Overview:
Friday technical sessions serve as an extra session that players can attend to work on their technical ball mastery skills, as well as sharpening their decision-making skills and technique while dribbling, crossing, shooting and passing.
These sessions are open to everyone in the club, regardless of age or gender and attendance is highly encouraged as the skills and learnings taken from these sessions will prove invaluable in your spring season games.
Schedule:
The Friday technical sessions will be running for 10 weeks, starting on January 27th and finishing on March 31st. Times and locations may vary, please check teamsnap regularly for even details and to mark your availability.
Technique and skills overview:
The first portion of the session will be spent introducing/working on various ball mastery work and 1v1 skill moves. These skills are including not limited to:
- Short, mid + long range passes.
- Volley passes.
- Thigh/chest control + pass.
- Scissors/stepovers.
- Pull back/’L’ turn/’cruyff’ turn.
- Roll-over/shuffle.
Ball mastery and skill move work is an integral part of any soccer player’s repertoire, as it gives them confidence with the ball at their feet, and never leaves them short of ideas in 1v1 situations. The goal is to be comfortable being uncomfortable, so keep working on new skills moves and new ways to manipulate the ball when it’s at your feet and don’t give up, work on ball mastery and skill moves daily to help become a well-rounded player.
As each session progresses and indeed the program progresses, we will work on how these skill moves and ball mastery work apply to in-game scenarios, including 1v1/2v2/3v3 + ‘to goal’ situations. As numbers increase, we will also touch on our attacking and defending principles.
Attacking principles:
- Penetration– The ability to play through or behind the opposition. Exploit space with good on and off the ball movement.
- Support– teammates should be available in supporting positions ahead, to the side and behind the ball. Triggers/knowing when to support is key here. Angles, distance and timing of passes also becomes important.
- Width– The ability to stretch our opponents by providing good width and depth in relation to where the ball is and the opposition’s defensive line. Correct positioning also gives opportunities to switch the play to exploit the weak side.
- Mobility– The ability to interchange positions and provide good movement to support the play. Movement on and off the ball to create space for the first attacker or other players.
- Improvisation/Creativity– The ability to provide inventive and unpredictable play, either through individual skills or small group combinations. For example: 1vs1’s, 1-2’s, overlaps, underlaps, forward runs, combinations, feint movements, etc.
- Transition– After possession is lost, can the nearest player provide pressure, stop early forward ball/dribble. Supporting teammates organize narrow and compact shape in relation to where the ball and our first defensive line is.
Defending Principles:
- Delay– The ability to prevent the ball from being played forward quickly. Very important in an underload as it allows time to support and for our team to regain shape.
- Depth– Reduce the space behind the pressuring player. Provide support in defense. Working on the press, cover and balance can be an effective way to prevent the opposition space in attack while pressing the ball as a unit.
- Concentration/Compactness – The movement of players to concentrate into an area of the field vulnerable to scoring opportunities. After a loss of possession, can nearest player press the ball and supporting players prevent depth for opposition while making the area compact.
- Balance– Balancing is an extension of delay and support. Balancing players provide additional support. Be prepared to become the first press if the ball play is switched or opposition play forward ball through 1 or more units.
- Discipline/Patience– Defending players need to be patient, keep defensive shape and organization in relation to the ball, and engage in challenges when they are sure. Rash challenges lead to quickly disorganized defensive lines.
- Predictability– In both 1v1 and unit/team defending we should encourage/force the attacking team to play into certain areas of the field. Channeling play into well defended areas or less important areas of the field makes play predictable and increase our chances of regaining possession or decreases goal scoring threats.
Technical Coach: Andy Russell
