By Philip Cauchi
Moment of the game: In possession.
Theme: 1v1 in attack.
Age category: Under 9 to under 12.
Number of players: 16.
Aim: To dribble past the opponent in a 1v1 situation.
Key performance outcomes:
Direction oriented first touch.
Quick footwork with the ball.
Feint to disguise and unbalance the opponent.
Quick change of pace with the ball.
Decision-making when to dribble or pass the ball.
Equipment:
Markers x 10.
Balls x 10.
Bibs x 7.
Mini goals x 2.
Duration: 75 minutes.
Session structure:
Activation: 15 minutes.
Rapidity: 10 minutes.
Game: 15 minutes.
Practice: 15 minutes.
Game: 15 minutes.
Cool down: 5 minutes.
Description: Session is short but intensive with a high number of 1v1 duels. Although we are coaching direct 1v1 in attack we also have a small group practice situation where players must make decisions to either confront their opponent or pass or shoot at goal. Players must be allowed to experiment on applying various feints and tricks to dribble the ball past the defender. In this session we also make use of games without any restrictions but which are small in numbers. The main reason being that we want the 1v1 direct duels to occur frequently within a global situation. Therefore, we integrate individual offensive tactical decisions within a game realistic collective effort. It is through such experiences where players learn to make quick decisions and execute soccer actions quickly. The session ends with light ball work where every player has a ball.
Activation: Keep possession or relief the ball.
Aim: To switch on the neuro-muscular system and recognise the moment when to hold on to the ball and when to pass.
Organisation: In an area measuring 25 yards by 25 yards we have three outside attackers without the ball on each side, six attackers (dribblers) inside the area with a ball each, and four defenders.
Description: Dribblers aim to keep the ball by dribbling or pass the ball to change places with an outside attacker. If the attacker with the ball loses possession, she switch roles with the defender.
Duration: 15 minutes – five series of two minutes each interspersed with one minute dynamic flexibility and mobility exercises.
Targeted key performance outcomes:
Feint to disguise and unbalance the opponent.
Quick change of pace with the ball.
Decision-making when to dribble or pass the ball.
Rapidity: 1v1 through the gate.
Aim: To develop an offensive attitude to beat the direct opponent through selling fakes and feints and explode in the space created.
Organisation: In an area measuring 15 yards by 10 yards we have two groups of players, one group is the attacking group while the other is the defending group. They are positioned 15 yards in front and away from each other. On the same horizontal line we have two target gates positioned 10 yards apart.
Description: Attackers sprint forward and aim to get through either of the two gates without being tagged. Players rotate roles after each repetition.
Duration: 10 minutes – eight repetitions with at least forty seconds recovery between them.
Targeted key performance outcomes:
Feint to disguise and unbalance the opponent.
Quick change of pace with/out the ball.
Progression:
Attacker aims to dribble through either gate with a ball while the defender aims to win the ball.
Game: 1v1 to score with counter
Aim: To develop the attacker’s ability to lose the defender using fakes, protect the ball and turn facing the opponents’ goal to finish under pressure.
Organisation: In an area measuring 20 yards by 15 yards we have three groups of players, two of them attackers and the other defenders. The group of attackers A is on one side, while their counterparts B are on the opposite. Defenders C are two meters behind B. Each group should not consist of more than two players thus ensuring a high amount of time on task.
Description: Attacker A passes to attacker B after the latter checks to receive the ball. Defender C tries to put pressure on attacker B to impede her from scoring in the regular goal defended by the goalkeeper. If the defender wins the ball she counters on the mini goal. After each repetition, players move forward one position. Player in position A moves to position B, player in position B moves to position C, while the player in position C moves to position A.
Duration: 15 minutes – four series of three minutes each with a minute of rest in between.
Targeted key performance outcomes:
Direction oriented first touch.
Quick footwork with the ball.
Feint to disguise and unbalance the opponent.
Quick change of pace with the ball.
Decision-making when to pass or keep the ball.
Practice: Game situation 2v1 attack
Aim: To develop the attacker’s ability to make quick decisions under opposition pressure to either dribble past the opponent or pass the ball.
Organisation: We have two adjacent areas each measuring 10 yards by 10 yards. A defender is placed in each area. The attackers are grouped in pairs and start from the farthest side of the grid.
Description: The attackers play against a defender in each area while the defenders are restricted to remain inside their assigned zones.
Duration: 15 minutes – four series of three minutes each with a minute of rest in between. Rest is also included in each serie between repetitions. Each serie may include a progression of the exercise.
Targeted key performance outcomes:
Direction oriented first touch.
Quick footwork with the ball.
Feint to disguise and unbalance the opponent.
Quick change of pace with the ball.
Decision-making when to dribble or pass.
Progression:
Attackers must score within a pre-set time limit.
Game: 5v5 including goalkeepers
Aim: To develop the players’ ability to recognise situations when and where to take the opponent in a direct 1v1.
Organisation: Normal game with a goalkeeper and four outfield players for each team. Area of play is 40 yards in length by 30 yards in width.
Description: The dimension of the area aids in having a high number of 1v1 duels to occur in different parts of the pitch. These include both 1v1 situations on the ball and off the ball.
Duration: 15 minutes – four series of three minutes each with a minute of rest in between. We keep the duration of each serie short to keep the intensity and thus the quality of soccer actions high.
Targeted key performance outcomes:
Direction oriented first touch.
Quick footwork with the ball.
Feint to disguise and unbalance the opponent.
Quick change of pace with the ball.
Decision-making when to dribble or pass.
Progression:
To increase the intensity and have more on the ball and off the ball 1v1 duels, introduce a constraint which does not allow the players to pass back to their goalkeeper.
Cool down: Ball juggling
Description: The session ends by having every player with a ball with the aim of juggling it using different parts of the body. Players should challenge themselves in different ways; juggling using the head only, alternating between left and right foot, alternating between thigh and head, etc. For those players bearing a lower technical level have them alternating between juggling once and letting it bounce on the ground.
Duration: 5 minutes.
By Philip Cauchi
