Issue 56, January 2012
Wim van Zeist,
Technique Trainer De Graafschap
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CONTENTS
20 TACTICS
5 FROM THE EDITOR
Small-sided games in football (9)
Every four years, the eyes and ears of the world focus Europe’s best national teams and footballers as they convene for the UEFA European Championship. The occasion rolls around again
28 TRAINING SESSIONS
this year....
Attacking phases, part 4
44 YOUTH TRAINING Hidde van Boven, VV De Meern U13
52 NEW IN ONLINE SHOP
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TECHNIQUE TRAINING
Wim van Zeist,
Technique Trainer De Graafschap
Wim van Zeist is a football fanatic. His goal is to develop the functional technique of the (youth) players at De Graafschap. Not just to teach,practice and master a skill or technique, but to contextualise it as it relates to the real game. Van Zeist has his Coaching Licence and has been working for De Graafschap for 20 years, in Holland he is an authority in the field of technique training. The man who lives for football talks about his methods and his vision on functional technique training.
54 GOALKEEPING
Harald Wapenaar, Goalkeeping Coach FC Volendam
64 NEXT ISSUE
No. 56, January 2012
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No. 56 January 2012
SoccerCoachingInternational is an e-magazine for soccer coaches all over the world from the publisher of TrainersMagazine, the Dutch magazine for soccer coaches. The magazine publishes 10 Issues per year. Chief Editor Paul van Veen Beatrixlaan 21, 2811 LZ REEUWIJK THE NETHERLANDS 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 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 Copy Editing Michael Francis Pollin Graphic Design Anton Gouverneur Tania Dimitrova Rumen Krastev studio@sportfacilities.com Editorial Staff Bas van Baar, Rogier Cuypers, Maaike Denkers, Hanne Meijers, Michael Francis Pollin, Lars van Soest, Paul van Veen, Jan Zoutman Copyright All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission of the publisher.
ISSN 1571 - 8794
FROM THE EDITOR
Every four years, the eyes and ears of the world focus on Europe’s best national teams and footballers as they convene for the UEFA European Championships. The occasion rolls around again this year. From 8 June to 1 July, the spotlight will be on UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, as 16 teams compete for the coveted title in an event that will bring memorable matches, unforgettable goals and the emergence of new stars. A mouth-watering draw in Kyiv in December suggests all the ingredients are in place for a tasty tournament Unlike the World Cup, there are no predictable matches — which makes the European Championships the most competitive of all the major tournaments, and the 2012 competition will bring us some great encounters in Poland and Ukraine this summer. The four groups have been determined, with Poland, Greece, Russia and Czech Republic in Group A. People are already calling Group B the so-called ‘group of death’ as the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal will square-off to compete for a spot in the quarter-finals. Group C promises to be another great group with Spain, Italy, Croatia and Ireland. The last, but definitely not least 4 teams are Ukraine, Sweden, France and England , who will be competing in Group D. Since the draw, predictions have been all over the place. Will Spain be able to defend their status as European Champions? What will England do? Is the young and talented German side going to take the trophy? And will Holland survive the group of death? We will find out this coming summer. I, for one, cannot wait! As the national team coaches are focusing on preparing their team for the biggest football event of the year, we will focus on provided you with a multitude of perspectives and visions of coaching, training and playing (as well as the aforementioned conundrum) in many levels of the beautiful game from all around the World. By presenting to you such a rich and varied spectrum of coaching, SCI will inform you as the coach, so you will be able to learn for yourself and appropriately apply the right methods, styles and resources to suit you, the players and the team. Yours in Soccer Maaike Denkers - Managing Editor No. 56, January 2012
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TECHNIQUE TRAINING
Wim van Zeist is a football fanatic. His goal is to develop the functional technique of the (youth) players at De Graafschap. Not just to teach,practice and master a skill or technique, but to contextualise it as it relates to the real game. Van Zeist has a his Coaching Licence and has been working for De Graafschap for 20 years, in Holland he is an authority in the field of technique training. The man who lives for football talks about his methods and his vision on functional technique training. By: Bas van Baar Edited by Michael Francis Pollin
No. 56, January 2012
TECHNIQUE TRAINING
WIM VAN ZEIST, TECHNIQUE TRAINER, DE GRAAFSCHAP “Playing Football from the heart” De Graafschap is a professional football club in Doetinchem, Netherlands. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the ‘De Vijverberg’ Stadium. The name of the club means ‘the county’ in Dutch, although they are nicknamed the ‘Superboeren’ which translates as the ‘Super Farmers’. While not a large club by European football standards, this club has maintained a regular presence in the Dutch Eredivisie, although to date, it has never won any major silverware. De Graafschap is a club with a lot of tradition, with players such as the former PSV coach Guus Hiddink ensuring exciting football being played there, albeit a few years ago. They were crowned champions of the Eerste Divisie (second division) 2009-10, and since then are once again playing their football in the Dutch top flight.
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TECHNIQUE TRAINING
Functional technique training Coached technical ability must be functional to the playing situation, as being able to execute technical skills perfectly without being able to apply them functionally in football situations is not much use at all. That is why I train a great deal of technical skills and their functional application in a variety of situations. Sometimes the opponent will approach from behind, and other times from the side. At times you will need to receive the ball and hold it up when you want to gain time to allow a teammate to join the attack, other times you will want to turn away from potential pressure or tackling. Players must possess the skills to deal with every kind of situation on the pitch. Whether it is to; maintain possession or to progress in an attack.
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Repetition I repeat a lot during my training sessions; both specific skills and ways to deal with the ball in different circumstances. The conscious execution of these skills and exercises must eventually become subconscious and autonomous. It is just like driving a car, the first time you have to think about everything you do in order to do it well, everything you do is very conscious. When you are a more experienced driver you will start to recognise situations and do not have to think about what to do next. You just do it! I want to develop a high level of autonomy that becomes the foundations of learning and developing; above and beyond rote and repetition.
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Repetition may not always be fun for the players and training will not always be fun, but varying it just for the sake of it is not the answer either. Repetition does work and does still have its place in training. There has to be challenges and fun within the successes, both in training and matches in order to develop yourself further! Steps in training I differentiate within three steps in training. The first step is making sure the techniques are autonomous and evident in situations and exercises. In step 2 you will start to coach when you should use the techniques, applying them with consummate ease upon your opponent.
The third and last step is applying the technique, first in exercises opposed and conditioned and later in a match. After all, that is the moment in which to apply the learnt technique fully functionally! Technique training Technique within football is an imperative. I have two objectives within technique training. Firstly, whenever you receive the ball you should do so in such a way that it is functional and geared towards the subsequent situation. Receiving is therefore one of my main priorities, and, the First touch must be perfect. Secondly, when you receive the ball you must be able to handle it, to maintain possession.
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TECHNIQUE TRAINING
I think players should be able to deal with any situation in order to progress the play positively, whether it is with a pass, a dribble or a shot.
the next potential action. During these short rest moments, the players will have a higher level of attention for my coaching points.
