Hi everyone. I've been coaching my son's soccer team for the past 3 years. This year they're in the U11 age group and it's the first year our club has graded players, so I have a relatively balanced team to work with.

I played soccer a bit in the 80's as a kid, and in recent years have watched a lot more and read more about it as my two sons have become interested in the game. Now that my son is getting a bit older, I'm conscious of the need to make sure his team are coached well and develop a well-rounded set of skills.

The club we play for in Adelaide isn't part of a FFA league so we don't play small sided games. Our games are 11 a side on a full pitch and have been since U9. It's not ideal, but changing clubs isn't an option at the moment.

We train once a week for 1 hour 15 minutes. I'm a big believer in giving the players lots of touches of the ball, so a typical training session would start with some basic skill work (dribbling with both feet, heading, juggling etc) and then we'd move onto one or two SSG's that focus on a particular area I want to develop. We'll usually finish with a 7 v 7 game, but will try and reinforce the training theme in this game. On game days, we've played a 4-4-2 system but this year I'd like to move to 4-3-3 to be more aligned with the FFA's ideas.

I'd like to get some ideas from the forum to help me become a more effective coach.

In particular some of the areas I need to learn more about are:
- How to teach the players the responsibilities of each position on the field
- How do I teach good defensive strategies to the players. This includes learning how to provide cover for each other and when to press the other team.
- What ideas do you have to develop their passing skills. We don't seem to have too many ball hogs and I want to develop a team that can pass well under pressure.
- How to defend (and attack) during set pieces.

The above list is a starting point and I'm sure I'll come back during the season with more questions :d

I've found a lot of resources on the internet (including the great guides in the sticky on this page), but I need help breaking it down into simple steps the players can follow.

There seems to be a lot of experience on this forum and I'm hoping I can benefit from that. Could you please help me out with ideas to help me with the above points, and any other ideas / resources you can think of that will help me be a more effective coach this year.

Thanks in advance.

Allan

First question
what football teams do you like to watch play?

Hey Wardman I was going to start a thread similiar to this but was going to call it "ask the coaches". I coach an under 9A club side and one of the aspects I was going to focus on as an extension of playing out from the back was to get my 3 front men to try and come back to the ball rather than run away from our defenders when in possession. The ultimate aim is to get the defender to make an overlapping run but I think I should just start on getting the kids to meet the ball first and see how it goes after that.

I like watching Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar in the A League. The kids I coach usually like Adelaide and an EPL side like Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal etc.

I try to use their favourite teams / players as examples. For instance last year we watched one of Adelaide's warm up drills before a game so we did that at the next training session and introduced it as something Adelaide did. The kids loved it.

Good
The way i see it is there is no right or wrong way to play football
First decide what football you like it is after all your team

Then break down their style of play and slowly and methodically step by step teach your kids to play that style.
Of course you need to build a solid skill set in all your players and then develop / encourage specific skills in individual players.is if a kid is a dead ball natural then encourage it where you can and fit it into your style.
I would also suggest 2 training session a week at U11's maybe 1 for skills and the other for tactics.

I personally like watching attacking football in a 433 formation.
So i started with my defence teaching them to tackle and support with British bull dog.
Then play wide to wingers who dribble.
Then attack with 3-5 players.
Then play out from the back
Then make the ball switch sides through the defensive mid.
Then play back to the keeper
Then switch sides through the keeper and the backs.

Then draw the opposition into our half to prevent them parking the bus.
Next is to go right wing (cant get through)-go left wing (cant get through)go through the middle passing only the way you are facing. (no turning with the ball and one touch)
Up until now i have only allowed the kids to use 2 touch.
I never let the kid kick the ball long
I never let them kick it out of play
I never tell them never across goal

We play 9 v 9 in a 413 that is more like a 233
so i do not teach rotation as i do not want confuse the kids when they start playing
11 v 11 next year.

ps has taken 4 years to get here.





Edited by krones3: 20/3/2012 10:54:43 PM

Edited by krones3: 20/3/2012 11:04:28 PM

Krones3 I felt very inadequate when I read your post until I came to the PS!

