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.

3 Line Shooting

Section C Dribbling - C5 Dribbling Circuit

Section C Dribbling - C2 4 Box Dribbling with 3 Teams of 4.mp4

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Soccer Training for Kids PART 3

Soccer training for kids part2

José Sambade - Fantastic Goalkeepers Training

Take a chance when defending corners

By David Clarke

It was during a match I was refereeing last season that I first came up with the idea of leaving defenders outside the penalty area when defending corners. One of the teams I was refereeing managed to give away a goal at every corner they faced in the first half and were 3-0 down at half time.

The problem was the coach called all of his players back into the penalty area to defend the corner. They were crowding out the opposition. To counter this, the attacking team played short at the corner creating space on the edge of the penalty area.

This made it easier to get direct shots over or through the crowd of players. The goalkeeper couldn't see the ball until very late and had little chance of saving it.

When teams find this is happening to them they need to change their tactics to limit the number of attackers in the box.

I was reminded of this because the same thing was happening to my team at the weekend. My striker was wandering back into the penalty area rather than staying outside ready to counter attack.

It made us very slow to get out and allowed the opposition to put as many attackers in our area as they wanted.

It doesn't just have to be one player you leave outside the penalty area. At half time I talked to them about leaving two or three players outside the penalty area which then makes the opposition think twice about putting a lot of players in attack.

It also gives you fantastic opportunities to counter attack.

However, it is a very attacking move to defend in this way so players must be aware of certain things:

• With fewer defenders, a team must identify the dangers posed by the attackers and counter them with close marking.
• The goalkeeper becomes much more important with space to come and claim the ball. Then the team can launch a quick counter attack to players outside the penalty area.
• The opposition may ignore your tactics and pack the penalty area giving it the advantage from the first ball in, but leaving itself badly exposed at the back.

Why this free kick results in a goal

By David Clarke

When a free kick is given just outside the penalty area, the opposition often spends time arranging its wall while your attackers do the same. But how often do your players stand around and argue about who will take it and then just kick it harmlessly to the opponent?

Teams can make excellent tactical use of the set-piece situation. Your attackers can get into their positions and put what you have practised on the training ground into action.

This means telling your players to practise their shooting technique around a wall and also as a group where different routines are carried out. If you do it enough times in training, your players will be able to do it in a match. And they love trying out different moves just like they see on the TV.

How it works

• In the diagram, the free kick taker passes the ball to his team mate, who has created space by moving off the defence.

• Your winger breaks off the wall and makes a run behind the defence. He receives the ball from the edge of the area.
• Tell your winger to cross low and hard into the six-yard area.
• Instruct players to run in to capitalise if the goalkeeper parries the ball into their path.

Learning to control height and pace of volleys By Tony Carr

Learning to control height and pace of volleys

By Tony Carr

This is one of things that if you get it right puts the frighteners on your opponents before the game has even kicked off. It is also a lot of fun for your players, seeing if they can put a few volleys together keeping the ball off the floor.

I don't expect you to create ball jugglers straight away! Volleying the ball is hard without expecting players to be able to volley to each other consistently so they can pass it around in the air. But they can practice and if they practice enough they will be able to keep the ball going long enough to get a real kick out of it.

The key to this is to get them to start off slowly just volleying and catching and eventually build up to seeing how long they can keep the ball in the air between them.

Your players will be able to experiment using different parts of their feet to see how it effects the height and pace of the volley.

• Around a 10 x 10 yard grid stand 4 players, the practice begins with the players passing the ball around the grid in the air by throwing up gently to serve themselves and pass with a volley.
• They should use a variety of volleying techniques, predominantly the inside of the foot and the laces of the boot.
  
• The ball is always played in the air.
• Players should start by staying in their positions, only moving to get misplaced passes, then they can advance to moving around the grid and varying the height and angle of the pass.

Development

1. Players now throw to a partner who volleys the ball for the next pass, the receiver catches and throws another serve; each player taking opportunities to serve and volley.
2. If the volley pass can be volleyed again or controlled with the chest or thigh and kept in the air before playnig another volley then there is no need to catch and throw.
3. Eventually see how long the players can keep the ball up in the air using only volleys.

Coach your players ice hockey style

By Michael Beale

Using different pitch set ups can help make your coaching easier. You can get the pitch to do the hard work while you watch and talk to your players about how they are performing.

In this case using an ice hockey set up - where the players can run behind the goal - changes the angles players are trying to use to score goals and changes the build up play because players will use the sides to get the ball around the back of the goal.

