Attacking Headers

Attacking Headers

There are few things better than a header bulleting into the net leaving the goalkeeper stranded.  With younger children the fear factor of heading a ball needs to be overcome.  A simple drill of the coming towards you and cushioning a header back towards you is a great place to start.  If they are having problems with this allow them to catch the ball first then header it back to you.  

The technique for heading is fairly straightforward, use the forehead, the hardest part of the head, keep your eyes on the ball at all times, follow through and try to head downwards.  Your arms should be out for balance and your neck muscles should allow you to follow through and generate power.

If you are starting off teaching footballers how to head a good way to start is to make them kneel down and throw a ball to them.  As they head the ball the will naturally come forward and follow through.

However, attacking headers is about one thing, scoring goals.  It is difficult to recreate a cross so i devised a simple drill to ensure that my players can practice headers but as importantly work on the timing of their run and communication with their team mates.

Start with two feeders either side of the goal, a keeper and two queues of players.  Add a couple of mannequins to act as defenders.  Let the players bend their run round the mannequins to act like losing their defender, shout for the ball and try and head it past the keeper into the lower corners.

Player A bends his run round the mannequin, calls for the ball and headers low into the net.  Add a keeper later to make it harder and vary the throws.

Technique : As with all headers, keep your eye on the ball.  Use the forehead, heading the top half of the ball so it powers down towards the ground.  Arms out for balance and pull back on impact, thrusting the neck forward to generate power.

Get Back !!!

No sorry, we are not now a Beatles blog though i may publish some of Lennon and McCartney's finer moments later on!

One of the biggest frustrations coaching kids in particular is when you move to a game scenario they have a tendency when they lose the ball to not work for it back.  Look at Barcelona and how quickly they try and win the ball back when they lose it, they use their 6 seconds rule.  Win possession back as quickly as possible.

Now kids teams are not going to be able to recycle the ball so quickly but we can install the correct ethics into them at an early age.  When my team lose the ball i encourage them to get behind the ball (goal side) as quickly as they can.  When the ball is back in our possession the team spreads out creating passing lines from the player with the ball.  I developed the following drill to install the ethic into the team, give it a try.

Set the pitch up with one goal and play a 5 v 3 with a goalkeeper on the team with the 5.  A floating player (or coach, green player A below) plays a ball into one of the players in black.  The two forward red players immediately have to get goal side of the ball whilst the remaining red players try and stall or tackle the advancing black team.

With the overload of red defenders they should be able to win the ball back fairly quickly.  At this point encourage players to get wide into the zones marked by markers, maintaining a passing line for the player in possession as shown below.  A third player should be encouraged to go long and give the player receiving the ball an opportunity to pass to them.

This helps develop the little field big field mentality.  Little field when you don't have the ball, squeezing the opposition to win the ball.  Big field when you have the ball, making the field as wide as possible to make your opponent work harder to get the ball off you.  As i said in previous posts, if you have the ball, the other team can't score.

And just to finish off today's article, here it is GET BACK by The Beatles.  Enjoy and Happy Coaching!

FINDING THE GAP - THE KILLER PASS

There is always a gap, finding it is the problem!  Actually, even once you find you still have to get the ball into it!  Here's a good drill that encourages movement, awareness, good weight of pass and lay off play.

Set up your practice area with a goal and two mannequins. Player 1 starts with the ball, player 2 is 'marked' by one of the mannequins.  Player 1 plays a pass to the feet of player 2 who lays is off and immediately makes a run around the mannequin.  Player 1 runs on to the lay off and plays the killer pass through the two mannequins to player 2 to shoot into the goal.

How do i make this easier?  Playing first time passes isn't easy for every player so encourage them to take a touch before the lay off and shot.  There should also be plenty of talking to each other with this drill.  You could also run through it at walking pace a couple of times.

