My first year coaching thread

[whirlwind]

Great thread.

One note regarding defensive leadership and organization--

1) In-game communication is incredibly important. The players who are becoming leaders will probably exhibit this before the followers do, but everybody needs to communicate constantly. The purpose is to make players aware of things they might not see.

Examples:
"You've got ball, keep him wide"
"Watch the backside winger!"
"Mark that guy tight"

It's similarly important on offense:
"Settle and turn, you have time"
"See Bobby square left"
"One on your back tight!"

2) Nowhere is this communication as important as it is with the goalkeeper. This was my claim to fame as a player-- I never shut up, and my voice carried into the next county. Try to develop your goalies' confidence and field awareness and get them to vocalize their orders to the defense, especially when facing free kicks and corners.

[bungadiri]

Originally posted by pething101
A 6-0 victory for the good guys.

Senior striker nets a hat trick.

A better performance but still nothing to write home to mom about.

Congratulations! Details? (What strategies, tactics, did the Bulls sing "Woke up this mornin"?)

[soccernutter]

Originally posted by whirlwind
Great thread.

2) Nowhere is this communication as important as it is with the goalkeeper. This was my claim to fame as a player-- I never shut up, and my voice carried into the next county. Try to develop your goalies' confidence and field awareness and get them to vocalize their orders to the defense, especially when facing free kicks and corners.

Yes, I second this heavily. Comunication, though, comes from knowing your teammates

[pething101]

Originally posted by bungadiri


Congratulations! Details? (What strategies, tactics, did the Bulls sing "Woke up this mornin"?)

Well.

We had a better performance at the keeper position, a freshman that got back from the national camp, a returning junior with some skill and a couple of extra subs for tired players.

We did move the ball better. Our passing was not what I would like but it was an improvement. Still have players that want to hold the ball way to long. Our positioning was not great, we took advantage of thier poor positioning (there back line never moved past thier 18 yard box and there was 40 yards between thier back line and midfield).

Still, we ran out of gas and could have played much better. But overall, it was a much better performance than our first.

[pething101]

Originally posted by whirlwind
Great thread.

One note regarding defensive leadership and organization--

1) In-game communication is incredibly important. The players who are becoming leaders will probably exhibit this before the followers do, but everybody needs to communicate constantly. The purpose is to make players aware of things they might not see.

Examples:
"You've got ball, keep him wide"
"Watch the backside winger!"
"Mark that guy tight"

It's similarly important on offense:
"Settle and turn, you have time"
"See Bobby square left"
"One on your back tight!"

2) Nowhere is this communication as important as it is with the goalkeeper. This was my claim to fame as a player-- I never shut up, and my voice carried into the next county. Try to develop your goalies' confidence and field awareness and get them to vocalize their orders to the defense, especially when facing free kicks and corners.

Communication is something I am begging my team to do every second of every practice. So far, it just has not clicked with them.

[Richie]

There are many types of player communication verbal, non verbal and positional/directional.

Non verbal comunication.

Dribbler gets his head up. That means to team mates to make the run because the dribbler can pass anytime after the head comes up. That happens you see less offsides. Plus if your team loses the ball the receivers recovery run will be less on average.

You also have foot reads that the Bazilians like so much. I don't like them myself too much going on at once. Position of the foot tells the passer where to put the ball. Defenders front foot off the ground you can beat that defender at that point in time.
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Directional-He can point in the direction where
he wants the ball to be served. Hecan face in the direction he wants the ball served on fk's.
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Positional- off ball player can come to the ball because he is trying to give more options to the dribbler and to draw a defender to him. That means the dribbler should blind side the defender if he passes to that player and is tracked by the defender.

Or look longer to hit another player moving into the cleared up space where that off ball player came from.

Takeover can be made non verbally. See the dribbler comming towards you exchange positions and expect the dribbler to lay the ball off to you in open space as you pass him moving away from the pressure that the ball brings. Whether he does or not is something else.
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Verbal communication is difficult for the non talking player. First he might be afraid to speak for fear of saying the wrong thing, and being criticized for saying the wrong thing.

