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This game epitomises what soccer coaching is all about - good fun, great for encouraging skills in attack and defence, how to use angles, weight and distances and a challenge to beat your opponent. It goes back to the days of playing soccer in the street, when there is just you and your mate and you play each other against a wall.

It's a great game to teach your players so they can do it at home or in the playground with their friends. It will help them develop their kicking skills so when they turn up for your next training session you will see a big improvement.

How to play it

·         Pair your players into twos and put two cones in front of a wall which mark the area the players must hit.

·         Each player has three lives.

·         The first player kicks the ball into the goal so that it rebounds out.

·         The second player must play the ball back into the goal before it stops and then the first player does the same.

·         A life is lost when one misses the goal, lets the ball stop, cannot play it first time or gets hit by his own rebound.

• They play until one of the players has lost their three lives.

You can expand or change the game by adding a second touch, or telling players they must use both feet or a different part of the same foot on each kick. The smaller the goal or wall the harder it is to play it.

What technique should your players use?

Let your players experiment with how they kick the ball. At first it is important they just get the ball back - especially in the younger age groups. You are looking for them to react to the position of the ball and the position of their opponent. Don’t worry if they just kick with the end of their feet at first. Pick them up on it later.

Key coaching points

·         Each player must be aware of the position of the opponent.

·         Tell your players to gently pass the ball if their opponent is far back so that they have to run hard in order to get to the ball before it stops rolling.

·         If their opponent is close to the goal they should slam it hard and make them chase back.

Tell them to read the angle that the ball will come out of the goal and get in position early.

Learning to control height and pace of volleys

This is one of things that if you get 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 practise and if they practise 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 practise 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 in the air before volleying, without losing quality then there is no need to catch and throw.

Eventually see how long the players can keep the ball up in the air using only headers and volleys.

Passing from the back to create space in midfield

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

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!

Get your midfielders to link defence with attack

The midfield is the engine room of your team, it makes everything else tick. What you hope to see from them is linking your defenders to your attackers, so that when the defence clears the ball into midfield it is moved quickly on to the attackers to fire at the goal.

 

Watching the best teams around the world you will see they all have good midfielders who can get the ball from the defence and be creative with it for the attackers. The Messis and Kakas of this world are more than just link players but they also have to be able to play that role, to hold onto the ball and get a pass to the attackers to keep the move going.

 

I use this exercise which is a small-sided game with no goals in an area around 40 yards x 20 yards. You need two teams of four players, and two floating players who are the midfielders.

 

It is essentially a possession game but once you have played it you can add two small goals to give extra focus to the session.

 

The main point of the session is that the two midfield players are on the side of the team in possession. They need to string a series of six passes together to score a point. Play is normal except the team in possession must pass to one or other of the midfielders every third pass.

 

What you want to see is movement from the players, the team in possession playing the ball quickly between each other and the midfielders. You also want to see the defending team making it difficult for the midfielders to get the ball by tight marking - the defenders should soon realise that by blocking the ball to the midfielders you stop the opposition scoring points.

 

Advance it using the small goals so the midfield players are looking to make passes that create goal scoring opportunities rather than just keep possession.

 

You can also advance it by making it one or two touch passing.

Quick one-twos can take defenders out of the game

It can be frustrating for you and your team when one player, who may be very good at dribbling, will not take the opportunity to pass past a player with a quick one-two and keeps losing the ball to a strong defender.

 

You need to coach your players so they have options when they are running with the ball. It's team work when players can use each other to beat the opposition.

 

When you are coaching dribbling to your players you can add in this exercise. Rather than dribble through poles or cones you can get your players to dribble through real defenders, as they would in matches. Then show them how to pass past the same players.

 

Set it up like this:

 

·         Split your training pitch into three zones around 5 yards x 10 yards each, and have two attackers/passers in the first zone. Put defenders in zone 2.

 

·         One of your attackers dribbles to the second zone where he must play a quick one-two with his supporting team-mate to beat the defender.

 

·         The supporting player passes the ball back into his path.

 

·         The first attacker then dribbles towards the next defender and repeats the same action.

 

·         His team-mate successfully plays the ball back.

 

Once your players have got the hang of it you can make it harder for the more advanced players.

 

·         Tell your players to vary their approach angles and starting positions and you can vary the size of each zone.

 

·         Put in a chasing player to pressure the dribbling player.

 

·         Add another defender who puts pressure on the supporting player so they have to pass quicker.

 

Key coaching points

·         Tell your dribbling player to wait for the defender to come to him.

·         Tell him to keep the defender guessing by using faking movements such as step-overs and dropping his shoulder.