Thanks for giving me some ideas. How do you teach the kids to play wide to wingers? Are there specific drills you use that incorporate wingers? Also the concept of passing back and across instead of forwards all the time - what do you do to train that?

Wardman, this is a massive task.


Have a look at these threads in this Performance section.

1. The Coerver Skill drills.

2. The Academy Sessions posted by Dirk VA (a sticky).

3. Football For Everyone School has a guide for running a session in the first page or two.

4. KNVB thread has many ways to structure a 1-4-3-3.

5. Dribbling compilation - there are explicit instructional techniques for the Torres Cut, Body Swerve and Matthews Cut for dribbling.

6. Skills Acquisition Programme thread shows the body swerve.

7. Junior Soccer Articles thread - posted by Arthur.

8. Gregory Parker has some very informative articles in Performance (not the forum).



Which city/town do you live in? I know of a few clubs doing good stuff.


I'll probably think of some more. The FFES thread certainly structures a session like we do at the soccer school. Always have players practising stationary ball techniques if standing in a line or watching.






Edited by Decentric: 21/3/2012 01:14:19 AM

Mate over time I'll construct a whole programme on this site which is foolproof for developing technically efficiency pretty quickly. I've just retired, I should have the time.

Then I'll do sequential structure for a 1-4-3-3 team.


For the specific question of wingers in the Ajax Academy thread and the Chelsea training drills there are good wing play and crossing drills.

1. When your players arrive at the ground, often at different times, ensure they juggle as soon as they arrive. Then there is no wasted time. If they can't juggle let them bounce the ball and then see how many they can keep up.

Use inside and instep of the foot. If they are already pretty good use the outside of the foot too.

If they are really good jugglers already, and this is a really advanced technique, make the player focus on something in 10 metres in front of them, then try and juggle the ball.


2. Once you decide to start, with enough players having arrived, let them juggle for two minutes using head chest, knees and feet. Then pair them up for a few minutes. Each player can only juggle five times before passing to his/her partner. Have the players only about 2-3 metres apart.

3. Once you have a few good enough, ask them to juggle to each other with only a maximum of two touches. I made the mistake of not dong this and had players juggling in games when they should have one touched and two touched it!!:oops:

http://www.uefa.com/trainingground/training/skills/video/videoid=903004.html?autoplay=tru


4. This is a UEFA Training Ground guide to short passing is excellent. Note the importance of the non-kicking foot in the inside of the foot pass. make them do 100 passes per player.

a. If your players are not that good, don't worry about the outside of the foot pass.

b. However, if any of them are pretty decent, don't hesitate to introduce outside of the foot passing on their preferred foot.

c. If any of the players are really good, ask them to pass with their preferred foot with the instep as well.

d. Instruct them to first touch pass alternating feet, left then right, left then right, and so on.

e. With the same distancing as in the UEFA video instruct them to move backwards and forwards each player moving in and out 30 metres backwards, then 30 metes forwards.


At this stage your players should have touched the ball for anywhere between 300-600 times.

There are some good Barca Academy passing techniques. I'll add them later. Give players a rest from passing.

Every time any player is in a line waqiting for a rurn add these stationary techniques. All these shoufl be do performed slowly at first. They need to be shown explicitly.

5. Stationary techniques:

a. Inside of the foot left to right. This is the standard technique all coaches know. I saw a good name for it in a US coaching book but I can't remember it. If players find it too easy, make them keep their head up or go on to more advanced techniques.

b. Brazilian inside sole of foot left to right. I think it is also known as the Brazilian roll or drag. It is right, left, right, left, etc, moving th ball inside to inside with the sole of the foot. Ask players to keep head up and be light on their feet.

c. Matthews Cut. Simply move the ball with the inside of the foot, then outside of the foot in one position, taking a step each time you do it. THis is the basic move for wrong footing opponents. Most other moves come from this. If players find it too easy get them to keep heads up and use non-preferred foot.


