Channeling the play can provide your team with many advantages when coupled with sound scouting of your opponent.

While speaking at a recent Glazier Soccer Clinic the Rockhurst High School (Mo) Head Boys Soccer Coach Chris Lawson discussed how channeling can be used to give your team a strategic advantage. Coach Lawson guided Rockhurst to the 2017 State Championship and is a member of the Missouri State High School Soccer Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.

He begins his presentation with the following definition of channeling:

The ability to direct or control where the ball goes defensively by the way or angle that pressure is applied on the ball.

Coach Lawson states that channeling can be used to exploit a players’ weakness or take away his strengths and he also gives a few specific examples.  He also states that channeling can be used to take better players out of the game and force other players that are not as good or as big of a threat to impact the game.

The presentation below is just one of hundreds of clinic presentation that are available at Glazier Clinics Soccer Vault

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When a player has proper support, he or she will have multiple passing options. The good teams have at least two options, while the really good teams have three or more. Great support leads to more goals.

In the video below Don Williams, head men’s and women’s soccer coach at Feather River College, instructs coaches during his classroom session on The Best Way to Score Goals – Support Each Other.  He is an experienced collegiate coach that has trained field players and goalkeepers. This video was taken from a recent Glazier Soccer Clinic

Coach Williams makes several points during his classroom instruction:

1. Connected Players on the Field

All players on the field during a game should be connected to have proper spacing and shape.  Coach Williams shows a diagram where ten field players are all connected through passing angles.  This is important for players to see so they can understand how important each position is and how it supports the team as a whole.

 2. Perfect Goal

Coach Williams asks a question about what is your perfect goal as a coach.  He says that most coaches would describe their perfect goal as a cross from the outside and either a volley finish or header to score a goal.  His perfect goal is where an individual offensive player dribbles and attacks on his own through the defense to score on his own. This takes out the need for combination play or having to cross a ball from the outside, which is not always hitting the target or spot needed to get a quality shot.

 3. Crossing Production

Most coaches believe that the more crosses you have in a game, the more goals you will score.  This depends on a lot on the team and level of the opponent you are playing, but this idea and belief is not always true.  Crosses in the box are not always targeting players and teams are becoming smarter by getting more players back and working on zonal defending.  Unless a cross is hit to the exact or perfect spot, defenders have the advantage by being able to clear the ball out and stop the scoring opportunity.

If you are interested gaining access to more of this content you can purchase a season pass and gain full access to hundreds of clinic presentations as well as Glazier annual MS clinic in Kansas City. Just click the link Glazier Soccer Clinics for more information

The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your volume is turned up. Note that some schools block access to YouTube.

How can you score more goals? You could improve the individual skills of each player. You could teach your players where to position themselves and where to move  to in order to create scoring opportunities. You could also improve your defense.

In the video clip below Don Williams, head men’s and women’s soccer coach at Feather River College, instructs coaches during a classroom session on The Best Way to Score Goals – Modern Zonal Defending.  He is an experienced collegiate coach that has trained field players and goalkeepers.

Coach Williams makes a few key points during his classroom instruction a recent Glazier Soccer Clinic:

When Going Forward in Transition to Attack: Keep Your Shape Connected

It’s very important for your players and team to stay connected on the field, especially when attacking in transition.  Coach Williams shows a slide where there are lots of passing angles all over the field for a team that spreads out and stays connected.  He goes on to say that a good team will have two passing options and a great team will have three of more passing options every time a player touches a ball.  The team shape is extremely important because of the spacing, but it also provides these multiple options that protect the team both offensively and defensively.

How Good Team Shape in Defense Leads to Good Team Goals in Attack

A good team defensive shape should provide cover and support all over the field.  The key is that all players know their roles and responsibilities in order to effectively play as a unit and team.  This good defensive shape can also lead to more goals when attacking.  If the defensive players are able to defend properly and then build the ball out to offensive players, this is a win-win situation.  The offensive players are not forced to have to come all the way back to help on defense, which saves them energy and extra running.  Also, the offensive players are able to attack as a group and be more effective when trying to score goals for the team.  It’s important for all defenders to know that they play important roles in creating offense and ultimately goals.