Set up a 30 x 20 yards pitch with two goals made from cones at either end about 5 yards in from the back line at each end. Use two goalkeepers because this is also a good work out to get your goalkeeper to have 'eyes in the back of their head' as they have to defend their goal from both sides.
The only rule other than normal is that the players can score from in front of or behind the goal.

Play for a set time of five or ten minutes each way depending on the age of your players and how tired they are.

Passing from the back to create space in midfield

By David Clarke

Giving your players the confidence to use a short ball from a goal kick will help their overall development as a player because it coaches them how to stay calm under pressure and how doing so will create space further up the field for midfielders to exploit.

By playing the ball along the back line the opposition attackers are immediately drawn forward away from the midfield. This will open up space that your midfielders or attackers can drop into to provide an outlet for the defenders to pass the ball.

One of the best ways to practice this is to coach it in match like situations so the defenders are under pressure. A 7-a-side game is ideal for this, it will give you sufficient players to make the defenders work hard passing and keeping the ball moving, and allow your midifielders to run into the resulting space.

Tell the attackers you want them to close the defenders down quickly forcing them to control and play the ball at match pace.

Because one of the keys to this move is player confidence, you can point out mistakes to the players involved but make it quite clear mistakes do not matter and are part of the learning process.

Mistakes to watch out for

Passing along the back line means players must get the right weight of pass and be accurate in the direction. Anything short or wayward could result in the opposition getting the ball and attacking the goal. When passing into the midfielder players must be alert and move to support the pass or again the opposition will be first to the ball and hit your team on the counter attack.

In the diagram you can see that in a normal set up the defenders will face one or two attackers who are drawn further up the pitch than normal from a goal kick. This means the midifielders will have more space to receive the ball. You can also see how predatory attackers will punish any poor passing.

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!

Playing 2v2 around the box

By Tony Carr

You get 2v2 situations all around the box. Players need to be able to attack and defend in this area. What you want to encourage in this situation is players being positive in attack and getting a shot in on goal. Defenders need to be patient and time their tackles well, both attackers and defenders should communicate with each other in their pairs.

Set up a pitch around 30 x 20 yards with two goals and two goalkeepers. You need three teams of two players. Put a pair of defenders in each half of the pitch and a pair of attackers starting on the half way line.

The attackers choose one end of the pitch and attack the goal 2v2. If they score a goal they are rewarded with a second attack at the opposite end. If the defenders win the ball, or if the attackers fail to score, roles are reversed – the attackers become defenders and the defenders attack the opposite goal in a 2v2 situation.

The practice continues in this manner.

Fast changes from defence to attack wins matches

By David Clarke

7-a-side youth soccer teams are the breeding ground for box-to-box players. Because the pitches are much smaller than full size ones it is easier to coach players how to pass and how to break down an attack and turn it to their advantage.

Use this game with players in coned off boxes to help change defence into attack through quick box-to-box play.

• Split your squad into groups of four or more depending on how many players you have.
• Put the squares next to the two goals like the diagram.
• Two of the players on each team must go into the corner squares next to the goal they are attacking.
• The players in the squares have to stay there, no one else is allowed in the boxes.
• When you play the game, the players in the box must touch the ball at least every three passes.
• Players in the squares cannot score goals, they are there to hold the ball and give attacking players options.

What you are looking for

• You want to see lots of passing and fast movement turning defence into attack quickly.
• Tell your players to constantly look up so they can pass quickly and get the ball to the players in the squares who can set up goal attempts.
• The object is passing in this game and not running with the ball.
  Go for quick changes.
• If you have three teams and play winner stays on it works well. The winning team can rotate players after every winning goal so the players in the squares can change frequently.

Key coaching points

• Tell your players to look for early balls into the square players, then follow the pass into the opposition box.
• Tell your players this game is about quick change from defence to attack so they must make a run into the box.

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.

Soccer Training Sessions-Guus Hiddink

1v1-by david clarke's

This soccer game uses 1v1 situations to coach the players to make the right decision to score points. Should they try to beat their partner for pace to earn one point or take them on and beat them for skill or strength to get three points?

Decision-making is an important part of any young soccer (football) player’s skills set. Decisions are always needed when a player has the ball, whether this is during a soccer drill or a match.

Often players are faced with situations where there is an easy route where their team keeps the ball - a simple pass or sideways movement into space to slowly build up play - or a more difficult route with more to gain - attempting to dribble past a defender for example.

By playing this game you can help your players to see the results of their decisions. Because they keep the ball when points are scored they could quickly build up points by going to one of the easy cones. Or, if they find they are a lot of points down with only a few minutes left, they must go for the harder cone to quickly score points.

All your players - defenders, midfielders, attackers - should take part in this game. It can be used for any age group.