Exercises I train with a lot of flow-exercises (as I call them), whereby there is a good action-rest ratio. So many of football manipulation skills take a couple of seconds followed by a couple of seconds rest. I think it is important to incorporate that into my coaching and my exercises require the players to execute the skills with explosiveness, followed by 7 to 8 seconds of rest. This is more realistic to match situations. While they are resting I give them some points to consider regarding
Passing/shooting I prefer to keep the passing lines short, because this promotes a lot of ball manipulations and players will have more frequent touches of ball. I often coach passing in small spaces with conditions, so we create situations that require a quicker handling speed. Dribbling exercises can either be coached in small or big spaces, depending on the dribble or travel with the ball you want to coach; offensive or defensive. Of course, these exercises all have a continuationor or progression, ensuring it is functional.
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TECHNIQUE TRAINING
ASPECTS OF TECHNIQUE TRAINING Which aspects of technique training does Wim van Zeist differentiate and how does he train them? 1. Quick feet Coach the rhythm on the ball with different techniques. These are not match techniques, but isolated technical exercises. These exercises increase the agility. Coaching points are looking over the ball, moving on the front of the feet and linking the quick feet with a play continuation: a dribble, a pass or a shot (always following through) 2. Basic moves Direction changes by means of cutting and turning. I coach this in different situations, but mainly with the opponent approaching from the side or moving next to you, because these are the most likely situations. We coach this in different exercises, always followed by a play continuation 3. Receiving Two different ways to receive a ball; you can receive to hold or go 1v1 by blocking the ball, or receive to turn out by turning away. This is dependent on the area of the space in which you are receiving the ball. We train receiving with different ways of passing, with or without pressure from an opponent. When we use conditions we coach with the opponent coming from different sides (in front, behind, side). I think receiving is one of the most important aspect in football. 4. Feints and beating a direct opponent All moves a player uses in an offensive dribble and to beat a direct opponent. We coach these technique in various exercises in which the opponent in executing pressure in front of the player on the ball. 5. Passing / shooting Another very important aspect in football. I want my players to pass and shoot at a high level. I pay a lot of attention to the correct execution with the correct ball speed. 6. Heading There are two main heading techniques: offensive and defensive heading. We coach this both in isolated exercises whereby we pay attention to the technique, as well as in exercises with an opponent whereby the functional application plays an important role.
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TECHNIQUE TRAINING
Youth training Youth training is about improving the qualities of your players, not about winning. Every youth coach should be aware that their job is to develop players towards the first team. The player as an individual is the most important aspect in the youth academy. The team plays an important role in this, as individuals are able to develop optimally when learning and developing within the team. The main objective is to ensure every player will reach their potential, and the role of the youth coach is to provide the players with that opportunity. The coach must bring the players into those objective gaining situations, so the players will recognise which actions to apply to what situation and that they are able to apply them in real match situations. Teacher I believe a youth coach is more a teacher than a coach. You instruct and ask questions; why did you make this choice? What other option did you have in that situation? This way you motivate the players to think for themselves and you will increase their vision of the game. Another important factor is that as a youth coach you should allow your players to make mistakes, and they should be aware to learn from that. Making mistakes and learning from them will only make them
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TECHNIQUE TRAINING
better. Of course a coach should always show players which mistakes they made and how they could have dealt with the situation differently. Mistakes In football you can make two types of mistakes; technical and tactical mistakes. An example of a tactical mistake is when a striker chooses to shoot on goal himself in a 2v1 situation. He could have passed to his teammate? A technical mistake is when the striker does pass the ball to his teammate, but the pass of too soft. There is a big different between these two types of mistakes. When a player makes a technical mistake, the player will immediately know he made a mistake. He executed the technical skill incorrectly, but was making the correct tactical choice. This may be a sign for you as a coach
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“FOOTBALL IS PLAYED WITH THE HEART”
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TECHNIQUE TRAINING
that you are not focussing enough on that aspect. When most mistakes are tactical, I will immediately pay more attention to the tactical aspect. Players must become aware of their football behaviour and be aware to learn and develop this. Heart Football is played with the heart. Love for the game, a passionate, fanatical enthusiasm for learning, developing, playing and working hard at it, in every respect. That is playing with your heart. This is important in both possession and when the opponent has possession. In possession it means players should take initiative, dare to make decisions, be independent on the ball. Without possession this means taking
responsibility in your defensive tasks. You recognise situations; have confidence and real inner strength. As a coach you can play a crucial role in teaching players about playing with their heart. There are not any specific exercises for this, but it is your attitude towards the game which you can bring over to your players. Be enthusiastic and show this, enjoy the game of football and treat mistakes in such a way that it motivates players to continue to take initiative. There are many different types of players, all with their different capabilities and their varying abilities, and this is an imperative consideration when coaching the learning and developing of their football attributes.
DIFFERENTIATE Within a team you have players with different qualities and therefore players need to develop different aspects of the game. I like to coach in smaller groups, because it allows me to identify and differentiate different aspects. You can coach matches by bringing your midfielders in a situation whereby they need to pass to the attackers. Specialisation of players will come at a later stage. Aspects such as receiving are important for every player at every level and age group. When players get older, you can start to add more emphasis and focus on match situations. A striker, for example, will often receive a ball with an opponent in his back and facing his own goal, so he will have to coach receiving the ball in a different way than with a wingback.
