Football/Soccer Session (Beginner): Central Combination Play 2 U8-U11

Description

PRINCIPLES OF PLAY

• Disguised passing

• Using the spare player in an attacking overload

• Movement to combine

4v4 (+2) ELIMINATION POSSESSION GAME

• This practice is a general possession game. Points are scored by completing a set number of passes. The team in possession can eliminate an opponent by playing a wall pass around them. If a player is eliminated they stand in one of the gates on the outside of the playing area. Once they receive a pass from a teammate they can rejoin the game.

FUNCTION

• This is a possession game with two teams of four players (Team A and B) and two neutral players (Players C), who play for the team in possession. The attackers score points by making eight consecutive passes.

• If the attacking team are able to play a wall pass (a onetwo) around a defender, that defender is eliminated. The method for eliminating an opponent is shown in diagram one.

• Once a player has been eliminated they have to stand in one of the two gates on the outside of the pitch. To rejoin the game the player has to receive a pass through the gate and then dribble back into the playing area. This is shown in diagram two.

DEVELOPING THE PRACTICE

• The scoring system can be changed so that eliminating an opponent results in one point. There are no points for making 8 consecutive passes.

• The game can only be won by eliminating all the players from the opposition with wall passes.

COACHING DETAIL: TECHNICAL

DISGUISED PASSING

• Disguised passing will help attackers in this practice. The attacker can use ‘no look’ or outside of the foot passes to find teammates in order to make a wall pass. Placing disguise on these passes makes it harder for the defender to read and should increase the success rate for the attackers.

USING THE SPARE MAN

• Players should be encouraged to use the neutral players throughout this practice, either as a passing option or as a decoy.

• Players can shape like they are attempting to combine and then move the ball to beat their opponent, or they can drive at their opponent before playing a wall pass.

AWARENESS

• Underpinning all of the in-possession players’ technical actions is a high level of awareness.

• Players will need to be able to identify which teammates are available to play wall passes.

• Players should be encouraged to combine with the neutral as much as possible to create overloads. A player’s ability to ‘see the next pass’ will allow them to combine for wall passes more frequently.

MOVEMENT

• The players’ movement is very important in this practice, as is the ability to pass and move. Coaches should encourage players to constantly be on the move to create opportunities to combine for wall passes by playing on the shoulder of opponents.