Tell both the dribbler and the supporting player they must use explosive bursts of pace

Midfield passes to beat defenders

This session is all about using the one-two idea with players running in from midfield. These passes can put midfielders into goal scoring positions by using an attacker to pass past the defenders.

In the session the attacker receives the ball with their back to goal flanked by two defenders. The midfielders run wide to support the attacker who can use either wing to play one-twos to get into the box.

There are more coaching points to recognise in this situation - the attacker must read what the defenders are doing. It may be that the attacker cannot play a one-two but could turn and dribble through into the penalty area. If the defenders close down the attacker then they can play a one-two with the midfielder or pass behind the defender for the midfielder to run onto.

Here's how you play it:

·         You need three teams of three players, and a goalkeeper.

·         Team 1 starts off as the attacker plus two defenders.

·         Team 2 is the left attacking midfielder.

·         Team 3 is the right attacking midfielder.

·         The coach plays the ball into the attacker and they must combine with either the left or right midfielders to create a goal scoring chance.

·         Make sure everyone has a chance to play in all the positions.

Get your players making blind side runs

Making passes through a line of defenders is one thing, making sure players support the pass so they can take full advantage of it is quite another.

This is where running off the ball comes into play. Passing and moving to exploit space behind defenders is vital to the success of a team but you will create nothing if your players pass and don't move.

In the drill below you are looking for accurate passing, choice of foot for the pass, how players receive the ball and fitness in turning around for the next set of players to run at them.

Inside a 20 x 20 yard grid, begin with player 1 passing the ball towards player 3 who receives and runs with the ball centrally where player 2 runs in to meet him.

While this is happening player 1 makes a blind side run around the back of the incoming player 3.

In the centre player 3 leaves the ball for player 2 to takeover who then passes one touch to player 1 (the blind side runner).

Player 1 passes to player 4 in the centre of the oppositie row of players and the players continue their runs beyond them. Player 4 waits for the attackers to run back to the other side so they are in position for the practice drill to be repeated the other way.

The players should rotate so they experience all positions. The ball is always played along the ground.

You can advance the game making it one touch, or turn the final pass into a through ball or a shot at a goal.

Being able to tackle could save your life

This game makes the most of 1v1 situations, being able to make and to evade tackles. The players in this game need to have good all round skills so their team doesn't lose a life.

You can use the centre circle of an 11-a-side pitch or mark out a circle with cones around 30 yards in diameter.

You need four goals like the diagram, but you can again use cones to mark out goals. Split your squad into four and line them up next to the goals.

The game works with four players on the pitch, one from each team. You have to defend your goal but attack the other three. Any player letting a goal in has to go off the pitch and another of their team joins. Once you are off the pitch you have lost your life and cannot go back on. The team with the last player on the pitch wins.

Sharpen up your players' 1v1 skills

Working on 1v1 is important and the most useful drills for coaches are ones that are quick for each player to take part so you don't have the rest of your squad standing around getting bored.

This challenge fits the bill nicely. In a 1v1 situation both defender and attacker must be alert and try to read the other player.

·         Set up a pitch around 30 x 20 yards in size and have two goals about 5 yards apart. You can use cones or real goals.

·         You need a queue of players at each end of the pitch - attackers start facing the goals and defenders start between the goals.

·         The defender serves a ball to the attacker who then goes 1v1 against the defender and tries to score in one of the goals.

·         You can use two goalkeepers but you could also use much smaller goals and have no goalkeepers.

·         You can develop this by making it 2v2 to introduce further decision making and teamwork.

Opportunities for the ball straight down the middle

If you play golf, you'll know that when you think of hitting a sweet drive, you visualise the ball going straight down the middle of the fairway and putting you in a great position to attack the green.

In soccer, your goalkeeper or your centre back will sometimes see a sea of players in front of them part to each side and an opportunity to hit the ball straight down the middle - much like a golfer on a treelined fairway - presents itself.

If your attacker is alert to the possibility of the ball down the middle they can react quicker than the covering defenders and latch onto the ball to create a 1v1 with the goalkeeper.

This opportunity usually happens in 7-a-side matches or small-sided games when players are marking each other waiting for a goal kick or just after an attack as the players look to get back into position and the goalkeeper has the ball in their hands.

Quick thinking is key to this type of goal kick or clearance. Wingers can pull defenders wide and leave your attacker with fewer markers to beat to the ball.

All your players need to think quickly so run through the tactic in training with your goalkeeper and the players involved. Get the goalkeeper kicking straight down the middle and play one attacker versus two defenders to see who can get to the ball first.