So part of it should be giving the players the right things to speak about.

One and most often used is "man on" a warning to the dribbler by a team mate warning him of an approching defender comming to him from his blind side that he doesn't see or can not feel.

Another is when a player comes to the ball and receives the ball and is open. You can let him know it is safe to turn if the player is not sure if he can turn and head up field.

I think you can encourage talk in general by praising good play by your players. That is habit forming so you will eventually see team mates praising good play by team mates. That might get them to talk on the field a good start to the start of communication. Plus it helps make them a team.

Work with the back support players looking for long pass options. They have the time to look for them because they have no ball which also means they have no pressure. Then they can communicate with the dribbler they are supporting if there is an open player further up field that the dribbler might not see because of the pressure or lack of vision while holding the ball.

I don't like back support players call for the back pass.If that instruction comes too soon. The dribbler might make that pass before he looks up field. That bit of communication can take the creativity out of the player. So tell your support to wait until the dribbler is being high pressured before he uses that one.

I think this takes time. They are not going to all be talkers after one or a few practices. The player needs confidence in what he is saying to talk.

Positive coaching would be important in this regard as well.

Richie

[pething101]

Pretty good practice but still short 4 kids from the match yesterday.

Did some conditioning. Not a lot. Then played some 3 on 1 to work on passing and moving wothout the ball. Most of the kids are getting better at it but still not quite up to par.

Coach left to go to night class so I continued with the 3 v 1 for a bit then played a game called World Cup, at the suggestion of the kids. It was a fun game. All the players get into a grid with a partner. Sort of a 2 versus 10 type of thing. Have to score a goal from inside a designated area in front of goal and call out your country before you score.

Team that scores gets to sit, the rest continue playing until only one team remains. That team is kicked out of the Cup and do it all over again, eventually getting to a 2 v 2 match for the Championship. It was fun to see them having fun playing it.

Did some running again and then stretched and cooled off.

It was a good light practice after a tough game.

[pething101]

Originally posted by Richie

Verbal communication is difficult for the non talking player. First he might be afraid to speak for fear of saying the wrong thing, and being criticized for saying the wrong thing.

So part of it should be giving the players the right things to speak about.

One and most often used is "man on" a warning to the dribbler by a team mate warning him of an approching defender comming to him from his blind side that he doesn't see or can not feel.

Another is when a player comes to the ball and receives the ball and is open. You can let him know it is safe to turn if the player is not sure if he can turn and head up field.

I think you can encourage talk in general by praising good play by your players. That is habit forming so you will eventually see team mates praising good play by team mates. That might get them to talk on the field a good start to the start of communication. Plus it helps make them a team.

Work with the back support players looking for long pass options. They have the time to look for them because they have no ball which also means they have no pressure. Then they can communicate with the dribbler they are supporting if there is an open player further up field that the dribbler might not see because of the pressure or lack of vision while holding the ball.

I don't like back support players call for the back pass.If that instruction comes too soon. The dribbler might make that pass before he looks up field. That bit of communication can take the creativity out of the player. So tell your support to wait until the dribbler is being high pressured before he uses that one.

I think this takes time. They are not going to all be talkers after one or a few practices. The player needs confidence in what he is saying to talk.

Positive coaching would be important in this regard as well.

Richie

At the moment, I just want them to talk to fellow players about what is going on around them. Every time I hear a player yell, "Square" or "man on" or something of the sort, I try to recognize it and encourage more of it.

It is still a rarity but the season is young. We will improve. By Sept 16, we could be very tough.

[Coryattheplex]

Originally posted by Richie
[B

You also have foot reads that the Bazilians like so much. I don't like them myself too much going on at once. Position of the foot tells the passer where to put the ball. Defenders front foot off the ground you can beat that defender at that point in time.
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Richie [/B]

Do me a favor and expound on this, I've never heard of it and my interest is peaked.

[Richie]

Ok some more on foot reads. It is an interesting topic.

