[3/31, 10:54 AM] U J: Tactical theory in football is all about space – the areas on and above the football pitch. ... A tactic can be analysed in terms of a playing system and a playing style. A team implements a tactic using a playing system (also known as a system of play) and this influences its playing style (also known as a style of play).
[3/31, 10:54 AM] U J: Classic 4-4-2 · Tiki -Taka · The Counter-attack · Park the Bus · The Long Ball Game · The High Press · Related Posts
[3/31, 10:54 AM] U J: What is sport psychology? Sport psychology helps footballers train with more focus, play with more confidence, and reflect more effectively after a match. This helps them maintain their motivation, resilience, emotional control and overall well-being
[3/31, 10:54 AM] U J: High-speed Running and Standard of Play. ...
Positional Differences. ...
Other Demanding Match Activities. ...
Influence of Team Tactics on Physical Demands. ...
Fatigue During a Football Game. ...
Energy Demands During a Game.
[3/31, 10:54 AM] U J: Updated 1 year ago
The term technical is referencing a player or team’s ability to perform on the field. Basically the rate of successul plays and amount individual skill when playing. This is the collective sum of individual resources like dribbling skills, ball control, speed, shooting, passing, link up play, etc.
The term tactical is referencing the individual characteristics or team’s collective mindset that enables them to read the game and act accordingly. Basically their level of organization, formation, vision, spatial awareness, effectiveness, response time, mental resilence, stamina, etc.
Both of these are asbolutely essential for the game. If you focus too much on tactics you’ll have mediocre players and results, but if you focus to much on the technical aspect you’ll get a mediocre team and results. So the more you improve in both of them the more prepared your tean would be to face stronger opponents.
[3/31, 10:54 AM] U J: Football training: How to improve football fitness
Pre-season. When you hear that word you probably think of heavy long-distance runs or high-speed intervals in the sun. Probably on a football pitch. But no balls are used. In a game such as football, where a ball IS used, I believe most, if not all, training should be done with the ball at the feet of the players. This is especially the case of young footballers. As someone who’s worked with young players in the ages of 13-19 for several seasons, I know every single player prefers to play rather than run. Still, many coaches prefer running over, for example, small-sided games when trying to improve the football-fitness of their players. In this post, I’ll present a suggestion of how your pre-season training can improve the fitness of your players – whilst also ensuring they enjoy pre-season training.
Same, or better, fitness-levels achieved through playing
A few years ago, I was part of a group who tested which maximum fitness-levels were reached in two different ways; interval running or a small-sided game of 4 vs 4. All players were given heart straps and pulse watches as their heart-rate and maximum pulse was monitored. This was repeated with different groups too. The question beforehand was how the effort the players were forced to put in would differ between the two vastly different exercises.
The results were remarkably similar. The pulse curves were on the same high level, inches away from the maximum pulse on both tests, until the last set of respective exercise when the interval running stats dipped slightly, but the game stats remained on the same level. This proved you can reach the same maximum level of fitness work, and maintain it for longer, playing a small-sided game at a high tempo rather than running in intervals. I suspect the late dip in the intervals, as opposed to the maintaining of the same level in the small sided game, comes from the players not enjoying running compared to football and therefore not giving the same effort towards the end. This is only natural, of course; most people bring more energy to things they love doing as opposed to things they hate doing.
After this evidence, my view is that if you can reach the same level of effort from the players when they play small-sided games as when they do interval-running without the ball then why would you insist on continuing running? It’s more enjoyable for the players and you, as a coach, can work on your game model whilst improving the players’ fitness levels. Furthermore, you can involve all four pillars of player development in these exercises; technique, football intelligence, physiology and psychology (the so-called educational wheel). Compare this with running without the ball where you only get physiology and possibly a bit of psychology.
Choosing this approach to fitness requires a very organized training setup as well as a thorough coach who keeps the players’ intensity throughout the exercises. Below I’ll explain some exercises I use to improve the fitness levels of my players.
Possible football-fitness exercises
Every session needs a good warm-up and this is especially true when you are going to work on the players’ fitness-levels as the intensity will take its toll. I suggest doing something technical with additions of coordination and some activation movements. Then, it’s time to work on the fitness aspect. The three exercises I’ll list below shouldn’t be used in the same session as the effort might be too great for some players. See this merely as a suggestion you can take ideas from.