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COVER STORY
IMPROVE RECEIVING
1
EXERCISES
1
6
2 3
COACHING
VARIATIONS
OBJECTIVE
PROGRESSION
ORGANISATION
4
5
- 1 rectangular area of 15 x 10 metres
- Player - Player - Player - Player - Player - Player
1 2 2 5 3 3
passes the ball to player 2, who turn away from player 3 then passes to player 4, who dribbles back takes player 4’s position starts from the other side by passing to player 3, who turn away from player 1 passes to player 6, who dribbles back takes player 6’s position
- Improve receiving the ball, turning away from the duel, passing with the inside of the foot and dribbling
- Increase or decrease the area - Play with resistance from a defender (3)
- Movement before the ball is played - Turn into the ball (when receiving) - Receiving while moving - Passing with the inside of the foot - Receiving with the inside of the correct foot for players 4 and 6
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COVER STORY
IMPROVE BASIC MOVES
EXERCISES
2
1
2
3
VARIATIONS
OBJECTIVE
PROGRESSION
ORGANISATION
4
COACHING
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- Distance between player 1 and 2 is approximately 10 metres
- Player - Player - Player - Player
1 1 1 3
starts to dribble towards player 2, who executes pressure from the side turns or cuts away from player 2 and passes into player 3’s run takes player 2’s position, player 2 joins the back of the queue behind player 4 dribbles to the start
- Improve basic moves, receiving and passing
- Different ways of cutting and turning - Increase or decrease pressure from player 2 - Add a condition to the pass to player 3, for example pass through 2 cones or across an obstacle - Keep the ball close whilst dribbling - Feint, cut or turn - Turn while moving - Ball should be in position immediately after the turn
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COVER STORY
IMPROVE THE 1V1 Offensive area
EXERCISES
3
6
4
Defensive area
5
1
ORGANISATION PROGRESSION
- Player 1 - Player 4 - If player with the
- Learn to beat your direct opponent and get into a scoring position by using indivual actions
- Increase of decrease the size of the areas - Player 1 must beat his opponent on a specific side
COACHING
- 3 areas, each 8 x 8 metres
OBJECTIVE
3
VARIATIONS
2
starts a fast dribble and tries to beat player 4 in the defensive area may only defend in the defensive area 1 is able to beat player 4 he accelerates into the middle area and tries to stop the ball bottom of his foot in the attacking area
Coaching attacker: - Pace in the dribble - Take on the defender - Approach defender from different angles - Use feints and passing moves to beat the defender
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Coaching defender: - Get on the front foot - Force the attacker to make play predictable - Stay low and keep eyes on the ball - Defend forward (be in control)
COVER STORY
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TACTICS
In this, the ninth part in the series of Small-sided games, we will discuss the build-up from the back. In the Dutch school, the ‘build-up from the back’ plays a leading role. In Holland we want to dominate play by means of good style of positional play. Good positional play will result in more possession and subsequently control of the match overall. A key ingredient to accomplish this is a good build-up from the back. When a goalkeeper frequently opts for the long pass down the pitch, you will have more percentage balls and therefore the chance for loss of possession is high. The defender, in collaboration with the midfielders should ensure they position themselves in such a way that the goalkeeper can easily pass the ball out, and thereby start the desired positional play and strategy. By: Jan Zoutman Edited by Michael Francis Pollin
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TACTICS
SMALL-SIDED GAMES IN FOOTBALL (9): Coaching the build-up from the back Within the development of youth players it is important to start with the basic principles of building up from the back as early as possible. You can start with the basics as early as the U9, but generally, when the coach conditions the goalkeeper to start with the ball on the ground with a dribble, and to pass to a defender, the goalkeeper’s behaviour will change. The goalkeeper’s teammates are forced to support him, and this means you are automatically training the basic principles of a build-up from the back. The youngest youth group, the U4s and U5s, usually play without a goalkeeper so you will need to apply different rules. For example, by allowing the players to dribble the ball back into play, instead of taking a goal kick, and this will stimulate the other players to take up positions so they can receive the ball. For a young goalkeeper it will be a chance to dribble the ball back into play, instead of taking a goal kick, but this experience means that they quickly get used to it and you will
notice improvements almost immediately. This is a great motivator for the players to continue to build-up from the back. 11v11 From the moment players start playing 11v11 on a regular size pitch there are two different situations to consider. First of all, the start of a build-up from a static ball, such as a goal kick or a free-kick that is in or around the penalty area. The goalkeeper will have no other option than to start the play with a pass. When the defenders outnumber the attackers, they will have to position themselves in relation to the ball, the opponents and each other, in such a way that they are free to receive the ball. This usually means keeping the spaces big by increasing the distance in relation to their teammates and the opponents. This can be done in various ways and is dependent on the number of attackers on the opponent’s team and how they are positioned. We will show you several examples later on in this article.
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TACTICS
The other option is that the goalkeeper obtains possession from free play, for example by means of a back pass from a defender. This will provide him with more options, as he can now also dribble the ball. Whenever the opponent is pressurizing him, his teammates will be forced to help him out by opening up to receive a pass. In this case you should also consider the positioning of the opponents.
Opponents’ pressure There are opponents who delay and pressurize the defenders in their own half, so that the goalkeeper does not have a lot of passing options. In that situation you can do one of two things. The first, and most often applied solution is to play the long pass into the strikers, whereby the rest of the team joins the attack to make the pitch small. This pass is sometimes followed by a header and a contest to win the second ball. The winner of this contest can start the build-up of the next attack.
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Sometimes you could disguise to play the long ball, but at the last moment change and have one or two defenders drop in to supporting positions to receive the ball. When the opponents drop back this may lead to a overload situation. Another option is for the defenders to make the pitch as wide as possible, opening up a central channel. This way the goalkeeper can pass into a midfielder, the midfielder can open-up and (half) turn to punch on through the middle. The defender must subsequently move up, so the team can build up from there. The team needs to ensure it is secure at the back in this situation, with the goalkeeper able to pass the ball with accuracy, and also you need midfielders who can hold the ball and defenders who have the vision to know when to drop back and when to join in again. The goalkeeper should be ready to receive the back pass if an organised build-up is not possible. Training sessions The question is how you can coach the specific build-up. This is different for each age group, with the younger age groups you need to nurture and instil confidence and the daring to experiment, and with adults you can opt for more complex exercises with larger numbers of players. We will now provide a couple of examples from the young up to the older more experienced players.
TACTICS
4V4 with goalkeeper in small goals
Organisation: - Pitch size: 35 metres (long) x 25 metres (wide) - Ages: U9-U11 - Both teams have 1 goalkeeper and 3 outfield players - The goalkeeper places the ball on the ground and starts to dribble - The outfield players will help the goalkeeper by moving off the ball to become open to receive a pass - Make sure you explain what movement off the ball and being open means. As a coach you should always pay attention to the age and level of the players. - A nine year old will understand an explanation better than a six year old. Use the tool: show-tell-do.
Conditions Make sure you can create the situation frequently so you can coach it sufficiently. You can, for example, start all game continuations with the goalkeeper, so the goalkeeper frequently has the ball. Goalkeepers are also allowed to score, as this will encourage the other team to attack, which adds relevancy to movements off the ball from the other players. You can also add a condition whereby a team may only score after they have crossed the halfway line. This ensures the team in possession will have to combine until the halfway line and that the defending team cannot score in an empty goal immediately. You can remove this condition when the level of play has improved, so then it becomes more challenging.
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TACTICS
8V6 in a big goal with a goalkeeper
Organisation: - Pitch size: 3/4 pitch - Ages: U13-U15 - Team in possession with goalkeeper, scores in the three small goals - The goalkeeper starts every play, and will have several options depending on the situation: goal kick/free kick or from
Build up against 2 forwards
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a game situation, whereby he can also dribble the ball into play. With a goal kick / free kick the defenders will spread out, making the pitch wider. - Coach this, both, against 2 and 3 forwards. It is important that both the players as well as the goalkeeper recognise the difference between playing against 2 or 3 forwards. Against 2 forwards the wingbacks will get more space and the central defenders should stay in the middle. Against 3 forwards the wingback will position themselves further forward, allowing the goalkeeper and defenders to create a 3v1 situation. - If the opponents add a midfielder to disrupt the build-up, your midfielder should make sure they are available to receive a pass and when they do they should turn or hold the ball and wait for a defender to support. If the defenders are not open to receive the pass, the midfielder can always pass back to the goalkeeper, which will lead to a new build up situation.
