Tools, Tips & Techniques
07 April, 2010 issue 154
Under 4s - Under 16s
Take or fake Clever moves in youth matches are always fantastic to watch. It gives the team a boost and the opposition a dent in their confidence. But if the moves don’t work because the players haven’t spent hours on the training pitch perfecting them, they can backfire. This is a great move but needs a lot of practice, says David Clarke
A clever trick to switch play Taking the ball off a team mate when players run close to each other is a great way to trick the opposition defenders into thinking the ball is being dribbled in one direction, when in fact the other player has taken it and is running towards the opposite side of the goal.
Take or fake Take A
B A A
Players need to practice the “take”, because, like a relay race when a runner drops the batton, if the ball gets left by both players the opposition will be quick to take advantage.
B C
How to play it l A passes to B who controls and dribbles towards C. l C times their run to coincide with the movement of B. When they pass, C calls their own name and takes the ball from B then continues running and passes to the next in line at point A. l A runs to group B, B to group C and C around to A. Coordination at the point of switchover is vital to the success of the move. When B releases the ball C needs to have a clear sight of it and move seamlessly away without breaking stride.
B
C
Players B and C must communicate to play the ball between them. Fake A
B A
The fake switch You can try running this one where the players cross paths but the ball stays with the original player. Play it when your team has already fooled the opposition with the switchover. Once again players will have to make sure they are on the same wavelength to make the most of the fake move.
“No matter how effective the performance of the team may be, or how well the tasks, functions and strategies are executed, everything rises and falls with the individual qualities of the players” Rinus Michels, named FIFA coach of the century in 1999
B C B C
A
Concentration is key to the fake move creating space for a pass.
player movement
pass
dribble
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Player development
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
Skills The artSchool of coaching children Skill 12: The defensive header How to defend with your head 1
3
2
Make contact with the bottom half of the ball.
Get into line quickly so you are first to the ball.
Push through the ball using the neck and shoulders.
How the technique works l The defensive header needs height and distance. l Keep the eyes open. l Meet the ball from a side-on position. This creates more power and gives better protection against opponents, with less chance of clashing heads.
l Arms should be kept close to the body to avoid giving away free-kicks or penalties. l To power the ball upwards, make contact with the bottom half of the ball. Use strong neck and shoulders to power through the ball.
David Clarke’s touchline tales Give yourself a pat on the back when you get things right As a coach you’re going to be questioned by the parents of your players whenever you do something that doesn’t work. When it comes to winning games or putting players in positions there’s always someone standing on the touchline at matches who could do it better. I was thinking about this the other week when we were playing a match in which, even though we were very dominant, we were drawing 1-1 at half-time. We had attack after attack but the way we were set up meant the creative balls were coming from the right and our attacker was constantly losing out to a fast defender.
Persuading my front players to switch around was met with grumpy acceptance. “But I always play on that side, coach.” Once I had persuaded them to do it, it worked a treat and we scored five goals without reply. Afterwards one of the parents said: “Don’t know what happened there, I think they finally woke up in the second half.” As a team and coaching staff we knew what had happened. No one was going to say well done, coach, but it gave me a good feeling inside to know why the team had suddenly clicked into gear. After a match you should sit down and think about what you did as a coach which helped your team. It can be something simple like a tactic you have practiced in training creating a chance to shoot at goal, or a substitution that helped the team.
So at half time I switched the play. I moved my creative player so he would be playing the ball in from the left and the dominant defender would be on the other side of the pitch. We spent half-time just talking about this switch and how we would It is important you make a note of your accomplishments play. It wasn’t a huge change but I wanted everyone to realize because you may be the only one who realises the effect you we were changing the direction of attack. had on the team. 2
07 April 2010
Player development
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
Tactics
Use this weapon to counter-attack Goalkeepers can distribute the ball from the back to get the team moving forward. They should be able to look around and communicate with the players in front of them, to play the ball into space and launch an attack, says David Clarke
Throw-outs: a counter-attacking weapon
I like this game because the focus is on the goalkeeper. Every time the team wins the ball it must go back to their goalkeeper before they launch an attack. I use it to get my goalkeepers thinking about how and where they are going to play the ball to gain advantage.
1. Throwing arm straight, weight on back foot
A game for goalkeepers
3. Weight moves forward, bowl the ball out
20 y
ds
In this small-sided game the goalkeeper is at the heart of every move. When your goalkeeper has the ball in a match they should be looking to use throws as well as kicks to get the ball to a team mate in space. Throwing the ball can often be a better way to distribute the ball because by using the technique in the diagram (right), goalkeepers can catch out the opposition with quick, accurate throws.
2. Throwing arm comes in an arc over the top of shoulder
5 yds
How to play it
30 yds
5 yds
The goalkeeper spots the player in space and finds them with a throw.
l Set up a 40x20 yard area with two end zones. l Play normal rules but when a team wins the ball it must go to their own goalkeeper before the team can launch an attack. l No backpass rule – in this game the goalkeeper must pick up backpasses and throw to a team mate. l When the ball goes out of play it must be restarted with the goalkeeper throwing the ball to a team mate. l If the goalkeeper gets the ball off an opponent they must use a throw to get the ball to a team mate. l Only the goalkeepers can go in the end zones. l Make sure the goalkeepers use the full width of the end zones to create space.
The white player wins the ball but must pass back to his goalkeeper, who quickly plays it out to a player in space and starts an attack.
goalkeeper pass
3
pass
run
07 April 2010
Games workshop
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
Small-sided game
Four goal game
KEY BALL MOVEMENT
SHOT ON GOAL
PLAYER MOVEMENT
Score in each goal to win A goal on each side of the pitch makes this a good game to coach players about quickly changing the direction of play. You should look for clever passing and good, quick movement.
1. The team in possession must pass and move to score.
Set up l Pitch size: 30 x 20 yards (minimum) up to 40 x 25 yards (maximum). l Three teams of four players. One team goes in the goals. l No offside. l If the ball leaves play, you have a few re-start options: 1. The coach passes a new ball onto the pitch. 2. The players take a roll in. 3. The players take a throw in. 4. The players make a pass in. 5. The players dribble in.
2. They must then score in another of the four goals.
Rules l The aim for both teams is to score in all four goals. The team to complete this task first is declared the winner. l The team that scores in each goal stays on the pitch. The team that loses goes in goal and the goalkeeping team goes out on to the pitch. 3. The first team to score in all four goals is the winner.
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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07 April 2010