Effective 1v1 moves, open field, medium skill required:

[NOTE: In 3v3 Soccer, your last player (defender) should refrain from risky moves unless they are very practiced. I constantly encourage the forwards to have fun with these fancy moves.]

1) Chipped Shot/Pass. This play is a simple chip, but extremely effective. The real skill and beauty of this move is learning how to chip while running, a much harder task. A hint is to set your plant foot well in front of the rolling ball so that when you execute the chip, the ball is somewhat under your body. While I usually discourage fancy moves from my back player, this move I allow and encourage. This also works as a shot on goal when a defender comes out.

My son showing the chipped shot over a ladder, followed by Pelé and Maradona...



2) Ankle Flick. This play is fun to watch because of the optical illusion it creates. The ball appears to be rolling in one direction and then mysteriously cuts and changes direction without any apparent influence. First, step past the ball, toward the defender. Next, use your ankle to push the ball forward, toward the defender, as if you are going to give him the ball. The defender will close his legs, thinking you will nutmeg him. At the last possible moment, twist your foot around so that the length of your shoe (remember you were using only your ankle at first) strikes the ball; thus flicking the ball in a new direction around the defender.

My son showing the ankle flick, followed by a futsal player using an outside ankle flick...



3) Fake, Brush, Cut. If the player is planning to cut left, the first move is a scissors move with the left foot, i.e. your left foot moves from the left side of the ball, behind it, then up and around, and never touches the ball. Your left foot should plant to the left and in front of the ball so that you are now standing over the ball. Your right foot quickly brushes the ball forward, i.e. your right foot pushes the top or side of the ball and continues forward, past the ball. As the ball rolls forward, your right foot, which is well in front of the ball, is now in position to redirect the ball to the side. Again, this is a quick, fake, touch, touch play.

My son showing a fake, brush, cut...



4) Brushing “Left Behind” Pass. [This is the same move as the Brushing “Left Behind” Nutmeg posted earlier except you don't send the ball through a defender's legs.]

Standing in front of the defender, step wide (to either side works but I will go to the right for clarity) with your right foot to the right, leaving the ball with your left foot, except after your wide step, your left foot brushes the ball toward your right foot, your left foot planting in front of your right foot while the ball is seemingly left behind and now rolls toward your planted left foot. From the defender’s perspective, you appear in no position to strike the ball. That is when your right ankle swings behind your left leg and punches the ball forward. (I say swing, but in reality, if your left foot planted past your right foot, then your right ankle need only punch the ball forward.) The defender is usually caught off guard and you simply run past him and catch up to the ball.

5) Self Give and Go. If you are going to your right, you start by pushing the ball to the right, with the outside of your right foot. The right foot then hops over the ball and plants, gently popping the ball back to the left (with the inside of the right foot popping the ball toward the inside of the left foot). From the defenders perspective, the ball is now moving in the opposite direction of the initial push, thus, the defender hesitates; but the player is actually still moving to the right, only the ball changed directions. Then, using momentum and a continuation of your running motion, the inside of the left foot should run through the ball, like a step/chip, scooping it past the defender who paused when the ball appeared to change directions. Again, this is a quick outside foot, inside same foot, inside other foot.

My son showing the self give and go...

Effective 1v1 moves, open field, fairly easy

[NOTE: In 3v3 Soccer, your last player (defender) should refrain from risky moves unless they are very practiced. I constantly encourage the forwards to have fun with these fancy moves.]

1) Stop and Go. Dribble fast, then stop. When the defender stops, you go.

Maradona shows a stop and go, followed by Messi and Zidane...



2) Chipped Cuts. When you try to get around a defender, instead of simply cutting around him or her, chip the ball a foot or two off the ground, that way if the defender reacts by throwing a foot up to block the ball, it goes over his or her foot and you continue your run. The best way to chip cut is to make your step the chip, i.e. the first step in your run is also what chips the ball. Most players chip the ball and then run after it.

My son showing how to step/chip in one motion...



3) Sharp Cuts. Pelé did this wonderfully, almost like passing to himself, then cutting off in another direction.

Pelé showing some sharp cuts. Notice how he keeps the ball close when he dribbles...



4) Cruyff. Named after Johan Cruyff. You pretend to kick the ball, but instead, your kicking leg moves to in front of the ball and your ankle or heel punches the ball backward in the opposite direction you were coming from, almost like a behind the back pass. A more advanced version is Cristiano Ronaldo’s version, which he does on a full run as he’s being chased, where the ball suddenly cuts behind him and the defender. A forward can also score against a defender using the Cruyff.

My son showing the Cruyff, followed by Johan Cruyff and Cristiano Ronaldo...

