Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): OA1 B License - Defending Switch of Play (Start Time: 2024-11-15 10:30:00)

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Devon Davies

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Devon Davies
Name: Devon Davies
City: Merthyr Tydfil
Country: United Kingdom
Membership: Adult Member
Sport: Football/Soccer
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Description

Organisation (Practice Layout & Transition)


Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Screen 1

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Screen 1
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Screen 1 (10 mins)

Warm up - 10 minutes

Firstly, I let the players do a light jog around half the pitch. This is mainly so I can make sure my drill is set up correctly and make sure everything is in place while we wait for anyone who is late and it allows the players to have a quick talk and catch up prior to playing.

I then try and split them into groups to do a rondo. I start off in groups of 4 or 5 with 1 in the middle. This player has to win the ball back and if 15 passes are made then one player will swap over with the defender so they all get an equal share. This happens for a majority of the warm up and for the last 2 minutes I have a big group rondo with every player and 3/4 players in the middle trying to win the ball back as soon as possible. Once again it is swapped over quickly and then once everyone has defended at least once we go into the main drill in the session.


Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Screen 2

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Screen 2
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Screen 2 (30 mins)

Specific Practice: Defending switch of play - 28 minutes

Defending team will be 7 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper. We will be trying to keep a narrow shape to allow little space for the opposition to find and to try force them out wide. Once the attackers have played it to a wide area we need to shuffle over to that side and make sure we are marking the attackers and make it hard for them to switch play or play through. 

Attacking sides objective will be to score a goal past the defence however they have to play it to a wide area. If they get in I’m both wide areas which are marked by the flacks and score they will get double points. 

Coaching points:

3rd man runs from midfielders - challenge, freeze, walkthrough - third block 6 minutes

Positioning of where to be and spaces to cover so the opposition don’t play through - early in the drill 2 minutes

How to defend a direct switch of play - target for attackers, freeze, walkthrough, demo, concurrent - first block 6 minutes

How to defend crosses - freeze, walkthrough, drive by, fly by - second block 6 minutes

Line breaking passes from midfield to wingers - freeze, concurrent - 5 minutes

Specific position information:

Full backs - will need to be tight to the winger if they have the ball. However if the ball is on the other side of the pitch they need to be in line with the back post and edge of the 6 yard box while making sure of a cross comes in they can defend it. 

Centre backs - need to always be alert I will be going through their specific positioning depending on where the ball is during the session. Need to be communicating with the midfield a lot especially when the opposition midfield start making runs into the box so everyone knows who is marking who. 

Midfielders - need to pick up the oppositions midfield and make sure they try and press them tightly. Need to run a lot to cover if the attackers do switch play and be alert for runners from midfield into attacking areas. 

Attacking midfielder - will need to try and cut off their deepest midfielder who will try to dictate play. Additionally will need to be an option for an outlet ball if the defending team wins the ball.  

Adaptations (Progressions & Regressions): 

If attackers are having too much success I can limit their touches from midfielders and the striker. 

If the defenders are having too much success I can take their attacking midfielder and put him on the attackers to try and make it more challenging for them.  

Challenges, Conditions or Targets:

When defending side wins the ball they have 7 seconds to score a goal. 

Challenge the defence to push themselves to be as high as the cones on the side of the pitch when the first pass is played in. If the they are struggling with this we will tell the feeder player to slow down play until the defence are up. 

Attacking players have the challenge to switch the play and score to give the double points for goals.

Challenge attackers to try direct passes and line breaking passes if I have time to coach these points. 


Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Screen 3

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Screen 3
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Screen 3 (20 mins)

The players then have a 2 minute break and then go into the final part of the session 

SSG: Defending switch of play - 20 minutes

This part of the exercise is a large sided game with a 7v7 and one neutral player who will play for whatever team is in possession. This then makes it harder for the defending team and will hopefully make the players communicate more and spot the dangers better after the drill previously. 

The aim of the drill will be for either team to score in the big goals with normal rules other than. 3 passes need to happen before a goal and it needs to go in at least one of the wide areas. If a team plays the ball in both wide areas then scores a goal then it is 2 goals. This is to try and encourage the team to switch the play and make the team defend the switch of play which is the main focus. 

Coaching points:

Defensive line - freeze - 3 minutes

Positioning when defending - using geographical locations to describe such as in between the 6 yard line and post a centre back

Attacking runs - freeze, walkthrough, concurrent - second block

Technical corner:

I want to keep an eye on technique and make sure it’s all good from players because if it is not I can coach quickly to try improve and then carry on with the main part of the session/game. 

Social aspect:

Half way through the SSG I will allow both teams to go off in a little break for a team meeting and discuss in their teams what they believe is going well and what they need to improve on to do better. 

Adaptations (Progressions & Regressions):

If players aren’t going into the wide areas as much as I want I will make it as a condition for them to have to enter both wide areas to score a goal. 

Last 5 minutes I will leave the players play with no conditions and allow them to have free roam to let them express themselves and see if they can do the movements, skills, tasks that I was trying to tell them to do during the drill. 

Challenges, Conditions or Targets:

Challenge to get it to both wide areas then score. 

Condition of 3 passes before scoring. 

I may add a condition on touches if players are dribbling too much dribbling. 


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