In this post there is a soccer coaching video that explains and demonstrates a functional soccer drill that you can quickly and easily set up on your training ground to achieve success.

Watch this attacking soccer tactic video now…

When your team has control of the ball they have control of the game and its important that your team are comfortable in possession, patient in their build up and know when to switch the ball from one side of the soccer pitch to the other in order to move and shift the defense.

This drill focuses on all of these key elements.

ORGANISATION

Set up 3 zones, two 15 yard square zones with a lane 15 yards by 10 yards in width in between. See the soccer video below for a full illustration.

Decide on three teams of four players, place each team in one of the zones. In zone 1 & 2 the aim of the drill is for the players to keep possession of the ball in their zone and after 5 consecutive passes transfer the ball into the opposite zone.

The players in the neutral zone are the defenders. Only two players from the neutral zone can leave it to go and close down the team in possession.

The objective is for the team in possession to show composure, good control, passing and team work to keep the ball and then transfer it.

The defenders should force errors in the play from the team in possession and once that is achieved they then swap roles.

For full instruction, coaching points and to see how the drill works watch the video.

EQUIPMENT

Plenty of soccer balls, cones, flags, half pitch, 12 players

COACHING POINTS

For The In Possession

• Quick feet and good close control
• Communication
• Accurate passing to feet
• Movement to create space and make passing angles
• Space and support

For The Defenders

• Teamwork in closing down and preventing passing channels
• Mental and physical strength to continue to close
• Good recovery lines to get back and deny space & time
• Hold up the attacker
• Jockey, shield, force the play by body positioning

PROGRESSION

In order to progress this drill you could…

• Decrease the space in the zones
• Increase the number of defenders
• Increase or shorten the distances to be covered.
• Use one and touch touch conditions

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Usually by the age of 14, a soccer player will have a realistic idea of his abilities, weaknesses and strengths within the game. He will become conscious that regardless of how many attempts he makes at something, if he does not have the basic ability, then it is a waste of time. However, he will also be aware that trying to the best of his abilities will be appreciated by his teammates.

During the formative years of 6 – 9, direct comparison with other members of the team gives an idea of competency. However, in the teen years, players have the ability and experience to evaluate and judge their own performance to a reasonable extent. It’s important to be aware of this because players will self analyse and question themselves more and this can have an effect on their confidence, whether it builds or destroys.

When coaching adolescent soccer players, it’s vital to offer lots of positive feedback and encouragement and help build up their self-confidence. There are many issues teenage players have to learn to come to terms with during this period such as shape, size, concentration, coordination, embarrassment, etc. and these are all major concerns when going through puberty. For instance, some players may show self-consciousness when changing or showering particularly if they are early or late developers. Another issue is when a player with excellent ability has a sudden growth spurt, losing all sense of coordination. This doesn’t mean he’s become a bad player, just that he needs time to get used to his new body.

These circumstances and many more can prove to have a negative effect on the self-image of a player. This in turn leads to self-analysis, which can determine their performance on the field. Someone lacking in confidence may hide during a match, a loss of coordination may give rise to frustration, leading to an out of character outburst of temper or anger.

It is the duty and responsibility of a soccer coach to guide and help his team through such times. Offer help in assessing short-term goals to rediscover control and movement.  Explain to the player what is happening to him, enabling him to make a connection and know what to expect. A substantial number of soccer players drop out of the game around this age and it’s possible the issues discussed here may be among the main reasons. By guiding players through this difficult time, more may be encouraged to stick with it.

Up and down emotions are all part and parcel of life during the teenage years and coaches should expect some moodiness from players. Don’t make fun of a player or have a laugh at his expense. During these developing years, you may find players becoming distracted by things that may not have held any interest for them previously such as fashion, music, other sports, the opposite sex and spending time with friends and girlfriends/boyfriends.

However, there is a positive aspect to this change. As players grow up and mature, they become much more efficient in working together as a team. Leadership, spirit, looking out for each other and pulling together are all positive developments that will occur.

How to help your players in a positive way

• Support your players by encouraging them to talk and listening to what they say.

• Encourage them to open up by asking lots of questions. (Expect one-syllable replies or grunts in return!)

• Offer lots of positive feedback both for performance and effort not just results.

• Set practical short-term goals together.

• Develop good team spirit by acknowledging contribution.

• Show sensitivity to the development of players. Never coerce someone into what could be an embarrassing situation.

• When making decisions, explain them clearly and precisely. Be impartial and offer unbiased critiques of performance.