Effective 1v1 moves against a planted defender

I’ve tried my best to describe these moves, but in all honesty, some of them have to be seen; and even after seeing some, they still require a lot of practice to finally execute:

1) Fake Kick. This may seem simple enough, but to execute it correctly, it does require practice; and against a planted defender, this move is by far the most effective. When the offensive player pulls his leg back to kick, he should bring his foot forward fast, stepping on the ball hard to make a kicking sound. Most of the time, the defender will flinch, jump or turn around. With a foot still on the ball, the player can brush the ball to either side and then simply tap the ball into the goal. Again, the motion of kick, sound and brush, should be fluid so that the ball is tapped into the goal, or kicked, before the defender realizes what happened.

Example of fake kicks...



2) Brushing “Left Behind” Nutmeg. [NOTE: Brushing the ball means placing your foot on top of the ball, as if standing on the ball, and then rolling your foot in the direction you want the ball to go. Brushing is very effective because the ball can go in any direction, unlike kicking the ball where the ball only goes in the direction opposite of where the kicking foot is.]

Standing in front of the defender, step wide (to either side works but I will go to the right for clarity) with your right foot to the right, leaving the ball with your left foot, except after your wide step, your left foot brushes the ball toward your right foot, your left foot planting in front of your right foot while the ball is seemingly left behind and now rolls toward your planted left foot. From the defender’s perspective, you appear in no position to strike the ball, and since you moved to one side, the defender probably took a step to follow, opening his legs. That is when your right ankle swings behind your left leg and punches the ball through the defender’s legs (called nutmeg). I say swing, but in reality, if your left foot planted past your right foot, then your right ankle or heel need only punch the ball forward.

My son showing the Brushing “Left Behind” Nutmeg...



3) Brushing Ankle Punch. [NOTE: An ankle punch is when you strike the ball with your ankle without first swinging your leg back. A good way to practice this is by placing your foot six inches away from the ball and punching through the ball, no back swing.]

Standing in front of the defender, with your right foot, brush the ball to the right, except instead of planting your right foot after the brush, your right foot hovers behind the rolling ball, waiting for the defender to move. As the ball rolls, if the defender steps, your right ankle punches the ball through the opening legs. If the defender doesn’t step, as the ball continues to roll wider, you ankle punch the ball around the defender.

My son showing the Brushing Ankle Punch...



4) Back and Forth. Moving the ball back and forth can confuse a defender.

My son showing an example of a back and forth chip (he brushes the ball to his right then flicks it back to his left foot, to chip it over the defender), followed by Ronaldo going back and forth for a nutmeg...

Substitutions...

In 3v3 Soccer, games run from 10 to 15 minute halves. When I first started out, with five players, we would leave the back player, who doesn’t have to run as much, in for the whole half while the forwards, who should be running back and forth, would come out midway through the half. What I noticed was against great teams, the forwards became tired, especially at the 4th and 5th minute of their stint. They would stop running and the great team would kill us.

Since then, I divided up the half into fourths and began subbing the forwards in and out on fourths. So, for a 12 minute half, the forwards would come out after 3 minutes.

Some people have told me that bringing them out quickly destroys the players ability to get into the grove of the game. To be honest, what I’ve noticed in five years is that most of the goals in a game occur in the second half and that it is usually harder to score in the beginning of a game. Why? Because both teams are fresh and running. I believe that teams get tired, and the team with the greater endurance pulls ahead in the second half. By subbing out my forwards every three minutes, it keeps them fresher so they can run.

As for the ideal number of players, I recommend playing with five. I feel six is one too many, especially if you have a really great player who you may want on the field more often. Four is pushing it, although doable, and three is not enough. Even though we’ve won tournaments with three, the teams we blew out in the first games, we struggled to beat in the playoffs because we were so tired. As for Nationals, you really need five good players.

Another recommendation is that you do NOT start your three strongest players because if you get in a grind, then you'll be afraid to sub them out. Also, if you do start off bad, then you have nothing else to try later. Instead, save your three strongest for the final minutes of a tight game or for overtime. One of my teams, my best player never started, coming in on the first substitution as a forward; although, he played the entire 2nd half from the back.

As for overtime, sometimes your best players aren't the best at pentalty kicks. You should already know who your best PK shooters are (the penalty kick is usually a kick from the midline on an open goal). OT usually lasts around 3 minutes. I give my best players 2.5 minutes to win the game. With 30 seconds left, I sub in the best penalty kickers because they have to be on the field when time expires. If you get to PKs, some coaches want their best shooter last (which is a strategy for 11v11), but if there is a tie after the first three kicks, the format changes to a one shot sudden death, so it's a better idea if your best shooters go first. Also, make sure your team practices PKs because I'm always surprised how often players miss and we've gone into PKs many times. One tournament, on a slanted field, my team missed 6 PKs before finally making our 7th attempt; fortunately for us, our opponents missed all their attempts. [Hint: Tell your players to PASS the ball into the goal. Also teach them to pass to the higher post on slanted fields.]

