ALSO IN THIS ISSUE -
Blog: How Ronaldinho creates space for AC Milan -
Reader feedback: "The U7 kids love Tiger Tails as a warm up activity then Pirates of the Caribbean followed by Ghostbusters, we end with a fun game like Space Invaders" -
Inspirational quotation: Carlo Ancelotti
1 touch, 2 touch, 3 touch, shoot By David Clarke
Giving kids a ball and just letting them run with it and shoot at goal is something they love to do and would it all day if I let them. But it has to have some structure to it or the whole thing will end in chaos. All it takes is a few cones a goal and a goalkeeper for you to put some meaning into their fun.
In these exercises you should be looking to stretch the attacker's ball control and skills. So I put two goalkeepers in for an attacker to face 1v2 then in the next exercises force play wide and finally add a defender. 
In the first setup the players run from just outside the 18 yard area and are faced with two goalkeepers. -
G1 closes the attacker down, narrowing the angle he can shoot from. -
The attacker must beat the first goalkeeper then face the second one. -
G2 must stay on his line and try to save any shots that come his way. Tell attackers to go left or right past G1 In this first exercise the attackers must work at close control, feinting, and the use of both feet - tell your attackers they can go left or right of the advancing goalkeeper, the second goalkeeper must stay on the line. Run past cones and shoot from an angle The second exercise is more straightforward. Two groups take it in turn to run with the ball around 3 cones in front of them before shooting at goal. Tell your players to go wide around the last object to narrow the angle of the shot at goal. When they have shot they go to the back of the opposite queue so they are given the chance to shoot, and dribble, using both feet. Shots should be across the goalkeeper When the players get to the last cone they should be looking to shoot across the goalkeeper. This will also give your goalkeeper chance to practice holding onto these shots. Add a defender to push attackers wide In the third exercise a defender is added, so the attacker now has to beat the defender before shooting at goal. The attackers must take turns to use their pace or skill to make a run into an angle wide of the defender before shooting. Tackled attackers become the defender This is a tiring exercise for one defender who is constantly tackling or jockeying the attackers so change them frequently. I add a bit of extra competition by making it so that attackers who finish with a shot at goal join the back of their line, those who miss the target or get tackled must take the place of the defender. Get more tips like these in my coaching publication Soccer Coach Weekly, which contains advice on how to be a better coach.
| * Editor's choice * Soccer Coach Weekly is used by coaches all over the world to give them the edge when it comes to competing in matches. Find out how to coach children correctly, how to cope in situations beyond your control and how to turn a losing team into a winning one. Soccer Coach Weekly has all this and more... |
* Soccer coach blog * How Ronaldinho creates space for AC Milan By David Clarke Ronaldinho gave a timely reminder to the Brazil coach Dunga that he is back on form in the recent Champions league match between AC Milan and Olympic Marseille. There’s been a lot written about how poor Ronaldinho’s form has been over the last couple of seasons but seeing that game is a pretty mouthwatering preview of what we can expect in the World Cup, if he gets picked by his international coach. If he keeps this form up I can’t see him being left out. How his team mates didn’t score from some of the passes he made I don’t know. What I like is the way he creates space by skillful turns and skillful passes. When I write about passing the ball into space for players to run on to it is sometimes hard to get the point across, Ronaldinho does it for me in this game. Show your players how Ronaldinho uses skill to create space for himself and then he plays the ball cleverly into space for players to run on to rather than to the player. He will often target an area to pass into where there are no players but where one of his team mates can be first to the ball. It’s a masterclass in how a player can make a team play exciting attacking soccer. Click here to go to my blog to see a clip of Ronaldinho and how he used and created space in the AC Milan v Marseilles Champions League group game.
* The winning difference * The poke tackle When defenders have players running at them in 1v1s they often just need to touch the ball out from the player's feet to gain control for themselves. This is a much simpler tackle to the slide or block tackle. Tony Carr runs a session on how and when to use the poke tackle. It gets players to knock the ball away from the attacker so it either goes out of play or they win it for their team. It concentrates on 1v1 defending and getting the ball off an opponent who is shielding it. Players in this session need to: -
Approach attacker from the side or behind. -
Get close to the attacker. -
Use the foot nearest ball. -
Focus on the ball. -
Extend foot from side or through opponent’s legs. -
Stab ball away using toes to kick near its centre. -
Avoid contact with opponent. -
Keep their body balanced to make the tackle. - Try and make the tackle with good timing or they will give away a foul.
