Tips when coaching

Jeff Bookman - Chelsea FC Academy | Tuesday, July 17, 2007

SHOOTING

Practicing shooting can be chaotic. The practices should be fun and dynamic, but the cost of this is that balls can go flying everywhere. This alone can be off- putting, and force the teacher/coach into thinking of a "calmer" practice.
However with a little preparation, decent organization and a little courage, shooting practices can be very rewarding, not least because the children love to score goals. They get the opportunity to recreate the great goals they have seen on T.V., or even experiment with different types of shot.
Equally important to note is that when teaching shooting we are essentially teaching good ball striking techniques, and good strikers of the ball tend to be good at passing as well as shooting. Good shooting practices then are great for working on the overall skill of kicking the football.

Key points

Use shooting practices to re inforce ball striking techniques.
Shooting practices are ideal to teach general ball striking techniques. This will help in other skills such as long range passing, and the driven pass

Emphasise the need to go for accuracy rather than power
It is important that players are concerned only with accuracy and striking the ball properly.

Do not work at match speed when working on technique
Improvement in technique will invariably occur when players are able to practice at a slower than match pace.
Create opportunities for players to slow down and get their technique right. Using "safe" areas are ideal for this.

Create the right environment and positive attitude towards shooting
Missing is ok - but not trying is not! Players should be encouraged to "have a go" when in range, without fear of missing.

Lay cones outside the goal post as "near miss" targets
If you did this a goal could count as 3 points and a near miss as 1. Good for focusing concentration

Incorporate a variety of shots into the practice
Techniques such as volleying and half- volleying will help no end in ball striking development.
Children will also love to experiment with bending, swerving and chipping the ball.

Change goalkeepers regularly.
If "specialist" goalkeepers are not available, either rotate players on a regular and fair basis. Or don't use any!
Improvise with various objects for players to beat.

Retrievers and fielders
Placing players behind the goals will help to keep the practice flowing, and provide more shooting opportunities for the players. Make sure these are rotated regularly.

Allow time for feedback and evaluation
Facilitate quality feedback and allow players to come together as a group to discuss what was good, or areas where they might improve.

What do excellent "shooters" of the ball look like in practice or games

1. They can make the ball bend, dip or swerve when they want to
2. They can keep the ball low, and tend to strike into the corners of the goal
3. They will use defenders as a shield to bend the ball around ( goalkeepers can be un-sighted)
4. They can control volleying and half volleying easily
5. They can combine various moves which end up in a shot ( ie receiving to turn, dribble and shoot)

DEFENDING

The problem with teaching defending is that children generally don't want to do it, they want to score and practice what they consider the more exciting parts of the game. Therefore it is important for us to make sessions fun, interesting and exciting. Unopposed practices need to be short and have a clear aim. Players need opposition to really learn and understand how to defend. When teaching defending, coaches should concentrate on one of the following areas at a time.

1. Marking players
2. Intercepting the ball
3. Challenging for the ball
4. Defending as a team
   

Try the following tips

Practice defending and attacking at the same time.
Children love to attack and score goals, so allow this to happen by playing "attack v defence" type games. This can be achieved by playing anything from 1v1 through to 11v11 in the practices. The coach can concentrate on teaching the defenders, but still allow the attackers to carry on practicing his/her skills

Make sure there is a form of scoring and competition at some stage in every practice.
This is essential to maintain interest and enjoyment. It is particularly important for the defenders to have a target, or a points system that rewards them for good defending. You might think of practices where the defenders can score goals when they have won the ball, or playing roles are reversed and they become attackers. Transition is very much part of the modern game, so don't stop the practice when defenders win the ball back

 Emphasise the need for defenders to have good technique with the ball, as well as physical attributes and organizing skills
Take out the traditional idea that defenders are just "stoppers". Make them feel that the job of defending is creative and thoughtful, and that they are an integral part of the team - which of course they are!

Group according to ability
Each group is likely to be challenged more. Also gives every player the be successful at defending

Practice defending over short time periods
Allow players to change roles regularly

Allow feedback and group evaluation
Facilitate quality feedback and allow the players a chance to come together as a group to discuss was good, and areas that could be improved.
This can be done in small or large groups

What do excellent defenders look like in a practice or a game?

1. They can anticipate what the attacker is likely to do next
2. They can take the ball often without having to tackle for it
3. They often appear to be in the right place at the right time
4.  They have good balance, being able to turn quickly and efficiently
5. They tend to win most 1v1 challenges even against players bigger and stronger
6. They cover for other players well
7. They tackle cleanly for the ball, and often retain possession after the tackle
8. They can challenge on both sides, and often have various tackling techniques

PASSING AND RECEIVING

Passing drills can often be boring for the players if there is no decision making, or competitive edge to the practice. Passing in pairs to one another for no apparent reason will quickly invite the question "when can we have a game?" The players see no value to it. It is far removed from the game itself - and it is fundamentally dull. Be creative in passing practices, making it competitive at some stage, and try to turn it into a "game"- even if it still involves the same two players!
Teaching passing is as much a social skill as anything else. The player needs to think "team" and be selfless, cooperative and communicative. Within this they should be encouraged to be as expressive and creative as they like.

