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Alfredo – young kids finding space is the never ending challenge. They all tend to stare at the ball and do not recognize space very well. A vocal coach during practice and games helps.
Here are a few:
1.) Play positions
2.) Have kids ask themselves “can I get the ball?” while thinking about passing angles AND Ask kids to look around and recognize if they are standing next to the opponent.
3.) Pattern Play helps kids out a lot. Cones are key as noted in the 3four3 blog last fall. Do a walk thru 5v0. Just Gary points out as the ball work thru the back the opposite winger needs to know he moves into space. The CF’s job is to find a gap/space…”can I get the ball?” After Walk thru they have to make 20 consecutive passes. Focus is on speed of play, movements, body position, and receiving. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Make several groups if needed. Once they are getting the hand of it, add 2 or 3 defenders. Details are still the focus. If you need to stop play and point out options for space/gaps then do so. Repeat scenario in defensive 1/3, mid 1/3, and attacking 1/3.
4.) Space/Gaps? 4v1 Rondo is perfect or any keep away game. A few more for gaps? Pass the line drills for 5 field players. 3 Rectangle Zones on top of each other. Your two offensive defenders in zone 1, actual defenders in zone 2 (may 2 or 3 defenders), and 3 forwards in zone 3. Players cannot leave their zone which forces kids to find the gaps between the other team. Apply any rules you want. I do 3 passes in your zone then look for thru ball. Go for 3 minutes with a faster pace each time then switch.
5.) Other Games are 3v2 zonal or 5v3 zonal games. Example, make a zone in the middle of the field for 5v3. Must get 5 passes, then to get out of the zone and go to goal one of the following must occur: thru ball, give/go, up/back/thru, or overlap…cannot dribble ball out of zone. Keep in mind same Pattern play with cone drill just implemented in game-like scenario.
6.) Switch the Field Drill – just split field in half and play 5v3. Switch field first and 3 passes before allowed to go to goal. Key focus is on weakside winger finding space and getting away from opponent….similar to pattern play. Move to 6v6 after they gain confidence.
7.) Pattern Play with the combos noted above – give/go, etc… I always start 5v0, then 5v3, then 6v6 game.Hope this helps.
For those wondering who uses tactics and/or positioning at your ages U8 and U9? Barca, Wigan, and many others. As Tim Lees stated on Twitter (paraphrased) – if you only use Coerver type training at u9 elite, you are hampering te development of your kids.
Point is – kids with a good technical foundation (not great, but good) are fully capable of doing a lot of the 3four3 plan. They are smarter and can absorb more than most think. You are not hampering their development b/c there is still technical training going on when tactically training…it’s just more game like than static. I still do foot skills/1v1s at U8/U9, but I also believe that a better development plan is to have field awareness. Otherwise an opportunity is lost for them to get more touches and truly possess the ball.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SIjiSnLHr1M
Above is a YouTube video of U9 Wigan FC playing with tactics. Jay Cochrane, one of the coaches, was kind enough to post a few videos on YouTube. He corrected his post on twitter that he accidentally posted U10, but in fact U9. I like the in-depth direction given to the kids and notice they are capable of retaining the info.
John, I have a few observations that might be different than some of the previous comments. I am coaching HS Boys and have had similar issues to your clip in our early games… lots of the ball, tons of possession, connecting lots of passes (relative to our opponents anyway… I am in Washington State, the spriritual home of Jungle Ball), and no end product in the box. During the past week we made a few key tweaks to the system and thumped our last opponent 4-0, so I think we are on to something.
First what I saw in your clip… on the first attack what really stood out was you had a cm driving forward with the ball and the four players ahead of her were all running away from her, “on the train tracks” in a straight line. There is nowhere to play a ball forward when this happens. The other thing I noticed right away is that in much of the clip when you get near the attacking third their midfielders are marking your forwards, with a line of defenders ten yards deeper. I noticed this right away because my boys had the tendency to do the same thing last year. I fixed the train track problem by establishing a team “rule” that one of the three forwards must always check back when a mf or d is driving forward, and I try to encourage a lot of diagonal runs to open up space (often BEHIND the player who is checking to the ball). I understand the idea of the false nine coming back for the ball, but I think you may find that if you push your #9 onto the last defender and get your #10 in between the lines you will immediately see lots of options open up and you will stretch the opposition. I think your players are plenty good enough to utilize that space and don’t need the #9 to keep possesion, at least not against the oppenent in this clip.
We’ve been hitting those attacking patterns hard and after only a few days we’ve been getting more and harder checks to the ball. Since we have done this in training and games the wingers are all commenting that they are getting a lot more of the ball (even my own “turtle” who subs in on the wing for me) It’s also opening up a lot more space for the central players. I haven’t really explored the geometry of it, but I’m so happy it works I am not dwelling on why.
Your speed of play can be faster and I’m confident it will be if you keep working on it. What I tell myself is that it’s all relative. It just has to be faster than the opposition’s pressure in order to work. Working the attacking patterns has been the most effective way for us to improve the speed of play. We’ve gone from Glacier-Paced to Almost-Not-Slow in short order.
You made a comment that you have a hard time getting the ball out wide, and I have a suggestion on that… try bringing your OB’s back more. I know that the high backs are en vogue right now, but I personally didn’t like it and keep my backs in a traditional “smiley face” crescent shape. This makes it much easier for our CB’s to hit the OB’s, and once our OB’s get the ball early and facing forward it’s no problem to hit the wingers. I feel it’s also easier for the OB’s to hit a one time ball over the top, and although we don’t do it very often, it’s helpful to keep the defenders “biting” on the run that precedes the check back to the ball. Sometimes we deliberately hit a few deep early balls just to set up the check for the rest of the game. If the wingers are marked tightly and check to the ball then there is a lot of space to hit the CM’s and #9.
Finally, we have been able to get the ball into the attacking third on the ground with great regularity, but we are nowhere near good enough to walk the ball into the net (though we spent the first two games trying). We could get the ball wide, no problem, but it was going there to die. We made a new team “rule” that every time the ball goes high and wide (on our soccer/football field that is anything beyond and wide of the “25” numbers) the ball MUST be delivered into the box, and three players MUST attack the box. As soon as we did this, we started creating chances and scoring goals. Some pretty, some not as much. But for now I will gladly take attractive build up play and ugly goals.
I hope there’s something her you can use. Good luck. Looks like you are on the right track. I’m assuming the AG is Arroyo Grande. I have a good friend who coaches down there… A ginger Scotsman named John McGuigan. Do you know him?
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This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by
Scott Nelson.
Above is the first half of my U12 Girls (they will be U13 in August) game from this last Sunday. Try not to laugh too hard at the field…. The competition was weak but I was happy with it because I am trying very hard to get the girls comfortable possessing. So, this was at least game speed and and they started moving it fairly well. I am loosely following a 4-3-3 curriculum and interjecting 3four3 activities where I see fit. These girls do 4v0 at every single practice and I mix in the other 3four3 activities. I just introduced Lose Your Man at the practice before this game so it’s not showing quite yet. I actually mentioned reducing the 4v0 to every other practice and was met with some serious opposition from the girls which made me very happy. My plan right now is to do 4v0 and Lose Your Man as part of every practice and I am beginning with the attacking patterns.
Please shred this video! Thanks in advance!
Hey Scott-
I do know John McGuigan and that is Arroyo Grande. John is a nice guy, we’ve talked quite a few times before and after games. I liked what he had going with his girls club team but apparently they folded.
You ever in the area?
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This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by
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