Build up against 2 forwards
Build up against 2 forwards
TACTICS
If the goalkeeper receives the ball from a free play situation, he may opt to start dribbling the ball out. An important aspect is for the players to recognise the moment in which the opponent chooses to pressure the goalkeeper , and they must react to this accordingly. In other words, if the opponent’s striker starts to pressure the goalkeeper, the central defenders should move off the ball into an open position giving the goalkeeper passing options. How the build-up will progress depends on several factors: Which player has possession, which players are open and where are the opposing players positioned? A few premises are important to consider: - Always make sure that the player on the ball has several passing options. - The most ideal situation is when he can pass the ball in many directions. - Make triangles; it is important in order to accomplish this. - The most forward player must ensure a deep/long pass is possible. - The goalkeeper and defenders must ensure the ball can be played back if needed. Conditions In this exercise you must once again make sure you create the situation frequently so you can really coach it. So start all game continuations with the goalkeeper,
so they frequently have the ball. Make sure you do change how you build-up regularly, coach both the build-up from an organised situation (i.e. goal kicks) as well as unorganised situations (game and free play situations). It will quickly become apparent that you will have more options within the unorganised situations. Another important aspect is being able to score in three different goals. The sizes of the goals and the points awarded allow you to add different emphasis and focus. If you want to coach the build-up through the middle you can make the middle goal bigger or award more points for goals scored in the middle. If you want to coach the build-up on the flanks; can you encourage it by increasing the size of the goals on the sides, or points awarded for goals scored there. You can even remove the middle goal in this situation. So really think about which aspects you want to coach and modify the conditions and rules accordingly. The defending team will have a hard time trying to score in this exercise. In order to stimulate them and to make sure they are concentrating and fulfil their roles, you can then apply different rules for them. For example, they will get 3 points for every goal scored, or receive a point when they successfully complete a certain number of passes. This will ensure concentration from both teams.
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TACTICS
9V8 with goalkeepers
Organisation: - Pitch size: 90 metres (long) x regular width - Ages: U17-U19 - In this exercise you can opt to start all plays with the goalkeepers like in the previous exercises. However, it may also be good to start some set plays halfway down their own half. This will encourage the players to think about new situations. - Another important reason is that at this age level players will be faced with different situations. If you play the ball to the flanks too quickly or too often at a higher level it will be more likely that the opponents will trap you. The same thing applies for the central defenders, who are passing the ball amongst themselves.
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These are moments for the opponent to apply pressure, leaving the defenders with very few options and often resulting in the long ball. It is extremely important that the midfielders recognise these situations, so they can respond and help the defenders. Another important situation to recognise is, when you can still pass back to the goalkeeper and when to play forward. Goalkeepers must ensure they are ready to participate and help the team to switch the play, but this should never be your first option. Conditions You can start the set plays in your own half with the goalkeeper, making sure there are a lot of repetitions of this situation. But you should not forget the other organised situations. You can make rules and conditions about which passes are allowed and which passes are not, for example the pass wide from one central defender to another, or that the right central defender may pass to the left wingback, but not to the right wingback. Which rules and conditions to apply depends on what objectives you want your team to achieve. The role of the opponent will also become more important at this level and age. Good instruction, before and during the session, ensure the pressure on the build-up increases progressively. Make it clear who, when and where to apply pressure on the
TACTICS
build-up. This allows the team building-up to look for creative solutions and allows you to coach all your players at once; both the team in improving the build-up, the other team on pressurising the build-up. With the right instructions, these will progressively raise the level of play for your entire team. Examples These are just some examples of exercises you can do to improve your build-up play. Obviously there are many others, but whatever exercises you use, it is important to ensure that the correct technical and tactical principles are being coached. With the younger age groups you will focus more on technique and with the older players you will focus more on tactics. There are several great passing and shooting exercises that provide a great warm-up for these types of sessions. Another great way to train this is with small-sided games with overload situations. Whichever way, it is important to develop and educate youth players from an early age to build-up from the back!
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TRAINING SESSIONS
training sessions
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TRAINING SESSIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Attacking phases, part 4 Edited by Michael Francis Pollin
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Anyone who knows anything about football will know that it is the only sports in which a team can dominate an entire match and still lose. A team can dominate possession, the number of chances, the number of set plays, and yet fail to win the match. Football, like all offensive sports, can be broken down into ‘phases of play,’ with the team that demonstrates competence in most of these phases theoretically having the better opportunity to emerge victorious. By definition, a phase of play involves at least two lines of a team, such as the defensive and midfield lines, or the midfield and forward lines; very often at least part of all three lines are involved.
Photos: Natursports / Shutterstock.com
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training sessions
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TRAINING SESSIONS
THE ATTACKING PHASES
training sessions
Attacking and building-up The moment of transition
Build-up in the opponents half
ATTACKING
Counter-attacking
Transitioning to attack Build-up from the back
DEFENDING
• • • •
Attacking and build-up play Build-up from the back Transitioning to attack Build-up in the opponent’s half • The moment of transition • Counter-Attacking
In this part of training sessions from around the world we will focus on the fourth of these six phases: Build-up in the opponent’s half.
Zone 4: Build-up in the opponent’s half When a defending team deliberately digs in, or is otherwise forced back in their own half, the attacking team is faced with a very difficult problem, as there will be very little space behind the defence and very little space between the defenders. Even on a regular size pitch, the challenge of creating goal-scoring chances demands skill, mindful patience, and a high degree of tactical discipline. Success in these situations depends on the capabilities of the team: • Does your team possess good dribblers? • Does your team possess the ability to pass the ball with pace and accuracy and distance? • Is your team able to quickly combine in tight spaces?
No. 56, January 2012
• Can your team score with shots from outside the box? • Can your team score from wing play? • Can your team score goals from set plays? • Is your team capable of changing their formation and style during a match? • Can your team add a ‘dimension’ player, such as a tall striker? Even is your team possesses one or more of these capabilities nothing is assured, and history shows plenty of examples of courageous defensive performances resulting in results being achieved against very long odds.
Barcelona A team famous for their play in the opponent’s half is Barcelona FC. Barcelona play a high defensive line as they (aim to) play most of their game in the opponents’ half. When Barcelona lose possession in their opponents’ half, the opposing team has no option but to clear the ball away because they close them down and there is a lot of pressure. Therefore, when the ball is cleared by the other team, the high defensive line picks up the ball and gives it back to the midfield players so they can continue their charge forward. Furthermore, they have some of the best full backs in the world such as Dani Alves and Eric Abidal. Barcelona’s entire defensive line do a lot more than just defend, they also offer a wider range of attacking and passing options. Dani Alves, in particular, links up with the attack regularly as a potent winger and his link up play with Messi is joyful to watch. Types of Build-up There are several ways for a team to buildup. First a team can opt for the long pass straight into the final third. Second, a team can build-up from the back with positional play with short passes into the middle third and slowly progress into the final third. Another option is a quick counter attack. The zone of the field in which possession is gained influences the type of build-up. Also, the tactical arrangement of the defence, in
relation to the opposing attackers influences the way play is built up. In this edition of attacking phases, we focus on build-up in the opponents’ half, coming from a build-up from the back. We look at how a team can build-up from the back with positional play with short passes into the middle third and progressing into the final third. In the defensive third, players should opt for safer passes to progress the ball up the field, usually this means playing it to a side, as the free space is usually on the flank, therefore there is a lesser risk of losing possession. Progressing into the opponents’ half requires good positioning and all players need to carry out their roles and responsibilities to make this happen. Tactics and technique play a vital role in the execution of a good build-up in the opponents’ half. A team must be able to work together to progress the ball forward with short combinations, runs off the ball, good position play, etc. However, individual qualities are crucial for players to get open, beat an opponent direct with a turn, dribble or pass and/or to create space for a teammate. In the following section we will provide exercises that will focus on team positioning to build-up in the opponents’ half, as well as exercises that will help your players to develop the individual skills necessary to realise such opportunities.