Focus your players' minds with reaction sprints

This is a warm-up to get your players ready to put the burst of speed training into action. Get them working their legs to warm the muscles up so they are ready for a full blown sprinting session.

The players work through a series of sprints where they must react to an action you take. They should be working over a distance of 10 yards. You can see how players react to the different sensory impulses you are giving out.

·         Sprint 1 – visual
The players wait for you to drop a ball and then they sprint.

·         Sprint 2 – audio
The players wait for your call or whistle and then they sprint.

• Sprint 3 – touch
  The coach stands behind the players. The players wait for you to touch them on the shoulder and then they sprint.

Record the difference in the players’ reaction times to the three sprints. You will be surprised to see the variations in individual’s reaction times.

A lot of coaches tell me their players get pushed off the ball too easily. It usually happens when the team in possession get into good positions on the pitch and an opposition defender comes over and takes the ball - not with skill, but with body weight.

In young players it can sometimes seem a daunting task when faced with a determined defender. But if you get them used to holding onto the ball in 1v1s they will be better prepared for matches.

When one of your players, be it a winger, attacker or midfielder is running with the ball they should be ready for an opposition player to come in and lean into them to use their body weight. If your attacker also leans in then they should be able to hold onto the ball, then accelerate away and either shoot or pass.

When I practice this with my teams I start by pairing up players of similar size and speed. Then I use this simple exercise with players running in their pairs, one is an attacker the other a defender.

·         Pass the ball into the path of the two running players.

·         The attacker must be strong, control the ball and get a shot in on goal.

·         The defender must try to lean into the attacker and force them off the ball.

·         If the attacker is strong enough to hold onto the ball the defender must combine with the goalkeeper to stop the ball going into the goal.

Heading for goal

Ultimately, soccer is all about scoring goals and by improving your team’s attacking heading ability you will boost their chances of finding the back of the net more often.

When you first start to get your players crossing the ball into attacking areas of the pitch you add an extra attacking option. The header.

It takes a lot of practice to get used to heading a ball especially for young attackers when they need to react quickly to a ball at head height.

During this session ideally you want to see your players:

·         Move into ball’s line of flight.

·         Take off on one foot, land on both.

·         Use their arms for elevation.

·         At the highest point of their jump, head the top half of the ball to direct it downwards.

·         Aim for the corners of the goal.

It's a lot for them to think about but take it slowly and it will eventually fall into place. So you need some simple practice sessions to get them used to doing it.

Set up some square grids with each side equivalent to the width of a goal.

You need four players in each group.

Use at least two balls per group. Two players, acting as servers, stand at opposite sides.

A third player, a passive goalkeeper, stands on one of the other sides facing into the grid.

The servers take it in turns to throw a ball slightly ahead of the remaining player inside the grid, who heads towards goal.

Switch positions so everyone has a go at heading, serving and goalkeeping.

You can then advance the session by playing this game:

1.    Split the four players into two teams, with each player standing on a side of the square next to their team mate.

2.    A player from team ‘A’ throws the ball slightly ahead of their teammate who runs forward and tries to head it past the opponent acting as a goalkeeper.

3.    Repeat so all players have a turn each. The teams must alternate turns.

4.    As the players become accustomed to the ball coming from one side, make teammates swap positions and vary the angle and height of service.

Throw, head, catch

Here’s one that gives your players more opportunity to attack with their headers but at the same time keeps the session simple so they concentrate on their position and technique.

Remember that heading a thrown ball is easier than heading a kicked one, but it is harder to get power behind a thrown ball, so they will have to use good technique to make it work for them.

Set up a 30 yard x 20 yard pitch with two goals. This is ideal for two teams of four.

Both teams put a player in goal when defending but have all players out on the pitch when attacking.

Both teams attempt to score using attacking headers but can only move the ball by using the following sequence:

·         The first player throws the ball to a second teammate who heads it to a third teammate who catches the ball.

·         Once thrown the other team can win the ball back by ‘out-heading’ their opponents, or intercepting the ball with their hands in the ‘catching’ phase.

The player on the ball needs visible support

Coaching young players in the art of support play can be tricky. The support player is often coming from behind and can see far more of the situation than the player on the ball, who is often focused on the opposition players in front of them.

With one eye on the ball and the other on the defender they need help so they know where support players are. If support players are running some way behind and calling out their name - "Dave's on! - it is difficult for the player on the ball to work out where to pass.

If, however, the support player moves into the line of sight of the player on the ball they can then pass the ball in the right place.

