Tools, Tips & Techniques
15 July 2009 issue 116
Under 4s - Under 16s
How to attack the goal straight from kick-off If you and the parents of your players are pulling your hair out because every time you kick-off the ball goes back into your half of the pitch and you lose it to the opposition, try something more positive, says David Clarke
Go for an attacking kick-off 1 3
Forward march! Over the years, after countless kick-offs, I have come to the conclusion that getting the ball forward is the essence of a good one. There is no point in going backwards, the aim of the game is to attack the goal and since you have the ball it makes sense to go on the attack from the outset.
How to do it Diagram 1: My ideal kick-off when the team has lost a goal and is struggling to cope with the opposition is to kick for the far corner of the pitch and send a fast player after it. The opposition is immediately put on the back foot. The team can push on from here. It may go for a throw-in or even a corner as the defenders try to clear the danger. Diagram 2: This involves quick passing to the winger and players getting into position to receive the ball. l Player 1 passes to 2 who quickly passes wide to 3. Player 3 takes the ball down the wing while 1 and 2 move to support. Player 3 passes the ball into the supporting players. Get your winger to vary their crosses between the two attacking players. Gradually add defenders to make the practice more difficult.
2 1
Simple attacking kick-off – go for the corner.
2
4 3 2 1
Advanced attacking kick-off – passing into the goal.
3
Diagram 3: The surprise package! Hit back quickly on small pitches if you have a good kicker of the ball. It is an aggressive reaction to losing a goal - you probably won’t score but you may get a corner out of it. You can score direct from kick-off.
“We got off to a fantastic start, scoring before a Charlton player had even touched the ball” David O’Leary, ex-Leeds manager
Go for goal on small pitches with a good kicker. direction of run shot dribble
direction of pass
Coach development
weekly -
Under 4s - Under 16s
Laws of of thecoaching game made easy The art children
Keep an eye out for the second part of Law 13 on July 29th. It deals with players not the correct distance away when the kick is taken.
Direct and indirect free kicks
Law 13: Free kicks (part one) Mini soccer All free kicks are direct and opponents must be 5 yards from the position the infringement took place. Junior soccer 7-a-side Free kicks are direct or indirect signalled by the referee. Opponents must be 7 yards away. Junior soccer 11-a-side Free kicks are direct or indirect signalled by the referee. Opponents must be 10 yards away.
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l For both direct and indirect free kicks, the ball must be stationary when the kick is taken and the kicker cannot touch the ball a second time until it has touched another player.
direct indirect pass
The direct free kick l If a direct free kick is kicked directly into the opponents’ goal, a goal is awarded. l If a direct free kick is kicked directly into the team’s own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team.
direct indirect
shot
Indirect free kicks can’t go straight into the goal.
The indirect free kick The referee indicates an indirect free kick by raising their arm above their head. They maintain their arm in that position until the kick has been taken and the ball has touched another player or goes out of play.
A goal can be scored only if the ball touches another player before it enters the goal. Therefore: l If an indirect free kick is kicked directly into the opponents’ goal, a goal kick is awarded. l If an indirect free kick is kicked directly into the team’s own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team.
David Clarke’s touchline tales Helping the players that get left behind
On our training pitches the U17s were trialling new players, and were running a shooting session. One player ran At this time of the season a lot of young players change up, swung his leg and missed his kick, falling to the ground clubs. Sometimes it’s because they have moved house in a heap. The coach raised his eyes to the heavens or the team has folded, but the most common reason is and shouted some comment to the rest of the team who because they spent half of last season standing on the touchline ‘not good enough’ to play a full game for the team. laughed. The player himself got up and kept his head down as he trudged back to the line of players waiting to shoot. So, players that turn up for trials are often full of hope, but Team spirit low on confidence. I want to see them interacting well with At our session, one of our trialists ran down the wing and the other players on my teams - I can ‘fix’ the confidence went to cross the ball, accidently kicking the ball with his factor during pre-season. left foot before he swung his right leg, totally missing the ball and spinning himself off his feet. I realise a lot of coaches do not have the necessary support to take on a number of players who have been cast aside at other Even though he was new to the team my players all ran over, clubs, but try to take on at least one of them each season. helped him to his feet and were all smiling. Up he got and Two incidents happened at trials last week which reminded carried on playing and next time got his cross in. This player will add something to my team - he can help team spirit. me of how easy it is to bruise or boost a child’s ego. 2
15 July 2009
Player development
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
The basics
Passing pyramids
There is nothing worse than watching players hit poor passes that are either too long or too short and allow the opposition to pounce and gain advantage. Young players need to be able to experiment with distances so they see how the weight of the pass is as important as accuracy, says David Clarke
The weight of a pass is a skill in itself
Get the right weight on your pass
The weight of pass is vital so the receiving player has a better chance to control the ball. In this pyramid passing game the players can practice passing at different distances. In the diagram I have used 7 players with a ball each at points on the pyramid. If you have fewer players make a smaller pyramid.
D C
E
B
How to play it
20yds
A
Starting at A, the players take it in turns to pass to the server who returns the pass. The server should pass with their right foot to the players on their left and with their left foot to the players on their right. Once the players have completed a circuit each one moves on a place, including the server.
F
25yds
G
20yds
15yds
15yds
10yds
10yds
server Players must control and pass back to the server.
You can advance the session by using just one ball. So, the server passes to A who passes back, then to B who passes back and so on around the pyramid. You can also change it so that the players on the left of the pyramid (A-C) use their right foot and the players on the right (E-G) use their left foot. D can use either foot.
D C
E 40yds
Watch out for players just rolling the ball so it slowly gets to its target. Explain that the ball must move quickly like it would in a match. It doesn’t always have to be a side foot pass, although players will find this is the most accurate way to pass.
B
A
30yds
20yds
20yds
Change the distances In the second part of the exercise A and G stay where they are and the other players spread out farther, so the increments in the passing distances are 10 yards.
F
30yds
10yds
10yds
G
JOHN! SAM!
server
Now when A passes the ball to the server the coach shouts out the name of the next player the server should pass to. After each pass the player passes back to the server and the coach shouts another name.
The coach calls out the sequence the server follows. pass
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15 July 2009
Games workshop
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
Small-sided game
One big v two small
KEY BALL MOVEMENT
This game gets teams working the ball in different ways in each half - attacking the small goals they can get the ball wide and shoot early because there are no goalkeepers, while attacking the large goal needs play to get closer with quick passing and touches before shooting.
SHOT ON GOAL
PLAYER MOVEMENT
1. The white team start with possession.
Set up l Pitch size: 30 x 20 yards. l Two teams of four players. l One normal sized goal at one end, two mini goals at the other end. l One keeper in the normal sized goal. l Coach needs a few balls and must feed a new ball in from where they are standing, immediately the ball leaves play. (The ball is fed in from the coach’s position not where the ball went out.)
Rules l One team attacks the normal goal. l One team attacks the two mini goals. l The game is played in two halves with each team taking one half attacking the normal goal and one half attacking the mini goals. l The game is played for a set time period, 10-15 minutes each half.
THE MATCH DAY PLANNER IS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD AT: www.bettersoccercoaching.com/MDP.pdf
2. Can they pass their way to the goal and beat the keeper?
3. Teams with the ball in an advanced position can shoot first time.
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.
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15 July 2009