Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Dealing with Cut Backs (Start Time: 2020-11-19 16:30:00)

Agility Warm Up (10 mins)

Set up/Organisation/Description:

- 2 red cones roughly 20m apart

- From the centre spot between the 2 red cones, place 1 blue and 1 yellow cone roughly 8-10 yards either side

- 2 GK feeding from red cones, 2 GK in middle

- Any additional GK queue behind feeder

- Front of queue becomes feeder, feeder moves to work in middle zone and working GK joins end of the queue

Instructions/Explanations:

- Feeder providing repetive volleys to middle GK on "GO"

- Quick, direct feeds providing multiple actions for GK

- If coach shouts "Change" then GKs in middle turn 180 and take feeds from opposite feeder

- Coach can shout additional commands i.e "touch your head/ touch your toes" etc

- When coach shouts blue or yellow it becomes a race between 2 working GKs to touch that cone

- First GK there scores a point for their team then rotates

Coaching points/learning objectives

- Discuss what agility is- Changing direction at maximum speed

- Set shape

- Feet light to the floor ready to change direction quickly

- Focussed for visual/ verbal stimuli to react to

Progression(s):

- Servers can vary feeds i.e. drop ball for GK to attack, throws to side for dive

- Coach can call opposites i.e. "Blue" would require touching yellow cone to score a point

- Coach can call names of football teams- players react to the colour of strip i.e. "Chelsea" would require GK to get to blue cone

- Coach can call colour or hold up a cone which players must react to (Encourages good scanning habits/ head up facing play when dealing with feed)

Technical Practice 2 (15 mins)

Set up/Organisation/Description:

- 3 Feeders (2 on by line, 1 on edge of box)

- 1 GK in goal

Instructions/Explanations:

- GK starts central and moves across goal

- Feeder 1 volleys to near post area

- Feeder 2 plays cut back to near post area

- Feeder 3 takes exaggerated touch either side and strikes on goal

- 4 reps then rotate

Coaching points/learning objectives:

- Efficient movement

- Setting at correct position (Post or slightly behind)- over commiting gives little chance to deal with strike from cut back

- Push off foot furthest from line, positive shape, attack ball, lead with 2 hands

- Decision making: can you get to the ball to deal with cut back? If not then quick movements to turn and drop to line, stay big, weight on balls of feet to react quickly/ block

- Turning head first to see the picture if not attacking cut back (This will inform how you move/ when to set)

Progression(s):

- Feeder 3 can attack the cut back from feeder 2

- Feeder 3 can pass to feeder 2 for close range angled strike or to cut back for one touch finish

Conditioned Game (30 mins)

Set up/Organisation/Description:

- 2 mini goals for defender to attack if he wins the ball

- 2 attackers V 1 defender

- 2 wingers in wide zones marked by blue lines

Instructions/Explanations:

- Attackers must play into wide zone to score from a cross

- Wingers cannot be tackled in their wide zone

- Attackers encouraged not to make a run through central pole area (as additional CB likely to be there to deal with danger); instead curve runs across front post and loop to back post

- If defender wins the ball he tries to break out and score in 2 mini goals

Coaching points/learning objectives:

- Efficient movement

- Setting at correct position (Post or slightly behind)- over commiting gives little chance to deal with strike from cut back

- Push off foot furthest from line, positive shape, attack ball, lead with 2 hands

- Decision making: can you get to the ball to deal with cut back? If not then quick movements to turn and drop to line, stay big, weight on balls of feet to react quickly/ block

- Turning head first to see the picture if not attacking cut back (This will inform how you move/ when to set)

Progression(s):

- Defender can bounce passes off wingers when wins possession

- Wingers can cut in from wide area when the have possession to create further over loads (i.e. allowing another red player to overlap and cross or winger can cut in to strike