• Be a positive example to your players.

• Self-image is fragile during teenage years. Don’t make fun of, ridicule, or use sarcastic comments to your players.

• Working with youth players can be incredible and it offers a totally different challenge than training with junior teams. Get to know each player as an individual, not just as a member of your team.  Give plenty of encouragement, support and guidance and then watch your team grow.

As the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems develop, players’ performance during matches and in training sessions will change. It’s essential to understand what is occurring and how you need to plan coaching sessions accordingly.

Adenosine Troposphere (ATP) is the main energy or fuel that we acquire from eating food such as fat or carbohydrates. Anaerobic energy gives players short concentrated bursts for activities such as sprinting, whereas aerobic energy gives performance over a longer period of time as, for instance, in jogging.

Anaerobic Energy

As previously mentioned, anaerobic energy enables players to perform short bursts of intensive activity, such as chasing, sprinting, heading, etc. To perform these actions, energy must be released quickly so the body obtains small quantities of ATP energy from muscles and from breaking down a substance called glycogen, which accumulates, in the muscles and in the liver.

This combination permits young soccer players to perform short bursts of high intensive actions usually for around 5 – 60 seconds. However, when glycogen is broken down by the body, another substance called lactate is produced and begins to accumulate in the muscles that are being exerted. The production of lactate results in muscle fatigue, therefore the more intensive the action, the more lactate builds up, hence the quicker muscle fatigue will set in.

The positive news for junior and youth soccer players is that the amount of lactate accumulated in their blood and muscles after a period of intensive exercise is much lower than that of an adult. This doesn’t however mean they suffer reduced muscle fatigue but does imply their muscles are more responsive to aerobic energy supplies rather than anaerobic. Before and during puberty, there isn’t much difference between the anaerobic capacity of boys and girls but once puberty has passed, boys anaerobic energy systems are much superior to girls.

Aerobic Energy

Young soccer players and even those in late adolescence obtain a high percentage of their energy from aerobic sources, as this is much more efficient. Fat is used for the supply of ATP in aerobic energy systems and young players use this system every bit as successfully as adults do. Knowledge and understanding of these energy sources will assist you as a coach to get the very best from your players.

Unlike adults however, young players will struggle to maintain long stretches of low intensity action. The reason for this is growth spurts, lesser bulk to store glycogen and a less efficient temperature regulation process.

It’s important to be aware of these differences between adult and youth soccer players. Many coaches have a habit of treating young players just like ‘mini adults,’ basing their coaching sessions accordingly. Always evaluate the size and shape of youth players as an estimate to how effectively they can deal with stamina-based activities.

Smaller players usually have a lesser body mass and use up less oxygen to carry out sustained activity than a taller and heavier player does. Overall, however, as a small player develops he will be capable of breathing in higher amounts of air by taking larger and deeper breaths and of using oxygen more efficiently.

How hard do your players train?

In order to evaluate how intensely players are performing during coaching sessions, heart rate monitors can be used. Whilst training ask your players to record how hard they work.

Whenever your players take a break from training, get them to immediately find a pulse on their wrist by pressing with their middle and index fingers. Ask them to count the pulse beats whilst you calculate ten seconds on a watch.

Get the players to multiply the number of pulse beats by six, which gives a rough idea of the speed their heart is working and indicates how intensely they are working. This is only a very approximate reading but other methods such as a heart rate monitor will provide a much more clear and accurate picture.

Keep possession of the ball

A quality team will have the ability to hold possession for long periods of time. By keeping possession, it enables the team to:
- Control the pace and the way in which the game is played.
- Force the opposition to work harder and exploit the resulting weaknesses.
- Conserve their energy by allowing the ball to do the work and compelling the opposition to chase the ball in order to regain possession.

A team is unlikely to concede a goal if their opposition do not have possession. Unless of course, a ball across the goal face carelessly is misdirected, resulting in an own goal!

You won’t score if you don’t shoot

This continues from the previous point regarding possession. A successful soccer team will utilize possession of the ball to get as many shots on goal as they possibly can. More shots equal more goals, in general. It may be the case that some teams will have clinical finishers, therefore they won’t require so many opportunities but a successful team will have far more attempts at goal and create more chances.

Possession must involve penetration

A successful soccer team will use possession of the ball to penetrate their opposition. This is one of the main differences between a successful side and an average squad. The successful team will repeatedly attack, exposing their oppositions defence. Focus your team on attacking critical areas and this will result in more goals or at least produce opportunities for set play pieces such as corners, free kicks and throw ins, which your team should be comfortable with.