It's about communication to your team mates by the foot placement near the ball by the dribbler. The receiver reads that foot placement so "Foot reads."
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Depending upon the part of foot (or body) that the passer uses, the receiver gets another clue as to what to do and where to go with the ball once s/he receives it. You are trying to get faster decision making method for players.

By reading the feet the receiver knows IMMEDIATELY what the passer will be doing Vs eye contact/reaction.

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The ball on the passers instep is another two body adjustment pass which requires extra time to accelerate and penetrate. I assume the inside of the foot pass falls into this category as well.

That tells receiver that he can support, and receiver should look to turn.

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Ball on the Outside of the foot--passer is telling the receiver that he will be there for support, either for a wall pass or 1-2 combo. The outside of the foot pass properly performed is while the player is in full stride.

Example: instead of having to observe the passer sprinting as a sign that he wants a return pass the receiver reads outside of foot "He's going."
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Ball near the Toe--normally in tight situations close to the goal when receiver has backto goal. Passer tells receiver to drop it at a slight diagonal for a shot as he runs through.

Also "Toe pass with passers back to the goal the receiver should "Shoot." Etc.
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The only experience I have with foot reads is more where the receiver is sends the message where the pass should be made. Rather then the position of the ball on the dribblers foot. If the pass is to one side of the body the passer is telling the receiver to turn to that side. Putting thought behind the pass tells the receiver, that is the side that the passer thinks the players first touch should be. Also when the pass is to a post up player with his back to goal. The dribbler is telling the post up player the side the passer will be moving to receive a return pass for a shot.
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Check out this book "Principles of Brazilian Soccer by Goncalves" for more info. I did not read this book myself, but other coaches dig it.
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I think these things can work for the receiver because the perspective receiver does not have the ball yet. So he is dealing with less pressure then the dribbler. I think since the dribbler gives the cues and the game is played so fast, and the dribbler is under pressure mistakes can happen trying this stuff.

Richie

[redondo66]

quote:
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Originally posted by JohnW


I guess I misunderstood your other post. I thought you had questions about how to implement the 3-5-2.
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Defensively yes....Im looking to coach the 3 backs on the finer points.


As high school coach myself I have got a lot out of this discussion. Here are my 2 cents on the 3-5-2 vs. 4-4-2 in terms of defenders responsibilities.

First of all, I think it is important not to view these two systems as different entities as long as you play a sweeper and man-mark in the back (which i think should be done in the lower amatuer levels for its simplicity). As eluded to earlier there is no longer any need to hold 3 marking backs (2 wingbacks + stopper) and a sweeper back since most teams play only with 2 forwards. If there are 4 defenders, one wingback is usually left with no one to mark and thus winds up just marking space, a wasted player in fact. Now couldn't this extra player be put to better use causing pressure in the defensive midfield allowing the other midfielders to push up? And wouldn't this create a net positive effect of field position or midfield pressure or playing in their half of the field or however you want to call it? This is the main reason I play a 3-5-2, which as you will see sometimes turns into a 4-4-2 given the proper circumstance. Adaptability is key.

To answer your question more specifically of how the 3 in the back should play, I tell my players this. Sweeper plays traditionally (I like him to be the most sure footed, and skilled player on the team with above average speed). The two marking backs are then assigned forwards depending on ability (ie best defender marks most dangerous forward) and they mark their butts off tightly the entire game. This is their *only* role really, to negate the forwards. They should be very strong tacklers and smart, disciplined players with at least average speed- hopefully above average. Oh, and if you have one marking back more comfortable on or better footed on one side of the field the two backs have the option of switching marks.

I play with a stopper in front of the two marking backs who then picks up the third attacking player who is usually a midfielder. You can call the stopper the fourth defender or the 5th midfielder. All he does is mark the next man forward. The midfielder in front of him then marks the next man forward and so on. This will create upfield pressure in the center of the pitch, the part of territory where the game is ultimately decided.

Also, defensively your outside mids should have the speed and awareness to mark their attacking counterparts as there will be space on the flanks left open due to the man-marking in back.

I have found this to be a very simple, easy to explain, and successful system in the handful of years i've coached.