Advanced Defense - I-formation

The I-formation is a team defense that is somewhat complicated, but very effective against a triangle attack on your side of the field. Ordinarily, when a team attacks in a triangle formation and their back player is dribbling up with the ball, your team will also settle into a triangle formation. But as their back player dribbles up, your team realizes someone must challenge him or her, so when one of your forwards leaves their forward to challenge their back player, it leaves their forward wide open to receive a pass. I’ve watched players run ragged going between the back player and the forward.

Instead of having one player running between two players, I created the I-formation to more evenly distribute the workload and force the opponent into a bad pass or a long shot and take away the easier tap-ins and backdoor plays.

Setup: Your back player stands directly in front of the goal while the other two players stand one in front of the other, creating an I formation on the field.

Responsibilities: Your forward player at the front of the line is responsible for their back player, i.e. the back of their triangle. Your middle player is responsible for their two forwards, and your back player is responsible for staying between the ball and the goal.

Movement: The tricky part is the movement of your two forward players in a circular motion, i.e. BACK, SIDE, and FOLLOW. So, if their back player passes it up to their forward, to either side, your middle player rushes out to the SIDE to meet the player with the ball, while your front player drops BACK into the middle slot. If their forward passes the ball back to their back player, your SIDE player now FOLLOWS the ball back to their back player, while your middle player continues to lurk in the middle. When the back player passes it forward again, your player who dropped BACK into the middle slot goes to the SIDE to meet your opponent’s attack, while your front player, who had just previously FOLLOWED the ball to the front, now drops BACK into the middle slot. If their forward manages to pass the ball across to the other forward on the other side of the field, your middle player, who just BACKED into the middle position, will go out to the SIDE, while your player who was on the other SIDE will now FOLLOW the ball back to the middle slot. Are you getting the circular pattern? Basically, you never want a defender running backwards to chase after a ball. Instead, your team is always sending someone forward to meet an opponent who is receiving the ball. You continue running this until they make a mistake.

Hints: remind your players that when they challenge a player, not to allow the opponent to simply dribble around them. Instead, your defender is trying to force the pass. Also, this defense requires a lot of practice so your players know where to go. Most players want to attack, not drop back. And the back player must be willing to take punishment, i.e. stop balls with his body as teams will try to force shots in.



So if your opponents have the ball on their side of the field, use pressure man. If they get the ball on your side, go into the I-formation.

Advanced Offense - Give and Go

This offense works as a full field offense. I didn't think of this offense and our team never used it, but I saw another team use it to great affect. The coach that was getting beat, came over and asked me how I would stop it. He was our rival at the time so I didn't tell him. But pressure man would stop it.

Basically, you start off in an inverted “T”, i.e. the back player on the end line by the ball along with one of the forwards, while the remaining forward is down the field. The back player passes the ball into the corner, and from there, the forward makes a run all the way toward the other side of the field using his teammates for give and goes. This gets you by the first two defenders, setting up a 1v1 situation with their back player.

Advanced Offense - Crossing Runs

This offense works great from the triangle setup or a kick-in (switching play setup) or kick-off where one forward is by the ball, the other forward is by the sideline and your back player is between them and slightly behind - similar to the triangle shape.

When the ball is passed back to the back player, three options occur:

1) If your opponent sends a forward (and they aren’t playing pressure man) that leaves a player open, but the ball should not be passed to the open player (which is option 3). Instead, the back player should dribble hard, across the field, away from the attacking defender toward the other defender who is marking your remaining forward. As this crossing/diagonal dribble occurs, your forward who is being marked should make a crossing or diagonal run behind his defender. The ball should then be passed through the middle, meeting the crossing forward in the middle of the field. Now you have an easy 2v1 scenario because your other forward, who was already left open, should be running toward the goal for a backdoor play. [Hint 1: an effective way to receive the ball is through your legs, and redirecting the ball with your back leg, the Cruyff move as shown in my 1v1 moves post, allowing you to turn quickly on the ball to be ready to shoot or pass while the defender has to adjust to your quick touch.] [Hint 2: if their back player pushes up to stop the play, your other players should yell, “Man on!” so the receiver knows simply to one-touch to the open forward for an easy backdoor play.]

2) If your opponent sends a forward but the other front defender stays with his mark, i.e. runs across the middle to stay with your forward, your back player, who is dribbling with the ball should simply continue his dribble toward the goal. The forward (now in the middle) should continue to the other side for a possible backdoor play while the forward by the sideline should drop back to cover the vacated back position, thereby recreating the triangle.

3) If there is a breakdown, remind your team they can always pass to the open sideline player who is the safety option if the play doesn’t develop or the back player gets into trouble.



