Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Create Space to receive the ball to help retain possession

Create Space to receive the ball in a pocket to help retain possession

Description

 This practice is used to help players understand what movements are required to find space where you can receive the ball to help retain possession. It is used to give the players the understanding of rotation of movements/positions in certain areas to help retain possession.

1) The area is a 30x30 yrd (or depending on numbers/ability) the pitch is set up into halves and is 2v2 or whatever number you have in the squad (tip with the younger players make the overload bigger for more success)

 2) Players must stay in their half of the pitch

 3) Floaters (Black) can go anywhere

 4) To score players look to play into the free zone and play into the other half of the area. They can keep possession by playing from one half to the other but no points are scored this way.

 5) Goal keepers (Yellow) can be used on the outside of the area and they will look to receive the ball from one half and play to the other or the free zone.

Technical

- Passing & Receiving

- First touch/Control

- Support play in a 4v2 (angles, distance, penetrating pass)

 - Movement to help the team create gaps

Tactical

- When, where, why to pass?

- When to speed play up and when to slow it down?

- Create space in the middle (long&wide)

- Which run?

- How long to wait in the free zone?

- Rotations of players in the free zone?

What you may find is that the four defenders just look to screen the pass into the free zone this is where you look to speak to the team about being patient in possession and how to speed the tempo up to create the gaps

Physical

The same requirements as a game

- Balance

- Co-Ordination

- Agility

- Speed

- Dealing with body contact

Psychological

- Which players take ownership of trying to score with consent movements into the free zone

- Team work

- Confidence to get on the ball

- Attitude of players who make mistakes/ try new things

Social

- Team work

- Communication

- Leadership of players

- Q & A with the coach / problem solving together

Learning Objectives

1) How and why to keep possession as a 4v2

2) How can you create space to the take advantage of the space created?

3) Movements to lose markers to get into space created

4) Rotation of players into space

5) How / Why / When to speed and slow the tempo of play down