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.