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The key to success in soccer is solid, well-rounded attacking skills. And in today’s game all 11 players on the field, not just the strikers, need to be proficient in attacking play. Strikers must master the technical and tactical skills, finding new ways to put the ball between the goalposts. Defenders must be willing and able to move forward and join in attacks. Even goalkeepers must know how to launch and coordinate a counterattack. In Attacking Soccer, editor Jay Miller has assembled a panel of experts to discuss these topics and more:
• Attacking from the flanks
• Crossing and attack heading
• Direct and indirect free kicks
• Capitalizing on corner kicks and throw-ins
• Maintaining team possession
• Attacking from the defensive third
The coaches who have written these chapters are a who’s who of elite soccer, including Anson Dorrance, Ken Lolla, Bobby Clark, Tony DiCicco, and Mike Noonan. Each has included favorite drills so that you can practice the same attacking skills used with elite players. Attacking Soccer is the definitive guide for breaking down defenses and consistent offensive performance.
Chapter 1 Individual Skills: Dribbling, Passing, Receiving
Chapter 2 Team Possession
Chapter 3 The Goalkeeper in the Attack
Chapter 4 Attacking From the Defensive Third
Chapter 5 Attacking Through the Middle Third
Chapter 6 Creating Opportunities in the Attacking Third
Chapter 7 Attacking From the Flanks
Chapter 8 Specialty Skills: Crossing and Attack Heading
Chapter 9 Shooting and Finishing
Chapter 10 Corner Kicks and Throw-Ins
Chapter 11 Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Jay Miller’s 40-year coaching career is the culmination of a life of competition and mentoring at every level of soccer. With a BS and MED in health and physical education from East Stroudsburg University, Jay began his career at Lebanon County High School, where he won the state championship, a first for the school. Later, coaching at the collegiate level, Jay led the University of Tampa to their first national title. As head coach for the University of South Florida, Jay won three conference titles.
Jay has served as a national teams coach and coaching instructor for the United States Soccer Federation since 1978. He has contributed to several technical reports for competitions, including the 1994 World Cup, 1996 Olympic Games, and the 1999 Women’s World Cup. His international coaching includes qualifying the U-17 national team for the 1997 World Championships and serving as a national coach for the U-18, U-20, U-23, and full national teams. Coach Miller represented the U.S. State Department’s Sports Envoy Program as an instructor and coach on tours to Morocco, Bolivia, and Thailand.
In 2012 Jay joined New England Revolution Professional Soccer Club as the first assistant. The following year the Revs returned to the MLS Playoffs after a four-year absence.
"Attacking Soccer makes the subtle complexities of a tactical sport clean and enlightening. It is a must-read for all aspiring coaches and players.”
Mick Elliott-- Award-Winning Sports Writer and Olympic Journalist
“Jay Miller is one of the few professionals who can train coaches and teams and excel at both. His insightful book is a first-class manual on how to attack.”
Ray Reid-- Head Soccer Coach University of Connecticut
“The most successful coaches ‘see’ the game and make adjustments when necessary. They also connect with and develop their players. Jay excels at both, and with Attacking Soccer you can too.”
Taylor Twellman-- Former U.S. Men’s National Team Player and MLS MVP With the New England Revolution, ESPN Analyst for MLS and U.S. Men's National Team Matches
"Jay Miller possesses a vast wealth of knowledge culled from his coaching experiences across every level of American soccer over the past 35 years. He shares what he has devised and learned in Attacking Soccer, an informative guide to breaking down the opposition composed with the help of established and successful coaches from across the country. The lessons included in this book provide vital knowledge for coaches at any level looking to improve how their team moves from back to front and produces chances in the final third."
Kyle McCarthy-- FOX Soccer
“Jay Miller is an excellent choice as a contributing editor because of his experience at every level of soccer from youth to professional. He has a vast knowledge of this wonderful game, and his insight will resonate with all coaches. Great coaches are always actively searching for new or different ways to learn about their game. This book offers an excellent platform into the perspective of 11 of our country's most knowledgeable and successful soccer coaches.”
Jay Heaps-- Head Coach New England Revolution
The Team Possession Drill
Purpose: Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers. Organization: Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
5v2 Divisions
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485519_ebook_Main.jpg
Purpose
Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers
Organization
Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
Procedure
- Designate two players to start as defenders in the middle. The five attackers start with the ball on the coach's whistle.
- Players play one touch at 100 percent speed for three 90- to 120-second games, with 60 seconds active rest between games where all players focus on rolling accurate, properly paced passes and receiving the ball with open body positions.