Here's a clip of professionals breaking down a team with passing. Notice how the assisting player moves across the field (rather than down the field), then passes (same concept)...



VARIATION: When your team is in a triangle shape and your back player has the ball and your forwards are covered, one forward can simply run across the middle and your back player passes the ball up through the middle, setting up a 2v1 for an easy goal. If the back player presses up, one-touch to forward (who should tell the receiver if the back player has come up) or cut wide with a move. When defenses stay wide, most teams have their back player dribble up through the middle until the defense collapses on the player who usually passes off or shoots; but that doesn’t set up a 2v1 scenario.


NOTE: This offense works best against structured teams. In one tournament, we struggled against a fast, scrappy unstructured team that we beat 3-1. They liked our style and changed in the next game to become structured. They won the rest of their games and made it to the finals for a rematch. We expected a close game, but we won 10-0. Why? When they played structured, we knew exactly how to beat them.

Advanced Offense - Wingman/Corner Kick

This offense works great on corner kicks or kick-ins close to the goal. It is by far our most copied play, with several teams going on to win nationals using this play as a staple. Normally, on corner kicks, teams try to kick it to another player who deflects or heads the ball into the goal, which works about one in twenty times. The wingman play, when you learn how to run it (and if your players have good touch), scores 50% of the time or more. It isn’t uncommon for this play to score several goals in a game. It also looks really good.

The set up is similar to the kick in (switch) play in that a player is on the ball, another by the sideline with the other forward in the middle of the field. The difference is that the two players by the ball (near the corner) are closer, roughly 10 feet apart, and they should be your best touch players, while the player on the other side of the field should actually stand far away in the midfield center circle.

1) The main play is for the player in the corner to pass the ball to the player on the side line. From this position, the side line player will attack the first defender; meanwhile the corner player will be moving down the end line, toward the goal, and the player in the middle of the field will also begin his run toward the goal. When the first opponent pushes up to stop, simply pass to your end line player who will dribble down the line and have three options against their last defender. Because all of your players are closing in on the goal, the end line player can either: a) pass the ball back to the player who had come from the sideline, in essence a give and go; b) pass the ball to the player who ran in from the midfield; or, c) if the defender tries to block the pass, simply shoot the ball directly into the goal.

2) If, after the initial pass out of the corner, the defender rushes in and tries to block any pass back to the end line runner, simply dribble around the defender. Again, your player will have three options against the last defender of passing off to either of the two players or shooting the ball in the goal.

3) If on the initial pass, or if they send everyone to stop this play, your player in the center circle should see this and make a run toward the goal. Simply pass to space in front of this player for a redirect into the goal, in essence, a normal corner kick play.

All seven of these options have produced goals for us; and you don't have to wait until a corner kick to use this play as any kick close to the corner will work too.

Common Offenses and Defenses...

In 3v3 soccer, I don’t prefer one style. Instead, I let my team play different styles, especially in practice where one team is the scout team, playing various styles, while the “other” team plays the style to beat it. Over the years, we have faced the following styles:

Bumble Bee Defense: This is sometimes called the bee hive where everyone chases the ball. You see this style played by young teams. Simple passing beats this style.

Hog Ball Offense: This is where whoever has the ball tries to score and they never pass even when teammates are open. Actually, this is the favorite of my scout team because they want to see if they can dribble through everyone and score. This style has trouble against the bumble bee defense but can work when you have a 1v1 situation and teammates are covered. Another defensive strategy against this style is the funneling defense.

Counterstrike Offense: When the defense steals the ball, a player sends it downfield, with backspin toward the goal. This is effective if the counterstriking team has fast players and the opponents have pressed too far upfield. Back players need to be fast to stop this.

Running One-Touch Scoring Offense: On kick-ins on the scoring side of the field, intead of controlling the ball, the offense runs toward the kicked-in ball and tries to one-touch the ball into the goal. To stop this, defenders need to meet the ball instead of waiting for it to reach the player.

Planted Player, Offense and Defense: This is when a team plants their back player in front of the goal and the player doesn’t come out to help offensively. The two forwards are sent ahead, 2v3 style, to try and score. While this offense rarely scores many goals, it does make it difficult for the opponents to score. If the opponents do score, then it’s hard to come back because the winning team can play possession ball. Backdoor plays and 1v1 can beat a planted player style. A variation of this style is when the back player is very good and fast. As soon as the ball is stopped by the back player, the back player goes into hog ball mode or passes it up to another player. If the other team has pushed up too far, they are susceptible to a counter strike or a cross the midline shot. If you play against this style, make sure your team does not force the ball with long shots. When your team does take a shot, make sure it’s at the corners of the goal and midriff level so a missed shot goes out and your opponent’s feet cannot stop the ball easily. You do not want to shoot directly at your opponent’s back player because that is what they want.

