The Most Important Thing

Throughout this 3v3 blog, I’ve discussed several skills and strategies to help coaches prepare players for 3v3 tournaments; but the most important thing coaches can do is prepare players for life.

I try to instill the value of practice by showing how all the successes on the field directly relate to the amount of hard work and effort put in. I remind players of what they were like when they first started or what happened when they first tried a fancy move they since mastered; and I explain how all these same principles, regardless of soccer, can apply to other areas of their life. To achieve dreams, set goals and work hard; but to really enjoy achievements, they should follow the path of a good person.

It’s sad to see what some coaches teach their players. Perhaps they don’t realize the influence they have. I’ve had opponents disqualified when I proved their players were overage. (The head coach of my son’s team tried to place an overage player on our team, claiming it was okay because the player wasn’t good. I removed my son from that team and started my own.) I get frustrated if coaches don’t speak up to rectify blatant rule violations. In one game, a referee reversed three blatant calls against us when I showed him the rules sheet, but instead of the other team helping, the coach remained silent while his parents yelled at me and asked the referee who was calling the game. The coach knew the rules, yet he refused to help. On the other hand, I’ve often sided with opponents. For example, I saw an opponent’s player cross midfield, shoot and score, tying the game against us, but the referee couldn’t remember if the player had crossed the line so he disallowed the goal. The other coach argued, and I spoke up on his behalf. They got their goal. We still won the game, and it showed my players we could be honest and still win. At one Nationals, one of my players got a yellow card; but the father wanted his son to switch jerseys with another player in case his son got a second yellow and would have to sit out games. I told the father, “If your son gets another yellow, he will sit out.”

If coaches allow cheating and dishonesty, their players will think it is okay to cheat in other areas of life. Always remember the influence a coach can make. Teach your players to win the right way.

[I hadn’t planned on writing another entry, but I discovered some of my old rival teams recently having players thrown out of games and their teams disqualified. They often asked my teams to join them or for me to help train their players; but I always refused, not because they were rivals, but I didn’t want my players to catch their ideology. This week my son disqualified himself from a golf tournament after he realized the scorecard he signed was three strokes better and would have placed him with the leaders. While I wasn’t happy he assumed the other boy had written the scores correctly, I was proud that he came forward, because no one would have known otherwise. I take that back. He would have known. And I can’t help to think that the way we played soccer all those years influenced his behavior.]

Sideline Cover - the quick way

I always brought chairs or a bench for my substitution players to sit on as they waited on the sidelines; but setting up a tent and moving it from game to game wasn't ideal. We usually set up a tent for a base camp, but used a large umbrella (6 to 8 feet) for sidelines.

The quickest and easiest way I found to set up an umbrella was using a lawn anchor found at theearthworm.com. It takes about 20 seconds to set up or take down. I mention it because teams often asked me where I got my umbrella holders.

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.]

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.