Combining To Score With One Touch
Here is a practice I designed to be used with younger players, I tried it with U8′s and it worked quite well. The idea is to create match realistic situations, over and over again so players learn through trial and error. This repetition practice gives you opportunity to intervene, with out the traditional STOP – RECREATE – PLAY scenario. I’ve started to use more repetition practices as it really gives you chance to observe the players. As discussed before, I believe there are tons of benefits to sessions that create opportunity for you to observe. Ask yourself “What do they players do well? What could we work on?” I also believe that as coaches there are times we need to intervene, but quite often players will work it out if they are given the opportunity and time. Players learn from playing the game, building pictures and recognising the picture when it presents its self again.
“A great pianist doesn’t run around the piano or do push ups with his fingers. To be great, he plays the piano. … being a footballer is not about running, push-ups or physical work generally. The best way to be a great footballer is to play.“
Jose Mourinho
The basic set up is a small pitch (appropriate to the age) with a smaller coned rectangle in the middle of the pitch (BLUE CONES). This area could be used for a warm up or technique based session.
Here is the set up with players, we have 3 teams. 2 attacking (ORANGE and SKY) with 1 team defending/goalkeepers (BLACK). The teams attack at the same time through the blue area, avoiding the defenders and opposition, to score past the goalkeeper. If the ball leaves the coned area, its “dead” and you start again.
The amount of players playing in this space at the same time will create a lot of interference and create lots decisions for your players. This interference is good, how often do you put on a session, but players don’t perform at match tempo? Or make decisions that would not work in a game? Sometimes finishing sessions can lack tempo, and it can be difficult to recreate the realism of a match. Often in a game you get a split second to make a run or take the chance to score, this practice will help create these situations over and over.
Aaron Danks (WBA Academy coach) talks about a “a game of chaos” (here), and challenges coaches “Try to plan sessions which are full of decisions and mistakes, 2 very important learning tools.” In my opinion this is how players like to be coached, “have a go, reflect why did or didn’t it work and try again”. This is a style promoted through the FA Youth Award.
PROGRESSION/CHALLENGES
Once players have grasped the practice you could make it more challenging by adding the following progressions;
- Can we finish with a 1 touch finish? Explain how/why/when/what
- Can every player touch the ball? (Can be a trade of for realism)
- Can the move involve a 1 touch pass?
The 1 touch finish will encourage “the team” to play as a collective. The players will have to think how to finish? Technique? how to “set” a teammate? Weight of pass? Timing of run? Recognising space to attack?…etc.
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BENEFIT TO ALL
Sometimes we ask players to “defend” this can lead to players winning the ball and launching it off the pitch or grid. Here you can motivate the defenders, “once you win possession put it in the side goal”. This has a few benefits:
- All players are involved in the session, there is benefit to all not just attackers
- “Defenders” get in to a good habit, win the ball and go and score
- It makes the session competitive and fun!
- It keeps all players motivated, which increases realism
BENEFITS IN A GAME
This video is a great example of combination play with a 1 touch finish. There is combination between Rooney and Nani, with 1 touch play then a good delivery from wide. Hernandez attacks the space and finishes the move with a 1 touch finish.
Tagged as:
football,
girls,
soccer
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