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training sessions
TRAINING SESSIONS
TRAINING SESSIONS
PASSING AND SHOOTING WITH TURNING AND COMBINATION PLAY
4
5
3
6
2
Phase: Warm-up Team function: Passing to maintain possession Team task: Maintaining possession Objective: Improve passing and combination play Pitch size: 15x15 metres Players: 6 players per organisation Age: U13-adults
ORGANISATION
1
VARIATIONS
training sessions
1
COACHING
32
No. 56, January 2012
- Player - Player player - Player side
1 2 3 4
passes to player 2, who immediately turns out passes diagonally to player 4, who drops the ball to and receives the ball back in his run initiates the same combination play on the other
- Add a second ball
- Focus on technique - Time runs off the ball
TRAINING SESSIONS
7V6 1
5
2 3
7
11
6
9
6
8 10
8
PROGRESSION
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponents’ half Team task: Maintaining possession Objective: Improve the build-up in the opponents’ half with the emphasis on positioning Pitch size: ¾ of a pitch Players: 12 + 2 goalkeepers Age: U13-U19
ORGANISATION
4
- Play 7V6 - Team to coach plays in a 1-3-3 formation (1 defender, 3 midfielder, 3 attackers) - Opponent plays in a 1-3-2 formation (1 goalkeeper, 3 defender, 2 midfielders)
- Score in goal with goalkeeper - Opponent has to score within 1 minute (quick counter) in one of the two small goals
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training sessions
2
33
TRAINING SESSIONS
7V7 1
5
2 3
7
11
6
9
8
10 10
6
8
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponent’s half Team task: Maintaining possession Objective: Improve the build-up in the opponent’s half with the emphasis on positioning Pitch size: ¾ of a pitch Players: 12 + 2 goalkeepers Age: U13-U19
ORGANISATION
4
PROGRESSION
training sessions
3
COACHING
34
No. 56, January 2012
- Play 7v7 - Team to coach plays in a 1-3-3 formation (1 defender, 3 midfielder, 3 attackers) - Opponent plays in a 1-3-3 formation (1 goalkeeper, 3 defender, 3 midfielders) - Score in goal with goalkeeper - Opponent has to score within 1 minute (quick counter) in one of the two small goals - Emphasis on cooperation in possession, whereby time/space and the position of the ball are crucial
TRAINING SESSIONS
6V6
training sessions
4
35
N
PROGRESSION VARIATION
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponents’ half Team task: Maintaining possession Objective: Improve the build-up in the opponents’ half with the emphasis on positioning Pitch size: 60x40 metres Players: 14 + 2 goalkeepers Age: U15-adults
ORGANISATION
N
- Play 6V6 with 2 neutrals on team in possession - Players remain in their own half (except neutral players)
- Goalkeeper passes the ball to any player on his own team (and on his own half) - Team in possession is always playing against 3 opponents on each half - Players on the defending half have to get the ball to players in the attacking half, with the help of the neutral players - Play to score - Limit to 2 touches of the ball
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36
TRAINING SESSIONS
4V4 WITH WALL PLAYERS
training sessions
5
VARIATION
PROGRESSION
ORGANISATION
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponents’ half Team task: Maintaining possession Objective: Improve the build-up from your own half into the opponents’ half with the emphasis on passing and position to progress forward Pitch size: 55x30 metres Players: 8 + 4 wall players Age: U15-adults
- 4V4 with two scoring zones and a middle zone - 2 wall passers in the defensive half for each team
- Yellows start game from their own zone, keep possession for 3 passes in their own half then look to pass into the opponents’ half. So, as soon as the third pass is made, yellows must look to play a deep pass into a teammates run to get forward. As soon as the ball goes forward all players transfer, i.e get forward and try and score. - Blues defend. If blues wins possession in their own half, they then look to get three passes and go and score in their scoring zone. - If defending team wins possession in the opponents’ half, they must play the ball back into their own half, retain possession and start their attack from there - so they play deep to start again. - Limit to 2 touches of the ball
No. 56, January 2012
TRAINING SESSIONS
TRIANGLE COMBINATION WITH A FINISH ON GOAL
PROGRESSION
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponent’s half Team task: Finishing with combination play Objective: Improve the combination with a third player Players: 11 Age: U13-adults
ORGANISATION
training sessions
6
37
- 2 organisations with each 5 players (blue and red) - 1 goal with a goalkeeper - 6 cones are setup as illustrated
- A passes to C and continues his run towards the goal - C passes to B - B immediately passes the ball into A’s run - A finishes on goal - Same combination on the other side (red team)
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38
TRAINING SESSIONS
TRAINING COMBINATION PLAY IN A POSITION GAME
PROGRESSION
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponent’s half Team task: Passing patterns and positioning Objective: Improving patterns within a position game Players: 14 Age: U13-adults
ORGANISATION
training sessions
7
No. 56, January 2012
- 6V6 - 2 goals with a goalkeeper - Pitch size dependent on age and level - Play 6V6, with the option of adding a neutral player on the team in possession - 2 touches - The ball must always be travelling - Train on specific combinations, such as finding the striker, give and go, third player joining the attack. These combinations are all worth 1 additional point - A specific combination with a goal as a results is 3 points - No throw-ins: pass the ball back into play - Offside only in penalty area
TRAINING SESSIONS
POSITION GAME 6V6 IN TWO AREAS
PROGRESSION
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponents’ half Team task: Passing patterns and positioning Objective: Improve passing and combination play Players: 12 Age: U15-adults
ORGANISATION
training sessions
8
39
- 6V6 - 2 areas with a zone in the middle - 4 neutral players, 2 in each area - Two teams of 6 six players play a position game - Team in possession tries to pass the ball around 6 times without an interception by the opponent. If they succeed they receive 1 point - The blue players are neutral, who play with the team in possession – always creating a 8v6 situation - After passing the ball around 6 times the team must pass the ball to the other area, where 2 neutral players are waiting - All players (except the neutral) move the other area and continue play there - First team to 5 points wins
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TRAINING SESSIONS
POSITION GAME 7V7 WITH 2 GOALKEEPERS
COACHING
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponent’s half Team task: Passing and positioning Objective: Improve quick and good position play Players: 16 Pitch size: 70x60 metres Age: U13-adults
ORGANISATION
training sessions
9
No. 56, January 2012
- 7V7 with goalkeepers - Normal rules, including offside and set plays - System of play: 1-4-3
- Technique: Passing, actions, ball speed - Vision: positioning, playing forward, keep spaces big - Communication: coaching, calling for the ball, joining the attack
TRAINING SESSIONS
PASSING AND SHOOTING WITH THE COACHING EMPHASIS ON MOVEMENT OFF THE BALL
COACHING
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponent’s half Team task: Passing and movement off the ball Objective: Improve movement off the ball Players: 12-16 Age: U13-adults
ORGANISATION
training sessions
10
41
- 1: pass to the central player, who drops the ball to the side (2) - 3: seek the deep player, who drops the ball on the turned central player (4) - 5: central players opens to the other side, who drops the ball to the deep player (6) - 7: Last player receives the ball, and drops it to the incoming winger (8) - Winger dribbles to the start - Rotate positions (optional) - Concentration after pass - Pass to correct foot - Calling for the ball, present more passing options
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42
TRAINING SESSIONS
PASSING AND SHOOTING TO IMPROVE COOPERATION
COACHING