Front Line, Offense and Defense: This is when no one plays back but everyone stays up. When this style loses the ball, they are susceptible to counterstrikes or balls passed into space behind them.

Long Ball Offense: This is a 50/50 style where you always fight others for the ball. If you play good teams, it usually results in a turnover. However, if your team is super fast this can work really well, especially against younger teams. The drawback is that it tires out your players. One hint, that's worked for us when we've needed a last second goal, is to send a long ball that bounces in front of their deep players (because that type of ball can be hard to control) with your forwards ready to pounce on the rebound off their players, which almost always happens against young teams. Again, your forwards should not wait behind the defense but slightly in front, expecting the rebound.

Crisscrossing Offense: This is when forwards, on opposite sides of the field, run past each other to each other's previous spot. Defenders need only keep their spot and allow the forwards to tire themselves out.

Long Shot Offense: You'll find teams that have sharp shooters, players that cross the line and take long shots that go in. Pressure man usually stops this offense because you're always covering someone and not allowing them to take the shot.

Triangle Offense: This is the most popular for good structured teams. Everyone stays spread out, like a triangle with the back player acting as the bottom point of the triangle. This style works well against bumble bee teams. Pressure Man Defense can stop this style. If everyone pushes up, this offense is susceptible to fast breaks or crossing midline shots.

Backdoor Offense: This is when two players attack the back defender on a fast break. The player with the ball runs wide, to force the back defender to swing around, trying to stay between the ball and the goal, which opens "the door" for the second player. To defend against this, your forwards must run back, and they must run into the passing lane, not after the ball. Your defender must be disciplined and understand that his job is to stay between the ball and the goal and force the pass. Forcing the pass allows for two mistakes: a bad pass or a bad redirect on goal. Many times, I see the back players trying to stop the pass, not realizing they are just leaving the goal wide open for an easy goal by the opponent dribbling in.

Pressure Man Defense: This is when one player moves in slowly on the ball while the other two players cover their man. (Posted in more detail earlier.) This style is only played by the good teams. Ways to beat it are switching plays (posted earlier), 1v1 if you have players that can dribble well, front line offense where everyone pushes back making them come up forward and then beating them with a pass into space.

Those are the basic styles you’ll face and each can be used effectively depending on the style you play against. There are four other styles which I didn’t mention because we rarely played against them, but we used to great affect. They are the wingman offense, crossing runs offense, give and go offense, and I-formation defense. I’ll post those later...

The Switch, goal kicks...

I’ve already discussed the kick-in switch, but actually, I came up with the goal kick switch first, before realizing I could use the switch for kick-ins too.

The goal kick switch is only slightly different. The setup: I call forming the L, with a player at each point of the L-shape. One player stands at the ball by the goal. Another player stands in the corner on the same side as the ball. They shouldn’t stand exactly in the corner, but closer to the corner than the ball. Your third player is directly in front of the player in the corner but nearer midfield [HINT: your midfield player should be your fastest player].

Option 1: If no one comes up to mark your player in the corner, pass to the corner player and then you can run your offense with the corner player now becoming your back player.

Option 2: If your opponent marks the player in the corner, your player by the ball simply runs past the ball (without touching the ball) across the box and into open space because all of your players are on the other side of the field and marked. While your player runs to open space, the marked player in the corner runs to the ball and passes it up (or bloops it) to your open player. Now your player is dribbling downfield and has three options: a) continue to dribble, 1v1 with their back player; b) if their back player pushes up, use your midfield player for a give and go, i.e. passing around their back player; or c) if their back player pushes up, send the ball into space behind them. Your midfield player should be ready to pounce. [HINT: To prevent passes into the heels of the player who runs onto the field, when your player runs to open space, start down the end line, then through the box, making a looping run so your player's back isn't to the incoming ball. This method allow the player to see the ball and field. Another option is to bloop the ball over the person running in.]

Option 3: When your opponent makes the adjustment by having the back player move up and cover the open space, which is what they'll try, that’s when the player running to the ball actually kicks a long, back-spinning ball to your opponent's goal. Your midfield player should be ready to pounce.

Option 4: Sometimes the whole team has pushed up to stop your passing. In this case you don’t need to run the switch, you just kick the long, back-spinning ball to their goal with your midfield player ready to pounce.

These options can really frustrate opponents as every time they push up to stop the short pass you go long and every time they stay back to prevent getting beat deep, you go short.

Backspin kick-in...

In 3v3 Soccer, sometimes you play an overaggressive team. If all three of your opponents have pushed up, and especially if they are on your side of the field because you have a goal kick, I recommend placing your fastest player even with their last defender and then sending the ball over everyone’s head, with backspin, toward their goal. If done correctly, the ball will slow just enough to allow your player to catch up with the ball and tap it in before it trickles into the goal.