Use the flanks and the middle to attack

When a successful team has possession in front of goal, they move the ball quickly. This means more shots are attempted and as previously discussed, the more shots, the more likelihood of scoring. However, another feature of a successful team is the ability to attack down through the flanks if the more direct route centrally in front of goal is unavailable. A well weighted and accurate cross connecting with a striker in the box is a tough challenge for the oppositions defence.

Take full advantage of set pieces

In your team, is there an expert in playing the dead ball? A successful team will have players skilled at taking corners, free kicks and penalties. When playing these set pieces, the team will be well organized and each member will have a set role, such as shielding the goalkeeper’s vision, drawing out the defence or creating a dummy run.

All successful teams display the five key characteristics outlined above. If your team is not yet exhibiting these qualities, you can use effective coaching to develop your players and encourage them to think and play this way. Think about which areas to work on in training to encourage this growth and improvement.

As a coach who is leading and therefore responsible for young players, it’s critical for you to have a good understanding of how growth and development affects your players.

So what exactly do we mean when we talk about growth and development?

Growth is specific to increase in height, weight, and other physical changes. During puberty, growth occurs in the longer bones of the arms and legs, while the trunk of the body widens through the midriff, shoulders, and hips.

Certainly, you’re familiar with terms like gangly, lanky, and lacking coordination. These and other descriptions are often used in reference to younger teens. However, finding their feet (pardon the pun), shouldn’t take too long. The players just need some time to adjust to their new bodies.

How can you spot growth spurts? Take a look at these seven signals that indicate a player between the ages of twelve and sixteen is either experiencing or about to enter a growth spurt:

Arms and legs suddenly become disproportionately long.
The boys become more muscular.
As girls enter womanhood, their bodies get rounder due to a natural increase in body fat.
Because their bodies are out of sync, coordination becomes poor.
Note that girls’ height increases prior to weight gain, whereas with boys the reverse is true.
Acne will appear on some kids’ faces and other parts of their bodies.
Facial and body hair start to show up.

Eventually, puberty slows down. Males will reach full maturity at around eighteen to twenty years of age, while females reach full maturation between the ages of fifteen and seventeen. Their parents will play a large role in determining how fully a player matures, both through genetic contribution and through diet and exercise, and overall lifestyle.

Is playing soccer good for players in these age groups?

A coach must understand the development process and be able to identify both the advantages and disadvantages that puberty incurs on the players, the team, and the game. It’s especially important to know that not all players will go through these spurts at the same time, or at the same ages.

It’s beneficial to adapt your training program and use techniques and skills that are appropriate for the players. For example, if one player suddenly becomes a bit gangly and loses coordination, then practicing intricate footwork, close control dribbling, and tuning work might only frustrate that player and make soccer training suddenly seem a lot less appealing because it’s become more difficult.

However, you should also train players to their strengths. If they’ve become bigger and stronger, then you have a golden opportunity to work on challenging for the ball or longer range passing.

What adjustments can be made to training sessions?

Some coaches regard adolescence as an ideal time to engage in “proper training,” based on the belief that since players have recently acquired more adult-like bodes, they require longer periods of practice and fitness training. However, between the ages of thirteen and fifteen, rapidly developing bodies are changing, adapting, and undergoing severe structural changes. This causes the body to be especially vulnerable to stress, which is commonly experienced through training and playing.

Injuries common to kids in this age group are stress fractures and joint injuries. This is due to developing bones and joints that have been subjected to repeated strain and impact.

Here are a couple of pointers:

Always make sure you facilitate solid warm up sessions that include jogging as well as both static and dynamic stretches.
Keep the focus on technical aspects of training.
Avoid excessive demands on physical framework.
Don’t overdo fitness training.
Keep an eye on the players’ progress and development during their growth spurts.
Pay attention to any problems that may be associated with growth or overindulgence.

You should also be aware of the fact that during these types of growth phases, the lengthening of bones is usually greater than the lengthening of muscle, which puts the muscles under more strain. If that strain is ongoing, then damage can occur and osteochondritis may occur. Symptoms of osteochondritis include localized pain, tenderness, and swelling. These symptoms commonly occur just below the knee joint (Osgood-Schlatters disease) and at the base of the heel (Sever’s disease). When young players complain of any such symptoms, you should counsel them to seek medical advice immediately.

Do note that this is just a general overview. We are not medical experts and if you are concerned about the health or well being of any of your players, you should consult a medical professional.