- If defense gets a touch, the defender who's been in the longest and the attacker who played a poor pass trade.
Key Points
- Passes must be crisp, firm, and rolling on the ground.
- Short support is critical with an open body position to receive and play quickly.
- Third attackers are always showing and moving in the windows between defenders for a split pass.
Shooting and Finishing
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let’s look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let's look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
The first great finisher who springs to mind is Joey Harper. I first came across Joe when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Scottish U18 team in the UEFA youth championships in the Netherlands. Joe was the youngest on our squad, but because of his uncanny ability to put the ball in the net, he found his way onto the team.
Later, I was lucky enough to team up with Joe when we were with Aberdeen, and in his time there, the 5-foot, 6-inch (168 cm) striker managed to score in excess of 200 goals. He scored goals at every level and in every club from his beginnings with Morton to his work for Aberdeen, Hibernian, and Everton. He had a wonderful ability to score goals.
The other player from my playing days now manages Liverpool and possibly is better known on the world stage. Yes, most soccer people are aware of Kenny Dalglish. I had the misfortune of playing against him during his Celtic days and the good fortune of playing and practicing with him in his Scotland days. Like Joe Harper, Kenny was not the fastest player, but he was very quick, and most of all, he was quick thinking. He always knew where the goal was, and in the penalty box when everything was busy and frantic, he had the calmest of temperaments. It almost looked as if the game came to a stop as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
I used the word slot. Sometimes Joe or Kenny would slot the ball into the net, but they could also hammer the ball home. Other times it was a pass, a curling shot, or a dipping volley. They both had a great repertoire of shots and seemed to have the ability to use the right weapon at the right time. This is the difference between shooting and finishing, and it is crucial that players learn finishing rather than just learning to shoot the ball hard. Don't get me wrong, there is a time for learning the proper techniques to shoot, bend, and dip the ball, but the most important thing is for players to experience gamelike situations where they learn the art of finishing.
I also have been fortunate enough to coach some terrific finishers here in the United States. Vladi Stanojevic still holds the Dartmouth career points record for the program, and Joseph Lapira scored 21 goals in his junior year at Notre Dame on his way to winning the 2006 Hermann Trophy. In fact, Notre Dame's strikers have led the Big East Conference players in scoring in 2006 (Joe Lapira), 2008 (Bright Dike), 2009 (Bright Dike), 2010 (Steven Perry), and 2012 (Ryan Finley). That's 5 out of 7 years.
We do few line drills, and most of the finishing drills we do are in gamelike situations. I do, however, strongly encourage players to spend time after practice hitting a bag of balls. I always have a bag of balls handy so the players can take 10 minutes after practice or come down when they have some spare time and hit a bag of balls.
During this time they can work on their technique and build confidence, but to score goals they also need to play the game and understand how to make space for their shot. Although good finishers are usually a little greedy, they do need to know how to combine with their teammates. They need to know how to find space, time runs, and get into good spots to get their shot off.
Having been a goalkeeper, I was always around finishing practices, trying to find out what makes strikers tick. I was studying their art while trying to thwart them. I had to understand their thinking, and this was possibly the best lesson I could have learned when I became a coach.
Every coaching session needs a beginning; an introduction. It is important for the coach to set the scene. You may discuss the aim of a session in the locker room, but the technical part of the warm-up is crucial. The session described in this chapter is one of my favorites and I use it a lot, especially in the winter and spring semesters, when I am teaching. I was first given the basic seeds of this session when I was coaching at Stanford. Tommy Wilson, who was one of the Scottish full-time staff coaches, brought the practice with him when he came to work at our summer camp. Tommy is now the reserve team coach with the Glasgow Rangers and was also the Scottish U20 coach when they participated in the U20 World Cup in Canada.
The session is split into the technical warm-up, the finishing phase, and the game phase, which puts the players in a game situation. Following the first three phases are various developments. Do not progress to the development phases until the players have a good feeling for the initial stage. Festina lente - "Hurry slowly" - is a good guide phrase!
Combination Play
Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.
Purpose
Preparing players technically and tactically
Organization
Set up a 44- × 40-yard (40 × 37 m.) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.
Procedure
The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.
Checking In
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485656_ebook_Main.jpg
- Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
- After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
- Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.
Heel Takeover
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485657_ebook_Main.jpg
Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there’s a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there's a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
I sat in a stadium during a prestigious youth soccer tournament watching an American team play in the featured match against an international side. Around me were a number of college head coaches and assistants. A free-kick situation unfolded, during which the American team produced an excellent opportunity to score. A young assistant next to me said, "Hey, they just ran our SMU play - that's unbelievable." That was interesting to me, because this young man only knew part of the story. The head coach of the club team who had initiated the free kick had sent a player to the University of South Carolina (USC), where he played for us for 4 years. This player introduced the same set piece to us, and we adopted it. The young assistant's head coach was my assistant at the time, and he took the same set piece to his college.
