I know that when I get my team back in training one of the first games we will play will be a series of Rondos. They are food and drink to my players and they cannot wait to get back to them.
This week I will start to prepare my players for the Rondo games by showing them a video clip in our next Zoom meeting. Rondos are really good for getting players back into passing and receiving. The challenge is also to keep the ball from the pressing players. My players will all be watching the video Rondos: Six player position games. All the games are for 7 players.
By getting them to watch the Rondos being played it will show them how to move and how to press in the different scenarios that will unfold when I show them the video. You can show your players too by putting the video onto a Zoom chat and talking it through with them.
Try the sessions below if you are playing non-contact games so cannot play the Rondos.
Non-contact passing for 5 players Passing sequences are fun ways to get your team used to linking play and using the ball with good direction and weight. You can see a sequence like this put to good use when coaching playing out from the back, counter-attacking and midfield play. It requires practice in technique and skill.
In the second session, if you want your team to have more creative options in the final third, use Non-contact support patterns to encourage players to support team-mates and improve first-touch and accurate passing.
A non-contact game that keeps players apart. If you want your team to have more creative options in the final third, use this session to encourage players to support team-mates and improve first-touch and accurate passing. MORE
This session fits in with the latest advice regarding returning to play. Passing sequences are fun ways to get your team used to linking play and using the ball with good direction and weight. MORE
In this podcast Dave Clarke talks to Bill Stara about educating coaches to get the best out of them and out of the kids they coach. He says: "Once kids understand you're primarily there for them to be successful they'll give you the world." 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
