Continuous defending with four goals

By Michael Beale

Shooting games are great to coach players defensive tactics - especially when the defender must win the ball to create a chance to shoot.

Individual defensive strategies mean players have to deal with a lot of 1v1s, which are crucial in matches. This game provides your defenders with a range of opponents to test themselves against.

Key factors in 1v1 defending:

• Pressure the opponent quickly.
• Keep focused on the ball.
• Force the attackers wide or backwards.
• Can the ball be won?

This is a great game because it is fast and your defenders are facing different situations in a short space of time.

How to set it up

Use a 40-yard square with a five-yard square in the centre marked out by four cones. Have four target goals, one on each side of the playing area, and lots of balls.

How to play it

1. One player starts in the centre while the other four players start in front of the goals. The player in the centre collects a ball and attacks a goal of his choice.
2. If the player scores, he races to retrieve a new ball to attack the next goal in an anticlockwise direction.
3. However, if the defender stops the attacker scoring, the roles are reversed and the defender runs out to retrieve a ball and attacks the goal opposite. Without defending well, your players do not get the chance to attack and score.

MINESWEEPER 1v1

Minesweeper

By Tony Carr

The role of a sweeper is given to a player that plays behind the line of defenders. It is that player's duty to cover the space behind the defence and in front of the keeper, and sweep across to remove the danger of the opponent's attacks.

This is how you can develop the use of a "minesweeper" in your team.

The sweeper has a great view of the action because he is behind his team mates. The sweeper has to communicate with his team mates to organise them.

He must be on the move continuously and take up a position in relation to the ball that enables him to cover his defenders should an attacker pass or make his way behind the defence.

The sweeper is not only used as a defender. He can also be used to begin attacks. In this case, his role is to see which team mates are available from his deep position and feed the ball to help build up attacks.

How to set it up

Use an area 30 yards long by 40 yards wide.

How to play it

Set up a small-sided game in which each team defends and attacks two mini goals. In front of the mini goals is an end zone. Each team has a sweeper inside its defensive zone.

The aim is to score in your opponent's mini goals. The sweeper must stay inside the end zone and communicate with his team mates to give defensive advice. In addition, the sweeper must continuously be on the move in order to block the goals so that the opponents cannot score.

How to develop it

Set up the pitch as in the middle picture by dividing the area into three equal zones. In the area with the big goal, the defending team uses a "minesweeper" - a defender who controls the area to take out any threats.

In the opposite area, the remaining three defenders try to win the ball and score in the mini goals.

The opposing team has four attackers who try to release a player past the three defenders and into the minesweeper's area to begin a 1v1 attack and score a goal. You work as a server and stand between the two mini goals so you can pass to the four attackers.

To progress, play a small-sided game as shown in the bottom picture.

Footspeed is vital to goalkeepers

By Tony Carr

Getting your goalkeeper to practice his footspeed is vital to their ability to get in position to block shots. Goalkeepers that are quick off the mark will save your team time after time if they can get it right. Mistakes by goalkeepers are the ones that get punished the most - there is often no chance of righting the wrong.

One of the mistakes that goalkeepers often make is to stand rooted to the spot when faced by advancing attackers. In this exercise you can get your goalkeepers used to moving around and anticipating where the ball will go.

When you are coaching this look out for good positions the goalkeeper gets in to using quick, reaction footwork. Point them out and praise your goalkeeper, they need encouragement so they do it more often.

This coaching session gives them a good work out and should make the goalkeeper work hard. Depending on the amount of space you have and the age of your players you should give your goalkeeper more time to start with so the shooting players should be further away then move them closer as the session continues.

Do not continually point out how poor their position or handling of the ball is. Use more positive instructions like "not a bad move but it would be even better if you used your feet more or were quicker" rather than "that's wrong do this" - they will soon get fed up of the criticism and lose confidence.

Arrange the set up as the diagram shows, using three attackers to fire in shots. Make three goals, red, white and blue using cones. When you call out a colour the goalkeeper runs through the white goal to the red or blue goal, depending on the colour you have shouted out. The player opposite those goals can only shoot once the goalkeeper has gone through the white goal.