KEY POINTS

Turn practice into a game
Always add a competitive edge at some stage of the practice

Do not work at match speed when working on technique
Improvement in technique occurs when players are able to practice slower than at match pace. Remember this when setting the "pace" of the practices

Don't be afraid of playing with the ball in the players hands first
Often practices are best illustrated or started off when players play with the ball in their hands. Throwing and catching the ball allows the players to concentrate on the movements that are necessary, and they tend to understand the practice quicker.

Incorporate a variety of passes into the practices.
This will give variation to the practices, and will help no end in passing development. Allow players to experiment where appropriate with bending, swerving and chipping the ball, and try to encourage the use of all parts of both feet.

Emphasis the need for a good 1st and 2nd touch of the ball
These touches are important in helping the player(s) prepare for the next move

Look closely at balance and body position when receiving the ball
Pay particular attention to arms for balance and protection, and head for looking around when ball is on its way.

Emphasise the importance of communication
Verbal and non-verbal (signals & cues) communication is essential when learning about passing and receiving. They should be incorporated and re-enforced in all practices.

Allow feedback and group evaluation
Facilitate quality feedback allowing the players to come together as a group to discuss what was good, and areas for improvement. This can be done in small or larger groups.

What do excellent passers of the ball look like in a practice or games?

1. They can pass with different parts of both feet
2. They can disguise their passes
3. They can play a pass over a variety of distances
4. They can comfortably pass to other players feet, or into the space.
5. They can select the appropriate pass in most situations
6. they have good control of the direction and strength of the pass

What do excellent receivers of the ball look like in a practice or games?

1. They have the ability to use the space around them with their 1st and 2nd touches of the ball
2. They show ability to prepare for the move ahead
3. They can receive the ball in tight spaces, under pressure from other players, and still execute their pass or shot
4. They tend to pass good information both verbally and non-verbally to others as to when and where they want the ball

DRIBBLING, TURNING AND RUNNING WITH THE BALL

When teaching dribbling encourage the players to have plenty of touches of the ball, to take risks, experiment and to twist and turn with the ball to deceive opponents. The less able player will be slower in their movements and may only be able to dribble at walking pace to start with. That is fine and they should be given extra time and space in which to practice. What is important is that they are NOT discouraged from trying to dribble, turn or run with the ball simply because they cannot do it at the moment.
The better players, however, have different needs, and this should be reflected in their challenges in the practice or game.
Encourage these players to demonstrate their good techniques to the whole group.
Teaching dribbling is not about encouraging players to "hog" the ball. It is about decision making and expression. It is about trying to develop those essential ball manipulation skills that enable players to feel comfortable with the ball at their feet. It is about getting out of tight situations, and creating "something" where there appears to be "nothing".

KEY POINTS

Give players time to rest in between practicing
Dribbling or running with the ball is physically demanding and practices cannot be "full-on" all the time

Create and maintain a positive attitude towards dribbling among the players
Mistakes and losing the ball is the price of learning dribbling. This does not mean we foster a carefree attitude, it means we accept these things, and encourage risk taking and freedom of expression

Create an atmosphere where dribbling & turning is for everyone, not just the best players.
It is ok not to be good at dribbling. All learning is done at different speeds and at different times. Each player, though, should be given the same opportunities to improve, irrespective of their ability.

Do not work at match pace when working on technique.
Improvement in technique occurs when players are able to practice slower than at match pace. When players are dribbling around static objects or markers this is an ideal opportunity to slow down and concentrate only on the technique.

Make dribbling "real" in practices as soon as possible.
After initial, unopposed work, perhaps around markers, players need to quickly move on to dribbling around and past other players. Only then will they be able to devise and experiment with tricks to beat an opponent.

Emphasise the need for "cunning"
Emphasise the need to trick, deceive, put off balance etc. their opponent. This makes practicing fun for players of all levels.

Group players of similar ability
To maximize the fun element, particularly in the early stages of learning, it is important that players of similar abilities are matched together.

Practice dribbling by "overloading"
Often dribbling is practiced in 1v1 games. This is ok to a point, but players need to make decisions such as when to dribble or when to pass. If the practice was 2v1, for example, the players would have an alternative to dribbling which will help in that decision making

When and where in games
Children will know what the game of football is about. What they may not know is how to be effective when playing. Give them an understanding of where and when on a football pitch dribbling and turning is most likely to be seen. Devise practices in those areas,
highlighting where taking risks is likely to lead to the most success.

Combine turning, dribbling and running with the ball practices, with an end product.
At the end of a successful dribble, players will invariably perform another skill ie shoot at goal or pass the ball. Play games that actively encourage an end product after turning, dribbling or running with the ball.

Allow feedback and group evaluation
Facilitate quality feedback allowing the players to come together as a group to discuss what was good, and areas for improvement. This can be done in small or larger groups.

What to excellent dribblers of the ball look like in practices or games?

1. They use different parts of both feet to manipulate the ball
2. They are able to combine dribbling with passing or shooting
3. They can dribble without looking at the ball
4. They dribble at the right times and correctly choose when to pass or when to dribble
5. They are able to get out of tight situations with clever play
6. They have a trick or two that deceives defenders
7. They have the ability to get away quickly from the opponent they have beaten