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponent’s half Team task: Cooperation between the lines Objective: Improve the cooperation between midfielders and the striker in a 4-3-3 Players: 12-16 Age: U13-adults
ORGANISATION
training sessions
11
No. 56, January 2012
- Positions 9-10-6-8 / 3-4 - The midfielders 6-8 ask the ball in their feet, but do not receive it and turn away for a run of the ball - Central defenders 3 and 4 play the ball deep by means of a straight pass to the striker (9-10) - The midfielder finish on goal after a pass from 9-10
- Timing of movements (on and off the ball) - Good passing technique
TRAINING SESSIONS
PASSING AND SHOOTING TO IMPROVE COOPERATION
COACHING
Phase: Possession Team function: Build-up on the opponent’s half Team task: Cooperation between the lines Objective: Improve the cooperation between midfielders and the striker in a 4-3-3 Players: 12-16 Age: U13-adults
ORGANISATION
training sessions
12
43
- Positions 9-10-6-8 / 3-4 - The midfielders 6-8 ask the ball in their feet, but do not receive it and turn away for a run of the ball - Central defenders 3 and 4 play the ball deep by means of a straight pass to the striker (9-10) - The midfielders join the attack and play the ball deep into wingers run (7-11) - Positioning in front of the goal: near and far post, edge of the penalty area - Timing of movements (on and off the ball) - Good passing technique
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YOUTH TRAINING
Hidde van Boven (19), is the son of a former field hockey coach who was a Dutch U21 and premier league club (Kampong) player, and you can tell coaching is in his genes. Just like his father, who passed away thirteen years ago, he attaches great value to enthusiasm and positivism. However, Van Boven distinguishes himself by giving his players responsibilities on and off the field. “This speeds up the process of awareness.� Text: Lars van Soest Edited by Michael Francis Pollin
No. 56, January 2012
YOUTH TRAINING
HIDDE VAN BOVEN, VV DE MEERN U13: “Awareness developed through responsibility” Before matches, Van Boven always involves his players in the pre-match meeting. “At the beginning of the season I explain how we are going to play. With the youth of VV De Meern, the formation is almost always 1:4:3:3, with the possibility of playing with an up-and-coming central defender where possible. Besides the team tasks, I explain
to individuals, units and positions what their roles and responsibilities are and what I expect from those players. During the pre-match meetings, I will ask a number of players to come forward to the tactic board. I encourage them to put the players and units into positions and to explain what is expected from them.”
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YOUTH TRAINING
Safe environment Van Boven notices that the players adapt to this special way of working very well. “It is not natural for the players,” he says, “as a coach you first have to create a safe and comfortable environment for the players to participate and contribute; then they really see the results of working this way. Initially, they were uncomfortable with being the focus in front of the group, but they do now embrace being challenged and forced to think about the game. “
the tactic board, and also by allowing them to be creative. For example, at the start of the season one of the midfielders was, despite his good technical abilities and defensive strengths; he just did not seem to make much more impact. Through allowing us (and him) to examine and explore it with the group and the tactic board, we established that by taking a couple of steps left or right away from his opponent he could easily get open to receive the ball; this aspect has improved with each match.”
Fast development and understanding It is evident within this methodology that much progress is being made. “At the U13 level, players development is more progressive and evident as a product of the aforementioned process with pictures and
Waste of time Van Boven aims to transfer quite basic principles to the players, fundamental to playing the game. “Tasks which involve basic tactical abilities like shifting, pressurizing and building up from the
No. 56, January 2012
YOUTH TRAINING
back. And actually, with U13s you should not impart an overload of tactical information, but it is more important to focus on the technique. They must control the technique at U13s, and then more attention can be paid to the tactical part as they reach the U15s level. When it comes to technique I mainly focus on receiving the ball, opening-up, turning-out, passing and functional movements to beat an opponent.”
they are easier to recognise next time. For example when we coach building-up from the back, I organise three defenders against two forwards. That is a good exercise to compare with a real- match situation, when you are often playing with four defenders and three strikers as an overload.”
Recognition “During the training sessions I will decide which exercises we are going to do and explain those to the group. I want my team to think about what I have asked them, and give reason to this by asking, ‘what do you want to achieve with this exercise?’ That will help them to understand why they are doing certain exercises and link the training to match situations” Reasonable resistance Exercises which Van Boven regularly repeats during his training sessions are technique exercises in combination with the development of vision. “Players must use their technique effectively, with good decision-making. That is important in my opinion, so I try to vary things when it comes to technique, but like I said before, I pay less attention on that aspect. I mainly try to recall moments from matches, so
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YOUTH TRAINING
Rules To create the safe and comfortable environment mentioned earlier, Van Boven gets together with his team at the beginning of the season, and they decide the terms and conditions for the coming season. “In advance of that meeting I think of a couple of rules, which I want to talk about. I write those rules down and discuss them with the team. We talk for half an hour or so and discuss the rules or terms and conditions and their possible outcomes and consequences. As the rules, terms and conditions have been collectively established, giving all ownership to the written constitution t has more value, and thus is more likely to be respected and upheld.” Which football player? As with the beginning of the season, we constantly and reciprocally review the situation. “Everybody is different and thus needs to be treated differently. Through questionnaires, we ask: With which football player would you compare yourself? What are your strengths? Which aspects can you still improve? What is your favourite position?
No. 56, January 2012
YOUTH TRAINING
Team This season, Van Boven decided to sit down with players for a more open meeting, “this year around the winter break I chose to sit down with the entire team. That way it became a team evaluation. We sat down with the whole team in the dressing room and I playfully told them the story about ‘the truck:’ The truck is in fact the team, and it must be moving forward during the entire season. That means making steps and development as a team. This happens most quickly when there are as many guys as possible that move the truck forward and by doing so they move the team forward. Besides players who are pulling the truck, there are players who sit on the truck or are hanging behind it.”
“I called the players forward one by one and let them identify themselves as one of three positions in relation to the truck: in front, on it or behind it. When a player hangs behind the truck, he knows that he is slowing the truck down and some extra gas will have to get on, or be in front of the truck. By confronting the players in this analogical way, they know if the are performing well or whether to need to give a bit extra. The methodology has worked very well this year. The will to do everything for each other has clearly grown. When the results are disappointing, it is easy for me to motivate the player, only by referring to ‘the truck’.”
