Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Bohs u14s Training Sat 23rd Aug 2013 (Start Time: 2013-08-24 11:45:00)

4:3:3 Squares

9 Players in a 4:3:3 formation

1 GK who acts as sweeper

3 Defenders: 3 Midfielders: 3 Attackers

Core Objective: To teach players how to move as a unit

Focus players on Attacking as unit to begin with (without ball and then with ball)..

Each Player positions himself in one square. Give each player a number..starting 1 to 9..

Start without the ball having a game called Square Steps - Idea is that the team move in tandem when one player moves - rest move in tandem..

Coach calls out number of player to move and then the player can move forward sideways or backwards...they move once and stop and then move again and stop...

Idea is that players move as unit making sure centre of pitch is covered at all times..- i.e. always a centre square is covered with a player inside

Start by just getting each number to move forward into square infront (e.g 5 moves forward to 8 etc)

Then progress onto lateral movement - this needs the players to use there own perception and awareness of space around them - e.g. number 1 moves left (into number 2 square = number 2 drops into shaded area, number 3 can stay in same square; number 6 drops just inside number 1 square and number 7 just inside number 6 square...= providing angles and good distance of support + providing cover in case of turnover of possession.

Then progress on with a football...

Begin by using ball in the hands of players...Handball game before progressing onto normal football..

Emphasis on angle and distance of support; positonal awareness on pitch (grid); of you and your teammates making sure there is good balance, cover and options

There should be never more than 2 players in one grid -

2 touch when playing football...umportant to keep head up and aware at all times of whats going on around player

progress towards 3 attackers getting into scoring zone (shaded area) where one shoots for goal...each attacker must get shot at goal...i.e. if centre attacker gets shot, then go back into grid and work ball up to get one of the other 2 attackers to shoot in scoring zone and then the last attacker...

Then the grid rotates and pushes up onto next grid...e.g. attackers go to defend...defenders go into middle and midfielder become attackers..

You can put GK in goal and one defender if wish to progress...make into competition and see which group of 3 scores most goals

N.B. As an added incentive for group to attack as unit...when attacking 3 get to shoot, the midfield 3 can pick up any rebounds that come into their new zone attacking zone as they would have pushed up

they must take no more than one touch to control and othen shoot..the can use their 1st touch as a pass to one of their other 3 team mates in their grid to shoot if they are in better position..