Soccer Toolbox

Adding Complexity and Movement to Rondos

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Rondos are great because it allows players to work on all of the technical aspects of passing and receiving while also giving the coach an opportunity to discuss angles of support and possession.

Generally, players like Rondos and they are normally motivated to work hard to stay out of the middle.

The challenge comes with keeping the intensity up and getting the players to continue to play at game speed.

In the animated drill  below Tom Mura from World Class Coaching shows you how he made some simple adjustments to 6v2 Rondo that challenged the players to work harder and concentrate more.

This YouTube video has audio, so please make sure that your speakers are turned on and that you have access to the site. Note that some schools may block access to YouTube.

Click the arrow to play the video.


2v1 Striker Madness

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This post was provided by World Class Coaching

By Matthew Carroll

Description:
The 2 v 1 Striker Madness game is meant to simulate as many situations a striker may see in the box, with pressure, as possible. The idea is that although it is a team game that implements passing, defending, and movement on and off the ball, the focus stays on the striker receiving and shooting a ball.

Setup:
Have a pile of balls (the number of balls will determine the competitiveness and the length of the game) set up about ten yards out from the 18. Have your players get into, or assign, groups of three. Within those groups have the players designated as defenders (1s) wear yellow, your passers (2s) in red, and your strikers (3s) in black. Depending on age and ability assign 1-2 goalkeepers as well. Have the defenders and strikers arrange themselves inside the 18, with the passers lining up behind the pile of balls.

Execution:
The goal of the game is that within your team of three everyone has a role. The passer will collect balls from the pile (or from errant shots/passes/tackles) and feed passes to the striker that they are teammates with in the box. The passer only passes to the striker on his team. The passer can pass from anywhere, as long as he is outside the 18 (this includes from behind the net). It is the strikers job then to receive passes from his teammate, the passer, and score goals. Every goal scored by the striker is a point for his team. The defenders job is then to ensure that none of the other strikers are able to score, and defend as many balls played in as possible.

The game ends when either all of the balls have been scored, or a certain time limit has been reached. Once the game ends the 1 becomes the 2, the 2 the 3, and the 3 the 1, and the game begins again.

Variations:
Additional strikers/passers/defenders can be added to each team.

The number of balls and winning conditions can be changed to all balls are scored, a certain number of goals, or a time limit.

Goalkeeper numbers can vary, or be replaced by targets.

Touch restrictions can be made to the strikers.

Defenders can be assigned specific strikers to mark.

An additional twist can be that defenders can pass to their strikers in the box, working on the transitional phase.


Luca Modric Drill

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This is a 10 player drill that emphasizes passing, receiving and finishing.

In the video below Marcus Wood, Hardin-Simmons University Head Women’s Soccer Coach; 2010 NCAA D-III National Champions; 2010 NSCA National Coach of the Year; first using a diagram to explain the drill on a whiteboard and then follows with actual practice footage of the drill.

In this example coach Wood is using 10 players (you could use more) with a goalkeeper in each goal and consists of three progressions

Progression 1 – Stretch Run

A player passes into a center player near the goal. The center player shows and then on a half turn will receive left and pass right to an outside player that makes a stretch run. Ideally the pass will lead the player making the stretch run into a finishing position. The player should shoot low far post or high near post.

Progression 2 – Wall Pass

The ball is played into the center as before and received left and passed right. However, this time the outside player will show and receive the pass from the center. The outside player now passes back to the center player who receives the wall passes. The center player now plays the fourth pass into the outside player for a finishing opportunity .

Progression 3 – 5 Passes

The first pass is the same as before and the second. The second pass is out to the wide player showing just like progression 2. Pass 3 is back to the midfielder. The fourth pass is made to the opposite wide player who is making a stretch run. The fifth pass will be a negative pass to the center forward for a scoring oppourtunity.

This drill is just one in Coach Wood training DVD entitled 21 Passing/Receiving Activities for Reinforcing Effective Ball Movement & Off-Ball Movement Skills. You can click the link for more information about that DVD.

The YouTube video below has audio so please make sure that your speakers are on. Note some schools may block access to YouTube.


Creating Agile Athletes

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This article was provided by Coaches Network

Athletes who can stop, start, and change direction quicker than their opponents will almost always have the advantage. That’s why agility training is so important. One of the best ways to develop these skills is to incorporate agility bags into your conditioning regimen.

Doug Heslip, owner of Heslip Elite Sports Performance Training in Negaunee, Mich., and contributor to IYCA.org, says that agility bags are one of his favorite training tools. He believes the bags offer a fun way to teach reactionary skills, which will help keep athletes safe and performing at a high level.

