Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): FAW C Certificate Finishing

FAW Coach Ed

Anthony Houlahan

Profile Summary

Name:	Anthony Houlahan
City:	Singapore
Country:	Singapore
Membership:	Adult Member
Sport:	Football/Soccer

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Description

Objective: increase finishing accuracy; capability to finish under pressure; finish first time; combine and finish quickly

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Set up

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Set up

2 areas:

Area A: 30 m x 30 m

Area B: 20m x 20m

Leave a 2m - 3m gap between Area A and Area B.

Total space needed: 35m x 55m. To reduce space to omit 'Under pressure' drill which is only drill which uses Area B. Then space required is 35m x 35m.

Each area has a goal at the centre of each side.

Two opposite goals are marked with red cones at the side of each post.

The other two goals are marked with a blue cone outside each post.

If you don't have goals, use the cones as goals.

Orange cones mark the corners of the 30mx30m area.

Orange disc markers at the corners of the 20m x 20m area.

There is a 20m x 20m area marked with orange cones positioned centrally inside area A.

Have 2 spare full size goals near each end of Area A for use in later parts of the session.

Aim for 2 balls per player.

All drills take place in Area A. Area B is used only for half of the group for the 'under pressure' drill and can be omitted.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Warm up

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Warm up

Objectives:

Build skills to do wall pass at high speed (needed for next drill)

Warm players

Ensure high accuracy of passes

Set up: Use Area A (Note: goals and cones as shown in the Set Up diagram (previous) aren't shown in this diagram. This is just for simplicity but in reality all items shown in the set up diagram will be there. They won't affect the drill so just ignore them.

Action:

Players run with the ball in the middle (20x20) square, when they get close to the edge of the inner square they exchange a wall pass with a player on the edge of the outside (30x30) square.

Coach mechanics of passing and receiving. In particular, coach the mechanics in the context of a wall pass since this will be relied upon heavily later in the session.

1 minute per rep. Give each team 3 reps. Ask players to increase weight of passes in each rep. Light; medium; crisp passes. Tell them to find a weight of pass where success is 90%+. We'll use this later.

Do dynamic stretches between reps.

Passing mechanics:

Glance up at target

Eyes on ball

Decide surface (e.g. inside or outside of foot or another surface)

Select angle of approach (body shape)

Non-kicking foot alongside ball (often but not always pointing at target)

Strike centre of ball

Firm ankle

Follow through (often toward target)

Tell players that passing mechanics are very similar to shooting mechanics and often goals are finished with a shot that looks a lot like a pass.

Receiving mechanics:

On toes
Eyes on the ball
Get in line with ball
Decide first time pass or touch out of feet
Decide and present
surface towards ball
Relax on impact

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Accurate finishing

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Accurate finishing

Aim: Improve mechanics of shooting with a focus on accuracy

Set up:

Use Area A only.

10 - 14 players in 2 equal groups at opposite corners.

1 ball per player

Manequin in centre

Action:

R1 (server) passes to R2 (scorer)

R2 (scorer) lays the ball to R3 (wall-passer) and moves to a better position to score

R3 (wall-passer) plays a wall pass to R2

R2 scores

Players rotate after each rep:

New player to server
Server to wall passer
Wall passer to striker

Both groups (red and blue) work at the same

Coach shooting mechanics:

1. Get your body in a position to strike

2. Angled approach

3. Non-kicking foot beside the ball

4. Head over the ball

5. Select Surface & Strike: E.g. Laces.

6. Follow through

7. Accuracy (and Aim)

And note also that shots especially those from closer to the goal rely more upon passing mechanics. See previous drill.

Sequence:

P0: work on goal to the left of the striker

P1: work on goal to the right of the striker

P2: striker to signal his preferred side to wall passer (using voice or movement) and wall passer to play accordingly.

P3: increase power of finish

Add pressure to increase speed

P4: add a defender who starts next to server (R1) and only sets off after wall passer (R3) has played the ball.

Player rotation then becomes:

WP > Striker

Defender > WP

Server > Defender

New player > Server

Observe ability to shoot with accuracy and physical capabilities; if there is a big variation use observations from this drill to split the group into 2 based on ability for the next drill which will add more pressure.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Finishing under pressure

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Finishing under pressure

If needed, split group into 2 by ability based on observations from prior drills (warm-up and accuracy)

Higher ability group uses Area A (shown above); lower ability group uses Area B (the only difference is that the goals aren't set back and hence closer to the players).

PURPOSE: To improve finishing under pressure

SET UP:

Attacker and defender on the field

Servers on the corners.

ACTION

If Attacker scores then, a teammate serves again to him, if Attacker misses or the ball goes out of play the attacker and defender change roles. Similarly, if the defender steals the ball from the attacker he becomes the attacker.

Change middle players every 60 seconds

Encourage players to use C.O.D’s to make space to shoot.

Coach shooting mechanics :

1. Get your body in a position to strike

2. Angled approach

3. Non-kicking foot beside the ball

4. Head over the ball

5. Select Surface & Strike: E.g. Laces.

6. Follow through

7. Accuracy (and Aim)

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): First time finishing

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First time finishing

PURPOSE. To Improve First Time Finishing.

Set up:

Both groups use Area A

Remove inner 4 cones which marked the 20 x 20 space in the previous drill.

Get balls close to each goal so that wall passers can serve them in.

ACTION.

The perimeter players by the goals only have one touch each time they play the ball and

try to set up their team mates to score.

The two teams in the middle play 2 v 2, 3v3 or 4v4 according to their age and ability levels.

Teams can score in either of their goals from a first time pass from the players by the goals. The

team that scores gets possession at the restart.

Change the perimeter players often.

Coaching points:

Shooting mechanics (see previous drill)

The first player to the ball has the advantage of scoring; so focus all the time.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Fast finishing

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Fast finishing

Aim: Improve quick decision making and power and accuracy of finishing

SET UP.

Use Area A.

Remove the 4 small goals and the blue and red markers next to them.

Add the large goal.

Use the orange markers to mark a six yard line and an 18-yard line.

Coach and 6 Attackers with a ball each lined up, 18 yards from goal.

GK and 4 or more defenders on either side of the goal.

ACTION.

First attacker (A1) sprints to the 6yd line, touches it then turns to receive a pass from Coach and turns to

shoot.

As A1 hits the 6 yd line the 4 Defenders enter the field to defend and stop A1 shooting.

Whether A1 scores or is blocked or dispossessed he immediately turns to receive from the second attacker (A2) and plays a 1-2 with A2 or takes it himself while A2 supports

The 4 defenders once on the field stay there and defend full pressure.

As soon as a A1 or A2 score or lose ball A1 or A2 immediately sprints towards the third attacker (A3) to receive; the 3 attackers now combine with for any of them to get a shot on goal.

When this sequence is over A1 immediately sprints to A4 and repeats the previous sequences only it’s

now 4v4.

He does the same with A5 and then A6 and ends with a 5 v 4.

COACH TIP: Have a supply of balls so you can continue to serve the attackers after all players on field.

PLAYER TIP. Don’t always look for perfect opportunities. Be prepared to shoot in traffic., other players

follow up

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Finishing game

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Finishing game

Optional end game: Put it all together in an even sided game.

Use Area A.

Start w 3v3 progress to 4v4 or even 5v5 if players are getting high levels of success.

Every minute rotate so that any resting players come on.

COACH TIP: Have a supply of balls so you can continue to serve the attackers after all players on field.

PLAYER TIP. Don’t always look for perfect opportunities. Be prepared to shoot in traffic., other players

follow up

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