By Danny Carvalho
Warm Up
This session was applied to a u-12 advanced team but I’m sure you can adapt it to many other age groups and group levels.
If you’re a youth soccer coach you know how insane a u-12 game can get with all the kick and run and play forward at all costs.
That’s exactly what this session was designed for. The objective is to understand the game different moments and act accordingly.
Activity 1
In Brazil this game is known as “the German game”. The group is split into three different teams and the field is split into three zones as shown below on the diagram. While one team attacks to score a goal, another team defends and try to win the ball to then counterattack and break into the central zone, gaining the chance to attack on the other half of the field versus the 3rd team whom will be already there waiting for one of the teams to attack them.
The attacking team has 1 minute to score a goal. If the time ends, they turn into the defending waiting team and the former defending team attacks the 3rd team on the other side.
COACHING POINTS
- Space and support
- Make runs
- Close gaps and be patient. Protect the goal 1st, force them away 2nd, win the ball 3rd
Activity 2
On a 7v7 game, still with the three zones, the team building from the back was guided to have the center back and side backs on the 1st third (3), the midfielder(s) in the middle third and the forward(s) on the final third. The players were guided to not go into the first third to help the back three to build out from the back. They were asked to give them space and let them work while the midfielder(s) and forward(s) were told to position behind the opponents’ front players pressing first.
Activity 3
Moving on to the last activity, keeping the same structure but now with a building from the back instruction. They were told to invite the pressure so they could then play the ball behind the opponents’ back in order to attack more effectively, “eliminating” opposite players and increasing the chance of outnumbering them while moving up and overloading them on the final third.
One point is given if they successfully beat the first line of pressure by short passing. A goal scored in any given moment is worth two points and three points were awarded to the team who scored after successfully build from the back and outnumbering the opposition.
By Danny Carvalho, DOC at Corinthians Campinas Youth Club, Brasil
