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Learn • Train • Develop • Enjoy

SOCCER COACHW

EEKLYTOUCHLINE TALES SIZE OF PLAYING AREA MATTERS

August 26 2015Issue 435

$6.99/£4.99

< VARIABLE SQUAD NUMBERS

BUILD IN MIDFIELD <

3-2-1 VERSUS 2-3-1 <

CHIP IT FORWARD <

TRAINING

PROBLEMS

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SHARP PRE-SEASON

L ast season I borrowed my wife’s car to go to training but it wasn’t until I got there

that I realised all the cones I use to mark out the training areas were in the back of my own car.

This posed a huge problem because I had planned to do an exercise based on fast passing under pressure. I had to improvise by using half the pitch. The problem was it proved too big – players were not under any pressure to pass or to beat a player, and after embarking on a few long runs, they were visibly tiring.

So I switched to using the penalty area and discovered a dramatic change – the session was much more focused, the decisions were quicker and the play was faster and more precise.

The session went well but only because the much smaller size of the penalty area made the coaching point easier to pick out. This was a realistic size for what I wanted and it put players under realistic pressure – it made the session much better for developing their fast passing composure.

Making the area you are coaching

Importance of Playing Areaw

Learn • Train • Develop • Enjoy

SOCCER COACH

WEEKLY

TOUCHLINE TALES SIZE OF PLAYING AREA MATTERS

August 26 2015Issue 435

$6.99/£4.99

< VARIABLE SQUAD NUMBERS

BUILD IN MIDFIELD <

3-2-1 VERSUS 2-3-1 <

CHIP IT FORWARD <

TRAINING

PROBLEMS

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRE-SEASON TRAINING MANUAL

GET YOUR GOALKEEPER

SHARP PRE-SEASON

Soccer Coach Weekly is published by Green Star Media Ltd, Meadow View, Tannery Lane, Bramley, Guildford GU5 0AB, UK.

Soccer Coach Weekly Issue 435

Contents

SoccerCoachWeekly.net� Issue�435 SOCCER COACH WEEKLY 2

“I switched to using the penalty area and discovered a dramatic change”

To subscribe to Soccer Coach Weekly call Duncan Heard on +44 (0)1483 892894 or subscribe online here

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3 variable training numberS How do you cope when not enough players turn up for your sessions?

4 poker faCe First team to get 21 passes wins – but they dont have to be consecutive

5 Chip it forWard Creating space so players have time to use a skill like the chip

6 3-2-1 v 2-3-1 Players learn formation play

7 SCore in Shoot-outS How to practice penalties

8 keeper in pre-SeaSon With England U19 coach Simon Smith

In this issue...

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Head CoachDavid Clarke david.clarke@coach-soccer.com

Illustrations Mike Ronald

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use areas of the pitch relevant to the coaching point

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FOR FREE

the right size sounds simple, doesn’t it? But is it that easy? Think of the playing areas you use – squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, grids, zones. The area is often given the least thought, but it’s the thing that can offer the most development.

Normally I have lots of cones with me and will change the size because it can quickly make the session easier or more difficult. I know the sizes I put in the sessions I create for Soccer Coach Weekly work for the vast majority of age groups, but they are not set in stone.

By playing around with the size of the area, you can either push players more or make it much easier for them to achieve success in the session. But don’t assume large pitches are a bad thing. Often coaches fear that by using a large pitch they will wear their team out, but it gives the players more time and space to make the right choices.

This helps them achieve their ultimate goal for the session.

Playing on smaller pitches puts more pressure on players, and while they may have more touches of the ball, it will be increasingly difficult for them to dribble with it and retain possession individually and as a team. It is something to think about when you are taking sessions, to make sure you are giving your players that extra push.

• Fitness • Skills • Training plans

All you need to make your pre-season a success

FOR THE NEW SEASONSHARPEN UP

SOCCER COACH WEEKLY 3SoccerCoachWeekly.net� Issue�435

There�are�often�times�when�fewer�players�turn�up�to�your�training�sessions�than�you�expect�and�that�can�leave�you�struggling�with�the�exercises�you�have�prepared.

Variable Training Numbers

TEAM PROBLEMS

I always make sure I have a session up my sleeve to use with a small number of players. This has happened to me recently

with the holiday season meaning some of the players were away or at sleepovers or the parents were having a BBQ and couldn’t get their child to training.

It’s not just in the holiday season, all sorts of things happen during the year. The problems arise when you have organised your sessions for a full squad of players and the numbers that have turned up don’t fit in with your plans. 

One night I only had six players turn up. Now one thing I will always do is make sure the ones that are at training have a good session, so they don’t suffer from the other players’ absence. I split the teams up and run some 3v3 small-sided games. The players appreciate the focus and you are able to work much more on their individual skills.

It’s a great time for taking players to one side and pointing out areas of their game that they can improve on. One of my players was getting caught on the wrong side of the opposition attackers when we were defending corners. I pointed this out to him during one of our 3v3 games. I told him I wanted him to raise his arm every time he got on the right side of the defender so that he was thinking about his position in front of goal when he was defending.