How do i make it harder?   Encourage short sharp passes to feet and for the lay off and killer pass to be played first time.  Replace the marking mannequin with a passive then active defender.  Encourage player 2 o shield the ball from his marker, making sure his body is between him and the ball.  Encourage the shooter to aim for the far corner and reward hitting the inside of the net with extra praise.

Happy Coaching!

SOCCER HOMEWORK

Nobody likes homework, but what about Soccer homework?

Whenever i get home from running a practice session I always check out You Tube to find a video I can send to the parents of my team.  Typically I will try and find a skill, dribbling practice or type of pass to send them and will ask them to help their kids practice for 10 minutes a night and then the following week I will start the session with a revision of the homework, giving the kids a chance to show their new skill.

This is a great pointer to see what kids in your team have the desire to learn.  When Lionel Messi was a young boy with a football and all that talent he could have sat at home at night watching TV or more likely he was out in the park or street practicing and honing his skills.

Give your team Soccer homework, you will see the benefit!  Below is a typical example of what is available on You Tube for free!

Happy Coaching!

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STEP OVERS

Teach a kid a new skill every three months and in a year they will have four skills.  In three years they will have 12.  How many professional players have 12 skills in the game?

The step over is a common skill and can be broken down into three stages, the step, the fake and the take.

For the following assume the player is right footed.
The step, the player plants his right foot and shifts his body weight to the right.to give the impression he is going right.
The fake, his left foot goes round the front of the ball and his weight shifts to the left foot.
The take, using the outside of the right foot the ball is played to the right and the player accelerates away with it.


Who better to show a step over than the king himself, Cristiano Ronaldo teasing some Arsenal defenders.  Look how he starts this move off with a step over then shows some fancy footwork.

How do we incorporate this into a football session, easy, with a skill and reward drill.

Two players start at the cones and run towards the mannequins, the step over one way then the other at the second mannequin.  The reward is a shot on goal.

How do I make this harder?  Add a competitive edge and make it a race!  Add real defenders!

Happy Coaching!

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2 v 1 game

Here is a fun drill that teaches a range of skills, taking players on, defending, movement, passing lines, shooting and the killer pass.

The set up is simple, two sets of goals, 1 ball, 1 defender and two attackers.

Start with the ball with the defender and ask him to pass to one of the two attackers.  The attackers must now find a way past the defender either through a straight 1 v 1 or by passing the ball round him.  Once they have passed the defender they can have a shot at goal.

If the defender wins the ball, as a reward he gets a shot into the goals at the other end.

How do i progress the session?

Easily, if the defender is winning too often introduce a third attacker.
If the defender needs help introduce a second defender.  This session works in many ways, 2v2, 3v2, 4v2, 4v3, 2v3, the principle is always the same.

Coaching points.
Attackers : Movement is the key, they have an extra player so should not lose the ball.  Player 2 should always have a direct line between him and his team mate to allow a pass.  Player 1 can draw in the defender and open the space up for player 2.
Communication is very important, the two attackers should talk to each other and shout for the ball.
Defenders : God body shape, keep low and side on to the attacker.  Be prepared for the tackle but also to go to player 2 if the pass comes through.  Don't dive in, show the player with the ball wide and out of the park

Happy Coaching!

Keeping the ball

If you have the ball in Soccer the other team can't score.

Soccer is really that easy.  I spent a lot of time with my team with simple keep ball games, not only does it teach them to pass and move, to communicate with each other but it gives them a session with plenty of ball time.  My favorite session for this is one i call 'Doggy in the Middle'.

I start by marking out an area and bib one (or more) player, the doggy.  The other players in the area have to move the ball around and stop the doggy from getting the ball.  I set a target of one minute for this.

How do i make it harder?

Add a second ball, this really puts the cat among the pigeons as now the players not only have to find a pass to player they have to find a player who doesn't have the ball.

Add a second defender.

Another way is to make the game area smaller, this is the preferred option to the second (or third) ball option.  A smaller area makes the players work harder to find space and improves their touch.

Coaching points.