Am I supposed to keep tabs on all the sports that all my players play?

You might encourage players to keep a sports, fitness, and exercise journal. This way, they can record their physical activities. You can review their journal entries to get an idea of how often they are engaging in activities that may cause physical strain. Check our templates section in the downloads area to find a sample sports and diet log.

The important thing is for you, the coach, to keep your players’ development in mind. They will need plenty of rest (the body needs time to repair and continue its growth). Make sure there is a proper off season when the players get a break from playing soccer. This is vital because it’s something that you have control over, so whatever you do, limit the number of summer tournaments that your players participate in.

By looking at your players’ growth from their perspective, you’ll be able to see what they need in order to master the game. When you address their key issues, you’ll be better equipped to motivate them so that they can learn and improve as soccer players. Try these techniques for coaching, and before you know it, you’ll be on a winning streak.
#1 You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make her drink

Some players just aren’t interested. If one of your players demonstrates general apathy toward their development and little to no interest in the game itself, your choices are to motivate her or cut her loose. Otherwise, there’s a good chance she’ll bring the overall skill level of your team down. Try talking to the player and find out why she’s on the team in the first place. Maybe she wants to play, but is distracted by something, or maybe a parent forced her to join a sport she wasn’t that passionate about. Try to motivate her if you can, but if you can’t garner some interest, it could be best for you and your team to cut an indifferent player loose.

#2 Is there a sparkle in training?

Eager players usually show enthusiasm for learning and developing their skill. Even below-average players will work hard to reach their best level of performance, and this means you have something to work with. But if a player lacks that enthusiasm, your best course is to explore why she’s participating in the first place. Watch out especially for players who look for ways to get out of practice or games. Often these complaints are expressions of physical discomforts – a stitch, a sore tooth, leg pain – if there’s a new problem at every session, talk to the player, and if necessary, a parent, and find out why she’s really there. Once you know whether there’s a true interest in the game, you’ll be better able to move forward, with or without the player.

#3 Tell me and  I’ll forget. Show me and I’ll remember. Involve me and I’ll understand!

Most people, and especially young people, learn best by seeing and doing, so it’s good practice for them to watch games either live or on television. When developing players see what happens on the pitch, and this comes with some guidance and explanation of how the game works, their understanding and comprehension of soccer will increase dramatically. If you take your players to live games, you can discuss the plays with them during or afterward. Watching recorded games allows you to pause and insert comments, elaborating on what the announcer is saying.

Observation will also help young players set standards, which can be good or bad. When they see senior or professional players diving, cheating, fouling, and using abusive language to remonstrate with officials, they could start bringing these types of actions into their own game play. Be sure you set behavioral expectations and let your players know that just because they heard cursing on the pitch in a professional game does not mean you’ll tolerate any such thing on your own team.

#4 Give players plenty of quality playing time

Since players learn by watching and then doing, one great method for training is having your players watch great players, and then letting them practice the same maneuvers on their own. It’s helpful for them to see what “good” looks like through effective demonstrations. Make sure all practice sessions include time for players with conditions to have ample opportunities to touch the ball.

#5 All knowledge is good, whether through positive or negative learning

Developing players need motivation to maintain training. Quality learning involves both positive and negative experiences. When players are encouraged and understand that learning is beneficial to their growth as a soccer player, they will stay motivated and continue to learn with enthusiasm. When players are equipped with deeper knowledge, they can make better informed decisions and assessments of game situations.

#6 Always progress drills and condition games in order to continually challenge players

One way to make sure your players don’t’ develop is through too much repetition. If training sessions, drills, and even games become rote, players will become bored and learning will come to a dead halt. Set milestones and targets for development, continually pushing players to expend more effort or achieve higher standards. By constantly challenging them, you can keep them interested and encourage them to prove themselves. Young players will always try to reach the next level of their development, as long as it’s within reach. So, you have to be careful that you don’t make the stretch between milestones so great that they become detached and hopeless.

#7 Be inspiring

Your best course of leadership is to lead by example, instilling within your players hope and belief – hope that they can win as a team, and belief that they can improve as individual players. Even the weakest players can achieve great things. For example, Roger Bannister ran a sub four minute mile, a feat that was previously established as impossible. Inspire your players to surpass limitations so they can become the best team possible.