You can coach this by focusing on how certain positions allow better support. If you focus on your right back, they are in the ideal position to support a midfield player on the right hand side of the pitch.

If the right back goes on an overlapping run the midfielder can take out an opposition player with a pass to the right back who will have more options to use the space behind the opposition player.

The opposition defender can more easily control a 1v1 situation with the midfielder but once the right back has overlapped they face a 2v1. All over the pitch teams can make support play work to the advantage of the team.

A high-tempo 1v1 finishing circuit

Save with your hands not your legs

Any shot that is travelling towards a goalkeeper’s legs at pace is difficult to deal with. Young goalkeepers in particular have problems with these and often opt for kicking the ball away, or end up with the ball hitting, or even worse, going through their legs into the goal

What you give your players in this session

1. Providing goalkeepers with a reliable alternative for saving difficult shots that are driven straight at the legs.

2. To minimize mistakes and rebound opportunities for opposition strikers.

Goalkeepers need to be on their toes for the whole of this session.

Set up a 15 yard square. You need a goal, and two goalkeepers. One goalkeeper works and the other serves.

·         The server must initially just pass the ball straight to the goalkeeper`s feet. As the goalkeeper warms up, the server begins to shoot at the goalkeeper’s legs with force.

·         Encourage goalkeeper to step "into line / down the line" of the shot.

·         Bend knees to form a "k" shape with legs, leaning into the direction of ball.

·         Scoop ball with both hands into chest.

·         Drop on top of ball to cover the ball and prevent it spilling from the hands and creating rebounds.

·         After each save, the goalkeeper becomes the server for the goalkeeper at the opposite end.

·         BALL WATCHER: A sweeper can shore up a shaky defence (David Clarke)

·         WISE UP: The importance of space for midfielders

·         THE WINNING DIFFERENCE: Control the ball into space away from pressure (Tony Carr)

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

·         Blog: Sweepers can think for your defenders

·         Reader feedback: "I found myself at times struggling with good skills training to help my girls get better and these will be a huge benefit to me and my team"

·         Inspirational quotation: Daniel Carvalho

A sweeper can shore up a shaky defence

Giving your players a chance to play a sweeper role gets them running all over the pitch and helping them to learn how support play can stop opposition attacks.

A sweeper basically covers the defence. At 11-a-side they will be covering the back four, at 7-a-side they will be covering a back two. It means you have extra cover in defence - since they are not burdened by any specific marking assignments the sweeper can go wherever they are needed.

You really want a fast player who can read the game, tackle and pass over long distances. But when you practice this get all your players to try the position because you are developing their soccer brains by getting them to make decisions and organise the team all over the pitch;

·         Who do they support?

·         Which players are most vulnerable and need help?

·         Is the space left behind the defenders covered?

• Who is covering when defenders join the attack?

Make a game of it

Play a game where four attackers are running at four defenders with a sweeper behind them. The sweeper can start in a central position behind the defense, but from there he might chase after a through ball or sprint wide to cover a defender and create a 2v1 situation.

Change the number of attackers and defenders to suit your players - so, if the attackers are struggling to get through to the sweeper, take out a defender. If the defence is struggling take out an attacker.

Let each sweeper cover 4 plays then change them.

Control the ball into space away from pressure

Controlling the ball quickly, away from defenders and into space will give players more time to assess their options and execute their next technique, whether that is a shot, pass or dribble.

·         It improves the ability to keep possession.

·         Creates more possession time.

·         Increases the team's speed of play.

In this session players need to think about:

·         Where your opponents and team-mates are.

·         Body position - half-turned in the direction they want to control the ball.

·         Ball travels across body to the back foot.

·         Contact the ball’s horizontal mid-line or above.

• Cushion the ball to play it again without having to chase or reach for it.

How to play it

·         You need a ball and four players in a 10 x 10 yard area.

·         2 players stand one behind the other on one side of the square, with the other 2 players lined-up opposite.

·         The first player passes the ball across the square, where the player receiving controls it – using the inside, or arch, of the foot – and passes it back, ideally with their second touch.

·         Once a player from either side has played a pass, they turn behind the second player in line, who repeats the drill.

·         Keep the ball moving.

·         Use the right foot to control to the right, and the left to control to the left.

·         Stress the importance of good passing.

Pass the ball to an outside player to score

In this small-sided game from Michael Beale players have to keep possession for their team and try to pass the ball to a team mate standing outside the pitch.

It is a good 2v2 with supporting play on the outside. Players are using individual and team skills to rack up more goals than the opposition.

Set up a pitch 30 x 20 yards and use two teams of four players.

Each team has two players on the pitch and two players off it.

