VUSC Coaches Corner 05-10

   Most of our teams have now played both league and tournament games. I hope your team is performing well. Please remember that the scoreboard does not tell the whole story. We want our teams to play well. If your team is executing, then the wins will come.
   If you have a training question, please ask!

   Also, our own Apple Valley Invitational Tournament is just a couple of weeks away. If your team is participating (and you should be!) then you will face some good competition!

   Barry

1. Successful Club Keeper training sessions!
2. 8v8 formations
3. Some thoughts about avoiding an offside violation
4. Site of the Month - BetterSoccerCoaching.com
5. Article of the Month - 7 tips for Match Day

1. Successful Club Keeper training sessions!
   I hope you had a chance to have your players take advantage of, and for you to watch, our club keeper training. For four Sundays, as many as 90 players participated in the training!
   You can still have the club keeper trainer, Lindsey Dare, come to your practice and teach keeper techniques to your entire team or to work with your keepers. Contact Lindsey at lindsey.dare@gmail.com to arrange for training.

2. Discussion - 8v8 formations
Here is an excerpt from an email discussion I had recently with one of our VUSC coaches on potential formations for U11 and U12 teams.
Q: What is a good formation to use in 8v8 play?
A: Everyone has their favorite formations. The prevailing wisdom is to build the system to match the players you have.

   That said, when I coached 8v8, I always played a 3-3-1. I had a few reasons for this. First, I've always built teams around the D. I figure that if the D works and is strong, everything else will work out. The attack only has to get it right a few times in a game whereas the D has to get it right almost every time the other team has the ball. The 3-3-1 allows the team to cover the D and mid areas, so we are pretty much always numbers up in the back 2/3's of the field. Then we can practice all kind of wing and overlapping runs to get numbers on attack. We also get a straight line of power up the middle.
   It also translates very nicely to 11v11... we just add a person to each line to make a 4-4-2. So the teaching points are about the same.
   It also makes it very easy to coach the lone striker. Her job is very straightforward and we only occasionally want her to come back into our defensive half of the field (like maybe when defending a corner kick).
   I think this formation is the easiest to teach at this level.

   Another formation I've seen used often is 3-2-2. In particular, I knew one coach who did it this way: 3-player zonal back; left and center mids; center and right forwards. So it's a staggered formation providing attack numbers on the right (since we're usually right-footed) and D numbers on the left (since our opponent is usually right footed). Interesting.

   Finally, I like, but have never used, the 2-3-2. It's just too hard to keep only 2 players back. The 2-3-2 is very mid-intense and leads nicely to the 3-4-3 (also very mid-intense). Unfortunately I know we've crushed any team playing this formation but I can't help feeling that it's really good for development (many triangles and diamonds on the field).

   One of our U11 teams uses a 3-3-1, but shaped as 1-2-1-2-1 (center D is a sweeper; center mid is a defensive mid). That's nice because it creates triangles and diamonds, stretches the field nicely, and teaches some additional responsibilities, like sweeper.

3. Discussion - Some thoughts about avoiding an offside violation
Here is an excerpt from an email discussion I had recently with one of our VUSC coaches on getting his team to have less offside violation calls against them.
Q: My team has had a number of offside calls. What can we do about this?
A: Offside calls - the first question to ask is why are these happening? There are primarily three reasons a player gets called offside (not counting ref mistakes, which happen too frequently): a) the player doesn't understand the rule; b) the player gets too excited/assertive, or; c) the player isn't thinking/paying attention/coordinating.

If it's b) then that's fine. I never mind my players being offside because they're pushing the envelope. It shouldn't be the same player more than, say, twice a game, but to me offside means we're taking it the other team.

If it's a) then I think that's easy to fix... walk them slowly through the situations so they understand the rule. Sometimes kids will say they understand the rule, and can even recite it, but they don't really get it.

