Tools, Tips & Techniques
10 June 2009 issue 111
Under 4s - Under 16s
Move corners nearer goal with dummy runs Making the most of corners is an important part of your match day preparation. Opposition teams will expect you to kick it long but if you use dummy runs you can take the ball much nearer the goal, says David Clarke
Catch defenders out at short corners 1
During the English Premier League season that has just finished Manchester United players Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs pulled off what they thought was a clever corner which resulted in Ronaldo ‘scoring’ a goal. Unfortunately the linesman said the ball was not played from the right spot. Rooney had run to the corner and flicked the ball with his foot so it was in play. No one except Giggs realised this and he ran and crossed the ball from where it was outside the arc of the corner. You don’t really need that kind of trickery to create clever corners. If you study this move you can see how to get into the penalty area with a good chance to cross or shoot nearer to the goal.
How to do it
D1 A2
A1
The attacker A2 signals his move to A1.
2
l When you win a corner have attacker 1 ready to take it while attacker 2 runs from the penalty area and shouts attacker 1’s name loudly and makes a gesture that signals he wants the ball played to his feet. l The defender will run with attacker 2 towards the corner. l As attacker 2 gets near to attacker 1 get him to stop running and hold his hands up in a ‘no’ gesture and shake his head. l The defender seeing this will stop as well and look back at the penalty area, totally off his guard. l Attacker 2 then sprints into the area away from attacker 1 who plays the ball into attacker 2’s path.
A2 D1
A1
Attacker 2 then has three choices: l Pass to a player on the penalty spot; l Chip it to the far post; l Run at the goal and shoot himself.
The attackers wrong-foot the defender. dummy run
actual run
pass
“If you don’t try hard for me, just get out, I don’t want you and I don’t like you. If you are late I’m not interested in you because you are disrespecting us” QPR manager Ian Holloway on player commitment
Coach development
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
The art of coaching children Use body language to get your message across Stand with confidence Stand still in front of the group.
Body language is crucial for getting your message across effectively and positively.
If you are walking around while talking it is very distracting and a sign that you are not very confident in what you are saying. Choose a point to stand and gather the players around you. Make sure you can see them all, and remember if you can’t see them they can’t see you.
Keep your head up Always keep your head up when you
are talking to a group. Scan the players’ faces and look for signs that they are listening. If you see someone who is obviously not listening just drop their name into what you are saying to bring them back. Hands in view Keep your hands in view. Don’t put them in your pockets or cross your arms. Don’t hold a ball Make eye contact Make eye contact with individual play- unless you are specifically demonstrating something. It ers especially if you are emphasising a point specifically to can be a distraction especially if you then drop it, causing them. This shows you are confident about what you are say- laughter and loss of concentration. ing and it will improve their uptake of information. Listening Make eye contact with the speaker when lisExaggerate to emphasise When you want to emphasise tening is very important. Lean slightly toward them and tilt a point use exaggerated body language. Use big hand and your head toward them. Nodding and smiling while they arm movements and exaggerated facial expressions to show talk will help reassure them that they are being listened to the players that this is important. and understood.
David Clarke’s touchline tales Why I always like my goalkeeper to take goal kicks A comment from one of the parents at a tournament last week reminded me of the pressure I was under when I first started coaching because I always want the person in goal to take the goal kicks.
There is nothing worse for the goalkeeper than seeing a sea of opposition shirts in front of them when they are taking kicks, so make sure your players move around and get in front of the opposition players, to give your goalkeeper more confidence.
A hard position It is often a hard experience for young players because sometimes in matches the goalkeeper can just stand there for ages then suddenly they let a goal in and they become dejected. I like the goalkeeper to be as active as possible including taking goal kicks because this keeps them involved and gets them concentrating on passing and using angles to get the ball to his team mates. It is also better in extremes of weather that your goalkeeper is kept active.
A benefit going to 11-a-side One of the huge benefits you will find is that if you take a team through 7-a-side and on to 11-a-side the goal kick tactics you have brought your team up on will be far more useful than if you have been relying on just a big kick. Often you will find at 11-a-side that even the big kickers find it hard to get very far past the penalty area, and the ball is continually given away.