Key soccer coaching tips for game

• Tell your attackers to keep the ball moving.
• They need to use moves and turns such as step overs, dragbacks and dummies to lose the defender.
• Tell them to take every opportunity to score points.
• The way to do it is to keep the ball close to their body.
• When a player scores a point, they return to the starting cone to score another point.
• They keep possession of the ball until it goes out of play or they lose the ball to the defender.

- See more at: http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-1410-63-Small-sided-games-1v1-soccer-game-to-develop-decision-making-skills#sthash.oqAziUpw.dpuf

This soccer game uses 1v1 situations to coach the players to make the right decision to score points. Should they try to beat their partner for pace to earn one point or take them on and beat them for skill or strength to get three points?

Decision-making is an important part of any young soccer (football) player’s skills set. Decisions are always needed when a player has the ball, whether this is during a soccer drill or a match.

Often players are faced with situations where there is an easy route where their team keeps the ball - a simple pass or sideways movement into space to slowly build up play - or a more difficult route with more to gain - attempting to dribble past a defender for example.

By playing this game you can help your players to see the results of their decisions. Because they keep the ball when points are scored they could quickly build up points by going to one of the easy cones. Or, if they find they are a lot of points down with only a few minutes left, they must go for the harder cone to quickly score points.

All your players - defenders, midfielders, attackers - should take part in this game. It can be used for any age group.


Key soccer coaching tips for game

• Tell your attackers to keep the ball moving.
• They need to use moves and turns such as step overs, dragbacks and dummies to lose the defender.
• Tell them to take every opportunity to score points.
• The way to do it is to keep the ball close to their body.
• When a player scores a point, they return to the starting cone to score another point.
• They keep possession of the ball until it goes out of play or they lose the ball to the defender.

- See more at: http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-1410-63-Small-sided-games-1v1-soccer-game-to-develop-decision-making-skills#sthash.oqAziUpw.dpuf

This soccer game uses 1v1 situations to coach the players to make the right decision to score points. Should they try to beat their partner for pace to earn one point or take them on and beat them for skill or strength to get three points?

Decision-making is an important part of any young soccer (football) player’s skills set. Decisions are always needed when a player has the ball, whether this is during a soccer drill or a match.

Often players are faced with situations where there is an easy route where their team keeps the ball - a simple pass or sideways movement into space to slowly build up play - or a more difficult route with more to gain - attempting to dribble past a defender for example.

By playing this game you can help your players to see the results of their decisions. Because they keep the ball when points are scored they could quickly build up points by going to one of the easy cones. Or, if they find they are a lot of points down with only a few minutes left, they must go for the harder cone to quickly score points.

All your players - defenders, midfielders, attackers - should take part in this game. It can be used for any age group.


Key soccer coaching tips for game

• Tell your attackers to keep the ball moving.
• They need to use moves and turns such as step overs, dragbacks and dummies to lose the defender.
• Tell them to take every opportunity to score points.
• The way to do it is to keep the ball close to their body.
• When a player scores a point, they return to the starting cone to score another point.
• They keep possession of the ball until it goes out of play or they lose the ball to the defender.

- See more at: http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-1410-63-Small-sided-games-1v1-soccer-game-to-develop-decision-making-skills#sthash.oqAziUpw.dpuf

This soccer game uses 1v1 situations to coach the players to make the right decision to score points. Should they try to beat their partner for pace to earn one point or take them on and beat them for skill or strength to get three points?

Decision-making is an important part of any young soccer (football) player’s skills set. Decisions are always needed when a player has the ball, whether this is during a soccer drill or a match.

Often players are faced with situations where there is an easy route where their team keeps the ball - a simple pass or sideways movement into space to slowly build up play - or a more difficult route with more to gain - attempting to dribble past a defender for example.

By playing this game you can help your players to see the results of their decisions. Because they keep the ball when points are scored they could quickly build up points by going to one of the easy cones. Or, if they find they are a lot of points down with only a few minutes left, they must go for the harder cone to quickly score points.

All your players - defenders, midfielders, attackers - should take part in this game. It can be used for any age group.


Key soccer coaching tips for game

• Tell your attackers to keep the ball moving.
• They need to use moves and turns such as step overs, dragbacks and dummies to lose the defender.
• Tell them to take every opportunity to score points.
• The way to do it is to keep the ball close to their body.
• When a player scores a point, they return to the starting cone to score another point.
• They keep possession of the ball until it goes out of play or they lose the ball to the defender.

