What kind of shape does your team have on match day? Getting players to fit a formation can be a tricky business especially at the younger age groups, it’s all about getting the players to understand how the formation works and their role in it.
Most young players like to be striker but some players prefer to play with the ball in front of them. So you have to work on a strategy and how to get players involved – it all boils down to understanding.
Start by getting an understanding of the way teams build up as they progress through the age groups. How teams work up from 5v5 to 11v11 shows you in diagrams the way the two new outfield players are integrated into each formation.
For the Under 6, Under 7 and Under 8 age groups who will play 4v4 (without a goalkeeper) or 5v5 with a goalkeeper the 1-2-1 formation works on a diamond shape that gives support in defence and attack. It relies on the coach being able to get across to the two midfield players the importance of both getting back into defence and supporting the striker.
If you are a coach working with Under 9s and Under 10s the 7v7 formation begins to work on other factors. The 2-1-2-1 formation is ideal for advancing 7-a-side teams to a more tactical attacking game with the ability to go with three upfront, which makes it hard to defend against.
And for coaches of Under 11 and Under 12 teams playing 9v9, with the extra tactical difficulties involved, here are my two “go to” formations:
1-3-1-2-1 is a very strong formation with diamonds from back to front, it is solid in the middle and excellent on the counter attack. It also offers plenty of support from midfield to attack.
3-3-2 is similar to the traditional 4-4-2, and sets up a good, solid base from which to defend and attack.
This is the best formation for an all out attack. Check out the pros and cons of the 2-1-2-1 formation at 7-a-side for Under 9 and Under 10 teams. MORE
With more teams playing 9v9 at U11 and U12, we take a look at the formations your side could play for this team size. This is the 1-3-1-2-1 formation MORE
The diagrams in this post show how soccer formations progress from 5v5 through to 11v11 – you can see how each change in formation adds players into the mix. MORE
At the start of this season my team was 3-0 down after 10 minutes! It was a disaster but by half time they had pulled it back to 3-3. In a tight second half they scored with 3 minutes to go to make it 4-3 much to their delight. What a comeback!... but all their hard work was wasted... MORE
My team has scored goals from lots of different areas this month but the main source of goals has been by passing the ball wide or switching play so the ball is coming from the wings, but they also score from corners and free-kicks. MORE
Moments of transition and how players react to them are vital to having a successful team. Former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho thinks reactions to transitions are the most important part of the game. He coached his teams to react quickly to winning and losing the ball which led to them dominating games MORE
The 4-3-3 is a great system to study if you are looking for a system of play for your team. No matter the age or the numbers of players involved the principles are the same. Good width, good support play, and fantastic attacking moves. MORE
My Under 9s team won a match that when you look at the result it seemed like a big win but that didn’t tell the story of the game. Both teams played well and had some great combination play but my team had an end product which unfortunately the visitors didn’t. MORE
It brought it home to me last Saturday when one of my Under 9s had played a fantastic match creating three goals and generally running the game... "but I didn't score!" he said with a face fighting back the tears. Kids don't appreciate the importance of an assist. MORE
“I took a free trial and I was blown away by the drills; it made my training sessions so much easier. ”