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YOUTH TRAINING
No. 56, January 2012
3
3
2
4
4
ORGANISATION
1
• Place 4 cones in the organisation, as indicated in the diagram • Make sure there are enough balls. Sometimes one gets accidentally kicked away
PROGRESSION
Sparta Rotterdam Next year a new challenge is waiting for Van Boven. “Next season I will follow an internship in the youth academy of Sparta Rotterdam. I will then have graduated and can concentrate on this unique internship and getting my Trainer Coach Level 2 Licence. My priorities lie with the U15s, there I can develop myself a bit more with tactical knowledge. I am ambitious and would love to coach at a professional youth academy and progress from there to the head coach of a first team; that is the dream.”
PASSING AND SHOOTING IN A Y-FORM
1
• Player 1 passes to the outside foot of player 2, so he can immediately turn-out • Player 2 turns-out and passes to player 3 • Player 3 dribbles in a high pace in the direction of player 4, when he is halfway, he passes the ball in the feet of player 4 • Player 4 joins the back of the line, alternate left and right
VARIATIONS
Trainer course Besides his activities as a coach, Van Boven also did things for the club on an other area. “For my thesis I worked on three new projects within the club. Besides being coach for the U13’s of V.V. De Meern, the organisation of talent days and the build up of an internal football academy, I also delivered a coach education course to ten boys of fifteen years old who all play at V.V. De Meern. Within this course I have tried to transfer the basic principles when giving a training session and I hope that in the near future they will contribute to the training of youth teams at V.V De Meern, exactly how I started myself.”
EXERCISES
50
• Instead of receiving the ball when turnedout, player 2 now directly passes to player 1. Player 1 gives a diagonal pass to player 3, who dribbles further • An extra pass is included. Player 1 passes to player 2 who passes back to player 1. • Then player 1 gives a diagonal pass to player 3, while player 2 comes under player 3 and performs a give-and-go. After the give and go, player 3 dribbles further • Each pass (with players 2, 3 and 4) is followed by a combination
51
YOUTH TRAINING
1V1 WITH 2 NEUTRALS
PRESSURE ON THE OPPONENT’S BUILD UP
3
10
6
10 8
8
5
6
7
2 11 9 3
4
• Play 1v1 • The player in possession can use the two neutrals • A player can score by stopping the ball on the end line of the opponent • After two minutes, the neutrals switch with the players in the middle • Learning to make choices; perform an action or use the supernumerary situation • ‘Performing an action’ means; accelerate with the ball, be creative with your passing moves • ‘Overload situation’ means: pass to the neutrals, be open without the ball, receive with the outside foot to turn open or start an action
ORGANISATION
• The exercise is performed on half a pitch • The team with goalkeeper has 7 players, the other team has 6 players
PROGRESSION
• Play in an area of 10 x 7 metres • A neutral on both sides
• The build up starts every time from the back at the goalkeeper • Defending team tries to build up and score on the little goals on the middle line • The pressuring team must shift and drop with each offense. And pressurize with the objective to intercept the ball as quickly as possible and to score on the big goal
COACHING
COACHING
PROGRESSION
ORGANISATION
1
• Wait concentrated on which side the goalkeeper chooses to build up • Thereafter player 11 and 8 must shift as quickly as possible and leave their direct opponent • Player 9 must first close the ball line from player 4 to player 3 and afterwards pressurize the in possession player 4 • Player 10 and player 6 go to the right, make the playing field small and must be right on their direct opponent • Player 7 moves in the direction of the left back and must be right on that player
No. 56, January 2012
EXERCISES
2
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54
GOALKEEPING
The team from Volendam has quite a strong Utrecht flavour. Besides head coach Gert Kruys and his son Rick, Harald Wapenaar, the former goalkeeper of FC Utrecht started working in the fishing village’s club this season as well. The 41 year old goalkeeping coach is a huge advocate of goalkeepers thinking and playing offensively. “In any 1V1 situation, the goalkeeper has to take the initiative.” Text: Rogier Cuypers Edited by Michael Francis Pollin
No. 56, January 2012
GOALKEEPING
HARALD WAPENAAR, GOALKEEPER COACH FC VOLENDAM: “You need to be able to completely trust your goalkeeper” Fanaticism is in Harald Wapenaars blood. Retired goalkeeper or not, he is always first to arrive at the training ground. Wapenaar played for Feyenoord, RBC, Helmond Sport, FC Utrecht, Udinese, FC Utrecht again, Portsmouth, Vitesse and finally Sparta Rotterdam; where he retired from professional football in 2009. After a 1 year sabbatical, Wapenaar wanted to see if a career as a goalkeeping coach would suit him. “That is normally a logical progression following a playing career. I started at FC Eindhoven, where I covered for a goalkeeping coach for two months. Gert Kruys than brought me to FC Dordrecht, where I worked for three months and whilst also getting some more experience with several amateur clubs. I learned that goalkeeping coaching was definitely what I wanted to do. Actually goalkeeping yourself is the most beautiful thing there is, but coaching goalkeeping is a good second.”
Meeting goalkeepers for the first time For every goalkeeping coach, it takes some time to get used to a new team when you first arrive at a club. In the beginning it is all about observation and being somewhat reserved. Will you all the personalities and characters get along? But for the unique trade of goalkeeping, albeit in a team sport, goalkeepers form a unique bond and union with each other; standing, diving, catching, kicking and whatever else goalkeepers do; together! Goalkeepers are special people and a goalkeeper’s coach understands them best.” This season Wapenaar is working with three goalkeepers; Robbin Ruiter, Theo Zwarthoed and Sonny Stevens. The diversity when it comes to goalkeepers is something Wapenaar likes. “They are three totally different goalkeepers. Sonny is 18 years old and very talented. Robbin is 23 years old and he has made a great new start. He is developing very
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GOALKEEPING
well and has grown into one of the better goalkeepers in the Jupiler Leagea (Dutch first division). Theo Zwarthoed is an experienced goalkeeper who does not play frequently, but you try to keep him sharp by organising good and fun training sessions.” Maarten Arts For a long time during his active career at FC Utrecht, Wapenaar worked with Maarten Arts. The former goalkeeper learned a lot from him. “Absolutely, but I do not want to be a copy of him, because I do things my way. I have had the pleasure of working with many goalkeeping coaches in my career and have learnt something different from each of them. But Arts has definitely been the most influential coach for me. The things that I learnt during my career, I now apply to my coaching. When I played for Udinese, I worked with a goalkeeping coach who had never been a goalkeeper himself. In the beginning he worked with exercises that I was not used to. This is where I learnt to attack the ball. When I came back from Italy I was a more complete goalkeeper.” Passion and explosiveness At training sessions, Wapenaar is always very motivated. He encourages his goalkeeper, this time Sonny Stevens, to give his absolute best. But it is not the
No. 56, January 2012
intention to tire the goalkeepers out. “I want to see passion and motivation in my training sessions. They get enough rest and I know goalkeepers have days where it looks like they have ‘a piano on their back’, they move like a truck. I understand that. They may scream at me, as this will generate the passion I want to see during my training sessions.” “When you give your goalkeeper the feeling that the training session is heavy, motivation is lost. I like explosive training sessions and a goalkeeper must be explosive,” he explains. “Of course the conditional aspect is not there, so when I shoot six or eight balls in a row, it is not how things would go in a match. In my opinion it makes little sense to do that. After six balls you are not explosive anymore, but those four times must be like fireworks.” For Wapenaar, there is a big difference in the experience that a field player has, and that of a goalkeeper. “It sounds weird and I do not know if footballers like it when I say this, but I have the feeling that goalkeepers are more motivated in training sessions than many, if not all outfield players. Maybe that is because they have to do everything themselves. Goalkeepers are working on themselves a lot, especially during training sessions.”
