Football/Soccer Session (Beginner): OLQP Coaching Workshop U6-U8 (Start Time: 2024-03-23 08:30:00)

Ball Rush (A) (20 mins)

OVERVIEW: 

• Setup an area approx. 30 x 30
• As per the diagram/video nominate 1 player to be the defender and ask all other players to start behind the same end-line. 
• When the coach shouts "Ball Rush" attacking players aim to make it to the opposite end-line without having their ball knocked out of the playing area. 
• The defender's job is to knock attackers balls out of the playing area. When they do this, attackers then become defenders.  
• The last attacker to have their ball knocked out the playing area wins. 

COACHING DETAILS: 

Attackers: 

• Encourage players to run using the outside of their foot. This is to maximise ball control and speed.
• Encourage players to get their heads up while running with the ball. This is to teach them the importance of being aware of their surroundings e.g., space to exploit and opponents/defenders to avoid. 

• Encourage attacking players to use different skills to beat defenders in 1 v 1 duels e.g., body-feints/dropping the shoulder to unbalance defenders; quick change of direction and speed to get past defenders.   

Defenders: 

• Challenge defenders to be brave by applying early pressure (pressing) on attackers. This is to force attackers into making mistakes, thereby giving defenders an opportunity to steal the ball off them or knock the ball out of the playing area. 
• In summary, encourage defenders with the 4 'S's when pressing attackers: 

Speed: approach the attacker at speed

Slow: once the defender is approx. 2-3 meters from the attacker, they slow up with their legs bent and on their toes. 

Surf: as defenders slow up they get into a 'surfing' body stance (i.e., side on body position) so that they're ready to block or intercept. 

Steal: as defenders maintain a 'surfing' body position, they wait to 'steal' the ball from the attacker. This is all about good timing, being prepared to tackle the attacker. Some tackling/stealing triggers are... 

- when the attacker takes a bad or heavy touch

- when the attacker drops his/her eyes or head to look at the ball

- when the attacker gets forced towards the side-line 

- when the attacker turns his/her back on the defender 

PRINCIPLES OF PLAY: 

Attacking: 

• Penetration: players learn the importance of running with the ball at speed.
• Mobility: players learn how to use their body movements (change of direction/speed) to out smart and unbalance defenders. 

Defending: 

• Pressing: players learn the art of applying early/brave pressure on attackers.  

PROGRESSIONS: 

• Instead of defenders knocking attackers' balls out of the playing area, you could ask them to dribble the ball out of the playing area. This will gives attackers the opportunity to 'counter-press' and win the ball back to run across the opposite end-line. 
• You could setup mini goals each end and ask defenders to score in any of the goals after they've won the ball off attackers. 

REGRESSION: 

• Play without balls. 

End Line Game (30 mins)

OVERVIEW: 

End Line Conditioned Game.  

• Setup a rectangular playing area suitable for the number of players e.g., not too small, not too big. 
• As per the diagram, divide the playing area in half (shown by the yellow disc markers). 
• Place training x2 poles OR cones in each of the four corners of the pitch. Place them 3-4 yards apart, creating four gates (see diagram/video). 
• Place a mini goal at each end. 
• Place all balls with the coach (see diagram/video). 
• Game starts with the coach passing the ball into play. 
• To keep a high level of intensity and game tempo, the coach plays a fresh ball into play whenever the ball goes out of play. Ask players to NOT retrieve balls that go out of play. This is a waste of time. Once all the balls have been used, pause for a quick drink break and reset the balls to restart the game.  

Game Constraints and Rules: 

• 1 point is awarded for scoring in the mini goal
• 2 points are awarded for dribbling the ball through one of your opponents two gates. The ball MUST be dribbled through the gates, NOT kicked or passed through.  
• 3 points are awarded when the dribble begins in your own half.  
• Award a bonus point if a player successfully dribbles through the gate whilst using their weaker foot. 

COACHING DETAILS: 

• Seek to coach on-the-run as much as possible. It's totally fine to pause the game if there's an important coaching point to make (must be something related to the main objective(s) of the training session). However, try not to interrupt the flow of the game too often as this is frustrating for players who just want to play the game. 
• Praise players who are continually aiming to dribble and RWB. 
• Praise players who make good decisions e.g., when to dribble and when to not to dribble but pass instead (see additional notes below). 
• Praise players for applying the defending Principles of Play: Pressure/Cover/Balance.  

Additional Coaching Details: 

Decision Making: encourage players to make intelligent decisions when in possession of the ball e.g., should they dribble/RWB or should they pass instead? Ask players: "Is it always a good decision to dribble?" OR "When might you pass the ball instead or dribble?" OR "What is the purpose of dribbling the ball?" OR "When dribbling, how might you use your body to beat your opponent? Ask other open-ended questions that gets the players to think about their in-game decisions. The aim here is to develop intelligent players who make wise decisions.  

Width/Space: encourage players to not all follow the ball (bunching). This is something as coaches you'll need to repeat again and again and again!! But be patient. This conditioned game is a perfect opportunity to coach the Principle of width. Therefore: encourage players to make well-timed runs off the ball in wide areas (watch video for an example of this).  

Courage: dribbling/RWB demands courage, so praise players for attempting to dribble with the ball. Some players will be apprehensive, but encourage them to be brave and give dribbling a go. They might be pleasantly surprised!