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhm1q0_ronaldinho-elastic-two_newsd.

In this video demonstrating the Brazilian Soccer Schools Ronaldinho Elastic 2, in step 1 is very useful video footage of a player demonstrating the stationary Matthews Cut.

Then if one takes two touches, instead of the demonstrated Ronaldinho move, it is called the Matthews Cut. The Matthews Cut is easier. It is a useful exercise for players to always do if waiting in a a queue, which according to the FFA NC, queues shouldn't happen under 12.


The same as previous c. Except do two inside touches, then two outside toauches taking a step each time.




e. Roll your right foot over the ball otwards (sole of foot), then inwards with inside of foot. Then do the same with the other foot. I call this the bastardised Brazilian Elastic, for want of better desciption. As players improve, get them to keep head up.

f. Triangles. Sole of the foot the ball towards you with your right foot, then push it to your left with the inside of the foot. Then push it at 45 degrees with the left foot back towards a suitable position for the right foot to start the process again. Ask players to do it with their weaker foot as they improve and keep their head up. These are demonstated in Arthur's Coerver thread by Alfred Galustian and other course participants.

g. Sole of foot pushed right out in front and back, right and left, left and right. This wil be easy for some. Then ask players to push teh ball right out as far as they can using the outside of teh foot and bring it back pusing teh sole of the foot the sole of teh foot


h. Brazilian step overs, stationary. Simply as k players to stand over the ballwith wide feet and head up and step over the ball right then left, right then lefyt. etc.

i. Reverse step overs stationary. Same as above but the feet go in the opposite direction. One needs three steps for every step over. Players often confuse the two step overs.


All these should be performed slowly at first, if players can't do them.

It also keeps players occupied the whole time at training - less room for aberrant behaviour. No time is wasted in a coaching session. It also improves fitness and most importantly, technique.










Edited by Decentric: 23/3/2012 11:42:40 AM

Refer to the FFA Football Curriculum page 26 for U9's;



And for U11's page 27



It's amusing that Han Berger still rails that we are still not aware of the FFA Curriculum. What he doesn't understand is that the majority of coaches also wanted content.

Most of the Curriculum is based on Coerver Coaching, if you want you can purchase their DVD's or check out the various Coerver websites and youtube clips will give you some ideas. Decentric has mentioned the Brazilian Soccer Schools DVD (a particular favourite of mine) as a good for skill Mastery.

http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Coaching/Resources/2011_Conference/Skill_Aquisition_Program_2011_Conference_Presentation.pdf

Good background

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/site/_content/document/00001565-source.pdf

Some FFA SAP training drills

Edited by Arthur: 21/3/2012 11:32:57 AM

Edited by Arthur: 21/3/2012 02:39:25 PM

You can always do what the majority does.

Put your fastest kids up front.

Your biggest skillful kids in defence and midfield.

keep the small weak kids on the bench until the game is won (at least 3-0 up).

Boot the ball Long for the forwards to chase.

Teach them how to fight for every ball.

And the forwards to aim high when shooting as U11 goal keepers are short.



[-x

Arthur and Decentric thanks for taking the time to reply. You've both posted some excellent resources and ideas. How good is that UEFA Training Ground site:d :d ! I'm in Adelaide btw, so if there are any local resources or people you recommend let me know.

I'm always happy to be referred to external sites or existing threads on this forum.

I think one area I struggle with is that I'm not the most technically gifted player (although the kids think I'm pretty good!) so I want to make sure that I'm teaching them the right way to do things. That's where that UEFA video on short passing is simple - it breaks things down well so an idiot like me can learn from it and teach it to the kids.

Have you been watching some of the teams we play against:d ! This is what I'm sick of. In previous years I coached a team of 14 kids of very mixed abilities. I had some very good players, and some not so good players. But I wanted them all to enjoy the game, have fun, and progress. I think I managed the mix of abilities well, but we still had the very good players preferring to run with the ball and they wouldn't pass to some of the other players because "they'd just lose the ball anyway".:(

This year I've got a much more even mix of players, and whilst we'll still play against a bunch of teams who boot the long ball and chase it, I don't want to play like that. I feel that the kids are old enough to learn a smarter way to play, and that's going to be better for their long term development as players.

