OPENING THE ONIONTRAINING GAMES TO BUILD SPATIAL AWARENESS

TOM TURNER

OHIO YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION NORTH

SPRING 2014

INTRODUCTION

THE TWO MAIN CHALLENGES FACING YOUTH SOCCER COACHES GENERALLY RELATE TO

IMPROVING THEIR PLAYERS’ COMFORT LEVEL WITH THE BALL AND HELPING THEM SPREAD OUT.

THIS PRESENTATION PROVIDES A TACTICAL PATHWAY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPATIAL

AWARENESS, WHICH SHOULD BE SEEN AS A LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENTAL CONTINUUM

BEGINNING WITH YOUNG PLAYERS RUNNING AROUND IN A CLUSTER AND ENDING WITH

PURPOSEFUL POSITIONAL PLAY IN 11-A-SIDE SOCCER – A PROCESS ANALOGOUS TO SLOWLY

PEELING BACK THE LAYERS OF AN ONION.

THE MARCH FROM “MOB BALL” TO PURPOSEFUL POSITIONAL PLAY TAKES MANY YEARS AND WILL

EVOLVE MORE SLOWLY, OR MORE RAPIDLY, OR NOT AT ALL, BASED ON THE QUALITY OF THE

COACHING AND THE MOTIVATION OF THE PLAYERS.

INTRODUCTION

GOOD COACHES BUILD SKILLS AND TACTICAL UNDERSTANDING AND HAVE THE PATIENCE TO

ACCEPT MISTAKES AS ESSENTIAL TO THE LEARNING PROCESS. THEY WORK WITH THE BEGINNER

WITH THE VISION OF THE COMPETENT MATURE PLAYER IN MIND.

THE MOST IMPORTANT FOUNDATIONAL SKILL IN SOCCER IS DRIBBLING: IF EACH PLAYER, IN TURN,

CAN MAINTAIN POSSESSION BY DRIBBLING THE BALL AWAY FROM, OR PAST PRESSURE, THE TEAM

(SMALL OR LARGE) CAN KEEP THE BALL AND CREATE SCORING CHANCES.

THE NEXT KEY SKILLS ARE PASSING AND RECEIVING, WHICH DETERMINE HOW FAR APART

TEAMMATES WILL SPACE AND HOW QUICKLY THE MOB WILL START TO TAKE ON A RECOGNIZABLE

SOCCER SHAPE. IN TIME, “SUPPORTING” EVOLVES INTO “SPACING” AND SPACING EVOLVES INTO

“TWO LINES” (FRONT AND BACK) AND TWO LINES EVOLVES INTO “TEAM PLAY” IN THREE LINES.

INTRODUCTION

DURING ANY SOCCER GAME, MOST OF THE OPEN SPACE IS FOUND AT THE BACK OF THE TEAM

AND ON THE SIDE OPPOSITE FROM THE BALL. THE SIMPLEST ROUTE FORWARD IS OFTEN FOUND BY

DRIBBLING THE BALL AWAY FROM PRESSURE AND PASSING BACKWARDS OR SIDEWAYS AWAY

FROM THE PACK OF TEAMMATES AND OPPONENTS.

EMOTIONALLY, THE MOST CONFLICTING TACTICAL OPTION FOR WIN-ORIENTED COACHES IS

ENCOURAGING YOUNG PLAYERS TO PASS BACKWARDS OR SIDEWAYS AWAY FROM PRESSURE IN

ORDER TO FIND OPEN SPACE. WHEN SUCCESSIVE WIN-ORIENTED COACHES PERPETUATE NO-RISK

TACTICS FROM U6-U8-U10-U12-U14 TO HIGH SCHOOL, THE END PRODUCT IS PREDICTABLE.

THE TABLE ON THE NEXT SLIDE PROVIDES A DEVELOPMENTAL ROAD MAP FOR PURPOSEFUL

POSITIONAL PLAY. THE “TYPICAL” AGES CAN VARY WIDELY.

SPATIAL AWARENESS MARKERS

SPATIAL AWARENESS MARKERS

NONE(Typically U6)

PLAYERS ON BOTH TEAMS COMPETE FOR THE SAME BALL.

LEVEL ONE(Typically U8)

PLAYERS START TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE BALL.

LEVEL TWO(Typically U8 – U10)

PLAYERS START TO DEMONSTRATE AWARENESS OF

WIDTH AND DEPTH AND MOBILITY.

LEVEL THREE(Typically U10)

PLAYERS START TO DEMONSTRATE AWARENESS OF

POSITIONAL PLAY IN TWO LINES (BACK-FRONT).

LEVEL FOUR(Typically U12)

PLAYERS START TO DEMONSTRATE AWARENESS OF

POSITIONAL PLAY IN THREE LINES (BACK-MIDDLE-FRONT).