If you shout "WHITE" the player can shoot straight away and the goalkeeper must try to get to the goal before it goes in.

Award a point for each goal or save and see if the goalkeeper can beat the attackers. You can also add in some one on ones so the player runs at the goalkeeper rather than just shoots.

You will need a couple of helpers behind this exercise because there will be a lot of balls to retrieve!

Attacking the standing leg

By David Clarke

When you are coaching young players you need to continually advance their coaching sessions so they develop as a player. One way to do this is teach them techniques, and show them how to make their game better.

What you are doing with this coaching session is to show your team how to look at the player they are attacking and make a decision about where to run at them to take advantage of having possession of the ball.

Some of your players will pick the idea up straight away, some won't, but if you keep practising this session, eventually all of your players will understand how to beat a player. Then, as they get older, they will use this knowledge to advance the way they play.

Watching a player run at and beat the opposition is great for coaches.

I want to see my players take the initiative and run with the ball.

You will often hear the parents of your players shouting "get rid of it" or "pass the ball" but they soon shut up when they see your players regularly going past opponents and setting up goal scoring chances.

What to tell your players to look out for

Tell your players they have to watch which leg the opponent is using and where his balance is to take advantage of the situation.

Tacklers often jump straight in and make it easy to go around them but the clever ones wait and jockey until they can make the tackle.

How to do it

• The defender starts out with balanced footing.
  
• When the defender makes their move towards the player running with the ball, his balance will be on one side or the other - usually leaning towards the direction of the attacker's run.
• So you tell your attacker to change direction to the opposite side of the defender to upset his balance as he tries to make a tackle.

Get your players to disguise their moves

This session from West Ham Utd Academy Director Tony Carr will show you how to help your players develop the ability to show a disguise when in attacking positions. It's a great session for all ages and abilities.

What you want to see from your players is changes of pace, creative moves and showing disguises - with body, eyes and feet.

What you get your players to do

• The defender passes a ball to the attacker and runs to defend.
• The attacker must try to beat the defender and score in one of the goals.
• You can use two normal goals with goalkeepers, or use two small target goals instead of a normal goal.

How would I put this into a game situation?

Play a normal game. Games will naturally create opportunities for players to be creative and show skill. You may want to keep the idea of two goals for each team to attack. Make sure that your players are quick and sharp.

They must make quick decisions and act on them – if they take their time, opportunities will be lost. If they take too long, blow your whistle and tell them they’ve missed their chance.

What makes a good goalkeeper? By David Clarke

Edwin Van der Sar’s record of clean sheets for Manchester United got me thinking about what makes a good goalkeeper.
A lot of people have been saying Van der Sar is not a brilliant goalkeeper he just has a brilliant defence in front of him. Where are all his shot stopping exploits?
It’s always a misguided view that a good goalkeeper is just about making good saves. What a good goalkeeper also does is control his area and make give his defenders confidence in their relationship on the pitch with him. A good goalkeeper is always in the right place for his defenders and they learn to rely on that.
Van der Sar doesn’t appear to make great saves because his control of the penalty areas is second to none. His distribution and reading of situations means he is more likely to get the ball first time so it is not coming back at him from close range.
Any loose balls are quickly dealt with and his organisation of the players around him gives the defence a better chance of clearing the ball.
In many ways he is a good manager of his position as well as being a gifted player.
When you are coaching your goalkeepers this is what you should think about along with teaching him to dive.

Watch this video of goalkeeper training in Spain with Athletic Bilbao. You can pick up some good ideas to use with your goalkeeper during training sessions.

Quick shooting keeps your goalkeeper on his toes

By David Clarke

Unfortunately, goalkeepers sometimes have to stand around for whole matches with very little to do. But, even if they are feeling underworked they have got to put the effort in during your training sessions so they are ready for that one important save they may need to make during a match.

Of course, there are games where the goalkeeper is constantly having to save his team, and that is when all the hard work you put in during the season pays off.