The young assistant had not just witnessed a team copying his set piece but rather had seen the original play in action. In such a way, set pieces are witnessed by coaches, embedded in their memory, and then reshaped and retooled in order to meet the demands of each particular team.
Attacking Free Kicks
The first order of business for the coach is to identify players within the team who may have special qualities enabling them to strike a ball accurately in a set-piece situation. One important quality to identify is the ability to bend a ball around or over a wall. Ideally, your team would feature a left-footed and a right-footed player with the same type of capabilities. Every effort should be made to identify these players and encourage them to further develop this set of skills. Repetition is critical here, and much of it will have to be carried out in individual work away from team training. Players should be encouraged to stay after training or come out on their own and work with the aid of an artificial wall and some goalkeepers in order to get the number of repetitions and quality of practice necessary to become proficient.
It is ideal to have a good right-footed and a good left-footed player involved in each free-kick situation over the ball. This creates an unsettled picture for the goalkeeper, who might expect a bending or dipping ball from either player, freezing him in position and preventing him from anticipating the flight of the ball.
Other specialists might include skilled headers of the ball, in many cases the center backs. They also need to spend extra time outside of team practice developing their timing and confidence in finishing chances that come to them.
Taking these concepts into consideration, we have developed a set-piece alignment at USC and used it successfully for many years, creating many variations of it. The setup allows for a balanced approach with many options. See figure 11.1 for an example of this alignment.
USC set-piece alignment.
In this alignment, the space represented by the shaded area in the diagram is critical to the selection of the proper set piece. The closer the ball is positioned to the goal, the more important it is to get a shot or a one-touch-and-hit shot off. These options include the following.
Direct Shot
The first option is a direct shot by player 1 (right footed) or player 2 (left footed). See figure 11.2.
Direct shot by players 1 and 2.
Touch and Hit
The second option is a touch and hit by player 1 and player 2 working together. See figure 11.3.
Touch and hit by players 1 and 2.
The Team Possession Drill
Purpose: Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers. Organization: Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
5v2 Divisions
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485519_ebook_Main.jpg
Purpose
Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers
Organization
Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
Procedure
- Designate two players to start as defenders in the middle. The five attackers start with the ball on the coach's whistle.
- Players play one touch at 100 percent speed for three 90- to 120-second games, with 60 seconds active rest between games where all players focus on rolling accurate, properly paced passes and receiving the ball with open body positions.
- If defense gets a touch, the defender who's been in the longest and the attacker who played a poor pass trade.
Key Points
- Passes must be crisp, firm, and rolling on the ground.
- Short support is critical with an open body position to receive and play quickly.
- Third attackers are always showing and moving in the windows between defenders for a split pass.
Shooting and Finishing
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let’s look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let's look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
The first great finisher who springs to mind is Joey Harper. I first came across Joe when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Scottish U18 team in the UEFA youth championships in the Netherlands. Joe was the youngest on our squad, but because of his uncanny ability to put the ball in the net, he found his way onto the team.
Later, I was lucky enough to team up with Joe when we were with Aberdeen, and in his time there, the 5-foot, 6-inch (168 cm) striker managed to score in excess of 200 goals. He scored goals at every level and in every club from his beginnings with Morton to his work for Aberdeen, Hibernian, and Everton. He had a wonderful ability to score goals.
The other player from my playing days now manages Liverpool and possibly is better known on the world stage. Yes, most soccer people are aware of Kenny Dalglish. I had the misfortune of playing against him during his Celtic days and the good fortune of playing and practicing with him in his Scotland days. Like Joe Harper, Kenny was not the fastest player, but he was very quick, and most of all, he was quick thinking. He always knew where the goal was, and in the penalty box when everything was busy and frantic, he had the calmest of temperaments. It almost looked as if the game came to a stop as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
I used the word slot. Sometimes Joe or Kenny would slot the ball into the net, but they could also hammer the ball home. Other times it was a pass, a curling shot, or a dipping volley. They both had a great repertoire of shots and seemed to have the ability to use the right weapon at the right time. This is the difference between shooting and finishing, and it is crucial that players learn finishing rather than just learning to shoot the ball hard. Don't get me wrong, there is a time for learning the proper techniques to shoot, bend, and dip the ball, but the most important thing is for players to experience gamelike situations where they learn the art of finishing.