LEVEL FIVE(Typically U14+)

PLAYERS DEMONSTATE PURPOSEFUL POSITIONAL PLAY IN

11-A-SIDE SYSTEMS (i.e., 4-3-3).

PHASES OF PLAY

SOCCER IS A GAME OF TURN-OVERS WHICH

NATURALLY CONNECT TO CREATE A CYCLE

OF TACTICAL SITUATIONS, OR PHASES OF

PLAY. THE FOUR BASIC PHASES OF PLAY ARE

SHOWN ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDE.

COACHES WHO USE TRAINING GAMES THAT

NATURALLY FLOW BETWEEN GOALS ARE

MORE EFFECTIVE IN TEACHING YOUNG

PLAYERS TO UNDERSTAND SOCCER THAN

THOSE WHO FAVOR REPETITIVE DRILLS.

We Have the Ball

“Build-Up / Attack”

We Win the Ball

“Counter-Attack”We Lose the Ball

“Defend Counter”

They Have the Ball

“Recover Possession”

PHASES OF PLAY

7

“OPENING THE ONION”

THE REMAINDER OF THE

PRESENTATION OFFERS EXAMPLES OF

TRAINING ACTIVITIES USED TO

SUPPORT EACH LEVEL OF

DEVELOPMENT. THE INCLUSION OF

ADULTS PLAYING “WITH” YOUNG

CHILDREN HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT,

NOT ONLY ON THE SPEED OF

DEVELOPMENT, BUT ALSO ON THE

EFFICIENCY OF PRACTICE TIME WITH

REGARD TO RESTARTING PLAY WHEN

THE BALL HAS GONE OUT OF BOUNDS.

LEVEL ONE

GROWING SPATIAL AWARENESS IN YOUNG OR INEXPERIENCED PLAYERS IS FIRST DEMONSTRATED

BY THOSE WHO MOVE AWAY FROM THE TEAMMATE WITH THE BALL. THIS SUPPORTING DISTANCE

MAY ONLY BE A FEW YARDS.

PLAYERS AS YOUNG AS FIVE AND SIX WILL MOVE FURTHER AWAY FROM AN ADULT “TEAMMATE”

BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THE BALL CAN BE PASSED OVER A LONGER DISTANCE. THIS

OBSERVATION HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRACTICE GAMES.

TO MAXIMIZE THE DEVELOPMENT (TECHNICAL/TACTICAL REPETITION) AND ENJOYMENT

(PERCEIVED AS FUN) OF LEVEL ONE PLAYERS, PRACTICE GAMES SHOULD GENERALLY NOT INCLUDE

MORE THAN THREE SAME-AGE PLAYERS ON THE SAME TEAM (3V3).

Moving Away From The Ball

Moving Away From The Ball

Moving Away From The Ball

Moving Away From The Ball

Moving Away From The Ball

Moving Away From The Ball

LEVEL TWO

THE SECOND LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY CHALLENGES PLAYERS TO DEVELOP AN AWARENESS OF HOW

TO OPEN SPACE BETWEEN THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE TEAM (THE PRINCIPLE OF DEPTH) AND

HOW TO OPEN UP SPACE TO THE SIDES (THE PRINCIPLE OF WIDTH).

ALSO EMERGING AT THIS TIME IS PURPOSEFUL MOVEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE BALL AS THE

GAME TRANSITIONS FROM DEFENSE TO ATTACK (THE PRINCIPLE OF MOBILITY).

TO MAXIMIZE THE DEVELOPMENT (TECHNICAL/TACTICAL REPETITION) AND ENJOYMENT

(PERCEIVED AS FUN) OF LEVEL TWO PLAYERS, PRACTICE GAMES SHOULD GENERALLY NOT INCLUDE

MORE THAN FOUR SAME-AGE PLAYERS ON THE SAME TEAM (4V4).

Width, Depth and Movement

Width, Depth and Movement

Width, Depth and Movement

Width, Depth and Movement

Width, Depth and Movement

Width, Depth and Movement

Width, Depth and Movement

LEVEL THREE

THE TYPICAL U10 PLAYER WILL BE CAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING THAT A TEAM HAS “POSITIONS”

AND MOST WILL BE CAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLAYING AT THE

BACK AND PLAYING AT THE FRONT. GOOD COACHES WILL DEVELOP PLAYERS WHO ARE

COMFORTABLE IN EITHER ROLE AND ENSURE “GOALKEEPERS” ARE ALSO CAPABLE FIELD PLAYERS.

AT THIS LEVEL, THE TECHNICAL RANGE OF THE PLAYERS WILL LARGELY DETERMINE THE QUALITY

OF THE SPACING AND THE ROLE OF THE COACH CAN OFTEN START TO EVOLVE FROM BASIC IDEAS

ABOUT SPACING TO IDEAS ON HOW TO PLAY FASTER IN COMBINATION WITH TEAMMATES.

