YOUTH TRAINING
AGES UNDER 15
Strikers – coping
with tight marking
by Dick Bate, England U15 National Head Coach and FA Staff Coach
Exceptionally talented 'strikers' are expected to score at the rate of at least one goal for
every two games played, and the likes of Batistuta, Cole and Ronaldo do just that. The
demands of the modern game require forwards to involve themselves in all phases of a
team’s attacking play, not just goal-scoring, and those responsibilities include:
Scoring goals.
Be 'assist' players by providing the final
passes for a goal-scoring team-mate.
Be able to 'link' the play by receiving and
holding the ball, where appropriate, before
distributing it accurately to team-mates.
Move opponents from good defending positions to allow team-mates to benefit from the
openings created.
Young strikers should
learn early on how to
work in tight spaces.
'Fixing' defenders or attracting defenders attention and positions to the advantage of
team-mates .
Being the first defensive problem for opponents.
Knowing how to function within 30 yards of
goal is a key element in any forward's play. By
“functioning” I refer to the individual tactical
movements and skills that enable forwards to
increase their own and others goal-scoring
possibilities.
As well as goal-scoring skills, a striker should
be efficient in most of the following when playing in and around the penalty box:
Receiving and protecting the ball under
pressure from a touch-tight marker.
Turning with the ball.
Escaping from tight marking.
Exploiting a touch-tight marker by
the use of feints and turns on receiving
and in possession of the ball.
Running intelligently and often
quickly over short distances to receive
passes with the body between the ball
and the opponent.
Combining with other team-mates
in possession (especially fellow strikers)
of the ball to produce goal-scoring opportunities.
Knowing where and when to stand
still to hold a position.
PHOTO: FIRO
The following practices may be of use in
helping players to solve the game's problems. Young forwards need frequent, repetitive, “customised” and intelligently created
practice situations in which player and coach
can together work towards personal solutions
for the progress of the player.
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The art of “protecting” the ball can be introduced by utilising the following simple practice situations .
SUCCESS IN SOCCER 5/99
AGES UNDER 15
1
YOUTH TRAINING
PROTECTING THE BALL
SEQUENCE
SETUP
10 yards by 10 yards
grid. One pair of players
per grid.
10 yards
B
A
1. A (the forward) has possession of the ball and
has 20 seconds to retain possession against the tight
marking defender B before changing places.
A should develop the ability to distance the ball from
B by turning sideways to the defender, keeping the ball
on the outside of the foot furthest from the
defender and manoeuvering the ball as appropriate to
the moves made by the defending player – the skill
known as “screening the ball”.
10 yards
2
RECEIVING, PROTECTING AND TURNING WITH THE BALL
C
SETUP
20 yards
20 yards by 10 yards
grid with cones.
A
B
SEQUENCE
Forward A is marked by defender B some 15 yards
from server C.
A moves to receive a service from C before
controlling, protecting the ball, turning and passing to C
behind the end line.
Should A not be able to escape from or defeat the tight
marking of B then he may pass the ball back to C, who enters the playing area in possession and now A and C play a
2v1 situation against B to move the ball to C behind the
end line.
C
10 yards
FOCUS ON:
Within this simple practice, and the service should be
varied in speed, height and direction, the coach can work
with the player on:
Losing his marker before C passes the ball, by changing direction and speed before moving to receive the pass.
Moving at an 'angle' to receive from C.
5/99 SUCCESS IN SOCCER
Seeing where the defender is positioned and moving
as the ball is received.
Screening the ball if necessary.
Turning against the defenders movement, i.e. if both
players are moving to the right with the defender closely
behind the attacker with one touch, quickly move the ball
and turn to the left.
Screening the ball and using 'tricks' to escape from
the tight marking in order to pass to C .
Turning on receiving the ball.
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YOUTH TRAINING
RECEIVING, PROTECTING,TURNING AND COMBINATION PLAY
20 yards square.
Each team consists of
four players: two inside
and two outside the grid.
SEQUENCE
A1
SETUP
B1
20 yards
3
AGES UNDER 15
B4
A3
A2
B3
B2
The practice is a 2v2 game inside a 20 yards square
with the team in possession playing from end to end to
their own target players. Here, A1 passes into A2 or A3
who are closely marked by B2 and B3. They work individually or in combination to create a situation where a pass
can be played to A4. On achieving that, A4 will return the
ball back to A3 and A2 who attempts to pass it to A1.
Should B's gain possession then they are tightly marked by
A's and play to pass to B1 and B4 alternatively.
A4
20 yards
FOCUS ON:
In the practice, coach and player can work together to improve understanding and the ability to:
Lose 'tight' markers.
Turn.
Screen.
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Combine the play with a team-mate.
Combination Play would involve:
– Wall-passes
– Take-overs
– Overlaps
– Diagonal runs
All skills involved in playing in and around the penalty box
when closely marked.
VARIATION:
After a period of play (possibly two minutes only) the
pairs could change with the outsiders as this work is
physically, as well as mentally and tactically, demanding.
SUCCESS IN SOCCER 5/99
AGES UNDER 15
4
YOUTH TRAINING
ALL TIGHT-MARKING SKILLS
SEQUENCE
SETUP
In an area 50 yards
long and 40 yards wide,
four pairs of players play
a man-for-man game
against each other.
Each team has a goalkeeper and free playing
sweeper.
Each sweeper has a maximum three touches in
possession play.
The role of the sweeper is to initiate attacks from a
goalkeeper’s throw out and to support and “feed“ the
players ahead of him as well as a normal defending role.
The 'pairs' play strict and tight man-marking against
each other. Consequently, when the team is in possession, players must work to create space and lose markers, screen the ball, turn, dribble in 1v1 situations and
combine with other team-mates to beat opponents.
FOCUS ON:
This practice enables the player to work on all aspects of play when tightly marked.
Combination play would include the wall-passes,
take-overs, overlaps and any other combined movements that cause defenders a problem. Running and
movement of the ball is also a feature, as is the
knowledge of when to 'hold' your opponent away
from action areas which are to your teams advantage.
5/99 SUCCESS IN SOCCER
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