I also have been fortunate enough to coach some terrific finishers here in the United States. Vladi Stanojevic still holds the Dartmouth career points record for the program, and Joseph Lapira scored 21 goals in his junior year at Notre Dame on his way to winning the 2006 Hermann Trophy. In fact, Notre Dame's strikers have led the Big East Conference players in scoring in 2006 (Joe Lapira), 2008 (Bright Dike), 2009 (Bright Dike), 2010 (Steven Perry), and 2012 (Ryan Finley). That's 5 out of 7 years.
We do few line drills, and most of the finishing drills we do are in gamelike situations. I do, however, strongly encourage players to spend time after practice hitting a bag of balls. I always have a bag of balls handy so the players can take 10 minutes after practice or come down when they have some spare time and hit a bag of balls.
During this time they can work on their technique and build confidence, but to score goals they also need to play the game and understand how to make space for their shot. Although good finishers are usually a little greedy, they do need to know how to combine with their teammates. They need to know how to find space, time runs, and get into good spots to get their shot off.
Having been a goalkeeper, I was always around finishing practices, trying to find out what makes strikers tick. I was studying their art while trying to thwart them. I had to understand their thinking, and this was possibly the best lesson I could have learned when I became a coach.
Every coaching session needs a beginning; an introduction. It is important for the coach to set the scene. You may discuss the aim of a session in the locker room, but the technical part of the warm-up is crucial. The session described in this chapter is one of my favorites and I use it a lot, especially in the winter and spring semesters, when I am teaching. I was first given the basic seeds of this session when I was coaching at Stanford. Tommy Wilson, who was one of the Scottish full-time staff coaches, brought the practice with him when he came to work at our summer camp. Tommy is now the reserve team coach with the Glasgow Rangers and was also the Scottish U20 coach when they participated in the U20 World Cup in Canada.
The session is split into the technical warm-up, the finishing phase, and the game phase, which puts the players in a game situation. Following the first three phases are various developments. Do not progress to the development phases until the players have a good feeling for the initial stage. Festina lente - "Hurry slowly" - is a good guide phrase!
Combination Play
Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.
Purpose
Preparing players technically and tactically
Organization
Set up a 44- × 40-yard (40 × 37 m.) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.
Procedure
The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.
Checking In
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485656_ebook_Main.jpg
- Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
- After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
- Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.
Heel Takeover
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485657_ebook_Main.jpg
Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there’s a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there's a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
I sat in a stadium during a prestigious youth soccer tournament watching an American team play in the featured match against an international side. Around me were a number of college head coaches and assistants. A free-kick situation unfolded, during which the American team produced an excellent opportunity to score. A young assistant next to me said, "Hey, they just ran our SMU play - that's unbelievable." That was interesting to me, because this young man only knew part of the story. The head coach of the club team who had initiated the free kick had sent a player to the University of South Carolina (USC), where he played for us for 4 years. This player introduced the same set piece to us, and we adopted it. The young assistant's head coach was my assistant at the time, and he took the same set piece to his college.
The young assistant had not just witnessed a team copying his set piece but rather had seen the original play in action. In such a way, set pieces are witnessed by coaches, embedded in their memory, and then reshaped and retooled in order to meet the demands of each particular team.
Attacking Free Kicks
The first order of business for the coach is to identify players within the team who may have special qualities enabling them to strike a ball accurately in a set-piece situation. One important quality to identify is the ability to bend a ball around or over a wall. Ideally, your team would feature a left-footed and a right-footed player with the same type of capabilities. Every effort should be made to identify these players and encourage them to further develop this set of skills. Repetition is critical here, and much of it will have to be carried out in individual work away from team training. Players should be encouraged to stay after training or come out on their own and work with the aid of an artificial wall and some goalkeepers in order to get the number of repetitions and quality of practice necessary to become proficient.
It is ideal to have a good right-footed and a good left-footed player involved in each free-kick situation over the ball. This creates an unsettled picture for the goalkeeper, who might expect a bending or dipping ball from either player, freezing him in position and preventing him from anticipating the flight of the ball.
Other specialists might include skilled headers of the ball, in many cases the center backs. They also need to spend extra time outside of team practice developing their timing and confidence in finishing chances that come to them.
Taking these concepts into consideration, we have developed a set-piece alignment at USC and used it successfully for many years, creating many variations of it. The setup allows for a balanced approach with many options. See figure 11.1 for an example of this alignment.
USC set-piece alignment.
