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.]