If it's c) then we need to pay attention and practice some plays. This also has two sub-parts - moving and non-moving. If we have a player that is just plain standing in an offside position and then receives a pass then this player needs to be shown their position in a practice, and perhaps physically moved so that they are not in an offside position. You can help this by calling offside violations in your end-of-practice scrimmages.

If it's a "moving violation" then you can practice timing runs. I have a great drill for this... I call it the "midfield drill": divide the field in "thirds" with the middle third being about 10-12 yds long and the full width of the field. Players play keepaway in the middle third. After 3 (or 4 or however many) consecutive passes, a player can break out of the middle third to receive a pass and go score. But, of course, the passer must strike the ball before the receiver crosses the cone line into the attacking third, otherwise it's an offside violation. I run that a bunch of times until they get it, then vary it by adding keepers, trailing defenders, additional attackers, etc. Fun stuff!

When there is no offside violation - there is no offside violation when a player receives a ball directly from a teammate on a throw-in, corner kick or goal kick. In addition, a player is not in an offside position if they are on their own (defending) half of the field. Keeper punt or any kind of free kick is not on that list. There is never an offside violation when a player receives a ball directly from an opponent (that means when the opponent had possession, not if the ball grazes off an opponent). So, if you steal an opponents corner kick, that steal cannot possibly be an offside violation. However, the next pass can be! So, if I am in an offside position and receive the ball directly from my teammate on a corner kick, it's not a violation. But if I pass the ball back to that same teammate, it is likely a violation!

4. Site of the Month - BetterSoccerCoaching.com
As I have mentioned in this newsletter in the past, one of my favorite sites has been, and continues to be, BetterSoccerCoaching.com. Go there and sign up for the free email newsletter. You will get a weekly email with a bunch of great tips, articles and drills. They also have a blog that usually has some video clips, and they now have a discussion area. Sign up and get the newsletter!

5. Article of the Month - 7 tips for Match Day from BetterSoccerCoaching.com
http://soccer-coaching-blog.com/2009/10/22/my-seven-tips-to-help-you-make-a-difference-on-match-days/

Being in control from the touchline is not easy for coaches of young players. But few coaches take as much care during the vital minutes of the match as they do with the pre-match preparation.

ON MATCH DAYS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

1. DO find the right moment.
Information needs to be given when players are most receptive, in other words when they can concentrate on what you are saying. That is not in the middle of the game. Talk to them at the half-time break. Youth teams suffer the most from parents shouting out meaningless parents, confusing the main message you want to deliver. Your team needs to avoid conflicting messages.

2. DON’T micro-manage the game.
Some coaches feel it necessary to talk players through every move. This is potentially destructive because it stifles their instinct for the game and stops them using their skills (which probably exceed the coach’s). Positive encouragement will give players confidence. Psychologists tell us that it is better to say “hit the target” than “don’t miss”.

3. DO break the game down into chunks with achievable targets.
No shots on your goal from the opposition for the next ten minutes, keep play in their half of the pitch.

4. DON’T get distracted away from the game.
Talk to spectators and the other coaches afterwards. Your players need your full attention. Create a bubble for you and your team. Make sure at half-time the bubble continues.

5. DO watch first, worry later.
Keep your emotions under control – panic, anger, frustration and fear are all mind killers. Players depend on the coach to be the coolest head on the pitch. Observing from as many different watching angles as possible will enhance your perspective on the game.

6. DON’T argue with the referee.
It distracts the players and draws attention to the possible shortcomings of one person rather than the game in hand. It is also unlikely to have a positive influence on the outcome of the game and is not in the spirit of the game anyway. Referees and umpires of all levels and abilities will rarely change a decision once it’s been made and it may even turn them against you.

7. DO create and refer to a checklist.
When the game starts, as a coach you should be able to read effectively the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses and alter your strategy accordingly. Use a simple checklist with the tactic you will apply to counter strengths or exploit weaknesses. For instance, identifying their best player may change the way they are marked, or noting whether that player is left or right sided.