In this alignment, the space represented by the shaded area in the diagram is critical to the selection of the proper set piece. The closer the ball is positioned to the goal, the more important it is to get a shot or a one-touch-and-hit shot off. These options include the following.
Direct Shot
The first option is a direct shot by player 1 (right footed) or player 2 (left footed). See figure 11.2.
Direct shot by players 1 and 2.
Touch and Hit
The second option is a touch and hit by player 1 and player 2 working together. See figure 11.3.
Touch and hit by players 1 and 2.
The Team Possession Drill
Purpose: Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers. Organization: Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
5v2 Divisions
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485519_ebook_Main.jpg
Purpose
Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers
Organization
Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
Procedure
- Designate two players to start as defenders in the middle. The five attackers start with the ball on the coach's whistle.
- Players play one touch at 100 percent speed for three 90- to 120-second games, with 60 seconds active rest between games where all players focus on rolling accurate, properly paced passes and receiving the ball with open body positions.
- If defense gets a touch, the defender who's been in the longest and the attacker who played a poor pass trade.
Key Points
- Passes must be crisp, firm, and rolling on the ground.
- Short support is critical with an open body position to receive and play quickly.
- Third attackers are always showing and moving in the windows between defenders for a split pass.
Shooting and Finishing
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let’s look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let's look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
The first great finisher who springs to mind is Joey Harper. I first came across Joe when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Scottish U18 team in the UEFA youth championships in the Netherlands. Joe was the youngest on our squad, but because of his uncanny ability to put the ball in the net, he found his way onto the team.
Later, I was lucky enough to team up with Joe when we were with Aberdeen, and in his time there, the 5-foot, 6-inch (168 cm) striker managed to score in excess of 200 goals. He scored goals at every level and in every club from his beginnings with Morton to his work for Aberdeen, Hibernian, and Everton. He had a wonderful ability to score goals.
The other player from my playing days now manages Liverpool and possibly is better known on the world stage. Yes, most soccer people are aware of Kenny Dalglish. I had the misfortune of playing against him during his Celtic days and the good fortune of playing and practicing with him in his Scotland days. Like Joe Harper, Kenny was not the fastest player, but he was very quick, and most of all, he was quick thinking. He always knew where the goal was, and in the penalty box when everything was busy and frantic, he had the calmest of temperaments. It almost looked as if the game came to a stop as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
I used the word slot. Sometimes Joe or Kenny would slot the ball into the net, but they could also hammer the ball home. Other times it was a pass, a curling shot, or a dipping volley. They both had a great repertoire of shots and seemed to have the ability to use the right weapon at the right time. This is the difference between shooting and finishing, and it is crucial that players learn finishing rather than just learning to shoot the ball hard. Don't get me wrong, there is a time for learning the proper techniques to shoot, bend, and dip the ball, but the most important thing is for players to experience gamelike situations where they learn the art of finishing.
I also have been fortunate enough to coach some terrific finishers here in the United States. Vladi Stanojevic still holds the Dartmouth career points record for the program, and Joseph Lapira scored 21 goals in his junior year at Notre Dame on his way to winning the 2006 Hermann Trophy. In fact, Notre Dame's strikers have led the Big East Conference players in scoring in 2006 (Joe Lapira), 2008 (Bright Dike), 2009 (Bright Dike), 2010 (Steven Perry), and 2012 (Ryan Finley). That's 5 out of 7 years.
We do few line drills, and most of the finishing drills we do are in gamelike situations. I do, however, strongly encourage players to spend time after practice hitting a bag of balls. I always have a bag of balls handy so the players can take 10 minutes after practice or come down when they have some spare time and hit a bag of balls.
During this time they can work on their technique and build confidence, but to score goals they also need to play the game and understand how to make space for their shot. Although good finishers are usually a little greedy, they do need to know how to combine with their teammates. They need to know how to find space, time runs, and get into good spots to get their shot off.
Having been a goalkeeper, I was always around finishing practices, trying to find out what makes strikers tick. I was studying their art while trying to thwart them. I had to understand their thinking, and this was possibly the best lesson I could have learned when I became a coach.
Every coaching session needs a beginning; an introduction. It is important for the coach to set the scene. You may discuss the aim of a session in the locker room, but the technical part of the warm-up is crucial. The session described in this chapter is one of my favorites and I use it a lot, especially in the winter and spring semesters, when I am teaching. I was first given the basic seeds of this session when I was coaching at Stanford. Tommy Wilson, who was one of the Scottish full-time staff coaches, brought the practice with him when he came to work at our summer camp. Tommy is now the reserve team coach with the Glasgow Rangers and was also the Scottish U20 coach when they participated in the U20 World Cup in Canada.