He soon got the hang of where he should be because he was using his soccer brain to think rather than just wander aimlessly around the penalty area. Having fewer players than you expect at training can be a bonus! 

It also allows me the opportunity to evaluate the development of players physically, tactically and in terms of ability levels, without the usual distractions of a full squad.

So, in the sessions that follow there are activities to help you do this, including one or more goalkeepers. It incorporates directional play, high intensity movements, tracking, tactical awareness, runs off the team shape and finishing.

To show the versatility of the session, I ran this during the school holidays with 12 players - eight from my team and four players who wanted to join the team, and it worked perfectly. You can run the sessions consecutively or use them on different weeks.

In the sessions I’m looking for quick, positive, sharp and instinctive link-up play throughout this session, with players building a clear understanding of positions - both their own and opponents’. Movement and the creation of space are essential, particularly in the final game with players being asked to be creative and expressive whilst still respecting the rigidity of their formations.

Paul Pogba ready to go 3v1 against his Juventus team-mates

25yds

25yds

15yds

15yds

...5......4...

...6...

...7......8...

1...

...2...

...3...

Great way to encourage passing and winning the ball back when a team has lost it. First to 21 passes – they do not have to be made consecutively so the quicker a team wins it back the more likely they are to win

SoccerCoachWeekly.net Issue 435 SOCCER COACH WEEKLY 4

VARIABLE SQUAD NUMBERS

Player movement Ball movement Run with ball Shot

Poker Face

1 Here the team in possession cleverly put together 6 passes

in their bid to get to 21 first.

WHY USE ITThis is a great game that can get players to pass quickly and become like terriers to win the ball back when they have lost it. Very good for match day realism.

SET UPYou need balls, bibs and cones in a 25 x 25 yard area. We used 12 players – but also show how you can use less players.

HOW TO PLAYThis game can be used as a warm up for the other two sessions that follow or as a standalone possession game. Multi-touch, teams play to retain possession and accumulate passes. If possession is turned over or the ball goes out of play, the other team begins. The winning team is the one that reaches 21 passes first – importantly these do not have to be made consecutively.

TECHNIQUE> First touch, passing and moving plus good pressing technique to force mistakes and win the ball back.

By D

avid

Cla

rke

2 The defending team presses hard to try and win the ball

– here they manage to stop their opponents charge to 21 and open their passing account

3 When the teams win the ball back they continue

their passing numbers from where they left off – here the team starts on 7

4 Again the team out of possession must try

to stop the passing team before they get to 215 This shows the same

session with less players in a smaller area

38yds

44yds

5x5yds

10yds 15yds

5x5yds

Creating space to use a technique like chipping the ball means that players must be able to pass and move to support each other and must be able to execute a good chip

SoccerCoachWeekly.net Issue 435 SOCCER COACH WEEKLY 5

VARIABLE SQUAD NUMBERS

Player movement Ball movement Run with ball Shot

Chip It Forward

1 The keeper begins the move with a pass into his team

mates moving out from goal to attack the opposition 7v6

WHY USE ITIn this 6v6 players have to play out from the back to create space to get the ball into the hands of the goalkeeper showing a different way to attack the goal.

SET UPYou need balls, bibs and cones in a 44 x 38 yard area – basically two penalty boxes put end to end – with a 5 x 5 yard box at both ends. We used 14 players but also show how you can use less players.

HOW TO PLAYSplit your players into two teams of 7. This is 6v6 plus keepers who play outfield for the attacking team and in the 5x5-yard box for the defending team making it 7 attackers v 6 defenders. This game is three-touch, but with no corners, and the keepers start with goal kicks. The object is for players to chip the ball into the hands of the opposition keeper. A team doing this from their defensive half scores one point, but if they can do it when in the opposition half, the reward is two points.

TECHNIQUE> Players need a good first touch, accurate passing and clever movement plus good pressing technique to force mistakes and add chipping the ball into the hands of the opposition goalkeeper.

By D

avid

Cla

rke

2 Good link play creates space

to chip the ball from the player’s own half into the goalkeeper’s hands to score 1 point

3 This time from the ball played out from the

goalkeeper the players penetrate their opponents half to create space for a chip to the goalkeeper

4 Because the ball has been chipped from the

opposition half the points are doubled

5 Here the same session is played with less players

in a smaller area

34yds

52yds

2-2-0

1-2-1

This is a very match relevant game which gives teams the chance to understand how different formations highlight different skills and different ways to attack

SoccerCoachWeekly.net Issue 435 SOCCER COACH WEEKLY 6

4 The right-sided red winger needs to track back

VARIABLE SQUAD NUMBERS

Player movement Ball movement Run with ball Shot

3-2-1 v 2-3-11 Whites, playing 3-2-1, can use

their numerical advantage at the back to build

WHY USE ITIn this 6v6 players use different formations to the best of their advantage with the skills learned in the previous sessions.

SET UPYou need balls, bibs, cones and goals in a 52 x 34 yard area. We used 12 players but also show how you can use less players.

