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.

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.

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.