PRACTICE GAMES FOR LEVEL 3 PLAYERS WILL TYPICALLY RANGE BETWEEN 1V1 AND 6V6.

KEY ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES

THERE ARE TWO KEY PRINCIPLES THAT SHAPE THE TACTICAL MOVEMENT OF PLAYERS.

MOBILITY AND BALANCE

“MOBILITY” IS THE CONCEPT THAT PLAYERS HAVE TO MOVE WITHIN THEIR LINE (BACK, MIDDLE OR

FRONT) AND BETWEEN THE LINES TO FIND OPEN SPACES TO SUPPORT THE BALL. MOBILITY ALSO

RELATES TO THE IDEA THAT, WHEN ATTACKING, PLAYERS FROM THE BACK OF THE TEAM MUST

MOVE FORWARD TO SUPPORT THE PLAYERS AT THE FRONT OF THE TEAM.

KEY ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES

THE SECOND PRINCIPLE UNDERPINNING PLAYER-MOVEMENT IS BALANCE.

“BALANCE” RELATES TO THE ORGANIZATION OF PLAYERS WHEN TEAMMATES FROM THE SAME

LINE MOVE LATERALLY OR VERTICALLY TO SUPPORT THE BALL OR ATTACK OFFSIDE SPACE.

CLEARLY, NOT EVERY PLAYER CAN GO FORWARD AT ONCE. IN PART, BECAUSE THE TEAM WOULD

HAVE NO DEPTH TO HELP CIRCULATE THE BALL; AND, IN PART, BECAUSE THE TEAM WOULD HAVE

NO ORGANIZATION TO DEFEND WHEN THE BALL IT TURNED OVER.

Width, Depth and Mobility

Width, Depth and Movement

Width, Depth and Movement

Width, Depth and Mobility

Width, Depth and Movement

Width, Depth and Mobility

Developing “Lines”

Developing “Lines”

LEVEL FOUR

APPLIED POSITIONAL AWARENESS AT LEVEL FOUR IS A FUNCTION OF MATURATION, SKILL,

COACHING AND EXPERIENCE. IRONICALLY, THE ABILITY TO PLAY IN TWO AND THREE LINES IS

DEPENDENT ON TWO VERY BASIC TACTICAL CONCEPTS DEVELOPED IN LEVELS ONE AND TWO.

THESE CONCEPTS ARE SHOWN ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDES.

PRACTICE GAMES FOR LEVEL FOUR PLAYERS WILL TYPICALLY RANGE BETWEEN 1V1 AND 8V8.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO PLAYERS

IN ORDER TO EXCHANGE THE BALL UNDER PRESSURE, TWO PLAYERS MUST READ THE SAME

TACTICAL CUES ON WHERE TO RUN AND WHEN TO PASS THE BALL.

READING A TEAMMATES’ MOVEMENT

PLAYERS FROM THE SAME LINE MUST UNDERSTAND WHEN TO MOVE TO SUPPORT THE BALL

AND WHEN TO STAY IN A SPACE / POSITION AWAY FROM THE BALL.

Developing Ball Cirulation

Developing Ball Circulation

Developing Ball Circulation

Developing Ball Circulation

LEVEL FIVE

EFFECTIVELY COACHING TEENAGE PLAYERS WHO HAVE DEVELOPED TECHNICAL AND TACTICAL

COMPETENCE REQUIRES A CLEAR VISION OF HOW A TEAM SHOULD PLAY TOGETHER.

THE COACH MUST HAVE THE SKILLS AND PERSONALITY TO SHAPE THE COLLECTIVE THINKING OF

THE INDIVIDUALS WITH THE TEAM; AND BE COMPETENT IN A WIDE RANGE OF RELATED FIELDS,

SUCH AS EXERCISE SCIENCE AND SPORT PSYCHOLOGY.

COACHING ADVANCED PLAYERS DEMANDS AN ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING OF SOCCER.

THE BASIC PHASES OF PLAY, OUTLINED ON SLIDE SEVEN, MUST BE EXPANDED TO FULLY EXPLAIN

THE RANGE OF POSSIBLE MATCH SITUATIONS. THE DIAGRAM ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDE OUTLINES

THE TACTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR TRAINING ADVANCED PLAYERS.

Possession, Style and the Phases of Play

Counter-Attacking

Building vs High

Restraining Line

Building vs Medium

Restraining Line

Building vs Deep

Restraining Line

Attacking Restarts Defensive Restarts

Bunkering

Defending From

Behind A Line Of

Confrontation

Pressing

Defending Against The

Counter-Attack

Attacking Defending

PHASES OF PLAY - EXPANDED

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Moving Away From The Ball

Developing Three Lines

Developing Three Lines

Developing Three Lines

Playing in the Attacking Half