keizer remarks: “I challenged my opponent”.

This experience was one of my reasons for

No. 32 April/May 2009

Creativity or adherence to the system?

In Dutch youth soccer we see eight and nine-year-olds have numerous assignments and strict instructions about the lineup.

The attention is focused on systems and methods and there is very little room for creativity and initiative. All too often I hear trainers scold eight-year-olds: “You didn’t keep your position”. If this boy goes astray

and takes things even further by daring to take on opponents and then lose the ball, he is in for a heavy reprimand: “No dribbling.....it gets us nowhere!”.The most frequent shout on the sideline of Dutch soccer pitches is “PLAY”. That doesn’t mean ‘go out there and play a good match, guys’. No, it’s a command to pass the ball as quickly as possible. That’s not the way to create free spirits, this way you just create obedient clones!

Bastiaan Riemersma works with talented 8-year-olds (U-9s): PSV’s F1, the top selection at this age group. He is convinced that we should let these very young players carry on with what they are doing, as much as possible, and concentrate on building up their self-confidence. “One might even wonder what would happen if there were no trainer/coach around!” he says, putting the cat among the pigeons. “There are about 1100 Brazilians playing in Europe; they have not had our type of training and still, they keep up with us quite well.”

Completely eliminating the coach for the youngest players may be taking things a bit too far, but it may serve as a reminder for a coach to regularly ask himself “What do I want to achieve? How do I monitor their development? And: what is my contribution?

How bad would it be to just provide them with balls and let them sort it out for themselves?”

that’s also the good news: if you manage to change course in your training program based on another view (creativity needs space), you’ll see that the youngest kids have no trouble whatsoever to adapt. In their eyes, coaches are gods; all young soccer players want to get better, so in principle, they are focused on pleasing us and on listening well. You can get results with them rather quickly.

That’s very different from leading adults, as any manager knows.

Because we, as adults, won’t become creative all of a sudden if we have never tried to do so, it’s (almost) too late for us.

‘Coaches are Gods’

Team sport?

The importance of “let them play” is clear. Bastiaan Riemersma confirms it: “The kid who juggles with the ball is going to get further than the 8-year-old who passes the ball back neatly.”

So the call for creative soccer players is steadily increasing. At the same time it is clear that, within the current strict systems, kids don’t learn to dribble, to come up with their own ideas, to shoot at goal from an impossible angle or to make a difficult pass. Instead, they learn to adapt to the “norms of the system and of playing the ball around”. Kids are pretty smart. When they observe that they’ll only make the U9s or be scouted for a professional soccer club if they eliminate risk from their play, they play safe. At the same time

One of the most obvious objections against ‘let them play’ will be thrown back at you forcefully and desperately: “...but it’s a team sport after all...?!” Parents love to see their kids play a team sport because it requires them to deal with other kids and they get acquainted with the advantages of co-operation. The first coach in particular may feel overwhelmed by such emotional implications and that is what makes this principle so controversial. In that respect, an experienced trainer/coach such as Bastiaan Riemersma has the following advantage: “Parents of kids playing for a professional soccer club will always be more careful about what they say in order to protect their children’s interests”.

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Obviously, in order to become successful as a soccer team, kids will have to pass eventually. Eleven individuals in a team won’t work in the long run. For the beginner coach, especially, though, dribbling vs. passing is a tricky issue because it is of course true that soccer is a team sport, but not for the youngest players!

Many youth soccer coaches show a lack of knowledge about the average 7-year old player. 7-year-olds are mainly focused on themselves. They are no longer pre-school children, but they don’t generally tend to do things together. If you take a closer look at your own children, you can see it happening. They play nicely together, but very often they are busy doing the same things, or something completely different, independently from each other.

Of course, you are the coach, you are bigger and stronger than the kids and most parents tend to support ‘passing and playing as a team’, so you could certainly enforce passing, but you would miss a unique chance to let kids explore the soccer pitch and build up their confidence in a fun and useful way.

where the result comes first. They are looking for creativity and guts; they are looking for ‘street soccer players’. There are enough players at the top who are able to pass the ball across the width of the pitch. Manchester’s former head of youth developments, René Meulensteen, says: “We are prepared to accept that we lose sometimes at the beginning, but in the end, it always pays off; the next year, we eat our opponents up”.