Actually, my team loves practicing the backspin kick and usually we have contests to see who can send the ball over a player at the midfield line and still place enough backspin on the ball to stop it just before it rolls in. Most of the time when players kick the ball long and far, it has topspin, so the ball bounces out of play because no one can catch it. Your opponents will also think the ball is going to go out. They are quite surprised when the ball holds up and you get an easy goal.

HINT: make sure your players send it toward the opponent's goal and not your forward. The tendency is to look for the forward, and then the ball is off line and your forward has to collect the ball and turn it towards the goal, allowing the defense to recover.

JUST FOR FUN: A clip of Maradona training, and a little backspin...

The Switch, kick-ins...

In 3v3 soccer, I like to control possession of the ball rather than send it long and playing 50/50 ball. I also like designing plays that allow for options, depending on what the defense is doing. Being the inventor I am, I decided there had to be a better way of bringing the ball in without having to fight anyone for it. As I scratched out plays on a pad and pencil, I had an epiphany, the switch.

The setup for this kick-in is one forward by the ball, the other forward on the direct opposite side of the field, at the same depth as the ball (if the ball is at midfield then the player would be on the midfield line on the other side of the field), and the back player is a few yards back and a few yards off the sideline of where the ball rests.

Option one: If no one is covering the back player, the ball is simply played back to the back player and you can start your offense.

Option two: If a defender sneaks back to cover the back player, instead of trying to kick the ball into play, the forward at the ball will run past the ball (without touching it) and down the line. [Did you get that? Just because your player stands by the ball, doesn't mean he has to kick it.] At the same time, the back player will run in, behind the ball, and pass it up to the running forward who will be wide open.

Option three: If, as you are switching, your opponent’s back player anticipates your pass to the open forward by running in to intercept the pass, your back player will not pass the ball to the forward, but instead pass the ball to the open space in front of your other forward. Remember your other forward has been a decoy on the other side of the field for the first two options, and they are almost always marked. Your decoy forward should have been watching, and when they see the opponent’s back player move up to stop the play, that’s when the decoy forward runs to the open goal, meeting the ball, and passing it into the open goal.

Don’t be surprised when teams fall for this complete progression.

Funneling Defense...

3v3 soccer teams that don't pass back or just boom the ball on kick-ins for 50/50 battles (where pressure man doesn't work) you can play funneling defense. Basic funneling is leaving your opponents weakest player open. Normally, the weakest player on a team doesn't fight very hard to get open. They are easy to markup, so I tell our players to leave those players open and mark tightly the good players. Once the ball is passed to the seemingly open person, then our players pounce.

This strategy only works when your opponent has players of different skill levels. When you get to Nationals, almost all the players are good so this won't work. But then, those teams are also structured so you can go into pressure man.

Pressure Man Defense...

In 3v3 soccer, this is the best team defense I have found, especially when you are playing a good passing team. It requires your players to be disciplined and it should only be played on your opponents defensive side or your attacking side. [Note: if your team isn't very fast, then this defense can be broken easily.]

The basic premise of this defense is one player attacks or puts pressure on the player with the ball while the other two players play man to man. There are two times when you can jump into pressure man, off a goal kick or a kickoff/kick-in pass to the back player.

Going to pressure man defense on a kickoff pass back to your opponent's back player or a kick-in pass to your opponent's back player is fairly simple. When the ball is passed deep to your opponent's back player, one of your forwards (usually the best 1v1 player) will go and apply pressure to that back player, moving in slowly while teammates move to their marks, your opponent's forwards. If the attacking player rushes in too fast, your opponent's back player will simply pass to the unmarked player. You want the attacking player to move in slowly to give your back player time to move up and cover the player he just left, or their last player who could be at midfield. It isn't unusual to have all your team on the opponents side of the field. Once your opponent's forwards are covered, your attacking forward can challenge, playing 1v1 soccer. If their back player tries to pass, your other players can jump in and intercept the ball. Many times, their back player will realize there is a problem and try to juke your attacking player. It is important that your attacking player move in just like a 1v1 game and not allow themselves to be easily beaten or the play breaks down. Because my team is good at 1v1 soccer, I don't mind setting up that situation. I can't tell you how many easy goals we get by playing pressure man. Also, your marking players need to remember to stand goal side of their marks because you don't want a through ball to beat you. Another hint, when your attacking player moves forward, have them come off their worst player. In other words, allow your back player to come up and mark their worst player.

Going into pressure man off a goal kick is a bit more complicated. Basically, you only want to mark the deepest player because you want a short pass. Your two forwards hang back about quarterfield to allow for the short pass. Once the ball is in play, your back player will cover (goal side) their deepest player. Your two forwards will move in, one marking the player without the ball, and the other coming in to play 1v1 with the opponent.

