Knowing the content of the advanced courses is one thing, coaching it to required standards is another. Coaches are like players, they need practice and development. Our system is poor. The reliance is on the coach to educate him/herself then front up to a course and get pulled apart. The learning system is poor. Once you have paid and get the licence you are on your own. I can't remember when the last update course was run for Advance Licence holders. Imagine if we did this players. On top of this everything the FFA puts on is so expensive.

Go to the FFA home page and attempt to apply for an advanced licence. It asks you to read the advanced licence course information. You cannot because the document is being updated. So you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. Even the course content changes year by year.I beleive there is a new system coming where you can be a senior B licence or B youth licence holder.

Getting an advanced licence still means little. The boys club exists and jobs are handed to those in the loop. The best coaches do not get the best jobs. The FFA has a policy on who they hand jobs to.

If you want to hand over 4-5000K for a licence for what is an amateur sport because you love it then go for your life. If you think having an advanced licence will make a difference in getting jobs think again. I know two excellent AFC A and B coaches who cannot get positions. An interview or resume does not tell your employer weather you can coach. Why don't clubs test coaches before hirering?

Yes this training session is ambitious. Remember this is a theoretical session for advancing players who have been in the "system" for some years and have learnt the steps of NC. I always pitch at higher level then come back to the players level and then extend them.

If the players you are dealing with cannot do the positional games then go back a step and use 3v1 without boundaries. As you work through the year re-introduce the positional games and work on them. Continue using game sense 4v4, or 5v5. Did anyone download the e-book of small side games. I highly recommend it!

Decentric, the technique diamond is a progression of the Dutch Passing Square (there are many variations to this as well). Note that the formation resembles the game positions. Re-enforce this when doing the exercise. The pass is directed to one side of the cone or furthest foot. The progression involves "checking in" communicating with the passer then continuing. The next progression involves a bounce pass back with the reciever running around the outside of his cone to recieve the ball on the run. The exercise involves communication, passing and recieving, moving into space, body shape, running with the ball and first touch.

The insight or positional games should always involve the defenders having tasks. To make the game competitive use a scoring system. The game becomes real. Your topic may be defending. The positional games allow for this as well. The defenders need to work together ie 1st and 2nd defender concepts.In latter blogs I will introduce formation training, where there is always a direction.This type of training becomes even more specific and a powerful coaching method.

I will answer the other comments when I get a moment. It is great to see the enthusiasm.

Well, you could try playing "football volleyball", which is basically where you divide the players up into two teams, mark out a playing area (with a middle line divding the two teams' sections). The ball is allowed to bounce once in a team's section before it is kicked/headed into the other team's section, if it bounces twice, then the other team earns a point. This can be a lot of fun and should keep everyone's attention, and when you're having fun you learn really quickly. This game focuses on both heading and volleying ability. There's also "football baseball", where you've got a "pitcher" (usually the coach) who passes the ball to the "batter", who then kicks it into the outfield and runs to a base. Same rules of baseball apply (the ball must leave the "diamond" within its bounds). To get a player out: The fielding team must either head the ball on the full, or they must complete five passes before the kicker gets to the home base. This game might be a little bit hard for this age group though depending on how well your players can kick the ball, since if they can't all get good air on a kick, it's not gonna help heading. Should still be a fun way to train passing and team work.

Thanks for the advice, Cardiff.

I have a pretty clear idea what I ask players to perform defensively at 10 and 11 and I'm confident in this area, but I was asking Gregory what he would do with the age group?

I am receiving pressure from FFA state officers to do a C Licence. I maintain I've covered most of the content in the C Licence and some in the FFA B Licence from KNVB coaches who know much more than any of the Australian FFA coaches, other than Han Berger. I feel the KNVB coaches were much stronger at delineating roles/positioning/dstancing/cohesion for defensive roles in any training ground exercises than our top FFA coaches.

I've learnt nothing about body shape in either KNVB or FFA courses. Thankfully, my co-coach at Football For Everyone has done a lot of work with a former state TD in this area and I'm learning from him. It seems a previous state TD did a lot of useful work with Tasmanian coaches in body shape.

I also know nothing about keeping, other than organising the defensive lines, but my FFE co-coach does, having trained an Australian underage futsal keeper.

Jockeying I've learnt quite a bit about and have added some really useful stuff from a US college player. For many years I taught modern karate. A useful jockeying position is similar to a classic boxer's stance.

Mentioning heading, I have few good heading exercises/drills other than juggling in pairs. Can you suggest some interesting ones for developing players, Cardiff?
In international matches against Asian players heading seems to be a strength of Australian players.

Edited by Decentric: 7/7/2011 12:00:48 AM

A lot of effort went into that, good work! Also I heard from my friend that (in NNSW anyway) they're making it U12's also play a modified game next season, meaning that the first season of "real" football is U13's.
Decentric: Since I've played center fullback for 13 seasons, I feel as though I could be qualified to answer your question about defensive roles for 10/11's. At that age I'd be focusing on teaching them how much space they should allow the attacker while they're jockying them, and really drive home the importance of jockying instead of diving in. Really work at getting them competent at this as it's one of THE most important skills for a defender. Other than that, train them in heading high balls (this can be combined with training your goalkeeper's accuracy from drop-kicks). Work on first getting them to consistantly meet the ball properly and then have them practice aiming these headers at teammates. Other than that, it's really just a continuation of improving their first touch, short passes/clearence kicks and having them practice trapping high balls.

