Tools, Tips & Techniques
17 October 2007 issue 25
Under 4s - Under 16s
Traditional line up with players in a 2-2-2 formation
Change your tactics
to play better soccer
Changing tactics is something every coach has to consider when he can’t find a winning combination. Young
players need to begin their soccer careers with a sound understanding that tactics matter, says David Clarke
Copy the greats - try a tactical change
In the top leagues in England 4-4-2 is the main tactic most teams
use all the time. Only three teams, Manchester Utd, Chelsea and
Arsenal consistently change their formations depending on who
they are playing. In Italy tactics using different formations are
taught from under 7s right through to senior level. It’s something
you should be doing as a coach of young soccer players,
changing tactics by changing the shape your team plays.
Change your tactics with different formations
Experiment with your tactics using a 2-3-1 formation
Go from 2-2-2 to 2-3-1 or 3-2-1
When you first start your matches at under 7, most coaches will
play 2-2-2, and the players will get used to the format and play
to it. However if you change your formations to 2-3-1 or 3-2-1
you will give your players an insight into how tactics can
alter the outcome of matches. 2-2-2 is a strong formation, but
what else does it offer? Your opponents will probably play 2-2-2
so you will often cancel each other out. But play 2-3-1 and
you’ve already changed the look of the game. Get your midfielders to overlap on the wings and you’ve spread the game,
the defending side is overwhelmed in midfield and then in
defence as your midfielders drag the game to the wings.
Your one forward will have all the space in the world to run into
and pick up the crosses the defenders miss. Or even 3-2-1
when you want your defenders to run the game and stop fast
forwards picking you off.
Key coaching tip: Experiment with tactical
formations and experiment with your players
in different positions
You can see where I am coming from. A change of tactics can put
the va-va-voom back into your team.
“I’m thankful that I cover a sport where people can
speak their mind and are encouraged to think critically
and analytically” Gabrielle Marcotti, Soccer Journalist,
refuting the idea that rugby referees are best
Tactics are extremely important in sport. Just look at the
Rugby World Cup where kicking has been the main tactic
since Argentina and Juan Martín Hernández bombarded
France in the opening match in Paris.
England nearly lost to France because their kicking tactic
wasn’t working so they changed it. In soccer, tactics are
always being debated. Should we go 4-4-2? should we
change? I say change as often as you can - everyone learns
from a different system. In junior soccer I hate to see teams
just bashing the ball over the top of defenders and charging
up the pitch. You don’t need to do it if your players change
their formations and pass. See you next week...
David Clarke
Email: [email protected]
Workshop
weekly
Under 8s - Under 16s
The perfect
nutmeg...
Five simple rules for young goalkeepers
Brave hearts
In the first of a series of five simple rules for
goalkeepers, John Carragher focuses on how
goalkeepers have to put their bodies on the line.
Going through the defender with a nutmeg
move alleviates the problem of trying to go
around the defender.
Goalkeepers’ Rule No. 1
BE BRAVE
Don't go around, go through the defender
Force defender to
step up and open legs
BE DOMINANT
STAY AWAKE
AT ALL TIMES
knock ball between
defender's legs
Some things for you to think about:
Act like you’re big and mean
step around defender
and move on
THE TRICK IS TO GET THE DEFENDER OFF-BALANCE.
1 Control the ball before the defender gets within two
strides of you. Determine which foot the defender has his
weight on. Defenders are taught not to stand flat-footed, with
their planted foot slightly ahead of their other foot.
2
Push the ball to the outside of the defender’s planted
foot. Keep contact with the ball as you push it no more than 6 to
12 inches.
3 Allow the defender to shift his weight to his back foot
while moving his front foot to block you.
4 Redirect the ball toward the spot where the defender’s
front foot was previously.
5 Tap the ball between the defender’s legs. Step around the
defender and you’ve opened up a number of possibilities.
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1 Most young goalkeepers will not be over six foot
and weigh over 13 stone. But they need to act as
if they are.
2 Goalkeeping is one of the hardest and harshest
jobs on the pitch.
3 They need good hands and good feet – and a
sense of humour, to deal with the knocks, both
real and imagined, they are going to get.