Encourage the players to keep moving, a player standing still is a waste of a player.
Talk to each other, if you want the ball shout for it.
Passing lines, if you can't see the player you want to pass to then you can't pass it to them, there is someone in the way
Draw the defender, if you have the ball and there is no challenge, why would you pass it?  Draw in the defender and pass the ball, this takes them out the game giving your team mate more room.

Happy Coaching.

Plan a Session

How to plan a football session.

The session should ideally last between and hour and 90 minutes.  In the session you should be looking to involve the following components;

Warm Up
Fun Game/Team Building Exercise
Game Related Practice
Game Time

The session should have a common theme running through so plan your sessions weeks in advance, have a week on passing, a week on dribbling, a week on shooting etc

As soon as your session starts get a ball at their feet.  A warm up does not mean running, jogging and doing sprints.  Pair the players up and start by passing a ball between them, make the gap bigger to extend, but make sure they are moving about.  Make them run about an area in and out of cones doing a step over, drag back, Zidane turn or any other skill the wish.

Move onto a fun game to help bond the players.  It can be something simple like a dribbling race with shooting into a mini goal or a passing race.

Game related practices are an important part of coaching a team.  These can be something from playing a 3 v 1 in a box and after 3 passes the attacker can move and have a shot at goal.  If the defender wins the ball then he can have a shot at goal.

This drill looks more complex than it is.  Player runs forward and has a shot, turns around and faces player 2.  Player 2 plas a 1-2 with player 1 and has a shot on goal.  Player 2 turns and now becomes a defender in a 1v1 with player 3.

Game Time - The reward and most important part of session.  Try and devote at least 50% of the session to the players playing football in a small sided game so they get plenty of touches to develop as players.  Make the games interesting, restrict them to 3 or 2 touches, make them use their non preferred foot, allow them to have a shot only once they have performed a step-over.  There are many ways to make it fun whilst they learn.

The benefits of teaching 1 v 1

The benefits of teaching 1 v 1 play

Everyone likes to see a 1 v 1, there is no better sight than a player taking on another player, beating them and getting a shot at goal.  It is easy to coach this out of a kid, younger players should be encouraged to take on players and learn themselves how to beat their opponent.  Read the following line carefully and remember it.

IF A CHILD LEARNS TO BEAT AN OPPONENT, THEY WILL NEVER FORGET IT

That's right, learn how to beat an opponent as a child and they will retain that skill for the rest of their lives.  So what is a good 1 v 1 drill?  Set up a pitch 20 yards by 20 yards with a set of mini goals at each end.  The players are numbered and the coach shouts out one of the numbers and rolls a ball into the middle of the game area.  The players of that number run onto the park and play against each other until the ball goes dead or one of them scores.

How do i make it harder?  Play a 2 v 1 or a 2 v 2.  Put a time limit on how long they have to score.  Make them score with their non preferred foot.

Of course the flip side to this drill is that the players are also learning to defend in a 1 v 1 situation.  Look out for a defending drill coming next!

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Driven Shot

The driven pass is a thing of beauty, a pass zipped across the turf to your team-mate.  On of my favorite techniques in Soccer though is it's bedfellow, the driven shot.  There was a time when you saw many goals scored from 25 yards out, players with excellent technique running onto a ball and kicking it first time into the goal.

Look at this strike by Jorg Albertz, look at his technique and the power he generates.

The technique required for driven shot is;


Plant Foot - Make sure your non striking foot is placed next to the ball to provide a steady base
Head over ball, arms out for balance
Curl toes to lock ankle - Curl your toes back, feel how your ankle stiffen, this ensures a better contact
Kick with laces - Everytime for a driven shot, use the top of the foot (the laces)
Follow through on impact with ball - Make sure you follow the movement through to generate the power

A good practice drill for power shooting that is also fun is below.

Player 1 plays a pass into player 2 who can take a touch and shoot or to progress the drill shoot first time.

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