For information about how to gain access to Coach Williams’ entire presentation, as well as hundreds of other great clinic presentations, click the link Glazier Soccer Clinics

The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. Note that some schools block access to YouTube.

 

In the video clip below Schellas Hyndman, current Men’s Soccer Head Coach at Grand Canyon University, leads a classroom training session discussing and showing play examples of Team Pressing.  He has over 30 years of coaching experience and has excelled at both the collegiate (Eastern Illinois, SMU) and professional (FC Dallas) levels.

Coach Hyndman discusses several important points from his examples:

1. 15 x 30 Target Area

This area or box is shown by Coach Hyndman on the side of the field around midfield.  The team needs to create this box by forcing the offensive team and ball towards this area.  The defending team needs to have players run straight towards the ball and get into passing lanes.  The team should focus on winning the ball or forcing the offensive team out of bounds.

2. Keep ball to one side

The defensive team needs to force the ball to one side of the field.  Coach Hyndman talks about how this a predictable form of pressing because the defensive team can use the sideline as out of bounds.  All defensive players need to slide over towards that side of the field to reduce space for the offensive team.  Outside midfielders and outside backs on the opposite side need to pinch in and can use the side of the 18 yard box as a line they need to be inside.

3. Make pockets

The defensive team can make pockets on the field to encourage the offensive team to dribble into.  Coach Hyndman shows an example where a pocket is created in the middle of the field above the 18 yard box in the offensive team’s defensive third of the field.  The defensive team creates this pocket and then forces the backs of the offensive team to dribble towards this area.  Once the player dribbles into this area, the defensive team double teams the ball with high pressure.  The purpose is try and create a mistake where the defensive team can win the ball back and counter attack from a dangerous area on the field.

This clip is just one part of a 6 part presentation of Team Pressing. To gain access to  the entire presentation, as well as other clinic presentations, click the link Glazier Clinic Vault

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In the video clip below from World Class Coaching Marco Koolman, Head Soccer Coach at Holy Cross, leads a 4-3-3 Building from the Back drill.  Coach Koolman has over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience at several different universities.  

He breaks down the strategy of playing the ball out of the back line in trying to build the attack.  The players in this drill are set up on a regulation size field with one offensive team and one defensive team.  

There are several points that Coach Koolman makes when conducting this drill:

1.Outside Mid Taking Defender Away

Once an outside back receives the ball, the outside midfielder on the same side plays a critical role.  Most teams and players send this player back towards the ball to give a passing option.  Coach Koolman instructs the outside midfielder to move in the opposite direction up the field in order to take that defender away.  This creates more space for the outside back to dribble if needed and opens up passing lanes to find teammates checking back.

      2.Center Midfielder Role

Coach Koolman instructs the center midfielder to play opposite and in a more central location on the field.  Most center midfielders would be moving towards the side of the field the ball is on and giving a passing option to the outside back.  In doing this, the center midfielder is taking up open space and most likely bringing a defender along as well.

      3. Playing Forward From Back

The outside backs are instructed to play forward and not back or across the field.  Coach Koolman talks about being aggressive coming out of the back and trying to attack.  There are lots of players and teams that get too comfortable playing across the back line and not going forward with the ball.  Defenders can start the attack for their team rather than just playing simple passes to the midfielders and forwards and then dropping off to play defense.

The 4-3-3 is one of the most popular formations in modern soccer. Used successfully by teams including Chelsea, Inter Milan, Ajax and the Dutch National Team, the attacking style of 4-3-3 can be used to devastating effect to rip through the back four and create more goal scoring opportunities.  If you are interested in learning  how to attack and defend with the 4-3-3,  you might be interested in Coach Randy 12 part video series: Coaching the  4-3-3

 

World Class Coaching offers a wide variety of soccer coaching tools. Click on the image below for a copy of their free eBook: Complete Soccer Coaching Guide that contains 73 Drills and Exercises