Kids want to win! One of the most instructive experiences I had as a coach, occurred during my first training session with 5-year-olds.

When the practice match was over, it became obvious that I hadn’t kept count of the score. I was absolutely convinced that they would not consider the score to be important (“as long as they have a ball”). They were furious. The will to win ensures that kids start passing eventually. That may take some time and it’s different for each individual child. Sometimes I see U-7 players pass, but I’ve also seen my share of U-8 or even U-10 players who never part with the ball.

Other world approach?

They will pass eventually. Should you think that this is a particularly, other-world approach, it may help to remember that Manchester United always work according to the motto: “Make the action and shoot”. And you will probably agree that this is a club that doesn’t exactly forbid having fun, but nonetheless a club

However, there comes a turning point. Eventually, they discover that they score more goals when they pass. Alternatively, a born dribbler finds that his teammates don’t give him the ball anymore.

Bastiaan Riemersma: “One of those kids came to me complaining that nobody passed the ball to him. I said: “I wouldn’t give you the ball either because you never pass back.” That got him thinking!” When a real individualist realizes that he often gets the ball right back after passing, something happens with such a player, especially if the coach manages to let the kid find out for himself.

The surprise element In the U9s, where the players pass a few times every match, you may eventually start explaining that ‘surprising’ the opponent is one of the most important skills. The opponent should not be able to predict if you are going to shoot, pass or take on the defender.

You need to be able to do various things in order to fool your opponent. The kids understand that if they have already experienced it. Subsequently you need to keep emphasizing the importance of the element of surprise for your players (and their parents) because as soon as passing becomes more established, even eight-year-olds yell at their team mates who only dribble after he has beaten his first opponent: “ball hogger!”. In that case, protect your dribblers.

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The result Another hurdle that is not often mentioned but no less present is that the coach wants to win. Even though we deny it, “Oh, no, the main thing is that they get better...” but all too often it is still an issue. It happens at the most friendly, non-competitive clubs and it certainly happens at professional soccer clubs. PSV trainer Bastiaan Riemersma confirms that, even with his child-centred approach, the focus on results rears its head from time to time.

“There are certain matches a club like PSV doesn’t want to lose.

There are a few regional opponents and of course everyone would like to win against Ajax and Feyenoord.”

It’s interesting that the focus on the short term produces a low yield. In the April/May 2008 edition of the Dutch equivalent of SoccerCoachingInternational, Ricardo Moniz says about coaching the youth players: “In view of the low yield generated in practice, we need to ask ourselves what is going wrong in those twelve years (between ages 6 and 18)”.

Why do kids stop playing soccer?

Too much focus on results (winning instead of improving) means a lack of space for the individual to develop. Subsequently, this often leads to undesired dropouts. One often hears top players say that when they were young, they used to play with kids who were better than they were at the time. And it doesn’t really sound like false modesty. So what is it that makes talented soccer players decide to stop? I think that for those kids the rewards bear no relation to the effort any more. They have to do tasks, get through boring training sessions and that’s it. As a result, there are thirteen-year-old selection players acting like old men, telling my U-10 players: “When you are in the U8s and U9s you have the time of your life, you are still allowed to dribble and excel. Be sure to enjoy it.”

Responsibility and self-confidence Defenders are becoming faster, physically stronger and fitter, which is why speed and creativity are becoming more and more important in order to create chances. It’s quite obvious that technical skills with the ball are important to make the proper action at the right moment. But it’s the guts (the lack of hesitation or fear) that distinguishes the street soccer players from the obedient player who passes the ball around. Players need to learn early on to take their own decisions. We can’t expect a player who does exactly what the trainer says from age eight to eighteen to show flair at age nineteen. What I mean to say is, they are only able to take the responsibility on the pitch if they have been given the opportunity to do so for years. Bastiaan Riemersma carries this through in the locker room as well. He calls the eight-yearolds in front of the board and asks them, for example, who would be best suited to defend in the upcoming, difficult match. He encourages them to take their responsibility in everything he does.