2 vs 2 possession game with wall-players
With my U15s, I currently work a lot on movements to receive and create space which makes this exercise perfect. I use 12 players divided into two teams of six. Each team then sends two players into the middle of a rectangle with the dimensions shown in the image. This gives us a 2 vs 2 game in the centre of the rectangle with four wall-players from each team on the outside. The two in the middle then try to keep possession with the help of the wall-players and after each game, the players in the centre change with the wall-players. Play for games between 45-60 seconds initially and then add more time until reaching 90 seconds. After completing a game in the middle at a really high-intensity the players get two “rest-games” as wall-players. The rest is active though since they are still involved in the game with demands asked of their passing, vision and concentration. You can change the rules according to your own ideas; only using wall-players of your own colour, using all wall-players or wall-players forced to use one-touch to place higher demands on their involvement.
This exercise is very simple yet trains the movements you want to see in your style of play, it works the passing technique and ball-control of your players, their intelligence in creating and finding space, their pressing-technique (if you add that focus) and, of course, their fitness-levels. Play for maybe 15-20 minutes in total with short water-breaks in between every three or four games.
3 vs 3 + 3 jokers possession game
Continuing on the possession theme, I like to use this exercise quite often in my sessions. It needs 9 players divided into three teams of three. Two teams play each other inside the rectangle while the third is divided into two wall-players on respective short-side and one central joker to play with the team in possession. This creates a 6 vs 3 game when in possession of the ball. The dimensions might seem small but that’s because I prefer smaller pitches where the players have less time and have to think quicker. Also, the intensity goes up. You could easily make the pitch larger if you’d like. This exercise requires the coach to be involved fully to make sure new balls are put in as soon as it goes out of play. This keeps the intensity up. Play for games of 90 seconds and then rotate the teams. A total of 15-20 minutes will be enough to have your players well-worked.
In this exercise, I can work on positions I want my players to pick up in possession, I can stress the importance of width and depth as we try to move the ball forward, movements without the ball are vital and the players are forced to make a quick decision in possession. Their technique is also improved. For the defending team, I can focus on pressing-technique, cover of a pressing teammate and counter-pressing upon loss of possession. It’s an exercise that works perfectly for me in the way I want to play and also, vitally, in improving the fitness of the players.
11 vs 5 possession and transitional game
This game has a possession and transitional focus for me. The space I normally use is around 50 x 35 meters. Line up your team in your shape (3-4-2-1 for me) with the goalkeeper included, of course before adding five or six defensive players. The attacking team tries to keep possession from their positions on the pitch which makes the game very game-related. When the defensive team wins the ball they try to score in the goal the goalkeeper is guarding. This prompts a defensive transition from the possession team to stop the counter-attack. It’s up to you if that means counter-pressing or dropping back into the defensive shape as quickly as possible. This isn’t high-intensity like the earlier games but it’s still a demanding game for all players involved. On the plus side, you make them more comfortable in their positions on the pitch. Play for as long as you see fit. To create more transitions simply adapt your rules to limit touches or whatever you feel like.
2 vs 2 with goals
This might be the physically toughest exercise I’ll suggest. It’s a 2 vs 2 game with three cone-goals on each end line. By using three goals we remove the opportunity to just stand in front of one of the goals. This game works the player’s combination play and their collective defending as they press and cover for each other. After a goal is scored or the ball goes out of play, the team who should get the ball gets a new ball from their own end line. This prompts additional short sprints. Play for about 60 seconds. To make it even more fun for the players, you could make it into a tournament with multiple pitches where the winning team can advance into the next one. They might not even realize they are being worked to the limit. This is a superb football-fitness exercise.
Small-sided games such as 3 vs 3 and 4 vs 4 with goalkeepers are also perfect to improve the players’ fitness levels. Doing these or similar exercises in your pre-season training will improve your players’ football-fitness levels, their individual quality, their understanding of their role in your game model and finally, your team as a collective.
