Playing in 5 Corridors and 3 Zones Using the 3-3-1-3 for Attacking and Defending Team Shape

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Playing in 5 Corridors and 3 Zones Using the 3-3-1-3 for Attacking and Defending Team Shape

Using Corridors is a great way to work out individual and collective field positioning as a team both offensively and defensively and it also gives players real a “focal point” to work off. We use “Corridors” width wise and then introduce “Zones” lengthwise later. These “focal points of reference” I believe are a great way to really teach players to understand the differences between attacking and defending team shapes both widthwise and lengthwise. A great session to help players identify positional variations, the 4 lines are used as a clear guide widthwise.

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Defensive Pressing to Push Up Without Touching the Ball

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Defensive Pressing to Push Up Without Touching the Ball

This is a great session to teach the players and shows how they can push opponents back even when THE OPPONENTS have the ball. We will try to push them back without even touching the ball ourselves. We start on the edge of our box we try to get our back three up to the half way line. Set Conditions will help us do this to start the process off.

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3 Best Striker Movements to Get Free - Training Center Exclusive

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3 Best Striker Movements to Get Free - Training Center Exclusive

This is a very good but also a very simple exercise to practice the opposite move.

Strikers usually stand with their back to defenders waiting for the ball, so the defender is in charge, this way a very small movement means they end up facing forward and are then at an advantage.

I believe this is a good way of simplifying movements by the striker in this position and giving them a framework to play from, they may develop their own variations of these three moves but it is a good planning tool to use in training so the players making the delivery at least have an idea what the striker may attempt in terms of his or her movement based on the position of the defender.

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Switching Play as a Team - Training Center Exclusive

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Switching Play as a Team - Training Center Exclusive

Teams play through each other and must have awareness of where their own players are and where the other team is as they pass through them. Emphasize a good first touch out their feet to set up the next pass or passing first time to a teammate. Always having players realize they must look before they receive the ball.

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Small-Sided Passing Support And Combination Work Game

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Small-Sided Passing Support And Combination Work Game

Using two wide positioned goals for each team to attack. This is designed to encourage players to spread out when they attack and switch play; changing direction if one route is blocked. Looking for quick transition and movement off the ball to create space but attacking the space when it is on to do so. The first thought of the player on the ball should still be “Can I run or pass the ball forward.”

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Warm Up: Angled Support and Sideways On Positioning

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Warm Up: Angled Support and Sideways On Positioning

Soccer is a sideways on sport -- players will have much more success when they are able to receive the ball at an angle. Being sideways on allows players, in advance of the ball, to be able to see peripherally advancing defenders. This warm up gets the players moving, working on their decision making, spacing, angles and more.

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Directional Awareness Four Team Passing Game - Training Center Exclusive

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Directional Awareness Four Team Passing Game - Training Center Exclusive

Objective:  Awareness of Teammates and Opponents Positioning on the Field in Advance of Receiving the Ball

We are working on: When and where to pass, Looking before receiving, Awareness of player positions before receiving the ball, Awareness of options on the ball before receiving it, Awareness of Opponents positions before receiving the pass and Maintaining possession of the ball

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Develop Spacing as a Team Using Goals as the Focus - Training Center Exclusive

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Develop Spacing as a Team Using Goals as the Focus - Training Center Exclusive

Preview: Score a goal by passing into the free zone to a player moving into it . Player can only stay in the free zone for 3 seconds then they need to move out if they don’t receive the pass because in a real game they would be marked. To establish the theme of spreading out and playing quickly develop the idea of playing quickly by saying every one touch pass results in a goal. This FORCES the players to think much more quickly to try to make a successful ONE TOUCH pass to score a goal; this CONDITION forces / encourages players to play ONE TOUCH, but at the same time they need to make sure they do it at the right time and not for the sake of.

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Off the Shoulder Movement and How to Combat It

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Off the Shoulder Movement and How to Combat It

(3) Watches the ball and allows the wide player (B) to get beyond him. A ball in behind always beats him. Centrally the centre back (4) does the same, he watches the ball and the striker comes off his shoulder and he gets caught with the ball in behind him. This will cost us in unless we work on it with the team.

This often goes wrong. Here’s how you can fix it. 

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A Simple Introduction to The 5 Phases of Play in the 1-4-2-3-1 - Training Center Exclusive

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A Simple Introduction to The 5 Phases of Play in the 1-4-2-3-1 - Training Center Exclusive

This is a very simple way to show how the team movement works. The system changes as we advance. Players can interchange positions as we develop the play. We offer great dynamics and fluidity to the players to allow them to express themselves on the field. With this we can show the discipline also involved when we lose the ball and recover back.

Teams will develop their style of play within these frameworks, it will never be as picture perfect as this due to the nature of the game. It is more a guide. We teach this from U11 to U18. How we do it per team will be determined by the level of play.

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