Thanks again for your help so far. You've given me lots of ideas and resources. I'll be back with more questions!:lol:

I've only scratched the surface. I'll keep adding stuff.

If you are in Hobart any time, you are welcome to come to our football school. Contact me by PM if you are coming here. We'll get Arthur to take a Coerver session if he is in town and willing.=d>

Sometimes without videos it is difficult to explain what one means in print.

FFES was sending a coach to the Coerver Diploma that Arthur just attended. We use some Coerver stuff though at FFES.

I think if one has Coerver training and the KNVB course I did, it is an excellent combination. The new FFA NC is supposed to be a derivative of KNVB.

The difference seems to be that KNVB instructors wanted coaches to think for themselves. They weren't prescriptive. It seems the FFA are using the NC to be elitist and deprive caoches of information, unless they pay large sums of money for Han Berger, Boultbee and Buckley's immense salaries.
Conversely, the NC is infinitely superior to a lot of the sprints, lap running, up and down bank running, push up and sit up regimes that many top local coaches use on the training ground.

Three good coaching books are:

Bert Van Lingen (whatever the title is?)

Teaching Soccer Fundamentals: Nelson McEvoy

Coaching Junior Soccer: Denis Ford


McEvoy's books have a lot of precursory exercises to the following resources:

https://sites.google.com/site/youthsoccerlessonplans/executive-docs

This link is to the Arsenal Academy sessions. They are first on the list.

McEvoy's Player in the Soup is a precursor to the second Arsenal drill where four players in a diamond keep the ball off two players in the middle. For younger kids, try just one player in the middle.







Edited by Decentric: 21/3/2012 03:29:34 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNgwoRdbsSY&NR=1



When Torres does the inside of the right foot then outside of the right foot move, it is known as the Matthews Cut.

If you can get players standing in a stationary position just using the inside of the foot and outside of the foot dribbling, it is good. It is also effective as a mobile dribbling technique, which I'll get to later. Aussiesrus uses this in a training drill he set out about a year ago.




Initially in the video Torres sole of the foot with his right foot dribbles across the ball at 45 degrees (known as the Brazilian drag or roll) then uses the outside of the right foot to dribble away before shooting.

This is more difficult than the Matthews Cut. I call it the Torres Cut. It can also be done in a stationary position, but works better advancing forwards.

Edited by Decentric: 21/3/2012 02:38:22 PM

http://www.uefa.com/trainingground/training/skills/video/videoid=1578713.html?autoplay=tr


7. I've missed a step here ,number 6, because of the usefulness of UEFA Training ground.

In this video do the easiest techniques with your players first.


There is also a useful link in Chelsea Academy which does similar things.

https://sites.google.com/site/youthsoccerlessonplans/executive-docs

The Chelsea link is the fourth down the page, not the fifth. The 5th exercise in Cores, which is dribbling around cones has some useful stuff.

There might be some useful stuff for wing play too.







Edited by Decentric: 21/3/2012 03:32:01 PM

This is the most important thing in football that some coaches forget.](*,)

Contact your South Australian FFA branch and see if you can observe their Skills Acquisition Programme sessions for 10, 11,12, 13 year olds.

I've just attended our local SAP programme this evening for under 12s. It was interesting. These are free sessions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om1iQUZ-pfg&feature=related


8. Directional Control

I keep losing my original link to this drill. They seem to become defunct or elapse after a time. I always remember it as Barca Academy: Directional Control and find a new site for it, the same as Barca Academy control pass etc. You'll recognise the coach in the video as the same bloke who sits next to Pep Guardiola at Barcelona games.


This is an excellent passing and receiving exercise. When you first have players perform it it is best to start about 3 metres apart. As they get better and you have nice short grass like in the video, you can increase the distance.