The first time we used pressure man was at a regional. It was my first year as the coach and we didn’t have all the plays I’ve been telling you about. We tried to play like everyone else. While we could win locally, at regionals we lost to a team 9-2. I'll call them team “A”. I thought we were good but there was no way we could stop team “A” because they passed too well and I had no solution for their offense. I watched team “A” blow out others while trying to figure out how to stop their potent attack. I was astonished when they actually lost, by several goals, to team “B”. I noticed that every time team “A” passed the ball back, team “B” would pressure, but their back player would also sneak up to cover the open man, intercepting passes and completely shutting down team “A”. That night, I held meetings with my players to teach them the new defense because we’d have to play team “A” again in the semi’s. While we had our chances, we lost 4-3, but team “A” didn't score any goals from their offense, instead, they scored off our mistakes, i.e. my back player trying to dribble too much. The coach of team “B” came over and told me he thought we could have won. I almost told him we copied his strategy. But the most astonishing aspect was when team “A” played team “B” in the finals. [We finished third] For some reason, Team “B” kept their back player back. He never pushed forward and they got blown out. I wanted to ask the coach of team “B” why he changed his strategy, but honestly, I don’t think he had a strategy and was allowing the kids to play. Evidently, his kids had forgotten what they used the day before. Of course, I didn’t forget, and we’ve been using pressure man ever since.

Un-defensible Free Kick, serve and volley...

This 3v3 soccer play is super cool. If the players are younger and small and the box and goals are large, this play, if executed correctly, cannot be stopped by the defense. In fact, the defense has to hope you cannot execute it, but then, this play requires lots of skill to perform.

In the last post I told you about two-touch kickoffs. There is actually a variation of this play on kick ins and free kicks where the first offensive player simply runs over the ball, stepping on it, and the second player comes in afterward and kicks the ball. While this strategy works against inexperienced teams, it rarely, if ever, works against experienced teams. The other problem is that some tournaments require the ball to make one revolution before it can be kicked.

The serve and volley free kick works best when you are fairly close to the goal. The other team will make a wall but this doesn't matter. Have two players stand beside each other near the ball, preferably your best jugglers as this is a simple two-touch juggle. The first player will simply lift the ball up into the air, about a foot or two into the air is all you need. The second player will then tap the ball, while it is still in the air, up and over the wall and into the goal. Again, this requires practice to perfect. I have found that some players are better at serving the ball up and others at volleying the ball into the goal. At practice, we have the volleyers tell the servers where they want the ball in the air. At first, your players will try to stand too far apart, but make them stand close together as this is a quick play that should happen before the defense can react.

Another hint is that both players should face the goal. The initial lift should be toward the goal and the second player simply continues to send the ball on the same path and line. It's easier to tap the ball forward than to redirect on an angle.

Incidently, I thought of this play while trying to “invent” a new kick-in play that involved one player kicking the ball off the positioned foot of another player. Of course, the ball never came off correctly. Then I thought about chipping the ball up to our player in the wall, until I realized two players might be able to juggle the ball in. I wasn't sure if my players could do it, so we tried it in practice and the players seemed to have fun trying it. The next tournament, we had a free kick close to the goal so I yelled at my players to try the new serve and volley play. It worked. We scored. The defense hadn't even moved from their wall. From then on, I didn't have to tell the players to use it.

Below is an example of my boys sending the ball over a ladder and into a backstop.

The forwards, the runners…

In 3v3 soccer, the forwards have to run. If you have players that don't want to run, then your team will never get to the next level. Especially if a player loses the ball, they have to run back on defense as fast as they can. If they see that they are completely beaten and cannot catch up to the opponent with the ball, they need to run back and block the passing lanes. Remember, once they are beaten, your back player will try to slow the fast break. To be honest, that is what separates the really good teams from the bad teams. Bad teams quit, and rarely come back to help, but the good teams always swarm back and make it very difficult to score.

The back player, the quarterback…

In 3v3 soccer, the back player should be one of your better players because that position is the quarterback of the team. He sees the field and should be directing the players and breaking down the opponents with his brain and passing. I see many regular teams place a person directly in front of the goal just to stand there and stop goals, but against a good team that rarely works as you're setting up your team to play defensive. To break down a team efficiently, you need that third player. Now, don't misunderstand me. If the ball is on the half we are defending, then having the person backed up to the box or circle is fine, especially if the team can make long shots, but when the ball is on the attacking side, where the other team cannot score anyway, then your back player should be involved. Also, it helps if the back player is fast so if there is a break away, he can get to the ball before the other team. Often, when teams get really frustrated with us, as soon as their player crosses the midline they will take a shot hoping it will go in. That is why on an opponents fast break, the back player should attack to the ball and not run backwards. Also, when the back player charges, make sure they time their charge so that they get to the ball when it is separated from the opponent. If the ball is touching the opponent, then the back player contains, waiting for the separation between ball and player before moving in. But again, the back player usually has an advantage in that the ball is coming toward them, so if they can get to the ball first, before the opponents, that is the priority. As I tell my players, they can't take the shot if they don't have the ball; but if you give ground, you're letting them take a shot. Your back player has to trust that his forwards will come back to help. By rushing toward the ball, it slows your opponent's fast break, allowing your forwards to come back.