- See more at: http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-1410-63-Small-sided-games-1v1-soccer-game-to-develop-decision-making-skills#sthash.oqAziUpw.dpuf

This soccer game uses 1v1 situations to coach the players to make the right decision to score points. Should they try to beat their partner for pace to earn one point or take them on and beat them for skill or strength to get three points?

Decision-making is an important part of any young soccer (football) player’s skills set. Decisions are always needed when a player has the ball, whether this is during a soccer drill or a match.

Often players are faced with situations where there is an easy route where their team keeps the ball - a simple pass or sideways movement into space to slowly build up play - or a more difficult route with more to gain - attempting to dribble past a defender for example.

By playing this game you can help your players to see the results of their decisions. Because they keep the ball when points are scored they could quickly build up points by going to one of the easy cones. Or, if they find they are a lot of points down with only a few minutes left, they must go for the harder cone to quickly score points.

All your players - defenders, midfielders, attackers - should take part in this game. It can be used for any age group.


Key soccer coaching tips for game

• Tell your attackers to keep the ball moving.
• They need to use moves and turns such as step overs, dragbacks and dummies to lose the defender.
• Tell them to take every opportunity to score points.
• The way to do it is to keep the ball close to their body.
• When a player scores a point, they return to the starting cone to score another point.
• They keep possession of the ball until it goes out of play or they lose the ball to the defender.

- See more at: http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-1410-63-Small-sided-games-1v1-soccer-game-to-develop-decision-making-skills#sthash.oqAziUpw.dpuf

This soccer game uses 1v1 situations to coach the players to make the right decision to score points. Should they try to beat their partner for pace to earn one point or take them on and beat them for skill or strength to get three points?

Decision-making is an important part of any young soccer (football) player’s skills set. Decisions are always needed when a player has the ball, whether this is during a soccer drill or a match.

Often players are faced with situations where there is an easy route where their team keeps the ball - a simple pass or sideways movement into space to slowly build up play - or a more difficult route with more to gain - attempting to dribble past a defender for example.

By playing this game you can help your players to see the results of their decisions. Because they keep the ball when points are scored they could quickly build up points by going to one of the easy cones. Or, if they find they are a lot of points down with only a few minutes left, they must go for the harder cone to quickly score points.

All your players - defenders, midfielders, attackers - should take part in this game. It can be used for any age group.


Key soccer coaching tips for game

• Tell your attackers to keep the ball moving.
• They need to use moves and turns such as step overs, dragbacks and dummies to lose the defender.
• Tell them to take every opportunity to score points.
• The way to do it is to keep the ball close to their body.
• When a player scores a point, they return to the starting cone to score another point.
• They keep possession of the ball until it goes out of play or they lose the ball to the defender.

- See more at: http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-1410-63-Small-sided-games-1v1-soccer-game-to-develop-decision-making-skills#sthash.oqAziUpw.dpuf

ey soccer coaching tips for game

• Tell your attackers to keep the ball moving.
• They need to use moves and turns such as step overs, dragbacks and dummies to lose the defender.
• Tell them to take every opportunity to score points.

- See more at: http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-1410-63-Small-sided-games-1v1-soccer-game-to-develop-decision-making-skills#sthash.oqAziUpw.dpuf

This soccer game uses 1v1 situations to coach the players to make the right decision to score points. Should they try to beat their partner for pace to earn one point or take them on and beat them for skill or strength to get three points?

Decision-making is an important part of any young soccer (football) player’s skills set. Decisions are always needed when a player has the ball, whether this is during a soccer drill or a match.

Often players are faced with situations where there is an easy route where their team keeps the ball - a simple pass or sideways movement into space to slowly build up play - or a more difficult route with more to gain - attempting to dribble past a defender for example.

By playing this game you can help your players to see the results of their decisions. Because they keep the ball when points are scored they could quickly build up points by going to one of the easy cones. Or, if they find they are a lot of points down with only a few minutes left, they must go for the harder cone to quickly score points.

All your players - defenders, midfielders, attackers - should take part in this game. It can be used for any age group.


Key soccer coaching tips for game

• Tell your attackers to keep the ball moving.
• They need to use moves and turns such as step overs, dragbacks and dummies to lose the defender.
• Tell them to take every opportunity to score points.
• The way to do it is to keep the ball close to their body.
• When a player scores a point, they return to the starting cone to score another point.
• They keep possession of the ball until it goes out of play or they lose the ball to the defender.

- See more at: http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-1410-63-Small-sided-games-1v1-soccer-game-to-develop-decision-making-skills#sthash.oqAziUpw.dpuf

Headstart

By David Clarke

Winning the ball in the air is one of the key skills for any defender. This simple exercise can teach your players the basics of heading.