HOW TO PLAYPlay another 6v6. Shape is important here – one team plays in a 3-2-1 formation and the other in a 2-3-1 formation. There are no offsides, unless players are obviously ‘goalhanging’. The game is three-touch, and the rules are the same as a normal game, though all movement and recovery is based on team shape. Teams must swap formations after eight minutes and at the end of the session ask them what they thought was good/bad or hard/easy about the different formations.

TECHNIQUE> Look for players using the different formations for fast link up play plus movement of players off the ball is vital to the success of the session.

By D

avid

Cla

rke

7 Defenders must work to deny space as the

centre-forward and winger attack

3 They overload in central midfield

to good effect

2 An overlapping full-back run causes danger,

with the exposed two red defenders slow to react

5 Reds, attacking with a 2-3-1 formation,

use the width their midfield offers them

8 The same session played in a smaller area with

less players

6 The winger beats his man in a 1v1

Use this knockout scoring game to improve the ability of your young players to score from the spot and cope with the pressure of a penalty shoot-out

Score In Shoot-outs

WHY USE ITIn this knockout game the penalty becomes just another aspect of scoring goals. The pressure is on the individual but there are three different shots to ensure that the pressure on young shoulders is not as great as it could be.

SET UPYou need a goal, a goalkeeper, two servers and plenty of balls for this session. You also need a number of players to make it a worthwhile competition.

HOW TO PLAYEach player has three goes to get through to the next round of the competition: a penalty, a turn and shoot technique, and a header. The first shot is the penalty – then the player must run to touch the goalpost before returning to a ball played in by a server and turning and shooting with one touch. He must then follow that shot in to place a header in the net. Start by saying players must score with one of the chances, then after round one make it two – and as players are knocked out, make it all three chances.

TECHNIQUEThere are three ways of scoring but because the player has to concentrate on what follows the penalty, the pressure is much less on the actual kick. Players should show good technique and a fearless attitude that they can carry with them into a penalty shoot-out.

SoccerCoachWeekly.net Issue 435 SOCCER COACH WEEKLY 7

1 Players must use good technique with the

penalty to start off their three chances

3 After taking the penalty, the player

must run to the post and touch it before turning to run back

5 After taking the second shot, the

player must direct a simple header at the goal to try to catch the keeper out

WIN PENALTY SHOOT-OUTS

Player movement Ball movement Run with ball Shot

4 The server times a pass into the penalty

area for the returning player to run on to and shoot on the turn

2 The goalkeeper cannot move off his line for the penalty

and must stay in the six-yard box for the other two chances

SoccerCoachWeekly.net� Issue�435 SOCCER COACH WEEKLY 8

Simon Smith is the England Under 19 goalkeeping coach. He also runs the Simon Smith Goalkeeping Academy in Vancouver, Canada

Interview: A

ndy Greeves

Get Your Goalkeeper Sharp In Pre-Season

England�Under�19�goalkeeping�coach�Simon�Smith�offers�advice�on�how�to�re-establish�your�keeper’s�sharpness�during�pre-season�training

6WaYS To

01 KeeP TraInInG ShorTThere is not the need for your goalkeepers to do the kind of long-distance running that your outfield players might have to do during pre-season. You should always keep your training exercises for goalkeepers short and sharp – repetition is the key for keepers getting their reactions back to their best. Running exercises that are over 60 metres in distance simply aren’t required for them.

04 GeT TheM To USe FeeTThe modern keeper needs to be increasingly good at controlling the ball with their chest, head and feet especially. A good way to improve this during pre-season training is to get them to join in with outfield players when they practise passing. They can also join in with sprinting exercises, to prepare for the amount of time in a match they are required to run to collect and clear the ball.

05 FITneSS MaTTerSModern goalkeepers are increasingly fit and agile and at a pro club will do gym work on average for three or four times a week during pre-season. Certainly you could look to have your goalkeepers working on their upper body strength in the gym, and as they are increasingly brought into the game with their feet now, short sprints and runs around cones are good for balance and endurance.

06 FacTor In WeaTherDuring pre-season, you might want to train your goalkeepers at cooler times of the day, rather than in scorching sun. If it’s extremely hot, reduce the number of repetitions and also get them training with a cap on. This is also useful practice if they ever require a cap in a game. It’s also good to train on a wet pitch if possible, to prepare for all conditions the season will have in store for them.

02 Ball TIMe on DaY oneOutfield players might train for a few weeks without a football during pre-season, but that’s a no-no for your goalkeepers. You should have them training with the ball from day one of pre-season, as for a goalkeeper, that’s the most effective way of getting ready for the new season. You are looking to increase alertness and familiarity with the football throughout pre-season.

03 WorK on KeY areaSThere are obvious areas you should be working on with your keepers in pre-season: their footwork, handling, diving and jumping. Direct shots into the keepers’ reach will help them improve their handling. You or your strikers could place ball into the corners of the goals to perfect their dive, while sending high crosses into the penalty area and six-yard box are great for jumping and footwork.

PRE-SEASON FOR KEEPERS