If young players experience that their trainer encourages and helps them to develop their soccer skills and at the same time offers them the opportunity to give and show everything they have, they will become more and more convinced that ‘they can do it’. They build up a self-confidence that is impossible to develop when you are age twenty. It is no coincidence that stars like Ibrahim Affelay, the nummer one street soccer type player and others from the same list, such as Ismail Aisatti and Roy Beerens have had Ricardo Moniz as their trainer.

What to do?

• Coach ball handling from the age of 5. The ball must become a friend. The DVD’s by Cock van Dijk are very useful. The DVD’s by Wiel Coerver made me think that I was looking at a fantastic, hypnotizing dance movie. I had trouble understanding the ‘logistics’ of the drills and when I tried them on my players I found that none of them was able to reproduce the tricks of those Egyptian magicians. Cock van Dijk shows kids bungling with the ball, it is clear what is so difficult and that makes it easier to explain to your young players.

• Explain to players and their parents why you consider dribbling important.

• Compliment your players on individual actions. Shout your admiration across the pitch even if one of your forwards gets hopelessly lost after having got round three players. Never scold a dribbler openly. Encourage everyone to try out actions and make sure that they don’t lose heart.

• After some time I start asking players who hardly (or never) pass in likely situations if they saw that “Tommy” was unmarked. I repeat such questions weekly but I never tell them that they should have passed.

• From U-9s onwards it is useful to emphasize the importance of surprise. “Your opponent shouldn’t know if you are going to shoot or dribble!”

No. 32 April/May 2009

47

What shall we do about George?

How do we deal with our talents? ora of plaWe have never had such a pleth more evithat is ces to learn stuf f. Nowhere emies acad with ball foot dent than in nsive Inte e. glob the nd arou up g sproutin e ledg know places of learning, bursting with play a from g ythin and able to analyse ever ul essf succ y man how to , er’s running gate do we acpasses he makes in a game. How e centhes commodate our top talents into tres of learning?

By: Paul Cooper

“For nearly fifty years the youth of this country have been the most creative force across the globe.”

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No. 32 April/May 2009

Today’s landscape

Creativity & inspiration

In the last ten years academies have changed enormously with superb facilities and equipment. There are also many specialists, not just on the coaching front, but on fitness, nutrition, psychology and medical care. Academies are important institutions in producing players, but dealing with the very top talents is the real challenge as they may need a different approach from a squad player. Journalist Paul Gardner writing in World Soccer is somewhat sceptical about the whole system. “European countries are unable to consistently produce top-class players because development of young talent is constrained at academies.”

In Ed Smith’s wonderful book, ‘What sport tells us about life’, he makes a case for not interfering in the creative process. “What do we mean when we talk of creativity and inspiration? Perhaps we can never fully understand the answer. Many of the most inspired sporting achievements, like great works of art or innovation, spring from parts of our personalities which resist rational analysis, let alone professional planning. There will be an element of selfawareness in all these processes – a management of talent, a regulation of originality – but also a good amount of instinct.

Forces beyond rationality lead creative people to follow certain paths and not others. Like strikers with an instinct for where to be in the penalty area, something takes them into different (and better) creative territory.”

He also questions the coaching, “Coaching that starts too early, that emphasises the wrong things, that has simply got too clever for its own good. Any set-up in which adults are in charge of kids, telling them what to do, is bound to contain an element of intimidation. Most kids do not respond well to that; they would rather get on with things in their own way and make their own mistakes and have fun doing it.”

Birthdates We already know that there is a serious flaw in the recruitment of players for academies as the figures in England show that some 60% entering academies are born in the first four months of the football year and less than 10% in the last third of the football year.

Talent is of course spread through the calendar and there is an argument that the late developers eventually could be the talents as they have to constantly punch above their weight. Arsene Wenger once said of Thierry Henry that he was convinced there were at least twenty English players playing in non league football as good as the French forward, but it is easier to break a player than make one. That is the challenge that faces clubs and coaches. Also how the individual talents can work in a game that is based on being part of a team. These players however are the ones than can change a game and win you the league title and to some extent don’t fit the mould that clubs use to develop their players.