“But they don’t have a big kick!” So what? - it is down to the coach to come up with tactics the goalkeeper can use to get around this problem. Bring your fullbacks out wide, left and right to give them an option. If the ball is in their hands get them to throw overarm in a bowling motion to accurately get the ball to a team mate. 2
The winning factor When you play in small-sided tournaments the movement and the distribution of the goalkeeper can often be the differing factor between winning and losing. In these games a big kick can often just give the ball away to the opposition, whereas a tactical roll out or pass out to a defender means the team is up and running with the ball and they can start attacks from their own half. 10 June 2009
Player development
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
The soccer brain
Running onto the ball This game is great if you have lots of players at training. You need four defenders and four servers, the rest of the players are attackers. The aim of the game is for the attackers to score points without losing a life by being tackled. It gets players used to running onto the ball, says David Clarke I have recently been getting my players running onto balls at pace, accelerating and controlling the ball as they run without slowing down. It’s a difficult technique, but one which often happens on match day and helps players attacking and defending. Use this game to get players running onto, and running with, the ball
Get your players running onto the ball Score line A
How to set it up Place four or more attackers inside a 10 yard square box. Mark out two lines beyond the two ends of the box about 10 to 15 yards away. Two players stand midway between each line with a ball each (at points A in the diagram). Another two stand at the other end. They must remain where they are for the exercise. You also need two defenders at each end.
10yds
10yds
How it works The idea is that players race out of the box, receive a pass and run past the defender. If the attacker succeeds in getting the ball under control and goes past the defender they score a point. If they get tackled in possession of the ball, the whole team loses a life. If the attacker fails to get the ball under control they return to the square with no penalty. The ball is returned to the servers after each attempt.
A
score line ground covered
pass
l The game is won if the attackers get ten points or lost if all their lives are gone (start with four lives). l You might have to have to start with just one defender if the attacking team is struggling to beat the two defenders
A great game to play using lots of players - it’s very active and good fun.
What to look for
This game is great if you have lots of players at training but if you only have a small number you can just have one end for your players to run into by cutting the drill in half.
l Long and short passes from the servers. l Footwork to get into space. l Acceleration onto the ball. l The players thinking about running out of the side of the box and then coming round from wide to receive a long pass. It could be that two players run out at the same time, but only one receives the pass.
Developments l Change the numbers of defenders. l Allow passing between the attackers. l The position of the servers can be moved to make it easier or harder to get the ball to the attackers. 3
10 June 2009
1
Games workshop
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
Small-sided game Warm-up circuit
Accurate passing
C
Getting your players to focus This is a great warm-up to get your players physically and mentally ready for a match or training session.
Key elements Control, footwork, ball skills, accuracy C
l Arrange your players into two teams. l The two teams must compete against each other and try to be the first team to knock the balls off the cones. l The players dribble at top speed into the shooting box and then try to hit the cones with a pass. l The next player goes when the previous player has sprinted back to the group.
dribble
direction of pass
C = coach
Players must control a pass from the coach, run into the square and accurately knock the balls off.
Five minute fitness
The tuck jump This five minute fitness drill can be used during your training sessions for a quick break to help coaching points sink in, or as an incentive for a drinks break. The tuck jump should be performed on grass and in short bursts. Five tucks in a set, players should do five sets with 60 seconds rest inbetween. l Start by bouncing on the balls of the feet. l Drive up explosively with the arms and push hard off the ground with the feet. l Pull the knees up as high as possible to the chest. l Land on the balls of both feet and bounce a couple of times before repeating. l As the knees are pulled into the chest players should tighten
The tuck jump develops explosive power in the legs for jumping and sprinting. the core muscles around the stomach to maximise the conditioning effect.
DOWNLOAD THE MATCH DAY PLANNER AT: www.bettersoccercoaching.com/MDP.pdf Soccer Coach Weekly is published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford, GU5 0AB, UK. Email: info@coach-soccer.com Tel: +44 (0)1483 892894 Fax: +44 (0)1483 894148 Editor David Clarke Publisher Kevin Barrow Managing Director Andrew Griffiths Customer Service Representative Duncan Heard Š Green Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
4
10 June 2009