Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Practice Design & Reflections: Specific Practice on Switching Play (Start Time: 2024-10-15 03:00:00)

Specific Practice (15 mins)

Specific Practice: The aim of this specific practice is on switching play principles.

Total number of players: 13

Pitch geography & organization: Half pitch of a normal size playing field. Grey area marked next to the side of the penalty area is key in obtaining the principles of this session.

Length of session: 15 minutes.

In this 11V11 (1-4-3-3) backwards practice session, I will be coaching the red team. They will have one player less with 6. I have removed the keeper and 4 defenders. The defending blue team will have total 7 including the keeper. I removed 2 defenders, 2 attackers.

Conditions, Challenges, Targets: The red team will be challenged to play the ball to the wingers outside the "grey" area of the pitch. They can only score after switching play wide to the wingers and then crossing or cutting in to the area to score.

The midfielders are also challenged not to pass in between themselves and rather try and make the pass to the wings in order to obtain the purpose of the switching play principle. But to keep more realism it is only a challenge not a condition.

The target of the session is to make most successful switch play to the wings as well as most number of goals with switch play and crosses or shots on goal from it.

The black arrows shows the roles and responsibilities of the red players when they have the ball. Those switches in one, two or maximum three touches in full flow with speed and high tempo will be challenged to each player in the red team. 

During quick 30 seconds 3 interventions in 15 minutes which is 90 seconds in total maximum if necessary, roles, responsibilities will be demonstrated to the players for example, if a midfield player delays a pass or tries to dribble, a quick freeze with my whistle, clearly and loud demo how to receive the same ball, take a touch if necessary and switch play immediately to the wings rather than delaying or dribbling and go live to the session in seconds. In such a way in the 15 minutes, almost 14 minutes 93% shall be ball rolling.

To make the session more challenging, I will remove the last defender in the red team and still focus the red team to exploit the space on the wings to switch play and achieve the target of the session. Limiting the number of touches can be used in progression and regression aspects of the session. 

In order for the defending team to have a target in the session, two small goals are kept outside the grey zone which they can have a long pass or shot on it in 6 sec which indirectly teaches the defenders also to clear the defensive ball to immediate switch play targets which keeps everyone in the same principle of play of the subject session switching play.

Reflections:

Principles of play of switching play was achieved as the width to touchline and exploring the spaces, with good ball speed and good decision making stood out in the session.

Concurrent coaching kept the flow of the session alive. The walk through at the start of the session gave a clear picture of the session frame to players. I believe it helped to make the session go well. I think I let the session flow well in that aspect.

I did intervene to show better decision making opportunities, did the coaching process before playing live and it helped to achieve the understanding of the key principle of the session.

I learned the importance of keeping the session realistic at all times as the lack of full backs made it too easier for the wide players.

My coaching position could have been better with staying a bit deeper from the action so that I can have a better view of the whole frame.

Action plan for the next time upon reflections, I would add full backs to keep it more realistic and hard for the attackers to switch play. I would add more players to make it more realistic. I would take my coaching position a step back to observe the session on the ball, around the ball & off the ball scenarios.