With all that money spent on facilities, the coaching badges, the staff and wages; with all that technology at their finger tips, it is presumed they know all the answers and that is where the problems begin. Can you teach creativity by getting kids to copy ten tricks used by the top Brazilian players of all time? But who taught the Brazilians? Teenagers have had a bad press of late in the UK and in football we are perceived worldwide to lack creative, intelligent players. But the countr y is stacked with talent, but maybe it is not always being found and nur tured properly.

For nearly fifty years the youth of this country have been the most creative force across the globe in popular music. Starting in the 1960s with the Beatles and Rolling Stones then moving on through the age of rock with Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin; then came the punk era with groups like the Clash and Sex Pistols and laterally groups such as the Libertines, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys. This is a playground where you can do what you want. You learn from listening and watching your heroes; learn from your friends and trial and error. They are largely self taught and wholly responsible for the creative process in writing and performing their songs. Would this process be enhanced by an Academy of Pop or would the spontaneity, intuition and creative process be diluted or lost?

The environment for the young musicians is still there in the bedrooms, garages and small halls up and down the land, but the original university for football, the streets, parks and playgrounds has all but disappeared. We have never properly addressed the decline in street football which still exists in the countries that produce the best technical players. A recent study by John Moores University in Liverpool found that the players in the Premiership Academies who were offered scholarships at sixteen had played a significant amount more informal football than the ones who didn’t, despite all the academy training and games.

The new emphasis is on the 5-11 year olds and we are told by the experts if we don’t get them at that age and coach them they are past it. That is also six years in which they can be ruined and some ten years before players of the ability of Best and Charlton started at Manchester United.

Is the current system right and if not can some of the extraordinar y amount of money being spent go on a much larger amount of children playing in a more informal way and learning the game at their own rate without inter ference in their creative process? No decisions to later which would also stop all the nonsense of concentrating on the children born in the first four months of the football year.

No. 32 April/May 2009

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SCI WEBSITE !

STUDENT RESEARCH STUDY

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"SoccerCoachingInternational is a global soccer coaching resource and through our research we hope to gather more information on the needs and wants of soccer coaches around the world. The survey will only take 5 minutes and we would be very grateful if you would help by sharing your thoughts with us.

If you wish to stay anonymous, simply leave the personal information data blank!"

The survey can be accessed through the SoccerCoachingInternational website, simply click on the Survey banner on the homepage.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation, Bobby and Berry

EDITORIAL

No. 32 – April / May 2009 SoccerCoachingInternational is a magazine for soccer coaches all over the world from the publisher of TrainersMagazine, the Dutch magazine for soccer coaches. The Magazine will be released six times a year.

Chief editor Paul van Veen Beatrixlaan 21, 2811 LZ REEUWIJK THE NETHERLANDS E-mail: paul@soccercoachinginternational.com Publisher Sportfacilities & Media BV Visiting address: Steynlaan 19 B-D ZEIST THE NETHERLANDS Postal address: P.O. Box 952, 3700 AZ ZEIST THE NETHERLANDS E-mail: info@soccercoachinginternational.com Phone: +31 (0)30 697 7710 Fax: +31 (0)30 697 7720 Project Manager Floris Schmitz f.schmitz@sportfacilities.com Managing Editor and Translations Maaike Denkers maaike@soccercoachinginternational.com

Photographers: Tom van den Heiligenberg Jan Soek Subscription Rates You can subscribe to SoccerCoachingInternational on the website: www.soccercoachinginternational.com. The subscription rates can be found below: Subscription type: Magazine and website Trial (6 months) Website only Magazine only

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Copyright All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

Graphic Design Anton Gouverneur / Tania Dimitrova studio@sportfacilities.com

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Editorial Staff Er win van Baarle, Andrew Blight, Paul Cooper, Guilherme Costa, Maaike Denkers, Jasper van Hornsveld, Dan Micciche, Dusan Petrovic, Bastiaan Riemersma, Peter Rood, Hans Slender, Paul van Veen

No. 32 April/May 2009

ISSN 1571 - 8794

Give Us Back Our Game Magazine W inter edition 2009 !

W O N ut o e n i z a ag M

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