What do you think?

[redondo66]

As a general comment towards choosing drills to run in practice, for me (as a player and coach actually) keeping it simple has always worked best. I have coached with and played for too many coaches (myself included during my first couple years) obscuring the purpose of the drill just because it was too complex for the players to learn. I guess what i'm trying to get across is don't do drills for the sake of themselves and make sure that they have great meaning if they are indeed complicated. If your players are interested and learning from simple small sided touch intensive games, stick with it cuz thats how the game is learned.

I don't know why i bring this up other than to generally rant, because most of the drill suggestions given on the thread have been pretty simple and meaningful.

just for the record my favorite are 4v4 knockouts with goalkeepers.

[Coryattheplex]

Redondo66,
thank you, this is just the sort of thing I was looking for. Not all of your pointers work for my team, my outside backs are not blazing fast, so they do not close down the space with the forwards upfield, but for the most part your post outlines what I have already been seeing. My goal here is to be able to make adjustments, or rather that the boys are better equiped to make adaptive moves to the opponents formation or playing style, and not just be locked in to one style of defense. This adaptablility from one formation and attitude to another, on the fly, performed as a team, is something that I am used to as a player, and my teams since college have done so almost naturally. But quantifying it into words for these High School boys has been dificult for me. You have helped a great deal, any further insights would be greatly appreciated.

[crewcrazy17]

Communication:

I know that this is going to sound absurd but read it through before making a judgement. One way to increase communication is through a blindfold drill. What you do is to take your two best players, who also talk the most, and blindfold them. Set up a smaller field with no goalkeepers and small goals. Each team must play everything through the blind man, and only he can score or assist. The blind player will have to be directed down the field and away from defenders. This drill will be frustrating at first but it will force the team to talk. An additional benefit is that it helps players to read the game because they have to anticipate where defenders will be. If you do this make sure you make it a no contact drill otherwise the blind guy will get drilled. And don't worry if for the first minute or so the team is directing the blind guy in circles. That's part of the fun!

[panicfc]

One drill I did was have my teams play a small sided game, with one of the players coaching each team.

So if we had a 4v4 game each of those teams had one player on the sidelines giving direction. We would rotate players as coaches and by the third round we had a good amount of communication going on.

[pething101]

Originally posted by panicfc
One drill I did was have my teams play a small sided game, with one of the players coaching each team.

So if we had a 4v4 game each of those teams had one player on the sidelines giving direction. We would rotate players as coaches and by the third round we had a good amount of communication going on.

I like this a lot. I will try this when the coach has to go to night class or when we get the jv team up and running.

I am assuming that the actual coach just stays out of the way and watches, allowing players the freedom, and responsibility to do all the instructing.

[pething101]

Originally posted by crewcrazy17
Communication:

I know that this is going to sound absurd but read it through before making a judgement. One way to increase communication is through a blindfold drill. What you do is to take your two best players, who also talk the most, and blindfold them. Set up a smaller field with no goalkeepers and small goals. Each team must play everything through the blind man, and only he can score or assist. The blind player will have to be directed down the field and away from defenders. This drill will be frustrating at first but it will force the team to talk. An additional benefit is that it helps players to read the game because they have to anticipate where defenders will be. If you do this make sure you make it a no contact drill otherwise the blind guy will get drilled. And don't worry if for the first minute or so the team is directing the blind guy in circles. That's part of the fun!

Anyone else tried this. I would be hesitant to try b/c our pitch is not in the best shape.

[NawlinsFats]

Good result. Come on Bulls!! Who was the result against?

[pething101]

Originally posted by NawlinsFats
Good result. Come on Bulls!! Who was the result against?

Actually, it was against 71st. Kind of a shock really. Was expecting more from them. Next up, Westover in a week.

[panicfc]

Originally posted by pething101


I like this a lot. I will try this when the coach has to go to night class or when we get the jv team up and running.

I am assuming that the actual coach just stays out of the way and watches, allowing players the freedom, and responsibility to do all the instructing.

It worked very well. I would just prompt "coaches" to communicate and just observe.