Tools, Tips & Techniques
04 November 2009 issue 132
Under 4s - Under 16s
Crowded corners cause confusion I was refereeing an U10s 7-a-side game last week where one of the teams was giving goals away at corners. The coach had all 7 players defending in the penalty area which caused confusion when the ball was played in, says David Clarke
Think attack when defending corners
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Corner tactics for the brave The problems started when the attacking team found themselves crowded out of the penalty area. By playing the ball shorter they created space on the edge of the area making it easier to get direct shots over or through the crowd of players. The goalkeeper couldn’t see through the crowd so shots coming in were either deflected in or ran straight through and into the net. When teams find they are losing goals from corners they should try tactics to limit the number of attackers in the box.
The defending team has crowded out the penalty area with the whole team. But the attackers can manipulate the ball to create space around the penalty area. 2
Leaving two or three players upfield instead of packing the penalty area would not only make the opposition think but also give great counter attacking options. Any ball cleared will allow your team to gain quick advantage. It’s a very attacking move to do this when you’re defending a corner so the players must be aware of certain things: l With fewer defenders they must identify the dangers posed by the attackers and counter them with close marking. l The goalkeeper becomes much more important with space to come and claim the ball. Then they can launch a quick counter attack to the players outside the penalty area. l The opposition may ignore your tactics and pack the penalty area giving them advantage from the first ball in, but leaving themselves badly exposed at the back.
If the defending team leaves three players outside the area the attacking team will have to cover them. direction of run
pass
“At the start of the second half, we’re looking at losing three goals from set-plays and that’s not good enough at this level” Walter Smith, manager, Glasgow Rangers in the Champions League
Coach development
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
Skills The artSchool of coaching children
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Your players need to have skills to beat their opponents and give your team the advantage on match days
Coach the swivel
Skill 1: The swivel How to set it up Get your players into threes, with one ball in an open area. The players (A, B and C) start around 10-15 yards apart. Moving around the pitch the three players control, swivel then pass to one another.
C
A
B
How to play it A passes to B who controls the ball, swivels with the ball on his right foot before releasing it to C. The three players then continue to move forward. When you advance the play, C controls B’s pass, then passes to A. He controls, swivels then delivers the pass to B, and so the practice evolves.
Key coaching tips l First touch is crucial - it can be the difference between keeping or losing possession - so passing must be accurate into the path of the receiver. This means you must work on your players’ control. l Improve your players’ awareness by changing positions.
C
A
B
direction of pass
swivel with ball
David Clarke’s touchline tales How often do you have to say it? The game isn’t over until the final whistle... I’m sure most of you have felt like I did last Friday night with a big match the next day. We were playing the league leaders, a team which had won their first three games without letting a goal in and had scored 24 goals along the way.
half-time we were leading 3-2, after the home team had a mini revival. The boys were very excited during the break so I had to keep my talk simple and just get each player focused on their own space in defence and attack.
We were third in the table and had a pretty good record ourselves, but not like theirs. My wife had become bored with me asking her if she thought playing a 2-2-1 with a free roaming player would be better than a strong at the back 3-2-1. Or perhaps we should go for the 2-1-2-1 diamond?
With 15 minutes to go we scored to make it 4-2. At this point my young players thought they had won the game. They were running over to me asking if we would be top of the league now. I was trying to calm them down but from the touchline it was hard. With 10 minutes to go they had a rush of blood. 3-2-1 became 0-0-7 as they all tried to score.
By the morning I had decided the 3-2-1 would work best because with a strong attacking team we could soak up the pressure and go down the wings using the wide defenders. We scored straight from kick-off – three touches and it was in the net. The perfect move from the boys. Then we added another to make it 2-0, the tactics were paying off. At
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We lost the game 7-6 – we let in 5 and scored 2 in 10 minutes of madness. You can imagine the noise from the parents of the other team. I sat my boys down and spoke about how well they had played and why they thought we had lost. “Lost?” said one of them, “but we won, didn’t we?”
04 November 2009
Player development
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
Goalkeeping
Test the reactions of your goalkeeper A quick, alert goalkeeper who dives on the ball when it is loose in the penalty area is something every coach wishes for, says David Clarke
Test your goalkeeper’s reactions When you call ‘red’, the goalkeeper has to quickly dive on the ball next to the red cone.
Reacting to the ball Goalkeepers are a law unto themselves. Sometimes they turn up and make amazing saves, other times they stand and watch as the ball trickles into the net. Yet they are vital to the team, so you must help develop their skills.
red
yellow
One of the things you can work on is agility and reactions when the ball is around the penalty area. Often it will be loose in the area just waiting for the goalkeeper to dive on it and take the pressure off the team.
RED As soon as the goalkeeper gets up, you shoot and the goalkeeper has to make a save.
You can use this exercise to practice shot stopping saves that come from all around the penalty area. You are looking for quick feet, good positioning and fast reactions.
How to play it
red
yellow
l Set it up like the diagram with a red and yellow markers placed randomly on either side of the penalty area with a ball at each marker. l You shout a colour, the goalkeeper goes to that side of the goal, dives on the ball at that coloured marker. l They then get up quickly and react to a shot at the goal from you or a helper stood on the edge of the area. l Shout another colour and the goalkeeper goes to that colour dives on the ball and gets back up for your shot. l Start by giving the goalkeeper more time to get up before you shoot at goal then make them go quicker. l Tell your goalkeeper to try and get back into line quickly to be in a good position to save the shot. l If the goalkeeper cannot catch and hold a shot they should push the ball to the side of the goal.
When you call ‘yellow’, the goalkeeper has to quickly dive on the ball next to the yellow cone.
red
yellow
YELLOW
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04 November 2009
Games workshop
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
Small-sided game
8v4 circle game
KEY BALL MOVEMENT
SHOT ON GOAL
PLAYER MOVEMENT
This small-sided game helps coach players’ awareness to the positions of team mates in relation to the goals and gets players looking up and using accurate passes to win points.
Set up l Mark out a 30 yard diameter circular pitch with markers or cones. l Place four goals as in the diagrams. l One team of eight players. l One team of four players.
1. The team with 8 players are playing keep-ball.
Rules l The team with eight players starts with four on the pitch and four off the pitch, one between each pair of goals. l The team with four players starts with all four players on the pitch. l The team with eight players must attempt to keep possession and look to play out to their team mates. l The player passing out must go to the outside whilst the receiving player dribbles into the pitch. l The team with four players must try to pass into the target goals in order to score. l The team passing out scores for each successful switch.
THE MATCH DAY PLANNER IS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD AT: www.bettersoccercoaching.com/MDP.pdf
2. They get a point for each successful pass out and switch.
3. The team with four players get a point for each goal scored.
Soccer Coach Weekly is published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford, GU5 0AB, UK. Email: david.clarke@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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04 November 2009