I like this exercise because it's easy to set up so you can use it to warm-up the goalkeeper before matches or before your coaching sessions. It also helps your strikers practice low shots.

You can vary the width of the goal by moving the cones. Start with a relatively small goal and move the cones further apart at intervals.

The first player takes a shot at the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper tries to save, immediately gets up and turns around ready for the other player to shoot.

Setting this one up is easy. Use a small area with two cones for goal posts. You can vary the width of the goal to test shooters and goalkeeper. You need lots of balls and someone to retrieve the wayward ones! Pick two good attackers and your goalkeeper.

Make it more difficult for your goalkeeper by making him stand next to a post before each shot, or add a player to follow shots in and put pressure on keeper.

Key coaching tips:

• Tell your attackers to shoot often and shoot quickly so that they really make the keeper work hard.
• Get them to shoot hard and low near the goalkeeper’s body and into the corners to force him to adapt.
• Tell your goalkeeper to be on his toes.

Goalkeepers at war 1v1-Tony Carr's

Goalkeepers at war 1v1

This is another good, fun way to get your goalkeeper to practice making shots and to help him with goalkicks. It's a fast 1v1 where each goalkeeper can score using various techniques - throw, kick, drop-kick. As soon as they save they shoot back.

It's all about the ability to get behind the ball and to move across goal as each player tries to score. Encourage your goalkeepers to use both feet and to try different techniques for shooting.

You need two goals, two goalkeepers, plenty of balls. Start with a distance around 15 yards between the two goals and work from there. You can make it harder or easier depending on the size and age of your players.

Goalkeepers start in their own goal. The aim of this game is for each goalkeeper to score more goals than their opponent. Encourage your goalkeepers to serve the ball as quickly as they can - do not let them wait for the other goalkeeper to get ready (they have to be ready at all times just like in a game situation).

Development

Making the area used smaller makes reaction time shorter. Also, you can add a free central player (this can be the coach). This player can set up the goalkeepers for a free shot and also slightly obstruct the view of the saving goalkeeper.

Football Tennis-footy4kids

Football Tennis

Objective: This is an ideal way to improve first touch and juggling skills!

Age group: U8s and upwards.

Set up: Create a square 'tennis court' for every four to six players.

If you don't have a net, use a line of traffic cones or a couple of poles balanced on kit bags.

Divide your players into teams of two or three.

How to play: One player bounces the ball then serves it across the net with a half volley or side-foot lob.

• The receiving team must play it back across the net.
• Players can use their feet, chest or head to control the ball before passing it back across the net.
• The younger the player, the more touches they are allowed to set up the return.
• Players should be encouraged to pass to their team mates before returning the ball.

Tip: Don't be too prescriptive. The aim is to for your players to get into line quickly and keep the ball moving with lots of good touches. It doesn't matter how they do it.

• Keep score as in a tennis match: 15-0, 30-15, etc.
• Play for a set time or until a certain number of games have been won.

Attacking volleys at different heights

By David Clarke

A few months ago, Fulham's Pajtim Kasami struck an amazing volley against Crystal Palace in the English Premier League.

The Swiss midfielder hit the ball just inside the penalty area after first chesting the ball in mid flight. It was astonishing and I went straight out to the training ground and got my players to try striking a volley first time.

When an attacker is running into the penalty area, they can receive passes from corners or crosses at different heights. These might demand a first-time volley at goal.

If players wait for the ball to come down to be controlled, it gives defenders time to cover and block the shot. However, a first-time volley will be more likely to surprise the goalkeeper and defenders, giving them little time to stop it.

In this exercise, you throw a ball in the air for the attacker to run on to and volley when the ball is between waist and knee height (you can vary the height to make it easier (lower) or more difficult (higher)).

You can see four different areas to throw the ball towards in the diagram above, but you can use more or fewer. When players first start, a simple throw at an easy height is best.

The attacker has to either:

• Take a touch then strike at goal.
• Volley the ball first time.

What you are looking for

You should vary the angle of your throw so the ball is arriving from the left or right. This means your attacker must move quickly from their position before gaining control and finishing with a shot.

