Mike Smith Archives - Page 4 of 6 - WORLD CLASS COACHING Training Center

0 Sharpen Up the Back Four

By Mike Smith Something which can get lost in the maze of formations and tactics, especially with young teams, is the idea of what is actually “ going on” during the run of play ( situational awareness). Obviously the “goings on” can change from second to second during a match and this is where, to me,

0 Deep Shots Prevent Counters

By Mike Smith I saw it this weekend during a Premier League match. While the announcers seemed disappointed with the effort ( perhaps rightly so at the Premier League level ) the game manager in me was impressed – a deep shot from a rebound which turned out to be more dangerous to the fans 10

0 Transition for 8 v 8 to 11 v 11

By Mike Smith Question - I’m coaching a u12-u13’s Girls team at a weak Travel level of technical ability. However, they are transitioning from 8v8 to 11v11 and I’m looking for the answer of what formation I should introduce and the training sessions to help me get the players to understand? In answering the question

0 Compact Possession

By Mike Smith Full disclosure, I have only had one team I have ever coached to play this way, but with the right personnel it can be very effective. I was fortunate enough to have a group of players on a club team who had played together constantly their entire lives – indoor, outdoor, recess at

0 When to Press Up in an Off Sides Trap

By Mike Smith Question - How do you know when to press up to create an offside trap? The question of when to press up into an off sides trap is probably one of the most commonly asked questions in the soccer world; and for that reason, there are tons of answers, depending on who

0 The Wide Diamond

By Mike Smith Almost every season my team encounters an opponent which we feel we are better than as far as “soccer skill” goes, yet we always seem to struggle and the games always get “ugly”. Even though these teams lack in soccer, they excel in competition: they get numbers to the ball, they mark and

0 Play Out of Pressure

By Mike Smith “The only team that can score is the team with the ball.” If I had a dollar for every time I have heard a coach say that……well, you know. The fact is, there is no simpler wisdom in soccer. However, most of us have been in those situations where a better side has

0 Attack the End Line

By Mike Smith This is one of those hypocritical moments all coaches have, or at least one which will appear hypocritical to players. On top of “wide”, the next instruction I find myself shouting to players most often is “ early”. However, sometimes the early option isn’t always the best. The diagram below shows a great

0 Play the Wings Out

By Mike Smith I wrote an article on “ funneling” as a defensive system to use when playing a superior opponent. The funnel shape, a 4-3-2-1 was used to fall back into after an attack to hold the middle and bait the opponent out wide before pinching them in on the line. Funneling is great against

0 The 1-8-1 Formation for Development

By Mike Smith I inherited a team once whose previous coach loved playing with a sweeper all the time. I employ sweepers “ situationally” but seldom run a sweeper as a system of play. However, the one I inherited was very fast, very strong and very good at the position. Consequently, the previous coaches system basically

1 Don’t Pass to Your Line – 4-3-3

By Mike Smith Don’t pass to your line. One of my coaching mentors used to use this rule during training and scrimmages to help a very young and inexperienced high school team develop vision, composure and move the ball. Initially, we would revert to “traditional” soccer during games( which wasn’t the greatest), but mid way through

0 The 1-3-3-3 Formation

By Mike Smith Running 3 forwards almost always guarantees scoring opportunities. Using 3 defenders is an aggressive approach. 3 player midfields simplify things and a sweeper is a great safety valve. While each approach has its pro’s and con’s, together, the 1-3-3-3 is an aggressive approach which can catch an opponent off guard and really advance

0 Hide Your Speed

By Mike Smith I love using a fast wing who can draw out an extra defender as they blast past their first marker opening up the box for a service in to 3 or 4 additional attackers. Realistically however, I, like most of you, don’t always have the fastest player on the pitch. And what about

0 Always Disrupt the Center Backs

By Mike Smith “ How hard did he work to get that ball?” I often times find myself asking my players this right after they have just sent the ball up the field to break pressure, not understanding immediately giving the ball back to the opponent actually CREATES pressure. Many times it is the opposing center

0 Delayed Sweeper from a 4-4-2

By Mike Smith For me, the argument between playing a sweeper and playing a flat back has always missed one important aspect – why not do both? Understandably, leaving a player deep at the back of the defensive line does put a team at a disadvantage when their opponent is good a moving the ball around

0 Decoy Angles from a 4-4-2

By Mike Smith A couple years ago, after a 1-1 draw, I heard the opposing coach talking to his assistants as they were leaving the game and he was expressing his frustration as to how he felt his team made things too complicated. “ Right back, to right mid, give and go combination with a center

0 Blind Cross from a 4-5-1

By Mike Smith The idea of the blind cross has less to do with eye sight and more to do with trusting the space the concept creates, but many times it’s just so simple even a blind man could do it. I really like the idea of a 5 man midfield, not always to give my

0 Funnel Back from a 4-3-3

By Mike Smith A couple weeks ago, my high school team played in the regional tournament for the first time in 4 years. In the first round, we played a team that had beaten us 7-1 earlier in the season. Stocked full of club players from a school of over 1000, my 14 players from our

0 Play the Second Ball

By Mike Smith The ability to naturally read the game may be one of those “things you just can’t coach”, but when it comes to playing the second ball, I have found it is a very easily learned and valuable skill. This session works on recognizing how and when to come under control and play the

0 Straight Ball Angled Run – Angled Ball Straight Run

By Mike Smith One of the simple constants I have found with teams who “know” each other well is how the runs and the passes always seem to match. Sometimes this takes years to develop, especially in congested areas like a tight midfield or a packed box. One of the tools I have found which helps

0 How Pep Guardiola Wins with Inverted Fullbacks - Part One

WORLD CLASS COACHING How Pep Guardiola Wins with Inverted Fullbacks By Mike Smith Table of Contents PART ONE INTRODUCTION WHAT IS AN INVERTED FULLBACK? CONDITIONS TO MAKE INVERTED FULLBACKS WORK PART TWO TACTICAL ADVANTAGES OF INVERTED FULLBACKS PART THREE DISADVANTAGES OF INVERTED FULLBACKS PART FOUR FLUIDITY HOW YOUR TEAM CAN USE INVERTED FULLBACKS BRINGING IT ALL

0 How Pep Guardiola Wins with Inverted Fullbacks - Part Two

WORLD CLASS COACHING How Pep Guardiola Wins with Inverted Fullbacks By Mike Smith Table of Contents PART TWO TACTICAL ADVANTAGES OF INVERTED FULLBACKS TACTICAL ADVANTAGES OF INVERTED FULLBACKS My grandfather always told me “Michael, if you want to make sure you make and keep lifelong friends, never talk about religion or politics.” I have found this

0 How Pep Guardiola Wins with Inverted Fullbacks - Part Three

WORLD CLASS COACHING How Pep Guardiola Wins with Inverted Fullbacks By Mike Smith Table of Contents PART THREE DISADVANTAGES OF INVERTED FULLBACKS DISADVANTAGES OF INVERTED FULLBACKS While I hope the previous pages have clearly outlined the big advantages of the inverted fullback. (If you can’t take my word for it, the rate at which Man City

0 How Pep Guardiola Wins with Inverted Fullbacks - Part Four

WORLD CLASS COACHING How Pep Guardiola Wins with Inverted Fullbacks By Mike Smith Table of Contents PART FOUR FLUIDITY HOW YOUR TEAM CAN USE INVERTED FULLBACKS BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER FLUIDITY Obviously most of us do not have access to the best talent, facilities and competition in our respective leagues. Many times, these factors alone are

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