When we were able to chat later, I told him what I’d observed. It seems that at the highest level of football, this is something you have to do, and he now does this instinctively. We talked about other things as well, but I wanted to let you know what I observed, why it is crucial for players to know what is happening on the pitch and how they can benefit from it. When players look and assess what is happening around them, they can:

• improve the speed of decision making
• make more effective use of the space they find
• support the rest of their team effectively
• make the opposition work harder by taking them out of their formation and creating more space
• make more use of the first touch to set up additional play
• be more alert as they look, assess and move
• have more options for using the ball, such as getting a touch, making an immediate pass, shielding, dribbling, running with the ball, shooting and so on
• avoid pressure with ease
• improve team communication and organisation.

This small change will make a big difference to football players. The next time you train, teach your players to be alert and look around, to check quickly before moving themselves to a better position relative to their team mates, opponents, and the play of the ball.

If you’re doing a level 3 or a licence at UEFA C or above, then here are a few other observations that might help you:

* when coaching and giving feedback to the player on the ball, ensure that you also affect the team mates
* make sure that all players are able to hear your coaching advice so that when you give them feedback they can add that to what they have learned from your coaching of other members of the team. This can really help them to learn/
* When you need to demonstrate your coaching skills, it’s a mistake to choose the best players. When players are already good and make the moves you want instinctively, then you don’t show off your skills in the practical.

The course included sessions where players got coaching on games they were playing in, and the quality of the players on the pitch was variable. I watch quite a lot of live and televised football, but the experience of watching Premiership players side by side with players who were about 25 years past their best was interesting.

One key thing that made it different was being able to see what distinguishes the current professionals from the rest. With players just ten yards away, the variations in the level of play were quite apparent.

Here’s an example. Most players were just looking at where the ball was and who had possession. In contrast, there was a Premiership captain and his approach was different. He kept looking in all directions to see what was happening around him and near the ball. This meant he had much more information to use when he approached the ball or gained possession.

We always tell players to look up and focus on what’s around them, but many of the younger players only do this when it looks like they might get the ball. When you saw the Premiership player, he was always creating mental pictures of the pitch and the overall situation regardless of where the ball was.

Some Thoughts On The UEFA A Licence Part 2

Don’t worry, all football teams experience this. Around the globe, football managers meet with players, talk about different playing styles and new approaches. They may even practice the new moves when training, but when the whistle blows, footballers who have the skill to carry out your wishes play the way they always do.

Luckily, there is a way to fix this by playing tactical games with the right conditions to practice the new moves. This helps your players become more experienced in using the new tactics. Once they’ve taken these in, they will be ingrained, and they will become another weapon they can use in a match.

If you want to improve your players’ passing, so that the ball moves quickly along the ground and stays in play using a range of combination plays. As a football manager, you may tell players to keep the ball on the ground, but the more you shout, the higher the ball goes and the further it goes down the pitch. It’s annoying. The late Brian Clough best captured this style of play when he said: ‘If God had meant football to be played in the air, he’d have put grass in the sky.”

Here’s how to fix this. In your training sessions, get footballers to keep passes below knee height. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are, players who gain possession should be trained to make passes below this height or on the grass. Some players may experience frustration at the start as this may feel like the wrong move, and one which would give possession of the ball to the opposing team. But if you want players to get it, impose this rule on the conditioning training session and crack down on players who infringe the rule.

Don’t over use this technique. Remember that sometimes a player has to pass above the knee to get the right clearance and avoid conceding a goal. However, forcing players to use your conditioning strategy will make them think about their style of play. When we train we use two touch football to encourage the players to move the ball fast. This makes players think about their position on the pitch, supporting their team mates, the conditions around them and where they will send the ball when they gain possession.

For example, in a practice session where six players were behind the ball, we got the midfielders to shoot from some distance by putting cones around the pitch. The rule was that once players approached the cones they had to shoot. We wanted players to attempt to get to the top corners by lifting the ball. So midfielders were working on their shots, strikers were building up strength in their bodies so that they could move defenders. The were also looking after any chances that occurred after the first shot.

There are a number of tactics you can practice in a training session. Here are some that we use often.

1. Speed up players’ reactions and see how accurate they are by using controlled passes of up to 30 feet.

2. Using long passes on the ground to help the players change their play and improve their large scale tactical planning.

3. Work on heading balls to bypass the defence, while strikers work on getting to the ball, improving pass timing, the trajectory of the ball and running when the ball is in the air.

4. Playing in a small space to improve tackling and the speed of passing

5. Set out a zone within which the team which has the ball must make several passes without losing the ball. This drill also works well with a goal. It helps with skill in making passes and movement.

6. Making passes with players’ weaker foot. This helps them to be able to use both feet.