You need to make your players aware of their own position in relation to the goal and where the goalkeeper is standing.

Key coaching points

• Players must look up to see the position of the goalkeeper.
• They must watch the moving ball closely.
• Their head must be over the ball to keep the volley down.
• They must be alert to any rebounds off the goalkeeper.

Cut out the pass

By David Clarke

One of the things the modern greats like Xavi, Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane have is the ability to receive a ball under the pressure of onrushing opponents – it seems to me they don't need any space at all to control the ball and keep it away from an opponent.

Of course, you and I are coaching young players who can easily be put off by a player running towards them – they need a lot of space to control the ball.

Defenders must close down opponents quickly so they reach the player at the same time they receive the ball. With no time to get it under control, it will be much easier for the defender to step in and win it.

How to play

• Using the penalty area, mark out an area the same size opposite with a 10-yard "no man's land" between the areas.
• Play 5v5 with a goalkeeper, two defenders and two attackers on each team.
• Put two attackers from one team and two defenders from the other in each half.
• Players must stay in the area they start in.
• Toss a coin for kick-off, play starts with the goalkeeper.
• Restarts are with the goalkeeper if the ball goes over the end lines, there are no corners. Take throw-ins as usual.
• Play is continuous – when a team wins the ball, it looks to pass and attack the goal.
• Attackers must create space for the defenders to pass to.
• Defenders must try and win the ball from the attackers.

How to advance it

• The passing player can follow the ball into the attacking half.

• Widen "no man's land" to 20 yards to make passing and timing of runs harder – do this by moving the orange/outer area back 10 yards but keep the areas the same size.
• By making "no man's land" wider, you make the pass longer giving the defenders more time to see the ball and close the attackers down.
• It also means that it will be harder to make the pass accurate because the player will need to think about power.

Tweedaagse coerver coaching bij FC dender

Defend and attack, from front to back

By Michael Beale

This is a brilliant attack v defence game that keeps players on their toes. Not only must they work together to fashion chances or protect their goal, but the rotation of players on and off the pitch means play stays fresh and committed.

Team mates have the chance to work with playing partners who would usually operate in different areas of the pitch, and because this is, in essence, a 7v7 game, the competitive element should ensure players give their maximum right to the last.

How to set it up:

• Create a playing area that measures 40x30 yards.
  
• You'll need four cones and two goals, with a goalkeeper in each.
• Players are divided into two teams.
  
• Place two cones on each touchline. Each cone should be 10 yards in from the corner of the area.
• Four players from each team - two on each cone - begin on the touchline, ready to enter play.
• Each team selects a forward who is always on the pitch.

The rules:

• One player from each cone enters play and heads to the half the grey player is attacking, therefore providing a 3v2 overload situation.
• Once the attack is completed - whether or not it ends in a goal - the two greys who entered, now leave the playing area.
• The two white defenders start a counter attack towards the opposite goal.
• Now this team can combine with their forward for a 3v2 situation against two new grey defenders.
• Each time the defenders break out to counter attack, two new players must take up their positions.
• Play for 15 minutes.

Volleying to score By Tony Carr

Volleying to score

By Tony Carr

There are some skills that your players need to make them better players. One of these is the ability to volley the ball when it is bouncing or from a flighted pass.

This is a great skill in front of goal when a well-directed volley will be hard to defend against, especially in youth matches.

This session is all about shooting and scoring goals with volleys and helps you coach your players to develop the technique for doing so. One of the main benefits is being able to hit a volley hard and straight.

What players must think about

• Look up to see where the goalkeeper is.
• Head steady, eyes on the ball.
• Let the ball fall as low as possible.
• Head and knee over the ball to keep the volley down.
• Lock the ankle, point the toes down, use the laces.
• Strike the middle to bottom half of ball but not underneath.
• Hit through the vertical mid-line keeping the leg straight.
• Use the arms for balance.
• Follow through.

How to set it up

You need a goal and a cone about 20 yards from the goalmouth (vary the distance depending on age and ability) and a lot of balls and ball boys if you have any available!