The session is split into the technical warm-up, the finishing phase, and the game phase, which puts the players in a game situation. Following the first three phases are various developments. Do not progress to the development phases until the players have a good feeling for the initial stage. Festina lente - "Hurry slowly" - is a good guide phrase!
Combination Play
Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.
Purpose
Preparing players technically and tactically
Organization
Set up a 44- × 40-yard (40 × 37 m.) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.
Procedure
The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.
Checking In
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485656_ebook_Main.jpg
- Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
- After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
- Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.
Heel Takeover
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485657_ebook_Main.jpg
Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there’s a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there's a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
I sat in a stadium during a prestigious youth soccer tournament watching an American team play in the featured match against an international side. Around me were a number of college head coaches and assistants. A free-kick situation unfolded, during which the American team produced an excellent opportunity to score. A young assistant next to me said, "Hey, they just ran our SMU play - that's unbelievable." That was interesting to me, because this young man only knew part of the story. The head coach of the club team who had initiated the free kick had sent a player to the University of South Carolina (USC), where he played for us for 4 years. This player introduced the same set piece to us, and we adopted it. The young assistant's head coach was my assistant at the time, and he took the same set piece to his college.
The young assistant had not just witnessed a team copying his set piece but rather had seen the original play in action. In such a way, set pieces are witnessed by coaches, embedded in their memory, and then reshaped and retooled in order to meet the demands of each particular team.
Attacking Free Kicks
The first order of business for the coach is to identify players within the team who may have special qualities enabling them to strike a ball accurately in a set-piece situation. One important quality to identify is the ability to bend a ball around or over a wall. Ideally, your team would feature a left-footed and a right-footed player with the same type of capabilities. Every effort should be made to identify these players and encourage them to further develop this set of skills. Repetition is critical here, and much of it will have to be carried out in individual work away from team training. Players should be encouraged to stay after training or come out on their own and work with the aid of an artificial wall and some goalkeepers in order to get the number of repetitions and quality of practice necessary to become proficient.
It is ideal to have a good right-footed and a good left-footed player involved in each free-kick situation over the ball. This creates an unsettled picture for the goalkeeper, who might expect a bending or dipping ball from either player, freezing him in position and preventing him from anticipating the flight of the ball.
Other specialists might include skilled headers of the ball, in many cases the center backs. They also need to spend extra time outside of team practice developing their timing and confidence in finishing chances that come to them.
Taking these concepts into consideration, we have developed a set-piece alignment at USC and used it successfully for many years, creating many variations of it. The setup allows for a balanced approach with many options. See figure 11.1 for an example of this alignment.
USC set-piece alignment.
In this alignment, the space represented by the shaded area in the diagram is critical to the selection of the proper set piece. The closer the ball is positioned to the goal, the more important it is to get a shot or a one-touch-and-hit shot off. These options include the following.
Direct Shot
The first option is a direct shot by player 1 (right footed) or player 2 (left footed). See figure 11.2.
Direct shot by players 1 and 2.
Touch and Hit
The second option is a touch and hit by player 1 and player 2 working together. See figure 11.3.
Touch and hit by players 1 and 2.
The Team Possession Drill
Purpose: Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers. Organization: Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
5v2 Divisions
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485519_ebook_Main.jpg
Purpose
Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers
Organization
Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
Procedure
- Designate two players to start as defenders in the middle. The five attackers start with the ball on the coach's whistle.
- Players play one touch at 100 percent speed for three 90- to 120-second games, with 60 seconds active rest between games where all players focus on rolling accurate, properly paced passes and receiving the ball with open body positions.
- If defense gets a touch, the defender who's been in the longest and the attacker who played a poor pass trade.
Key Points
- Passes must be crisp, firm, and rolling on the ground.
- Short support is critical with an open body position to receive and play quickly.
- Third attackers are always showing and moving in the windows between defenders for a split pass.
Shooting and Finishing
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let’s look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let's look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
The first great finisher who springs to mind is Joey Harper. I first came across Joe when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Scottish U18 team in the UEFA youth championships in the Netherlands. Joe was the youngest on our squad, but because of his uncanny ability to put the ball in the net, he found his way onto the team.
Later, I was lucky enough to team up with Joe when we were with Aberdeen, and in his time there, the 5-foot, 6-inch (168 cm) striker managed to score in excess of 200 goals. He scored goals at every level and in every club from his beginnings with Morton to his work for Aberdeen, Hibernian, and Everton. He had a wonderful ability to score goals.