If the ball is in play, can the defender win possession by putting their body between it and attacker? 
Both players start at one end, with the attacker close to the touchline. At half pace to begin with, the attacker dribbles the ball towards the opposite end, allowing the defender to practice executing the poke tackle. After several attempts, the players switch roles. Make sure players practice using both feet. Development To progress, the attacker must now attempt to dribble at full speed to the end line so that the defender can practice the skill of the poke tackle at match pace Play a small-sided game Mark a grid of approx 25 x 25 metres and split players into two teams. Each member of the attacking team has a ball inside the grid, while the defending team remains outside. On your signal the defending team enters the grid and tries to knock as many balls out of the playing area as possible. An attacker who loses their ball must retrieve it and re-enter the grid. The defending team gets a point for every ball kicked out of play. After a set period, the teams switch roles. Tony Carr is the Academy Director of West Ham United in the English Premier League and the editor of the Smart Sessions soccer coaching plans - they come in advanced and core versions. You can get these sessions dropping into your inbox every week by clicking here. * Wise up * Show you care by getting to know your players By David Clarke You may have a very clear idea of the particular football qualities that a new player possesses, but what do you know beyond that? By gaining a greater understanding of your players as individuals you can help improve your ability to integrate and motivate them. Players care about what you know when they know that you care about them. A good way to get to know them better is to ask them to complete a questionnaire or "player information sheet". Example questions include: - The things they like to do in training.
- The tv programmes they watch.
- The books, magazines, films they like.
- Their football and other sporting heroes.
- The music they like to listen to.
- The strengths, weaknesses of their game.
- Their ambitions as a player.
- Their reasons for playing football.
- Their interests outside football.
Encourage the players to be as honest as they can. Emphasise that this helps build effective teams and encourages clear communication. Most importantly, once you have collected the information, use it. Making the effort to get to know the player, and not just for the part they play in your team, can pay dividends when trying to understand their wider motivations. The process of asking is a classic motivational tool for the player – it shows you care.
* Reader Feedback * "The U7 kids love Tiger Tails as a warm up activity then Pirates of the Caribbean followed by Ghostbusters, we end with a fun game like Space Invaders" Says Steve Martlew, Coach, Whelley Alexandra JFC, Wigan, Lancashire, England | "My U11 team particularly like Triangle Goal as it involves everyone and is fast and furious." | I find your manuals and weekly sessions are easy to use and there is always an exercise for the area I want to work on. We recently started delivering fun football sessions to under 7s. The basis of our sessions was the Fun Games for 5-8 Year Olds.
I also use 64 small-Sided Football Games and your weekly sessions for coaching my under 11s team.
I can't speak highly enough of the sessions - I have recommended them to many of my coaching friends. Fun Games for 5-8 Year Olds I am a level 1 coach for an under 11s team. However my club has recently run some coaching sessions for under 7s. We used the Fun Games for 5-8 year olds as the basis for our sessions. The diagrams are easy to follow and children found them easy to understand and very enjoyable. We have used 4 sessions from the manual and subsequently we have developed a fun packed 1 hour session. The kids love Tiger Tails as a warm up activity then Pirates of the Caribbean followed by Ghostbusters we end with a fun game like Space Invaders. As a coach the sessions are easily adaptable depending on the ability of your group – you can make them easier or harder. I would fully recommend the manual to anyone coaching children of this age. 64 Small Sided Football Games For my under 11s team, 64 Small-Sided Football Games has formed the corner stone of my coaching sessions for the past season. I combine the small-sided games with my weekly Advanced Skills Session to create a focussed session on a particular topic. The sessions are easy to follow with the progressions being easily adaptable depending on the ability of your group. My team particularly like Triangle Goal as it involves everyone and is fast and furious. My team were new at September 2008 and have developed enormously in the last year – this is partly because they receive a quality and varied session each week. I would recommend 64 small-Sided Games to any coach – its great to have in your bag and your children will love the different games.
* Inspirational quotation * "We can win every game but if we don't have concentration we can lose every game" Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea manager | 
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