How to play it

Players line up behind a cone and take turns to throw the ball in the air towards the goal, let it bounce then volley the ball into the net.

How to develop it

• Introduce a goalkeeper.
• Have players throw the ball then volley before it bounces.
  
• Add servers to play the ball from the left and right. Servers should throw the ball to the one who will volley it rather than kick it to him.

Put it into a game situation

• Play 4v4 in an area 30 yards by 20 yards.
• No goalkeepers.
• Players move the ball by throwing it to each other and each player must take no more than four steps before releasing it. The opposition can intercept the ball or win it if the team in possession drops the ball.
• Goals can only be scored on the volley.
• Award two points for a goal and one for an attempt on goal.
• Add goalkeepers to make it harder.

Overlap movement to score By Michael Beale

Overlap movement to score

By Michael Beale

This is a great session to encourage combinational play in matches.

If you can get your players to use the movement in this overlap drill they should have no trouble pulling any opposition defence apart. Timing the overlap is vital to the success of the drill.

You need to use half a pitch with five cones, a goal, a goalkeeper and six outfield players.

How to play it

• To start, the first player dribbles and passes to the central player. The central player then passes out to the wide player and makes an overlapping run.
• The wide player now dribbles inside and makes a reverse pass to the overlapping player.
• The overlapping player crosses the ball in for the wide player to shoot at goal.

Rotation

• The first player becomes the new central player.
• The central player takes the place of the wide player.
• The wide player rests and waits for their next turn as the starting player.

3v3 to coach support play-By David Clarke

In this 3v3 game, you can get players to learn about providing support and being in the right position to cover when the ball is lost.
Support play
In a 3v3 situation, one of the most important jobs is to support the player on the ball. There should be forward support to provide an attacking outlet and rear support to give a defensive outlet.
A pass back to the player covering the defensive area of the team can be an attacking move because it can open up space on the other side of the pitch.

Support players need to think about:

• The angle of support
• The distance of support

Getting this right means the supporting player:

• Has a full range of forward vision.
• Can receive the ball comfortably.
• Has space to pass the ball to a team mate.
• Can move forward into space in front of them.

How to set it up
In this game, rear support comes from the goalkeeper who must move out of his goal when the team is attacking. When the team is in possession of the ball none of the three players are allowed in their defensive end zone.
Goalkeepers have to support from the rear and be ready to get back if the team lose the ball. So the attacking team always has an empty end zone so the defending team can quickly attack if it wins the ball.
The attacking team therefore has a 3v2 advantage in the middle of the pitch. The defending team can have players in any zone, but when it wins the ball and attacks, all players including the goalkeeper must move out of the defensive end zone.

Striker

By David Clarke

This session will put a stop to wasted chances up front. It allows your players to experiment with their technique and get used to hitting the target with a snapshot or when finishing off a move.

SET UP

Use the penalty area of the pitch you play on or recreate it with cones. The session uses nine players plus a keeper. You need lots of balls, bibs, cones and a goal. You need to start each sequence with the first pass from off the pitch.

HOW TO PLAY

Split your group into three even lines A, B and C and start with your pass to A. Run the drill as described and the players should work at a quick pace, speeding up as the session progresses. Keep a count of the number of shots they take in 30 seconds and try to beat it each time.

TECHNIQUE

Players should use their arms for balance and plant the standing leg next to or slightly behind the ball, striking it just below the centre. Coaches should look for players to use different parts of their foot (or their forehead with shot four) and make the correct runs with good delivery of passes.

How to defend the long ball

By David Clarke

Terry Call, coach of U12s girls' side Yellowstone Fire, from Cody, Wyoming, USA, wrote to me recently to ask how his team could combat long-ball opponents.

The simplest way of dealing with long-ball teams is to make sure players press high up the pitch, particularly if you have fast attackers.

By pressing like this, the opposition has to go backwards or is forced to make long passes from deep in their own half. And the chances are these won't even make it past midfield.

A useful by-product of pressing like this is the creation of attacking situations that speedy forwards can exploit. This session replicates the scenario that Coach Call and his players face.

