Now we are back playing matches and training after nearly four months of lockdown I can certainly notice the difference in my players. It isn’t like when they come back from summer holidays because that is usually just down to a bit of fitness and rusty match play.
This time it is almost like going back to basics with players very unfit and the match we played at the weekend was a shambles! Fortunately this week we have some training camps so I will see my players for three days. We can go over some of our simple training games that give players creative tests to get them back thinking and playing like I know they can.
It is the simple things that need players to use their brains and play passes or beat players then go 1v1 against the goalkeeper. My players normally excel in 1v1s but at the weekend were not moving well and lost the ball in situations they would normally keep the ball in.
Try the different types of skill below to get your players back on track in matches and at training.
Can your Under 9s shield the ball? Use Shielding the ball (Under 9 game) from my curriculum to get them shielding and keeping possession in key areas of the pitch
Putting through passes into attacking areas is a great attacking skill to have. Playing killer passes needs clever work to create space and to see the pass. Line breaking passes is a good example to show your players, then get them to put players through on goal with the session Running onto a pass.
Introduce tricks such as step overs or drag backs, which can help wrong-foot defenders and give them a clear run through on goal. Encourage your young players to use a skill to get past a strong defence or to beat a goalkeeper when they’ve been put through by a killer pass. One of my go-to games is Double jeopardy which pits the striker against the goalkeeper.
The key rondos passes can be used in tactical play during matches to play between the lines with the key play splitting lines of defence to create goalscoring runs MORE
When players are through on goal, they must decide whether to shoot or take it around the keeper. To be able to make this decision players must practise both methods so they have the techniques required when the situation arises in matches. MORE
If you want to put your strikers through on goal with a killer pass from midfield, try running this session and see your match day passing improve MORE
We had a meeting this week at my club, where we were discussing the changes we face in a few months time. My U10s team goes from 7v7 into 9v9 and that means we are facing offside decisions. So how does a coach go about preparing for that? MORE
As coaches we are all obsessed with keeping possession of the ball... of course we are the best teams all do it and if you've got the ball the opposition can't score. And there is just that other coach called Pep Guardiola who swears by it... MORE
Fast is a word I like to use when my teams are attacking. Do it with speed and watch the opposition shrink away from it. It makes life difficult for your opponents and helps your team to dominate when in possession of the ball. MORE
The season has suddenly taken off again after 4 months of Coronavirus lockdown. I've been coaching for 14 hours for the last two weeks in an attempt to get the players back into some kind of shape for playing matches. It has its benefits but also it has a downside. Two of my players picked up injuries, one an ankle injury and the other had what he called "tired legs". Find out how we got on... MORE
Defending against overloads can happen whether your team is in an organised or disorganised state. You can plan defending when organised much easier than when you are defending disorganised. MORE
I was talking to a coach this week about how to control balls in the air, especially when heading the ball in training is off the menu for most clubs. I imagine that there will be much more of a contest to win the ball with a volley once it has dropped from head height. So how do you coach controlling balls in the air? MORE
