These are the 11 principles that make up the Soccer Awareness philosophy of team play.
- Keep Possession - If players chase for the ball a long time they get frustrated, get tired and commit fouls. So keep possession and force this upon them.
- Develop Play from the Back - When it is on to do so to help maintain possession of the ball and not rely on a 2nd ball pick up.
- Pass and Move - Movement off the ball is a major part of our team development.
- Form Triangles and Diamonds of Support All Over the Field - Creating open body stances and increasing peripheral awareness.
- Inter-Change Positions - Offensively and defensively cover for each other.
- Create Space for Your Teammates; Not Just for Yourself - Unselfish team play; Play for the TEAM.
- Attacking Fullbacks Using Width in Attack - Offense is the best form of defense
- Keep a Very High Line Defensively - Squeeze opponents into their own half of the field
- Pressure Opponent’s High Up the Field - Winning the ball back 30 yards from the opponent’s goal is better than 80 yards away
- Counter Attacking and Quick Breakaway - Developing different ways to counter attack
- You Need Skillful Players to Make this All Work - We have the raw material so let’s develop them
Problems to Solve
- How to get FREE AND FIND SPACE TO RECEIVE the ball and to maintain possession of the ball
- How do we do this?
- Using the Thinking Process
- Players must learn to think AHEAD of the ball, to think two moves ahead in their mind.
- So; Observation of own players positioning / Opponents positioning / SPACE available / where the ball is in relation to all these factors.
- All done BEFORE RECEIVING THE BALL.
- Saving time doing this; Increasing time and space to play in by doing this.
- Also; POSITIONING OFF THE BALL
- Positioning to find SPACE based on their own team mates and the opponents positioning; the position of the ball; and based on these factors: FINDING THE BEST SPACES AVAILABLE.
- Doing all of the above means: we can be successful using fewer touches on the ball.
- Doing all of the above will SAVE a touch or two on the ball; and by doing so:
- Players will: PLAY MORE QUICKLY, THINK MORE QUICKLY, MOVE MORE QUICKLY.
Teaching players to develop a "one touch mentality" in their game, to train the MIND.
To play in "Anticipation" of the ball; both on and off it by Scanning the field constantly to make earlier, faster and more successful decisions in the game.
How do we do this? Here are some sessions to use to help develop this ability.
45 Pages
Using the 1-3-3-1-3 system of play for this, we show how your players can find free spaces between opponents with inverted runs from outside to in. Including how to create freedom of movement within the team framework.
This 295 page ebook includes 17 game situational clinics focused on tactical play and target games. To achieve the given theme successfully, many of the situational games have set conditions to them to force the theme to happen consistently and to maintain the focus of it. As we will explain, a big part of teaching in ALL these games is developing a One Touch Mentality in each players brain. So the “general” theme around all of them will be establishing this thinking process no matter the “specific” theme being taught.
This book is also available to Elite and Premium Members in the Soccer Awareness Training Center. Access Here.
We produced the eBook "Tactical Thoughts on the Development of the 4 v 4, 7 v 7 and 9 v 9 Game Sizes" covering information on team shape and development. We now add this eBook to provide Curriculums in each game size to support the tactical games eBook.
What this eBook offers you:
Its all done here for you, paying attention to the ages of the players and the depth of teaching suitable to them.
As the program moves from 4 v 4 through to 11 v 11 the focus changes from individual teachings at 4 v 4, to small sided situations at 7 v 7, to Phases of play and tactical needs at 9 v 9; through to team tactical development at 11 v 11.
11 v 11 focuses on advanced training ideas to teach the “team”.
This eBook covers up to 14 weeks of training for each game size presented as one session per week.
All sessions have small sided games scrimmage set ups as close as we can get it to finish to reflect the theme of the session.
This eBook shows how these different size games can be taught and also shows different systems of play that might be useful to you.
The idea I am trying to cultivate is to find a pattern of development that goes from 4 v 4 to 7 v 7 all the way through 9 v 9 to 11 v 11 that educates the players VERY EARLY on how to ultimately play the 11 v 11, a common thread running right through the book.
This ebook contains 50 of the best, fun and developmental coaching sessions for 6 to 10 year olds providing a solid foundation for you to build your players' skills. There are more than 300 pages of specific practices with diagrams, step by step instructions, objectives, coaching points and progressions. Topics covered include: setting up training sessions and small-sided games, awareness, improving touch, dribbling, shooting, passing and much more. Bring out the best in your soccer players with these fun and developmental sessions.
Some of this is thinking outside the box and addressing issues not always covered in this format.
Complete 6 to 10 Year Old Developmental Coaching and Training Program
More than 750 pages of session, drills, theory and more to get you started or take your team to the next level.
This program is perfect for youth coaches wanting practices to start their soccer coaching education and it is also for those more advanced and experienced coaches wanting to train their players as best they can at these wonderful open minded ages for development and education of both the mind and body. Our plan is to help all coaches at whatever level of experience they are at.
This book aims to provide the best educational information possible for all coaches of players from 6 to 10 years old in terms of the Technical, Tactical, Skill, Psychological and Physical attributes players need at these ages and then bring it all together in a team concept. As the age group raises so does the type of training required.
Limited Time: Get a free copy of Best of Soccer Awareness ($12.95 value) with your purchase
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54 Pages
We want to stay with our own game plan as closely as possible; based on what we practice and to keep it simple for us; as we dictate to our opponents; and we impose OUR WAY on them.
But there will be many occasions where we must change the system of play and we may have to adjust to suit the opponents.
Here are some ideas for you to consider for your team starting with the 13313 and 14231 systems of play.