If the ball leaves play the coach passes a new ball on to the team who weren't in possession at the time.

The aim of the game is to pass out to a team mate. The passing player swaps with the outside player, who dribbles the ball onto the pitch. Award a goal for each successful pass to an outside player.

Play the game for a set time.

Defending should be good fun

This session introduces your young players to the principles of defending by disguising the theme of the practice through the competitive nature of fun team games.

Giving them a proper structure and the correct tactical approach will make their role as a defender much more rewarding and will save your team lots of goals.

The aim is to not tell your players that they are working on a defending practice – some young players will not respond well to that scenario. Instead, encourage them by telling them that they can win the games by using good defending techniques.

·         Your players will work extremely hard at defending in order to beat the other player and win points for their team.

• Remind them of the proper techniques and don’t let them commit fouls – it should be fun but not too rough.

Mark out two 10 x 10 yard areas.

Pick two teams of five players. Number the players 1 to 5. Number 1 from each team must go into the other team’s area.

Game 1 – stop the other team making 20 passes: The team of four pass one ball around the area. The defender must continuously try to stop them completing passes. The first team to complete 20 passes is the winner.

Game 2 – tackle all four attackers: Each of the attackers dribbles around the area with a ball. The defender must tackle or dispossess them quicker than the defender in the other area.

Game 3 – knock all four balls off the cones: the attackers must each defend a ball balanced on a cone by using good ballshielding technique. The defender must knock the four balls off the cone quicker than the other defender.

The team is awarded 1 point for each game they win.

Test your attacker's decision making as they attempt to score

Young attackers often find themselves in situations where they are facing a single defender and have to make decisions as they look for space so they can get past them and score.

In this session from my Soccer Attack! manual the 1v1 drill gives your attacker a good test in attempting to create space to score.

Make an area 25 x 20 yards with cones. You need 2 goals - I use corner flags as goalposts - and 2 more cones to mark the place where the players stand. There are 2 goalkeepers and 2 outfield players.

1.    The defender passes into the attacker to start the practice.

2.    The attacker tries to create space in order to shoot at goal while the defender must close him down.

3.    The attacker is allowed to score in either goal and should be encouraged to show disguise and skill in order to lose the defender and score.

Players need a good first touch to give them time and space on the ball

A good first touch is one of the soccer commandments - we talk about it all the time and many drills and exercises are created to try to get across to the players from an early age that first touch is crucial. I spoke to Tony Rock a Fulham FC in the community coach, and he explained why young players need a good first touch and which parts of the body they should be using.

A good first touch…

·         Gives a player TIME and SPACE to assess what to do next – ie pass, dribble or shoot.

·         Ensures a time-wasting second touch isn’t required getting
the ball out of the feet.

·         Enables players to operate comfortably under pressure and in tight situations.

Whereas a poor first touch…

·         Can take the momentum out of attacking play.

·         Might result in lost possession.

The two types of control

Cushion control – taking the ‘sting’ out of the ball by pulling back the controlling surface on impact. This has the effect of ‘cushioning’ or absorbing the pace of the ball so that it drops at the feet.

Wedge control – by making the controlling surface, say the sole or outside of the boot, more rigid, the ball is ‘wedged’ between it and the ground. This is used when a player wants to force the ball downwards or into space so they can move onto it.

The basics

·         Move into position to intercept the ball early

·         Select the controlling surface early and place it in the ball’s path

·         Stay balanced using the arms

·         Watch the ball carefully to judge its direction and speed

·         Keep the head steady

·         Be relaxed

What can you control it with? Anything!

Inside of the foot
Plant the supporting foot 45-90 degrees to the path of the ball. Control the ball with the arch of the free foot.

Outside of the foot
Used when the ball is travelling across in front of the player. Just reach forward into the ball’s path.

Sole of the foot
Raise the toes slightly above the heel. Used in dribbling for stopping before changing direction.

Instep
For when the ball’s falling from a steep angle. Stretch the ankle and cushion with the ‘laces’ by bending the knee and ankle on contact.

Thigh
Aim for about halfway up the top of the thigh, although the inside is good for stopping balls flying past.

Chest
May involve arching the back slightly, bending the knees and even jumping.

Head
Use the forehead, just below the hairline.

Increasing the difficulty level

Only when players have confidence in their technique should you move onto increasing the difficulty by having them practice:

·         Receiving balls from various angles, speeds and heights

·         An immediate pass with the second touch

·         Against defenders

·         Controlling a ball while moving at pace

·         Controlling the ball for a team-mate

Players will now have to think about:

·         The weight of their touch, and moving the ball away from opponents by redirecting it into available space

·         Checking passing possibilities while the ball is in flight

Practice first touch with Freeze soccer

This session concentrates on using good first touch to control the ball so players can quickly make passes. It shows players how a good first touch makes it easier to move into space and gives them time to see where their team mates are.