The other player from my playing days now manages Liverpool and possibly is better known on the world stage. Yes, most soccer people are aware of Kenny Dalglish. I had the misfortune of playing against him during his Celtic days and the good fortune of playing and practicing with him in his Scotland days. Like Joe Harper, Kenny was not the fastest player, but he was very quick, and most of all, he was quick thinking. He always knew where the goal was, and in the penalty box when everything was busy and frantic, he had the calmest of temperaments. It almost looked as if the game came to a stop as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
I used the word slot. Sometimes Joe or Kenny would slot the ball into the net, but they could also hammer the ball home. Other times it was a pass, a curling shot, or a dipping volley. They both had a great repertoire of shots and seemed to have the ability to use the right weapon at the right time. This is the difference between shooting and finishing, and it is crucial that players learn finishing rather than just learning to shoot the ball hard. Don't get me wrong, there is a time for learning the proper techniques to shoot, bend, and dip the ball, but the most important thing is for players to experience gamelike situations where they learn the art of finishing.
I also have been fortunate enough to coach some terrific finishers here in the United States. Vladi Stanojevic still holds the Dartmouth career points record for the program, and Joseph Lapira scored 21 goals in his junior year at Notre Dame on his way to winning the 2006 Hermann Trophy. In fact, Notre Dame's strikers have led the Big East Conference players in scoring in 2006 (Joe Lapira), 2008 (Bright Dike), 2009 (Bright Dike), 2010 (Steven Perry), and 2012 (Ryan Finley). That's 5 out of 7 years.
We do few line drills, and most of the finishing drills we do are in gamelike situations. I do, however, strongly encourage players to spend time after practice hitting a bag of balls. I always have a bag of balls handy so the players can take 10 minutes after practice or come down when they have some spare time and hit a bag of balls.
During this time they can work on their technique and build confidence, but to score goals they also need to play the game and understand how to make space for their shot. Although good finishers are usually a little greedy, they do need to know how to combine with their teammates. They need to know how to find space, time runs, and get into good spots to get their shot off.
Having been a goalkeeper, I was always around finishing practices, trying to find out what makes strikers tick. I was studying their art while trying to thwart them. I had to understand their thinking, and this was possibly the best lesson I could have learned when I became a coach.
Every coaching session needs a beginning; an introduction. It is important for the coach to set the scene. You may discuss the aim of a session in the locker room, but the technical part of the warm-up is crucial. The session described in this chapter is one of my favorites and I use it a lot, especially in the winter and spring semesters, when I am teaching. I was first given the basic seeds of this session when I was coaching at Stanford. Tommy Wilson, who was one of the Scottish full-time staff coaches, brought the practice with him when he came to work at our summer camp. Tommy is now the reserve team coach with the Glasgow Rangers and was also the Scottish U20 coach when they participated in the U20 World Cup in Canada.
The session is split into the technical warm-up, the finishing phase, and the game phase, which puts the players in a game situation. Following the first three phases are various developments. Do not progress to the development phases until the players have a good feeling for the initial stage. Festina lente - "Hurry slowly" - is a good guide phrase!
Combination Play
Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.
Purpose
Preparing players technically and tactically
Organization
Set up a 44- × 40-yard (40 × 37 m.) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.
Procedure
The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.
Checking In
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485656_ebook_Main.jpg
- Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
- After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
- Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.
Heel Takeover
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485657_ebook_Main.jpg
Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there’s a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there's a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
I sat in a stadium during a prestigious youth soccer tournament watching an American team play in the featured match against an international side. Around me were a number of college head coaches and assistants. A free-kick situation unfolded, during which the American team produced an excellent opportunity to score. A young assistant next to me said, "Hey, they just ran our SMU play - that's unbelievable." That was interesting to me, because this young man only knew part of the story. The head coach of the club team who had initiated the free kick had sent a player to the University of South Carolina (USC), where he played for us for 4 years. This player introduced the same set piece to us, and we adopted it. The young assistant's head coach was my assistant at the time, and he took the same set piece to his college.
The young assistant had not just witnessed a team copying his set piece but rather had seen the original play in action. In such a way, set pieces are witnessed by coaches, embedded in their memory, and then reshaped and retooled in order to meet the demands of each particular team.
Attacking Free Kicks
The first order of business for the coach is to identify players within the team who may have special qualities enabling them to strike a ball accurately in a set-piece situation. One important quality to identify is the ability to bend a ball around or over a wall. Ideally, your team would feature a left-footed and a right-footed player with the same type of capabilities. Every effort should be made to identify these players and encourage them to further develop this set of skills. Repetition is critical here, and much of it will have to be carried out in individual work away from team training. Players should be encouraged to stay after training or come out on their own and work with the aid of an artificial wall and some goalkeepers in order to get the number of repetitions and quality of practice necessary to become proficient.