How to play it

• Set up as shown in the picture above - we're playing 4v4 plus a keeper.
• All four defenders start inside the 15x10 yards area.
• Attackers are comprised of a server who stands behind the halfway line, two players in the centre circle and a winger.
• The ball is passed by the server into the square. As soon as this happens, the centre circle players run into the box to press the defenders.
  
• Attackers have to prevent defenders from making four consecutive passes.
  
• If attackers successfully turn over possession, they sprint into the penalty area where the winger crosses for them to have an effort on goal.
• However, if defenders manage to complete four passes, they can attempt a long ball back to the server. If it reaches him, they score a point.

Technique and tactics

• The threat of long balls means attackers must close down the defenders quickly. The session rewards this by offering them a goalscoring opportunity of their own.
• Defenders must move the ball quickly and accurately if they are to evade the attention of their markers, something the overload gives them a good chance of doing.
• Progress the game by allowing one defender to track the attackers should they turn over possession and attack the goal.

Counter attack like Roberto Mancini

By David Clarke

Roberto Mancini's players are good at exploiting counter attacks but one problem an attacking team has is: Can they make the most of having the ball in so much space?

Not every team has a David Silva or Sergio Aguero in their team. Players need to practise this from both the attacking and the defending point of view so that they know how to react it happens in matches.

I use this exercise, which I first saw being used by Manchester City under manager Roberto Mancini. It is a really good workout for your players and gives all the players involved a realistic idea of what they have to do when the opposition breaks away with the ball.

When you play it, your players can hit long balls or fast, one-touch football and combination play to get the ball up the pitch. Just make sure your attacker is ready.

The player left up the pitch needs to be strong and fast to get to the ball first and hold it up. Using the exercise in the picture, you can replicate a counter attack by holding the forwards and defenders in two boxes before releasing them.

The attackers are racing away with the ball while the defenders are forced to make recovery runs.

How to play it

• Set up an area 30 yards long by 20 yards wide, with two eight-yard boxes marked with cones at one end and a goal at the other.
• Put two teams of three players in each box. One is the attacking support and one is the defending support.
• You need a striker and a defender near the goal, and a goalkeeper in the goal.
• On your call the attacking team passes long to the striker. Attackers can move once the ball has been passed.
• On your next call the defenders run to help defend.
• Depending on how long you leave it between calls will make it harder or easier for the attacking team.
• You can also change the numbers in the two boxes to favour attack or defence.
• Swap the lone players regularly and swap attackers with defenders after five attacks.

Look up to spot the colour -passing

Look up to spot the colour

By Kevin McGreskin, UEFA B licence-qualified coach who specialises in vision and awareness training for soccer with ViSTA, the visual skills training academy.

This session is aimed at developing a player's visual awareness by making them look up and know what their team mates are doing around them. In the session, players have to carry out a specific action in response to a visual cue which forces them to look before they pass or receive a pass.

How it works

In the picture above. Player 2 must only use three touches in the centre – one to control the ball, one to move it and one to pass.

Encourage players to call out the colour of the visual cue during the exercise. This is an important secondary task that increases the challenge for the players and gets them used to talking during play.

How to play it

• You need three players, two balls and six markers.
• Player 2 stands between two markers (one black, one white) approximately three yards apart.
• Players 1 and 3 each have one black and one white marker.
• Player 1 passes to player 2.
• Player 2 must look around to "spot" the visual cue, held up by player 3.
• Player 2 must then shift the ball around the same coloured marker as the visual cue.
• Player 2 follows the ball and makes a return pass to player 1.
• Player 2 turns and repeats with player 3. This time, player 1 will hold up the visual cue.

How to progress it

• Continue as above but player 2 must now "spot" a second visual cue, held up by player 3 in the picture, and call out the colour before making the return pass.

• Rotate players after they have had two turns.

Key coaching tips

• Make sure players look over their shoulder before receiving a pass.
• Players need a good touch to shift the ball out of their feet and beyond the cone.
• Ensure players look up and correctly identify the second visual cue before making the return pass.