Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Shielding the ball - observation task. (Start Time: 2021-04-27 17:30:00)

Shielding and defending - King of the Ring

  Key Factors

• Running with the ball, shielding and defending
• final third and defending exercise. 
• mini football, keep the ball rolling
• Warm up exercise to take place before, introducing the element of the session (Games such as tag, stuck in the mud) etc.
• Plenty of balls set up around the outside to keep the ball rolling. 
• Coaching position on the outside (moving round, observing all keeping footballs at easy access points.
• 15 minutes.

Organisation

• 4 vs 4 (player bibbed on arrival)
• Pair up (1 red, 1 blue)
• Red players collect a ball runs around the whole grid using the all parts of their foot to keep the ball close and under control.
• Blue players (defenders) provide passive pressure to their red partner but does not tackle the player.
• Red players encouraged to keep their back to the defenders and shield the ball from the defender.
• After 30 seconds the players will swap over, the blues becoming the attackers
• Coach to explain the mechanics of dribbling at the start.

Observations:

> make sure the players are using the full area to run with the ball. 

> Defenders need to be chasing as if they were playing tag trying to stop the defender getting away from them.

> If it becomes too easy for the attacker to get away half progress the session so only half of the area is used.

Progression 1 :

• Defenders are now allowed to poke the ball away from the attacker.
• Attacker needs to concentrate more so the ball doesn't get poked away.
• Once the defender pokes the ball they switch positions.

Progression 2: Coach to introduce defending mechanics.

• Defenders use full pressure to try and get the ball off the attacker.
• When the coach blows their whistle the defenders have to move to a different attacker 
• Coach tells players when they swap positions with the partner.

Progression 3: King of the ring

• 6 attackers dribble around the full grid, 2 defenders try and take the ball off them and kick the ball out of the area. 
• If the attacker can get the ball back off the defender before it is kicked out of the area they stay in with the ball.
• If the attacker loses the ball and it is kicked out of the area, the attacker then joins the defending team to catch the other players.
• The last player with the ball wins and starts the next game as a lone defender, unless the coach chooses someone else.

Observations.> If a defender is finding it difficult to poke a ball away in progression 1 the coach can swap the partners around.> If progression 3 is too easy for the attackers the coach could make the area smaller. > More rest periods may be introduced as the activity has lots of running, players may get tired, again if this happens we can reduce the area size.

All the progression can be regressed back to the stage before if it becomes too difficult for the player.

Mechanics - mini level introducing mechanics so all may not be used.

Defending                                          

1. Get in Line, 2. Pressure on the ball, 3. Deceleration, 4. BodyPosition, 5. Stay on toes, 6. Be Patient, 7. Decision, 8. RecoveryRuns(Movement), 9. TrackingPlayers

Dribbling

1. Keep ball close, 2. Vary surfaces of the foot, 3. head up, 4. Change of pace, 5. Change of direction.

4 vs 4 dribble to score.

Key Factors

• Small sided game - repetition
• 4 vs 4 - no goalkeepers
• 28 yards x 20 yards u7 guidelines
• 10 minutes

Organisation

• Balls around the pitch so coach can feed ball to give players touches.
• 4 sets of cones at each to progress the game.
• blues vs reds normal match with different scoring mechanism.
• To score the players must dribble the ball over the end line.

Progression 

• To score players are to dribble through the gates at the end lines, so have to beat defenders. 
• defenders can not stand in front of gates to block the run through
• progress again to 1 goal either end

Observations.

>are players passing.

>are defenders pressing the attackers.

>do the teams need to switch up to encourage less abled players.

>coach to make sure players are engaged and get a lot of touches from controlling the restarts.