WHY USE IT

It could be the last minute of a match and your team needs to prevent a goal from being scored. But without being able to head the ball, your players are more likely to concede than score. Heading is a crucial part of defending so get the basics right.

SET UP

Split your players into groups of three with one ball per group.

HOW TO PLAY

This is a simple throw, head and catch game but players have to move from one side of the pitch to the other without the ball bouncing. Players must head in sequence so that the same player is not heading the ball every time. Get the teams of three to race each other but they are not allowed to run.

TECHNIQUE

Players have to head the ball at a target, which helps them to focus on heading in the right direction. Moving together in competition with the other teams adds pressure, making it more realistic to heading in matches and give different distances to head the ball.

Speed agility

By Michael Beale

This is a great warm-up, which will have your players moving in all directions so they are ready when you play matches.

How to play it

• Split your players into four groups of two.
• The first player in each group starts in the middle square, as pictured above.
• On your whistle, the players turn and run through the cones, making sure both feet touch the ground between each cone, before receiving a serve from their team mate.
• The players must perform a pass, volley or header when they get to the pole to complete the task.
• The serving player then runs into the middle square and the practice is repeated

Use both feet when warming up

By David Clarke

Before the match kicks off, I get my players to pair up and pass the ball to each other. I want to see them passing the ball with each foot.

It isn’t something that comes naturally to most young players, but if you warm them up so they are using both feet, the chances are that when called on in the match to clear the ball or score a goal with their weaker foot they'll do it.

Ball control: One of the keys to winning matches

By David Clarke

Simple passing, one-twos, calling out numbers or names, turning to receive and pass are actions taken by players in every single match. If you can get your players to be efficient in the art of simple ball control you are on your way to having a successful team.

You can use this set up with all your age groups - you just need to get them doing it a faster speeds to make it harder for the older ages. You will quickly find the level of your players and you can make them speed up once they have got the hang of it.

Using the set up in the diagram, mark out a square around 15 yards x 15 yards vary it depending on the age of the players.

In this game player 1 passes to the centre player and calls the name of one of the remaining players. The centre player must control and pass to the player nominated by the passer - he shouts the name before passing. In this case number 3

Player 3 controls and plays the ball back into the centre player, nominating a next player to pass to. The central player controls, turns and passes to the nominated player (4) who in turn controls and passes back to the centre.

Play for a set time and rotate so that each player has a turn as the centre player.

Tell your players to vary angle of the pass to the receiver so that he has to use both feet, and at different heights so he uses different parts of the body. Get your passers to use different angles so the players concentrate on controlling the ball and putting both the ball and themselves into a position where they can make the pass.

Key coaching tips:

• Vary speed, height and angle of pass;
• Vary space between players to increase difficulty;
• Try restricting the player in the middle to use his weaker foot for controlling and passing.

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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.

Tap-ins need practice too…By David Clarke

It’s funny, when you’re watching a match and a goal is scored, how often do you hear someone say: “that was just a tap-in – I could have scored that”. But it’s important not to forget that it was the movement in the build up to the goal and the decision to stay with the attack that often creates simple tap-ins.
Talk to Lionel Messi about tap-ins. He scored a record-breaking 91 goals in 2012 and he would be the first to tell you that simple tap-ins count for just as much as his spectacular drives and dribbles. If the player wasn’t there to put the ball in the net, the team wouldn’t score.
Tap-ins or rebounds are like the last putt in golf – they’re just as important as a huge drive down the fairway.
A big part of a striker’s job is being in the right place at the right time, following up shots in order to put rebounds into the back of the net. In a youth game spectacular goals are a rarity but rebounds are plentiful. Young players can learn a lot from watching Messi – not just from his sublime skills but he also regularly demonstrates how important it is to be in the right place at the right time. You can always count on him to pop up and tap the ball into the net after it has been parried by a keeper. A good striker will always anticipate a rebound or be in the right place to finish off a move.
I like my strikers to follow any shots on goal, however feeble they are, because young keepers often push the ball away rather than risk catching it, giving predatory attackers a second chance to score. Supporting strikers should never stop running, as they may be the ones that get the rebound coming their way.
Having the ability to finish off moves is vital to the development of young footballers. A confident bunch of players makes for a much better team and increases the opportunities of success. There is nothing more disheartening for the whole team when chances are not taken. And it takes practice to get it right. Look at any of the top finishers in the world and behind their success you will find hours and hours of practice, both in training sessions and on their own.

You need your players to practice as often as possible, using sessions that will help them perfect their finishing technique. Otherwise you’ll end up standing on the touchline on match day with your head in your hands.

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.