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...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, June 16, 2008
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...
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...
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