Summary
Coaching has definitely improved in the football-fitness regard in the last decade but there are still improvements to be made. Especially with young players, my personal opinion is that you should avoid doing running over playing given the limited sessions you probably have with your players. Coaching isn’t an exact science, of course, and there are some work you most do largely without the ball (balance or strength for example) or in isolated exercises. Many coaches will disagree with me but this is my suggestion and I’ve found it to work well with the different squads I’ve coached. We’ve never lost over a lack of running, that’s for sure. All players start playing football because they like the ball, they like kicking it and they like scoring. No kid starts playing football because they like running. My advice? Give them what they want
[4/5, 6:14 PM] U J: Football Coaches coordinate, instruct, motivate and organize football teams. Depending on experience, qualifications, and interests, they may work with children, adults, non-professionals or professional players. Football Coaches train, determine game plans and tactics, and inspire players.
[4/5, 6:15 PM] U J: A coach has to plan the training sessions of the team, as well as supervise them
[4/5, 6:16 PM] U J: Responsibilities
The Coach is responsible for developing the players’ skills and knowledge of the game while ensuring the maximum enjoyment of all participants
[4/5, 6:17 PM] U J: The coach must bring to the attention of the Team Manager any concerns about the venue. Eg. substandard pitch or facilitates. Extreme weather.
The coach must bring to the attention of the Team Manager any concerns about any of the people at the venue. Eg. parents/players/team officials (either team), match officials, spectators)
The coach must decide on who plays in matches, when they play and where they play.
The coach must decide on the on field strategy, the game plan.
Training
Coach must arrive early and have the equipment set up well before training start time.
Coach has to design and deliver a session plan.
Must run the prescribed number of sessions for the level/age group.
[4/5, 6:21 PM] U J: Good coaches recognise their strengths and weaknesses. ...
Patience. ...
Leadership. ...
Good communication skills. ...
Positivity. ...
Passion. ...
Perseverance. ...
Communication.
[4/5, 6:21 PM] U J: A good coach is positive, enthusiastic, supportive, trusting, focused, goal-oriented, knowledgeable, observant, respectful, patient and a clear communicator.
[4/5, 6:26 PM] U J: Knowledgeable
If you think you know everything, then you actually know nothing.
One attribute all effective coaches have is a growth mindset with respect to learning new skills. The approach that working hard, learning more and finding ways to solve problems to overcome obstacles during the education process for both the player and the coach is one, which separates the best coaches from the pack.
If a coach isn’t looking back at what they were doing several years prior and thinking ‘that could have been better’ then they are on the wrong path to progressing their coaching ability.
Mastering football coaching is an endless pursuit, knowing how to educate on the technical, tactical, physical and psychological aspects of the game is not the end of it. Additionally, it is very important to understand pedagogy, without a deep understanding of it you are going to be full of knowledge with no appropriate way of putting it into practice.
Patient
You can’t rush the process.
Improving just one skill is a lengthy process. With football being a culmination of a variety of skills it is critical that the appropriate amount of time is allowed to delivering a successful learning curriculum.
You don’t have to look far to see coaches delivering drills to 10 year olds they saw from a professional team on Youtube or setting up sessions that looks like an event from Crufts.
Most of the time this is a typical ‘all show and no go’ style of coaching.
The fundamental skills must be done exceptionally well, which takes years of practice to accomplish. A successful coach understands this and is able to wait patiently as his players develop through a proven learning process, which often includes repetition after repetition!
Without this patience a coach will feel inclined to speed ahead to the next phase from the textbook or to a session he delivered during a coaching course because it may seem more interesting or that you are looking like a more advanced coach. Be patient with your players and respect the learning process.
Communicator
This is an essential characteristic in every industry.
No doubt, everyone has his or her own way of defining effective communication. Different forms and styles are certainly more useful depending on the context.
With that being said there several things a good communicator will do which will see their coaching sessions improve dramatically.
Successful communication can be found from a football coach by presenting facts to players: false praise or negative feedback with nothing to back up your statements is a recipe for disaster. Whereas providing feedback to players with facts to back up what you are saying or the ‘why’ of your coaching sessions can be a very effective tool.
Communication on the pitch must also be specific. A common fault coaches can make is ‘over coaching’. Whilst you may want to let everyone know how much you know, not everyone else wants to. Great coaches are specific and get to the point.
Furthermore, coaches who ask questions of their players for them to think of a solution and also ask for clarification that everyone understands their instructions is a common theme from successful communicators.
Lastly, and arguably most importantly, a coach who is a great communicator will listen to their players.
Communication is a two way street and being in charge of a squad of players with a wide range of personalities can become troublesome if you are relying on them listening solely to your voice.
Player input is essential, they require different man management and of course everyone will learn differently
