| Technique + Tactics |
Practices must be match-related to be effective
By Mark Nicole
Most would agree the modern game continues to evolve into one of increased speed of play in attack, immediate transition and the increased pressure of playing efficiently in decreased space with less time. As a consequence, much higher levels of competence are being expected of players as individuals and as a collective unit. These levels are of course technical and tactical in nature as well as extremely demanding psychologically and physically.
Youth training sessions now must incorporate less exclusive teaching of technique in preparation for this phenomenon. The drilling of technique without adding difficulty and pressure is myopic. What is taught must be match-related to foster a more complete development of the young player. This is not to profess that practicing a specific technique in isolation outside of the moving game is counterproductive. This type of training is necessary, but should be made more realistic as soon as possible.
The challenge now becomes how to effectively present, demonstrate and teach advanced technical training topics within a format that incorporates other facets of the game. To succeed, training must be stimulating for the players, manageable for the coach and relevant to the match. For example, basic concepts such as looking up field to play an early pass forward to feet and striking the ball with the instep must be taught simultaneously.
The technical ability becomes an acquired skill enabling the player to solve tactical soccer problems more efficiently which in turn will ease to some degree the psychological burden with which developing players are confronted. Individual confidence and composure on the ball will manifest into collective cohesiveness of the group. Through this cycle players will continue to influence one another in a self-directed, player-coaching-player environment. This facilitates personal growth within the team structure, increasing the probability of the individual reaching his or her full potential as a soccer player.
Over time this culture becomes the accepted norm and each player benefits immensely from the combined experience. The message here is training must incorporate both technical and tactical areas of focus in concert with one another. If structured correctly this vision can be offered to players at an early age.
To institute this type of mindset, it is important to illustrate the difference between two commonly used terms and approaches, these being “tactics” and “small sided games.” Team tactics are the framework by which the collective group attacks and defends in specific situations and locations on the field. Playing direct versus the patience of the counterattacking team is a pertinent example.
This type of knowledge at this level should be discussed and demonstrated as briefly as possible to orient the group to operate within a few general guidelines, setting the stage for the more important matter of teaching individual tactics. Learning to understand the problems and solutions of playing out of pressure near the touchline against even numbers is vastly more important at this stage than to understand the game plan is to stroke a long flighted ball from defending third to attacking third and chase. There must be a separation of learning how to win games versus how to play the game correctly from an early age.
A small-sided game played without a specific technical and tactical focus becomes an exercise in playing a game to justify its own title. Without specified and understandable teaching topics, what is there to be learned? A more directed methodology would be the utilization of training games to elicit the desired behavior from the players, again as individuals and collectively. Various tactical elements can be identified and presented in a forum that provides the trainer with a plethora of teaching opportunities.The proximity and small numbers assure that all will see and hear. There are also ample chances to repeat positive and correct match-related solutions in the correct sized area of the field where the training topic occurs. It then becomes important to relate the issues learned back to the general team playing guidelines.
Within this framework the players become stimulated and in turn have the confidence to experiment and partake in alternative solutions to the problem. The willingness to fearlessly take risk in the attack is a prime and desirable example of a player who has the confidence to deal with the challenges of the situation. The individuals become self-assured and more mature, freeing themselves to experiment with new self-taught solutions.
The crux of all this lies hidden within the ability of the trainer to design sessions that continually teach and recreate an identifiable technical and tactical topic utilizing small player numbers. Building to a team versus team training game on full goals is the objective. This should be considered a worthy endeavor that will indeed take considerable time and patience from all participants. Over time a multitude of rewards will become apparent to the teacher and the tasks required to enjoy them will be vastly outweighed by the pleasure of the experience.
The accompanying topic, teaching dribbling with a tactical twist, is only one example of the aforementioned training concept. For the purpose of this article, it has been assumed that the players are somewhat “free of the ball” and have acquired a level of skill which allows them to perform technically while moving.
Attacking 1 v. 1 with the dribble
Objectives: Technical — change dribbling direction; tactical — change of pace during move.
Teaching points: Sharp cuts with the ball, drive defender one direction, attack opposite, once past cut into the defender’s running path.
Setup: 12 players, 16 cones, spare balls, field of 10 yards x 20 yards with a 4-yard middle zone (two fields), time 40 minutes. (diagrams below)
Instructions: There are six players on each field. A defender is positioned in the middle zone and may not chase attackers out of it. The other five attacking players are split at each end of the field. To begin, defenders must hold their hands behind their back. Upon winning a ball the defender dribbles out of the zone and passes to a player on the end. The ball loser becomes the defender. If the attacker beats the defender, a pass is made to the end and that player attacks the defender. The game should be high tempo.
Next, the middle defender plays completely live. Players score one point for each defender beaten. The games are five minutes long. The player on each field with the most points at time wins.
When the middle defender is beaten, a second defender steps onto the field from the opposite end line. The attacker attempts to beat the second defender over the end line. If the second defender wins the ball, the middle zone is attacked. The original attacker may chase until the player reaches the middle zone. If the player gets past the middle defender, a third defender will step onto the field on the opposite end. The scoring is the same.
Setup: 6 v. 6 with two goalkeepers; six vests, eight cones, two goals; 60-yard field with two goal areas and a middle zone, field box width (44 yards); five 10-minute games. (diagram below)
Editor’s note: Mark Nicole holds an NSCAA Premier Diploma as well as a USSF “A” License. He coaches the Melbourne Beach, Fla., Tsunami U-10 boys team and is compiling a projected book, “Training Technique Tactically for Youth Players.” This article originally appeared in the July-August 2002 issue of Soccer Journal.
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