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...
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
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.]
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.]
Saturday, August 23, 2008
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.
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.
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