Quick two-touch kickoff...

This is a kickoff play that I've seen work, and yes, it has actually worked against us. In fact, at Nationals after scoring in the first 10 seconds with our solo kickoff, our opponents scored on the following kick-off because my team was asleep. Actually, when anyone kicks off against you, I recommend the back player hanging back by the goal to prevent a two-touch kickoff.

In 3v3 soccer, the ball has to cross the midline before it can be kicked and the score count. If all the opponents have pushed up and no one is back, this works great. Two players stand by the ball. The first player rolls the ball past the midline and the second player kicks the ball up, over and in. Unfortunately, if you play a good team, as soon as your first player touches the ball, your opponents will have already started their attack so the ball simply strikes them, so another method, which I've seen work for and against us, is to perform the kickoff like a field goal in football. What I mean is the player who will kick the ball, backs up like a field goal kicker and then makes the run before the ball is in play. What the kicker tries to do is visualize an imaginary ball resting beside and slightly in front of the actual ball, across the midline. Just as the kicker is upon the imaginary ball and about to kick it, the second player standing by the real ball rolls or pushes the ball where the imaginary ball is, or into the path of the running player who now kicks the real ball. The other team will not be able to move in until the ball is touched. This is a timing play and it will require practice to perfect. When executed correctly, it actually looks really cool.

[HINT: If your players are having difficulty with the initial touch, an easy way to tap the ball into position is by planting your heel in the ground, beside the ball, and simply twisting your foot around.]

My sons showing a quick two-touch kickoff...

Kickoff, solo style…

In 3v3 soccer, the ball doesn't have to go forward first, so our normal kickoff is to pass it directly to the back player. Then again, I love to mix it up. Most teams know we pass, but I also have good dribblers so what I like to do is pick the player with the best moves [I'll post 1v1 moves later] and simply give that player the ball at midline. The player will then beat his opponent, go to the goal and either dribble past the last player or if the back player is out of position, simply shoot. I can't tell you how many times we've scored in the first 10 seconds of a game, even at Nationals, because the other team just isn't ready or doesn't expect such selfish play.

The first time we used this play was when we got a new player. We were struggling and our opponents had just tied the game with less than a half to play. Our opponents knew who we were so their players and parents were overly excited to actually be tied with us; but it only lasted 10 seconds because our new player told my regular player to just give him the ball. He was good at juking so he dribbled through everyone and scored. It rattled the other team and the rest of the game was a blow out. After that, I added it to our playbook.

If your best dribbler isn't on the field after your opponent scores, you can always sub the player in just to run the one play, then sub right out again.

[This incident reminded me of Lawrence Taylor when he first started playing under Bill Parcells, a new head coach for the New York Giants. LT couldn’t remember the defensive play so he simply rushed the quarterback and sacked him. A little bit later, he got confused again so he rushed the quarterback and sacked him again. When LT came to the sideline, Bill Parcells confronted him, asking him what he was doing since none of that was in the playbook. LT responded, “Maybe you should add it.”]

Free kick trick play…

Another coach told me about this 3v3 soccer trick play. It's very sneaky and it usually gives a good three seconds before the other team realizes what's going on. It works best off of a free kick and somewhat close to the goal. Usually, the other team will form a wall. The first offensive player will step, stop and stand directly in front of the ball, between the ball and the wall of defenders. The second offensive player will be wide of the defensive wall arguing with the first about positioning. Example: Player 1 points, "No, no, you need to be over there." Player 2 shakes his head, "I'm supposed to be here!" I think you get the point. The third offensive player is standing by the ball, which, if you remember, is directly behind the first player who is standing between the ball and the wall of defenders, kind of shielding the ball from the defenders. As the two players argue, Player 3 will tap the ball off the hind legs of player 1, and then dribble closer or wide and shoot. Again, you'll get a few seconds before the defense realizes the ball is in play. Also, we've had parents on the opposing team complain that we didn't touch the ball twice, and usually the ref pauses play to explain what happened.

Some of you may think this is rather lame, but I show my players for two reasons: 1) they love it, making practice fun; and, 2) because they've seen it, it won't work against us.

We stopped trying it once we adopted our un-defensible free kick, which I'll post later.