Set Pieces

[BenParticipant]

First, let me say that I want to throw things at the TV whenever I hear Alexi Lalas mention “set pieces” in his “tactical analysis.” I am NOT in any way going down that road. However, I’m coaching a U18 boys team this fall and am thinking about how to best prepare them. I noticed Brian’s teams seem to have clear roles and responsibilities for these type of situations. In the pre-game talk before playing San Juan, for example, Brian assigns each player their role in defending corners. My questions are:

1. What should I do to prepare my boys for set pieces?

2. How much time should I devote to it?

I don’t want to take time away from the important stuff (building out of the back, pressing), but I also don’t want to throw them out there to “sort it out themselves.” Thoughts, ideas?

[Andrew MullalyParticipant]

Set Pieces are hugely important at all levels of the game.  Lalas is right in that; its the smug way he espouses his opinion on set pieces that grates on anyone serious about the game.  For Lalas it was one of the few ways his teams could ever score.

My teams usually spend a good chunk on set pieces every few weeks (like a session every 3-4 weeks during pre-season) so that players get used to basic concepts and ideas that we are looking to execute.  During actual gameplay the actual execution (short, deep, near post, driven, etc.) of any set piece is up to the players on the field.  But without some practice of what to look for and how to execute, set pieces devolve into pure pinball luck.

Also, Keepers need to be able to work on defending different set pieces and hard to do with unopposed drills.  Without the chaos of moving bodies, keepers have a false sense of how easy it is to pull balls out of the air.  A lot of keepers are great practice guys, look dominant when not under pressure, but when they have to move through traffic, those practice gods sometimes become extremely timid and never move off their lines.

Finally, set piece kicking is a very specialized skill and the players who are taking those set pieces should practice their kicks on a regular basis (before or after every session would probably be best) Pirlo may have been born with a devestating free kick, but I’m sure he works on it repeatedly.  That kick against England was spectacular.  Just amazing.

[Michael SpranoParticipant]

At a minimum you can at least teach it during scrimmages.  A free kick or corner is a natural stoppage of play anyway, so it only takes 1-2 min more to at least explain the basics of what you want everyone to be doing in this situation.  If there are glaring errors (i.e. – someone completely unmarked at the far post), you can correct and make them re-do the play.  Over time you can reinforce what you’ve taught and then begin to layer in more complex ideas so the both team and individuals will gradually progress throughout the year.   Beyond that I think of set pieces as kind of the icing on the cake – something to work on in the fine tuning stages in the week before a big game or tournament.  Caveat though – this is with U9/U10s.   At that age the basics are enough when it comes to set pieces, and I really don’t want them getting a lot of repetitions dealing with balls in the air over and over again anyway.    With 18s I think you need to spend a lot more time on it otherwise it will end up deciding matches against you.

I also agree that taking free kicks is a skill that players need to work on their own.  No one was born with a devastating free kick.

[Author]

Posts