Agility bags essentially represent an obstacle in the athlete’s way, typically an opponent. As athlete’s step over, jump over, or cut past the bags, they will develop coordination, footwork, and body control.  This can also help them develop spatial awareness and the ability to use peripheral vision, giving them the ability to keep their eyes on the play while knowing what is around them.

If you don’t have agility bags at your disposal, many of the same drills can be done with cones or small hurdles. Here’s a list of the drills that Heslip recommends:

Drill 1

Place six bags on the ground. The athlete can start in the middle of the six bags or at either end of the bags. You should stand at the third bag a few feet away with a ball. The ball you have can vary based on the sport. For most sports, you will hold the ball in your hands, but if you’re coaching soccer then keep a ball at your feet.

Point the ball to the left or to the right, and the athlete will follow the ball in the direction pointed. Then, point in the opposite direction and the athlete has to change direction to follow the ball. You can change direction at any time. If you are coaching soccer, you can just use your arms to direct the athletes.

When you want the athlete to transition from two-ins frontal plane to one-ins sagittal plane, yell “Score,” or another word of your choice. When you yell the word, toss/pass them the ball and they will perform one-ins until they reach the end of the six bags. This could be modified for soccer by having them dribble between the bags.

Drill 2

The bags are set up the same way as in Drill 1. The difference is you play catch with the athletes as they travel in the frontal plane performing two-ins. This is where peripheral vision must really be utilized. For soccer players, you can pass the ball back and forth as they go through the drill.

Travel up and down the six bags at first while playing catch/passing with the ball.  As the athlete gets used to this drill and is confident going over the bags while playing catch/passing, you can change direction on them and have them respond. If they are late getting to the ball and it hits the floor, the drill is restarted.

Drill 3 (Mirror Drill)

Take four bags and lay them on the ground. Take another four bags and lay them right across from the original four bags. Have each set of four bags approximately one yard from each other. For this drill, you need two athletes at a time. One of them will be the “lead” while the other will be the “responder” and will mirror the lead’s movement. You can choose how sport-specific you’d like the drill to be by utilizing balls or other implements.

The lead will initiate the movement by moving laterally with two-ins. The responder will follow with two-ins. The lead can go up and down the four bags a maximum of six times. The lead can change direction any time they want to, and before the sixth rep, they have to transition from lateral movement to straight ahead one-ins. Have a coach approximately ten yards away with their hands extended out to their side, shoulder level. The first player to slap the coach’s hand wins. You can use six to eight bags. Heslip says this drill is very fun and competitive.


7v4 Transition Exercise

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This article was provided by World Class Coaching

 

By Sean Reed 

Former First Team Coach of Championship team Fulham FC. Sean is a UEFA A Coach with a Masters in Sport Coaching. He has over 15 years of experience working in professional football from Academy through to First team in the Premiership and Championship. Web – www.seanjreed.com. Twitter – @SeanJReed

Objective
This session focuses on possession with an overload, managing possession within a small area, working on passing and supporting angles. The team defending are looking to win possession of the ball to encourage a positive transition.

Set Up – Transition
The session is set up in an area 15-20yds x 15-20yds. The teams are split into 3 groups; 4 players (black bibs), 4 players (yellow bibs) and 3 neutral players (red bibs). The players are set up initially as; players in black bibs are the team in possession with support from the players in red bibs and the team in yellow bibs is defending.
The team in possession are positioned with the fours corners of the pitch, whilst the neutral players are positioned with 2 players on the outside of the area, both end and 1 player inside the area. The defending team are free to move anywhere within the area. When the defending team forces a mistake or wins possession the teams switch roles. See Diagram 1

Progressions
• Restrictions on the number of touches
• The neutral players can not pass to one another
• Restriction on the number of touches for neutral players

Set Up – Transition (in & out of the area)
The session is set up as within the previous session. Within this session the team in possession can receive the ball either within the area or outside the area. See Diagram 2. When the team is in possession they are on 2 touches inside the area and only 1 touch when outside the area.

Progressions
• Restrictions on the number of touches inside and outside the area
• Restriction on the number of touches for neutral players

Set Up – Transition with Goals
The session is set up as within the previous session. For this session two goals have been included for the defending team to attack when they win possession. As soon as possession is turn over they are looking to get a shot off into either goal. The team that has lost possession is looking to prevent the team from shooting. See Diagram 3.

Progressions
• Restriction on the number of touches

Some Coaching Points
• Movement to receive the ball
• Quality and tempo of play
• Angles of support
• Knowing next movement and pass
• 1st Touch changing the direction of play
• Range of passing to switch the play
• Maintaining good width and distances
• Transition in possession (focus of mindset)
• Transition out of possession (focus of mindset)