Gregory, in Fig 2 for the first players receiving the pass in the 1-2-1 formation in the diamond, I like the way you prescribe the receiving foot and the passing foot.

The only problem is that the passing arrow in the diagram in Fig 2 goes straight to the cones for each flanker on the left and right. Which side of the cone should the ball go to when the player receives the ball? My spatial awareness isn't too flash.

I tried a diagonal passing diamond exercise which had been set out in FFA drills on the FFA website, with an under 12 team for players to extend the Barca Academy directional control passing drill. It was an unmitigated disaster.

That was because it hadn't been set out where the players should stand, or which body position, or which foot the ball should be received with. Unfortunately, the state TD was watching the session to evaluate us. I hope he left before that exercise!

Over time I'd work out how to do the passing diamond more effectively. Those cues of yours just make it easier when one tries an exercise on the training track for the first time.

The training ground exercises for registered FFA coaches are hard to access on the log in to. Those coaches who have managed to access them have found them hard to follow. Conversely, your diagrams are excellent. The training ground exercises are well set out and easy to follow.
If some of the trolling could be eliminated on here, I know a significant number of coaches I'd recommend to come to Performance to observe your articles/diagrams and explanations of sequential training ground practices.

I really like the look of Fig 2 as a training exercise. I'll try it soon on the training track with players ranging in age from 10 to adults.
For the two players standing waiting at the bottom of the diamond, or any extra players waiting in Fig 2, I'd ask them to choose any one dribbling technique and rotate from seven stationary dribbling techniques to increase touches over the session.

Keep it up.:)


Edited by Decentric: 6/7/2011 11:38:19 PM

Main Part

Figure 4 shows a basic transition style game with 8 players. This type of game can be expanding upon in the older age groups with more players and a central zone for midfielders. In this way the ball must be played through the midfield.

The ball is played out in one half (2v1). The ball is passed or dribbled into the next half, allowing another attacker into the half, where another 2v1 situation takes place. Players and goal keepers rotate continually to create 2v1 situation in each half. Make a point of coaching width in attack, passing and receiving, and movement off the ball (attacker in next half getting "free").

As players progress, additional restrictions can be placed on the players before an extra player can enter the next zone, eg, a "bounce pass"









Just love the diagrams!!!:)

It is why I'm so long winded when trying to explain things as I try to demonstrate exercises restricted keyboard icons and letters!!!:(

Gregory, when I've done work with FFA senior coaches Tony Franken, Kelly Cross, Norm Boardman and David Abela, they haven't delineated roles for defenders in these exact 5v2, 5v3 exercises.

KNVB coaches Ad Derkson and Arie Schans, and former FFA TD Rob Baan, very specifically had prescriptive roles and body shapes for defenders in this exercise too. They recommended the 5v2s and 5v3s for youth and adults too, which was the targeted cognitive level.

The Australian FFA coaches didn't emphasise the defensive roles of the players at all, even when describing drills/exercises for youth and senior players.

I know 10 and 11 years is a young age , but would you have prescribed defensive roles for them, Gregory?

Would you suggest optimum distancing between the two or three defensive players?

If you did, would it be more targeted to elite/rep players or suburban players?

I think what you are doing seems ambitious for the age group in terms of TIC for that age. I may not have coached players of this calibre in terms of Insight and Communication at the same age though.
Rob Baan likes 4v4, or 5v5 with goalies, right up to the ages of 13, like they do in Brazil. The focus primarily being on Technique and game sense through heuristic (learning through doing) discovery.

Edited by Decentric: 6/7/2011 11:06:01 PM

It is also good because of the triangles it creates.

Paul cooper's book is superb and if you combine it with the magic rectangle you have great sessions. The magic rectangle will be demoed by watford coach at brisbane coaching seminar this weekend.

5 v 2 with one in the middle is very good, why ? because so many coaches tell kids not to pass to a player if he under pressure. Its by getting used to receiving under pressure thats missing from older youth players. Had to laugh when uncle abert from coerver hated 5 v 2 .

Excellent, Gregory.

Thanks for posting it Munrubenmuz.

The diagrams really help. I've been struggling to show 5v3 and 5v2. Those diagrams nail it.

Krones, the middle player in the 5v2 for the team in possession would be forced to make a lot of quick decisions for a player who needs to develop quicker decision-making.



Edited by Decentric: 6/7/2011 08:53:38 PM

Great stuff, thank you for that very informative blog.

Very good. Cheers.


What do you think about the FourFourTwo blog Attacking From The Back - Training Sessions for U10/11s?
Stage three of the NC is the under 10 and 11 year age groups. These age groups fall into the skill acquisition phase or the golden age. This is an ideal time to increase the technical and insight comp...

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