In a 40 x 30 yard area you need two teams of four players. During the session you will need to add a goal and a goalkeeper.

·         The coach passes a ball in to one team to keep possession.

·         On the coaches call of "FREEZE" the team not in possession must stand still.

·         The team with the ball must make 10 passes in between the opposition players as quickly as possible. This means they must move quickly into space, call for the ball, and control it first time before finding the next pass.

• Switch roles each time so that the teams take it in turn to have possession.

In diagram 2, I have added a goal and a goalkeeper.

Now when you call "FREEZE" the team in possession must use three quick passes and movement to create and complete a goal scoring opportunity.

You can then move onto your training pitch and play a small-sided game, like diagram 3, with two goals and goalkeepers. Every so often shout "BLUE FREEZE" or "RED FREEZE" and see if your teams can complete a three-pass movement to create a goal scoring chance.

Defenders sometimes need back-up to help out with tricky attackers

When a defender is applying pressure to an attacker with the ball it’s important they have back-up in the form of a second or ‘covering’ defender. That’s to ensure that if the attacker beats the first defender, any progress is stifled by the second one.

·         The covering defender should be in a position to make an effective challenge if the first defender is beaten.

·         Stand at a slight angle and goal-side of the first defender.

• Communicate early and clearly – for example, advising the team-mate to "get closer" or "force them down the line".

I use this session to coach players how to cover a team-mate and direct the attacker away from goal.

·         You need to use four players – 2 attackers versus 2 defenders – in each group.

·         Each playing area measures approx 10 x 30 yards.

What you get your players to do

·         Attacker 1, acting as a server, passes the ball to attacker 2.

·         Attacker 2 attempts to dribble to the end line.

·         Defender 1 challenges the attacker.

·         Defender 2 provides cover.

Development

After playing the first pass attacker 1 joins in the attack to make a 2v2 situation. The defenders will now have to constantly switch roles depending on who is nearest the ball, with the covering defender becoming the main defender and vice versa.

Put your players into a boxing ring

I like running this fast game to get players used to looking to pass the ball either first time or controlling then passing under pressure from an opponent. It's a bit like a boxing ring where the passing player has to be quick and get their pass away before the opponent wins the ball off them.

It's a constant attack-defence situation. Once the player passes they become the defender to stop their opponent passing.

You need to set up a 15 yard square with cones, and two teams of three players. Put two players from each team on the four corners with the remaining two players in the boxing ring.

Start in the bottom left corner, the player passes to his team mate in the centre who must control and pass to the player top left.

As soon as the pass is made the grey player - top right - plays the ball into his team mate who must pass to the player bottom right. And so on.

How to change it

·         Tell your players they can only have one or two touches of the ball to control and pass it.

·         Tell them they can only use the inside or the outside of the foot they are passing with.

·         Move the cones in closer and serve the balls with the hands for volleys.

Push and Go: The simple way to beat opponents

There is an awful lot in soccer which can be achieved just as well with a simple move as an intricate one. Often with players at U5-U9 the simpler the way the game is played, the better it is for them.

Take the simple act of knocking the ball past a player and running to beat them. If you get your players to do this they will realise they don't have to pass the ball all the time, they can get into good positions by pushing the ball into space and following it.

Most young players will be square on to the player with the ball so if they push the ball past, the defending player has to turn and shift their balance and start running from a standing start. This gives the attacking player the advantage and they can surge past the defender and move into the space to get an easier pass or a shot on goal.

In 7-a-side games your players will have a lot of space on the pitch to push the ball into, so they will be able to get past defenders by pushing into space and running onto the ball.

Your players can push it past one side and run past the defender on the other or they can push past and run past on the same side.

You can practice it using a mannequin (like the diagram), or use a cone if you don't have one. Get your players to line up 8 yards either side of the mannequin and run at it, pushing the ball past on one side and following the ball. When they are past it they can pass to the queue then join it at the back. The player at the front of the queue repeats in the opposite direction.

You can advance this by replacing the mannequin with a real player who is allowed to tackle. Then play a small-sided game in which you want to see players pushing into space and following the ball to beat an opponent.

Backheel Ball Switch

This is an advanced way of exchanging the ball when two players' paths cross. Unlike a normal overlap, the player runs behind the person with the ball and receives a backheel allowing them to take the ball and carry on running from behind the player with the ball.

