How to teach scanning/checking over shoulder

Discussion in 'Coach' started by Buckingham Badger, Jul 6, 2020.

  1. elessar78

    elessar78 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 12, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Generally, since we are rotating players we just call it the 6, because they are essentially playing the pivot role. (2-3-1). But as they get older with certain players, certain situations we creep into the ideas of 8 and 10.
     
  2. elessar78

    elessar78 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 12, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    As far as I understand it and researched it, 433 triangle midfield is one of the better teaching formations, because it has more of the interplay and relationships through the midfield that you'd like players to know see. Flat midfields are kinda useless for attacking set-ups—it doesn't provide natural, interesting angles.
     
  3. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    I played a lot of midfield in various systems with hundreds of different players of all abilities and backgrounds. I played plenty in a 442 which on paper would be described as a "flat" midfield. (Does a "flat back four" defense actually play in a flat line?) Never did we play in a straight line (except when a 3-man line occassionally resembled a diagonal line when one half ran forward).

    If you have rec players playing in a "flat" midfield line, with no depth or width, with no adjustment as circumstances change, then you have rec players who never played at a competitive level.
     
  4. elessar78

    elessar78 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 12, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    True. But you may be preparing them for a future that doesn't exist. Contemporary set-ups rarely feature a 4-4-2.

    With that said, I'm fully aware that soccer is cyclical—maybe 442 makes a huge comeback. IIRC a few pro sides featured it in recent years.
     
  5. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    @elessar78 You misunderstood me. I said I played, not coached 442. The youth I coached were girls teams so my choice was between 433 and 343. I went with 433 in order to get them exposed to a four back system first. Also in the attack, the 433 often has a 343 shape so you are for practical purposes teaching both. (With the youngsters I allowed the "stopper" to push into the midfield on attack.)

    I was the first step in preparing them to play high school and college.
     
  6. elessar78

    elessar78 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 12, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Was listening to a podcast yesterday that highlighted an important point. It's not the scanning by itself, you have to teach them WHAT info to look for HOW to utilize the info they get from scanning. Until they feel it is beneficial, it will either be an empty action or not adopted by the player.

    I've struggled with it for many years. Hopefully this is a breakthrough. I try to teach scanning in, say, a rondo. But all the info in a rondo is in front of them.
     
  7. Malabranca

    Malabranca Member

    Oct 6, 2016
    I agree. Scanning and field awareness only start getting really used when players see it as being useful and the kicker is, not all kids have the same parameters of usefulness. I had this one player, who, for the life of me would not take a positive first touch on the ball. He would trap the ball and then decide to do what he had to do. It wasn't a skill thing, he was one of the more technical players on the team, he had just decided that the static first touch improved his chances to control the ball and no coaching from me was going to change that. Last season we played a team that thrived on very aggressive and physical challenges and I finally saw the light bulb go on after the third testing of his shin pads.

    So, yeah, just a long way of saying that even when we can out these technical skills into a player's toolbox, we have to figure out ways for them to see their use before they actually use them.
     
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  8. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    I don't understand what the problem is. Play 3v3 keep away in a fairly large space* and players will have to scan to be successful. Then they will bring the habit to the full side scrimmage.

    *Large so that where runs are going is less predictable and there are more likely to be two players moving to open spaces. It isn't just the player on the ball that needs to scan. The off the ball players have to scan so that they can make appropriate supporting runs.

    As for defense, players have to scan in order to defend blind side runs.
     
  9. elessar78

    elessar78 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 12, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Yeah, in most cases, the level of play and pressure is so low that there's no incentive to be aware of "what's next".

    I'm still caught up in designing sessions to "improve passing ability"... need to evolve and design to address "what's next?"
     
  10. elessar78

    elessar78 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 12, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    to Malbranca's point, the level of play doesn't require it most of the time. I have players who can decide late and their 1v1 skills bail them out. It's a problem that will arise later, the better the competition.

    To your point, probably better to reduce area size to create more pressure.
     
  11. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    In my experience, tighter spaces lead to less movement, less options and predictable passes.