Also, as the players advance have them receive the ball on the outside of the cone and receive the ball with the outside of the foot, take it around the cone and pass with the same foot you receive the ball with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TemczLwUM48


9. Control Pass

This is another Barca Academy technique.

Again have players a little closer to each other. When I first tried this over distance on longer grass, I found it very tiring.

This is another exercise that keeps disappearing on the internet.

I've got a plugin for my Firefox browser called Download Helper that makes it easy to download these videos. I think I'll convert them and put them into a format that plays on an iPad so I can show the kids at training.

That directional control drill is very good. It could also be useful if I'm playing a SSG with some of the kids but have a couple not needed - I can set them up with this drill and rotate players between the game and the drill.

We trained last night and I used some of the ideas I've received here. We did ball juggling in groups of 2 and 3 and a lot of kids who could juggle well individually said it was 'too hard' to do it with a partner. Good! They took it as a challenge to improve.

We also did the basic side of foot passing like that earlier video showed. I even told them to kick the ball in the nose! When they got bored with the passing we did it as a race - first pair to 20 completed passes. That sped them up, but I had to make sure the technique was still there. Then we did it moving forward and backwards - got the 'This is hard' comment again.:d

Later we played one of the SSG's from the Arsenal training sessions in the sticky. It showed me (and the kids) that they need to get much better at controlling the ball, looking up and making a quick decision where to pass it. It was good with a 3V1 in the middle to see how the defenders positioned themselves and how the attacker moved to receive and pass back the ball from the outside players.

We finished off with another SSG with two small goals at either ends of a rectangle and wingers from each team on the outside on both sides and a 3V3 on the inside. The idea was that the players inside needed to pass out to the wingers who then passed back inside before they could score. It's fascinating to watch the kids when they get possession of the ball - you can see that second (or seconds) of indecision before they move or pass.

I'll go over the rest of the stuff you've posted and incorporate them into future sessions.

Thanks again for your help. It's nice to feel like I have a more clear direction for my coaching this year.

Just my 2 cents, by the sounds of it you're on the right track.

Everything you do should be safe, fun, inclusive, simple and be game like or progress quickly to something that is game like. This is obvious but if you actually approach everything you plan with this checklist it can be surprising the way it focuses your approach.

You only have one short session a week so focus on what happens most often in a game and don't waste time on the little things. Passing, receiving, 1v1 not throw-in's, corners, free kicks, penalties.

Focus on simplified situations if you can teach them the basic concepts in 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4, they'll be able to apply it to 11v11 without a lot of additional coaching.

Play games with goalkeepers in age appropriate size goals with agility poles as often as possible. I find making a no shooting area from sideline to sideline infront of the goals will help them develop confidence, adjust the distance based on the keepers' ability.

Edited by Kicker: 22/3/2012 01:48:30 PM

Hmmm I was wondering why I didn't get an answer to my query and on rereading of my post I realise I didn't actually ask a question. Anyways as mentioned above I am trying to get my players to meet the ball rather than wait for it or worse still let it it run past them only for it to go straight to a defender. I have tried a couple of things but when it comes to a game based training situation my players still let the ball run rather than getting it under control. I play a pretty low division 35's and I have noticed its not just a kid thing. All the new players (ex RL players) refuse to come to the ball.

Is this something I should be drumming into my players or will it just come over time.

Yep great idea. My eldest plays SAP and had a little stint in P22 as well. A lot of my drills and my coaching methodology is heavily "borrowed" with modifications from what I've seen the rep coaches do at their sessions.

Also I have posted this before but this is the website put together by Paul Bentvelzen the mastermind behind Project 22 here in NSW. He has lots of good resources and my only gripe is the whole thing should be free given Football NSW owns half and all the kids in the drills are Football NSW rep players.

http://coach.globalfootballsystem.com/index.php?resources

It can be several issues, for starters basic motor skills for U9 children they may not be ready for this, Ball Mastery could also be an issue they are not confident enough in their abilities to do what you are asking. Remember this is still the discovery phase. Your biggest problem will be the off season. If the group is keen and you as well an extea 20-30 sessions and play Futsal and 2013 is the year they will blossom.