Ultimately, it is intended to fool the opposition as to which player has the ball.

You need to set up a 20 x 20 yard square with two or more players on each corner. Number the corners 1, 2, 3, 4 and go in sequence.

·         The first player must dribble the ball towards the middle of the square.

·         The second player makes an under-lapping run in behind the first player.

·         The first player back heels the ball into the second player’s path and then sprints out of the area.

·         The second player receives the back heel and then dribbles out of the area. The practice is repeated in the opposite direction.

One minute you're up the next you're down in this high intensity drill

When playing matches the elements are constantly changing.

You can be attacking on your own one second, then have a team mate aor team mates in support to pass to pass to the next.

In your sessions it is a good idea to run exercises that are constantly changing so your players can prepare for this happening in matches. You can sometimes see players switching off when you do repetitive drills that have them doing A, B or C and they don't have to think about it.

This exercise is a high intensity, near continuous game using five players. You can set up two or three of these depending on numbers at your training session.

Set up a few 15 x 30 yard pitches marking out with cones a couple of small goals at each end. You will need one pitch for every five players.

Choose 3 players who will be given the ball first against the remaining two. Decide which end the 3 are to attack. The attacking team start with the ball bringing it out from the goal line. They can choose to pass or dribble, but no direct goals are allowed on the first touch. The emphasis is on restarting quickly.

·         The 3 play against the 2 until either: the two defenders win clear possession of the ball; they must have it under control; or the ball goes over the goal line last touched by an attacker.

·         If either of these two things happen, the two players who were defenders become attackers trying to score at the opposite end in a game of 2v1 against whichever attacker last touched the ball, the player who lost possession or took a shot.

·         The attackers retain possession on all balls that go out over the side lines.

·         You will need a coach or knowledgeable soccer parent to act as referee...the point is to designate immediately which player stays on and which players go off (ignore the “it wasn’t me” shouts). The attackers who go off should quickly step well out of the way of this new 2v1 game and sit out until it is finished.

·         The 2v1 game continues until it resolves in the same fashion as for the 3v2 game; the lone defender wins clear possession or the ball goes out off one of the two attackers.

·         Now the 3 players who just played 2v1 immediately join together in a team of 3 attackers against the 2 who had to stand out, with the 3 now attacking, so we are back to step one.

Chest control is an important skill to learn

I was refereeing an U8s game at the weekend and as they struggled to cope with a very bouncy pitch I immediately thought about this session from West Ham Academy Director Tony Carr and how I must get the players to go through it so they don't want to use their arms to control the ball!

I know how they were feeling - it's very frustrating for them because they are so small so any bounce takes the ball up into their bodies where they just want to put a hand on top of the ball to keep it down.

Tony says players should be comfortable at dealing with balls at whatever height they arrive - so they must be able to control a ball that is too low to head but too high for the thighs.

Players need to be coached in moving into the line of the flight of the ball, arching the back making the chest into a platform and taking the pace off the ball by keeping relaxed.

He uses this session between two players, then puts it into action.

·         First player throws the ball underarm at chest height to second player standing opposite.

·         Second player controls the ball with their chest then catches the ball.

·         Second player throws the ball at chest height to the first player who chests the ball and catches it.

·         Repeat the practice.

You can develop the session so that rather than catch the ball, the receiving player uses the top of their foot to bring the ball under control with one touch before it bounces. The receiving player then passes the ball back.

The next development involves the receiving player chesting to the left or right. To deflect the ball to one side they turn the upper body on contact.
Before the ball bounces the receiving player uses the top of their foot (use the right if turning right) to control and guide the ball in their chosen direction, ready to dribble. Make sure players practice turning both left and right (2).

To put this into a game situation you can try this 4v4 game.

A target player throws the ball to one of the attackers who ideally controls it on the chest – into space and away from pressure – before passing to a team-mate. The ball has to be played to a teammate before the attacking team can pass the ball back to either target player. Award points for every successful chest control and pass, and for every time a defender intercepts or wins the ball.

Get your players to push harder at key moments in games

Ask any soccer fan and they will remember early goals, late goals, and goals straight after your team has just scored.There is something about timing in soccer matches that not only means you score a goal but also a psychological blow to your opponents.

But it isn’t just the final minutes that teams should be looking to win games in, there are a lot of important times in matches that you need to make a note of and be prepared for when you take your team out onto the pitch.

Attack straight from kick-off

When the match kicks off you need to tell your players to be first to the ball and get it forward into attacking positions. If you start by kicking off make sure you have prepared them by practising kick-offs so know what they are doing. How many times do you see teams give the ball away straight from kick off?