    Larger spaces lead to more options, more creativity, more movement, and most important here more spaces to exploit. It is the amount of space that leads to the movements I want to see.

    If you have players that are not challenged enough to look around then adjust the limitations to make it more challenging. Take away those skilled 1v1 player's dominance by limiting their touches. If they are really that good, limit them to 1 touch. That is a form of pressure to. Then when they begin to scan, i.e., you see the movements that you want, you can ease up on the limitation gradually as long as the scanning remains. The relaxation of the limit should be seen as a reward for scanning.

    The touch limitations are realistic. After all the objective of scanning is to make the players tactically faster so that they will be able to play consistently with 3 touches or less in a combination passing environment.
     
  12. Peter Olaffson

    Peter Olaffson New Member

    Manchester United
    France
    Dec 14, 2020
    For fast decision making (incl. scanning over the shoulder, or casting glances on the opponent while being pressured) I would recommend using ball control drills. The players can practice them in pairs and train individually (not only during team training time). Additionally, agility + passing routines is also a good way to train quickness and situation evaluation.
     
  13. rca2

    rca2 Member+

    Nov 25, 2005
    @Peter Olaffson The problems with practicing 1v1 is that it is not game-like (the only other player is usually directly in front of the player) and by far most of the scanning should be done away from the ball.

    Scanning is about tracking the players that are not directly to the front.

    Scanning is a great example of why younger players need to rotate through different positions. There is a huge situational difference between CB, CM and CF. Nobody is going to learn to scan properly playing just CB.
     
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  14. stphnsn

    stphnsn Member+

    Jan 30, 2009
    I just read a chapter in Soccer IQ about this. Blank said his coaching points during rondos or possession-oriented activities are "What if you get the ball?" and "What's next?" This dovetails with scanning but also gives players the why behind it.
     
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  15. elessar78

    elessar78 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 12, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Another one of my favorite coaching books. I give it as a gift to my players. I had my kid reading it last year—a chapter a week. Maybe we should get back to it.
     
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  16. kinznk

    kinznk Member

    Feb 11, 2007
    My absolute favorite part of the book is when he describes the double shin trap. Arms out wide head up, jump in the air, receive a bouncing ball with both shins.
     
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  17. elessar78

    elessar78 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 12, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Heard another coach call this "the dolphin " haha
     
  18. Kim Melnik

    Kim Melnik New Member

    None
    Denmark
    Mar 3, 2021
    This is a great question as it’s a tricky topic to coach players and relying on calls can be confusing and spook players. A drill that artificially asks players to look over their shoulder is unlikely to transfer into a game. Whereas more realistic games have infinite options to embed learning.

    To scan behind, it’s important players get used a side-on stance when looking to receive the ball so they can see an opponent behind them and can use their body to spin them. Shielding games are good for this as players get used to pressure and so danger from behind and can practice turning away from danger.

    In ‘tag’, players are not multitasking. They are either chasing or being chased. Whereas in soccer, the receiver must be aware of both the passer and the pressure behind them. Try the ‘Backs Game’ warm up.

    MelnikProofs3_JS1301211024_13.jpg

    This is a more multitasking version of tag, allowing players to chase and evade simultaneously. To progress, give a third of players a ball to look after and then pass after a set number of touches, to simulate awareness receiving.
     
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  19. elessar78

    elessar78 Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 12, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Might as well start this thread from scratch. As we can all imagine it's not the physical act of looking around, it's the benefit they are gleaning, the advantage they are gaining from scanning that is the reward that will make them keep doing it. My mistake was just trying to do it mechanically. Telling them to "scan".

    They have to look, see, and understand what they are looking at.

    Personally, in a match I'm scanning and looking for things I can exploit. I'm trying to think of what it's like for a young player. What can they process in that limited amount of time. My best guess is: how close is that defender, are they running toward me? 1yd ≤ 1 or 2 touch, ≥ 1 yd turn up field . . . something like that.
     
  20. kinznk

    kinznk Member

    Feb 11, 2007
    NewDadaCoach repped this.

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