I'd just keep focusing on Ball Mastery and for something different end the session with agility training with the agility ladder and hurdles. Nevber start with this as they will be to tired to do ball mastery.

The SAP programme imparted game sense much better than we do at FFES. The SAP coach kept asking players to think about decisions they made, or could make. The emphasis being on the player making sound decisions, not being told beforehand.

This is heuristic teaching which I have done as a professional infant teacher in the classroom. In football coaching I must admit I am more didactic, telling players to do certain things, rather than discovering for themselves. I was very impressed with the game intelligence of the SAP players, supposedly the best in the state in that age group - ages 10, 11, 12.

20 were selected from 67 applicants.


What surprised me is the SAP coach said they didn't explicitly prescribe teaching football techniques. He only corrected them if they weren't working well.

The SAP players only touched the ball 420 times in 75 minutes. Yet they seemed to touch the ball nearly all the time.

















Edited by Decentric: 22/3/2012 05:20:10 PM

a simple drill i use for passing to the wing is
split the team into two groups
set out cones 5 each side.
two at the end for goals
start most players behind the first cone
and then one on each wing
one on each inside forward
front player dribbles straight to first cone and passes wide to the wing
winger dribbles straight to next cone and passes in to the forward
forward dribbles and finishes in a goal
forward joins line with ball
wing moves to forward
back moves to wing
drill starts again.
right side is a mirror of left side so to drills going at the same time.
-----------------------------------X----X-----------------------------


----------------------X-------------------------------------X---------




X----------------------------------------------------------------------------x





X----------------------------------------------------------------------------X



----------------------x---------------------------------------X----------------




----------------------x----------------------------------------x----------------

x is cones

Great that this stuff has been of assistance.

If you are following a a lot of the recommended references, you are certainly on the right track, Wardman.

I'll keep adding stuff, as I'm sure others will do.



Below is the basic model for six Dutch KNVB SSG 4v4 (5v5 with keepers) games.

http://www.bettersoccermorefun.com/dwtext/knvbgmes.htm

Try and get your children to play in a 1-2-1 formation which takes the shape of a diamond or two triangles. Passing lanes should be created in attack if a team can approximately hold the diamond (1-2-1), and, individual players can lose a defender to create a passing lane. The body shape in receiving a diagonal ball is better than receiving a straight ball.


The KNVB emphasise (4v4) this for width and depth, which to them provides the smallest SSG shape which has a context in an 11 v 11 game.

If you have left over players let them play 1v1s. One player passes it to the opposite player who receives the ball in a 8m x 12m rectangular grid. Then s/he tries to dribble past the player to score. Push players to keep facing they are the dribbler, not turn their back on the defending player.



When I add the mobile dribbling techniques, if you add Arthur's Coerver references and maybe even acquire the Brazilian Soccer Skills DVD, as well as UEFA Training Ground for explicit techniques and Dirk's academy sessions from all those European academies, you'll
be doing much better training than most in this country, and from what I saw, in England.:)



[

Edited by Decentric: 23/3/2012 01:15:03 AM

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhm1q0_ronaldinho-elastic-two_news

I've added to this to an earlier post with different stationary techniques.

Step 1 in this video shows the player doing a Mathews Cut in a stationary position.



Have two lines, marked by cones, about 12-15m apart.


.......C..........C..........C.............C...............C





.....C...........C...........C.............C...............C
......Po........Po..........Po...........Po..............Po
......P...........P...........P.............P................P


Key:
C=cone
P=player
o=ball

Player closest to cone dribbles forward to cone using Matthews Cut, or in other words diagonal inside/outside of the preferred foot at 45 degrees.

Player reaches other cone, turns and comes back to original cone.
Second player has their go doing the same when s/he arrives back.

Each player waiting at cone performs Matthews Cut , or what was demonstrated in Step 1 in the aformentioned video, whilst other player dribbles to cone and back.














Edited by Decentric: 23/3/2012 04:43:47 PM