The last five minutes of the first half

The last five minutes in the first half is your cue to tell your players to turn up the heat on the opposition. Scoring just before half time is a big blow to the opposition. It would be a big blow to your team if you let a late goal in.

The first five minutes of the second half

The start of the second half is key because often a team has been sitting around while the coach lectures them for the whole of half time and they come out to play without stretching and are not quite fully focused. You can create a lot of chances if you make sure your half time talk is structured and you give them five minutes to run around and get ready to play the game.

Immediately after the opposition has scored

One of the other key times is just after scoring. Your players' heads will go down if they let a goal in but if you tell them this is the time to strike back they can take advantage of the situation. Teams think they are in control when they score - make sure your players are aware of this just after they have scored as well.

The last five minutes of the match

When you get to the last five minutes it is often the team that is the fittest that can take advantage. If you follow my fitness exercises below your players will be ready to take advantage of the teams that are tired in the final part of the game.

Are your players ready to sprint at any time in a match not just at the start?

Fitness is a strange beast. As one coach said to me the other night "why should I waste my training time on fitness? If they're not fit I won't play them!"

Is he right? Is it more important to work on technique, skills and tactics on training night and let the fitness take care of itself?

I have thought about this question a lot since I started coaching. The problem is if your players are not fit enough it can be difficult to tell on training night but easy to see in a match. How often will you have a great first half but get pegged back in the second and wonder why your players are no longer sprinting down the wing or getting on the end of through balls?

If they are not fit then technique and tactics go out of the window as they try to survive the rest of the game. So, the answer to the main question is you do need your players to be fit but you can waste time if you don't target your fitness properly.

I

This is a longer session and one I tend to use once a month because you are specifically working on endurance/stamina during matches, so that if your attacker is put through against a defender in the last minute they will still have the fitness to sprint onto the ball and get a shot away.

Alternating jogging and sprinting

If you set up a course like the top one in the diagram you can get your players using alternate sprints and jogs to practise match-like situations. The sequence will be sprint, jog, sprint, jog.

·         Tell your players to run the course alternating between top speed sprinting and slow jogging.

·         One complete circle counts as a single repetition.

·         Adjust the distance between points in relation to the age of your players and repeat 5 times.

Use the second diagram for sprints.

Tell your players to sprint from 1 to 6 and then back to 1.

·         Rest at each point the given amount of time. You can alter the times players wait at each point if they are finding the going tough.

·         Repeat 3 times and build up over the weeks. Don’t let your players exhaust themselves.

These exercises are designed to get your players fit quickly. Make it more fun by getting team-mates to shout out the number of seconds the runner has to wait.

Test your players' technique with this circuit

This is a good warm-up for your training sessions - a circuit that tests your players' basic technique. It's a really good circuit because it involves everyone, moves quickly and it's great fun.

You're testing the basic soccer skills of your players - passing and receiving; headers; one-twos; dribbling and controlling and shooting. You can write down which players can do which technique and the ones players need to work on.

·         Arrange your players and two goalkeepers around the four stations in a 30 yard square as shown in the diagram.

·         Mark out a five yard square in the centre of the larger square.

·         The first player at each station must come out to the middle square.

·         The players must complete a technique exercise and then go out to become a server.

·         The serving player must jog into the middle square and then out to complete a technique before becoming a server again.

The stations and techniques to perform

1.    Receive a pass and then pass first time into one of the mini goals.

2.    Receive a thrown pass for a header at goal.

3.    Receive a pass and make a one-two with you or a helper and then dribble out.

4.    Receive an aerial pass to control and shoot at goal.

The players must complete a different exercise each time they enter the area. The practice is repeated for a set time period.

Progression

Any of the techniques can be replaced with different exercises that the coach feels appropriate to the warm-up. The examples above are to encourage quick play and improved finishing skills.

The ultimate striker needs all the tools to be able to react to all situations

Strikers find themselves in all sorts of situations during a game, so you have to work with them in training to prepare them for what they will face. They need to be constantly aware of what is going on around them and be able to react at full speed and intensity.

·         You need to use half a full pitch, with two goals, two goalkeepers and start the runs 30 yards from goal.

·         The striker receives a lay back from server 1 for a first time shot into the right-hand goal.

·         Immediately server 2 passes a ball into space and the striker runs to shoot first time at the left-hand goal.

·         The striker then receives a pass from server 3 and must turn to shoot at the right-hand goal.

·         Finally, server 4 plays an aerial cross for the striker to head or volley first time at the left-hand goal.