GOALKEEPING
‘GOALKEEPING YOURSELF IS THE BEST THING THERE IS, BUT BEING A GOALKEEPING COACH IS A GOOD SECOND’ Strengths For Wapenaar it is essential to keep motivating his goalkeepers during the training sessions. Goalkeepers may never get into a routine phase. “As a goalkeeping coach you must vary things a lot. It all comes down to the same principles and objectives, but variation within that is important. This ensures the goalkeepers remain motivated, focussed and concentrating.” The analysis of a match is something that is also very important in Wapenaar’s opinion. “I analyse every match and I write down all the main points I observe. Then we analyse that together. As a coach you have to get on the same wavelength with your goalkeeper. You need to be able to understand each other and listen to what the other has to say and take it on board.”
Confirmation “Generally speaking, you know if you’ve played well or not” he continues, “but like every human being you will look for confirmation. And with modern analysis tools, you are able to see some things after watching the video images. Sometimes a coach looks differently at a certain situation, and by consulting with the goalkeeping coach, you as a goalkeeper can get certain mistakes out of your system and learn from them. With these goalkeepers, I am starting to get on the same wavelength. Of course I use video to show them situations; that is the benefit of the times we live in. Then you talk about the position of the goalkeeper, as he may think that he was positioned 3 metres in front of the line, but the video images can show things very different, but with greater clarity.”
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Goalkeeper’s job According to Wapenaar, the goalkeeper’s job has changed enormously over recent years. As a goalkeeper you have to have more all-round ability, and that is not always easy. “Nowadays football demands much more. You must be a decent footballer, they expect you to intercept high balls, and you must save the most difficult shots and also be able to play deep. The game has changed compared to ten years ago and during the last five or six years, the goalkeeper has become a kind of ‘libero’ with gloves, especially in the Netherlands. This is, of course, not the same everywhere, and in some countries they may not recognise this at all. In Italy you are less
No. 56, January 2012
important in the build up from the back. There the coach thinks that you should not take too much risk. Here in the Netherlands the fans whistle if you shoot a ball into the stands and your teammates wonder if you could have found another solution.” Besides that, how you must play as a goalkeeper also depends on the tactics. “Teams work with different tactics. If a team plays compact, it is easier for a goalkeeper. But FC Barcelona and Ajax play into the middle line, so the goalkeeper also has to be positioned far in front of his goal. You must adjust the goalkeepers training sessions to the tactics of your own team.”
GOALKEEPING
Goalkeeping offensively “Ruiter is a totally different goalkeeper than I was. His strength is that he is tall and strong, good with crosses from the side. He has the will to reach crosses and that is a quality you rarely see in goalkeepers nowadays. I do not see many goalkeepers who are this strong when it comes to high balls? I motivate him a lot in this. I myself was not very good with high balls, because I did not have the height or reach.” But also in the 1v1, Wapenaar wants to let his goalkeepers play offensively. “This year we have made a lot of progress. In the 1v1 situation, Robbin always lets the opponent have the initiative which is something I did not do. When the opponent has control of the ball, then he has the initiative. But often you see the head go down for a while, that is the moment when you as a coach need to intervene. I have been working on that, because that was not in his nature and now he is picking it up quickly and is winning matches for us. If he does not do that in training sessions, I will let him know.” Crosses and dealing with passes But what exactly is so difficult about the job of a goalkeeper? “With crosses and penetrative passes, the variations of crosses have changed and so have the balls. Nowadays you do not know what is coming towards you, but everything is coachable. Often, you have the feeling that you should go to the ball, because you have players in front of you. This means you are taking the risk so timing is very important to deal with deflection, movement in the air and bounce. As a goalkeeper you are normally the tallest
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player on the field, and will undoubtedly have the longest reach taking into account that you can use your hands. So, going to the ball is not always necessary, you can wait to come out of the goal. If you are late, you can still recover. When you are too early, this is not so easy to deal with.” Future Wapenaar is happy at his current club, but also thinks about the future. “As a player
you will have ambitions, but often it turns out different then you had planned. At the moment I am very happy. I will continue to make steps and develop myself. As a goalkeeping coach you are unfortunately a luxury when it comes to budgets. You will never get the wage of a coach or assistant coach/manager. A goalkeeping coach is valued higher abroad then here in the Netherlands. My ambition is to work at the highest level in the Netherland, and if not abroad.”
‘YOU MUST ADJUST THE GOALKEEPING TRAINING SESSIONS TO THE TACTICS OF YOUR OWN TEAM’ LADDER WARMING-UP
ORGANISATION PROGRESSION
EXERCISES
1 -
1 1 2 1
goal ladder goalkeepers trainer
- The goalkeeper moves through the ladder to the middle of the goal - The trainer shoots and the goalkeeper dives for a save
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K1 K2
C
GOALKEEPING
ORGANISATION PROGRESSION
1 2 2 1
goal cones goalkeepers trainer
K1
K2
- Two cones are positioned in the goal, one at each post, the goalkeeper are positioned at the cones - The trainer will call out ‘left’ or ‘right’. The goalkeeper he is referring to will tap his cone and has to save the shot C
SHOTS ON GOAL
PROGRESSION
ORGANISATION
3 -
1 4 2 1
goal cones goalkeepers trainer
K2 K1
- Four cones are positioned as illustrated - The first goalkeeper starts and taps the first cone and will dive into the opposite corner to save a shot from the trainer - Same principle at cones 2-4 - After 4 saves, the second goalkeeper will do the same exercise C
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EXERCISES
CONE WARMING-UP
2 -
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Gert Kruys, FC Volendam Gert Kruys played his entire career for FC Utrecht (1978-1988) apart from a short spell at RKC Waalwijk (1987). He retired in 1988, and soon afterwards became a coach with AGOVV Apeldoorn, Cambuur Leeuwarden, FC Den Bosch, De Graafschap, and FC Dordrecht. His son Rick Kruys is also a professional football player. Both father and son are currently employed by Jupiler League (Dutch first division) club FC Volendam. SoccerCoachingInternational talked to the experienced coach about his current position in the small Dutch town of Volendam.
...Other features: - Hans Segers, goalkeepers trainer PSV youth academy - Training sessions - and more ...