Some things to say to your players
l “Goalkeeping is about putting your body on the line.
The goal line”
l“That takes bravery. Sometimes you risk looking
foolish. Every goalkeeper makes mistakes”
l“But goalkeepers are special. And part of your special
skills is the ability to dominate, on the ground, or in
the air, every inch of that 18 yard area”
l“The core of that dominance is that you never switch-off”
l“Stay alert at all times. Especially for that long-range
shot from outside the box with just two minutes to go…”
17 October 2007
Tactics
weekly
Under 4s - Under 16s
Serve up some soccer
tennis to coach skills
Soccer tennis is excellent for developing juggling skills and first-touch for your young players - and the big
bonus is that it’s great fun to play as well. I even join in myself sometimes, writes David Clarke
First touch control of soccer balls
Develop touch & control with soccer tennis
We all know how important it is to be able to quickly control
bouncing balls during a game. Soccer tennis is the best
way to get your players to practice quality touches with a ball.
Without even trying, they will learn to receive chest balls, thigh
controls, instep volleys and head touches. Soon they will be
sliding sideways to get in front of the pass instead of flicking a
loose leg at it.
Body parts become tennis rackets
Tell your players it is the same as tennis but their heads, feet,
thighs and chests are the rackets. You can keep score like tennis
games with “love-15-30-deuce” etc... or just play up to any
number. Your younger players will struggle with control at first,
but if you give players a chance to rescue a point with toe lifts
or a skill to flick the ball up it helps keep things going. Make up
your own version. The key is keeping points going with lots of
quality touches.
the ground. Young teams can take 3 or 4 bounces but the older
ones are allowed only 1 or 2. Coaches are only allowed one!
5 Keeping the ball in the air by juggling is encouraged. It
doesn’t count against the player and they can manoeuvre the
ball close to the net for a better shot.
5 Players can pass to each other. Tell them to chip a deep
shot up to their team mate who then can try to put it away. It
can be lots of fun while they use their skills with keepy uppys,
soft touches, volleys and half-volleys.
Setting up to play soccer tennis
1 Create a net out of cones, or use a couple of five-a-side
goals side-by-side Then cone off a small sized area to fit the
number of players and the net.
2 Divide up teams. You can play 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, or even 4v4
on a large court. You can play odd numbers like 2v3, etc.
3 One player serves from deep in their court across the net
to the other team. Tell your players not to try to win the point
on the serve, but just get the point started. Bounce the ball and
then half-volley it across for the serve. Your player can also
throw the ball in the air and head it over to get things started.
4 The opposing player controls the serve. Tell your players
to get their bodies in front of the ball and use their thighs, chest
or head to make contact. Then you start counting bounces on
Key coaching tip: Soccer tennis is easiest to
learn on a hard surface, where the bounces
will be true and higher. Later, you can play
it on the field which will require a little
more juggling ability
MLS playoff scenario - can Beckham make it?
games to raise their points total to 30, must beat Toronto
FC and New York over the next few days. Chicago also must
beat D.C. United to get to 39 points, all but guaranteeing its
playoff spot. This sets up a massive end-of-season finale
between Chicago and Los Angeles ... and a Galaxy victory
would send both teams into the playoffs on 39 points.
With two play-off spots up for grabs in the USA’s MLS, and
the season in its final two weeks, there are five teams still
in the mix. And surprisingly enough the dream is still on
for David Beckham’s LA Galaxy and Chicago to reach the
playoffs. Here’s how: The Galaxy, having won their last four
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17 October 2007
Match-day planner
weekly
Players
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Subs
Match Day Tips:
Whether players arrive on
time or late, greet each one
personally by name on their
first match day, and every
match day and training
session that follows.
Notes
Soccer Coach is published by Newsletter Publishing Ltd, Alexandra House, 1-5 Alexandra Terrace, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3DA United Kingdom Email [email protected] Telephone
+44(0)1483 307307 Editor David Clarke Publisher Dwyer Scullion Managing Director Andrew Griffiths Marketing Operations Manager Steve Nicholls Customer Service
Representative Duncan Heard © Newsletter Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
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17 October 2007