It is ideal to have a good right-footed and a good left-footed player involved in each free-kick situation over the ball. This creates an unsettled picture for the goalkeeper, who might expect a bending or dipping ball from either player, freezing him in position and preventing him from anticipating the flight of the ball.
Other specialists might include skilled headers of the ball, in many cases the center backs. They also need to spend extra time outside of team practice developing their timing and confidence in finishing chances that come to them.
Taking these concepts into consideration, we have developed a set-piece alignment at USC and used it successfully for many years, creating many variations of it. The setup allows for a balanced approach with many options. See figure 11.1 for an example of this alignment.
USC set-piece alignment.
In this alignment, the space represented by the shaded area in the diagram is critical to the selection of the proper set piece. The closer the ball is positioned to the goal, the more important it is to get a shot or a one-touch-and-hit shot off. These options include the following.
Direct Shot
The first option is a direct shot by player 1 (right footed) or player 2 (left footed). See figure 11.2.
Direct shot by players 1 and 2.
Touch and Hit
The second option is a touch and hit by player 1 and player 2 working together. See figure 11.3.
Touch and hit by players 1 and 2.
The Team Possession Drill
Purpose: Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers. Organization: Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
5v2 Divisions
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485519_ebook_Main.jpg
Purpose
Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers
Organization
Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
Procedure
- Designate two players to start as defenders in the middle. The five attackers start with the ball on the coach's whistle.
- Players play one touch at 100 percent speed for three 90- to 120-second games, with 60 seconds active rest between games where all players focus on rolling accurate, properly paced passes and receiving the ball with open body positions.
- If defense gets a touch, the defender who's been in the longest and the attacker who played a poor pass trade.
Key Points
- Passes must be crisp, firm, and rolling on the ground.
- Short support is critical with an open body position to receive and play quickly.
- Third attackers are always showing and moving in the windows between defenders for a split pass.
Shooting and Finishing
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let’s look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let's look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
The first great finisher who springs to mind is Joey Harper. I first came across Joe when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Scottish U18 team in the UEFA youth championships in the Netherlands. Joe was the youngest on our squad, but because of his uncanny ability to put the ball in the net, he found his way onto the team.
Later, I was lucky enough to team up with Joe when we were with Aberdeen, and in his time there, the 5-foot, 6-inch (168 cm) striker managed to score in excess of 200 goals. He scored goals at every level and in every club from his beginnings with Morton to his work for Aberdeen, Hibernian, and Everton. He had a wonderful ability to score goals.
The other player from my playing days now manages Liverpool and possibly is better known on the world stage. Yes, most soccer people are aware of Kenny Dalglish. I had the misfortune of playing against him during his Celtic days and the good fortune of playing and practicing with him in his Scotland days. Like Joe Harper, Kenny was not the fastest player, but he was very quick, and most of all, he was quick thinking. He always knew where the goal was, and in the penalty box when everything was busy and frantic, he had the calmest of temperaments. It almost looked as if the game came to a stop as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
I used the word slot. Sometimes Joe or Kenny would slot the ball into the net, but they could also hammer the ball home. Other times it was a pass, a curling shot, or a dipping volley. They both had a great repertoire of shots and seemed to have the ability to use the right weapon at the right time. This is the difference between shooting and finishing, and it is crucial that players learn finishing rather than just learning to shoot the ball hard. Don't get me wrong, there is a time for learning the proper techniques to shoot, bend, and dip the ball, but the most important thing is for players to experience gamelike situations where they learn the art of finishing.
I also have been fortunate enough to coach some terrific finishers here in the United States. Vladi Stanojevic still holds the Dartmouth career points record for the program, and Joseph Lapira scored 21 goals in his junior year at Notre Dame on his way to winning the 2006 Hermann Trophy. In fact, Notre Dame's strikers have led the Big East Conference players in scoring in 2006 (Joe Lapira), 2008 (Bright Dike), 2009 (Bright Dike), 2010 (Steven Perry), and 2012 (Ryan Finley). That's 5 out of 7 years.
We do few line drills, and most of the finishing drills we do are in gamelike situations. I do, however, strongly encourage players to spend time after practice hitting a bag of balls. I always have a bag of balls handy so the players can take 10 minutes after practice or come down when they have some spare time and hit a bag of balls.
During this time they can work on their technique and build confidence, but to score goals they also need to play the game and understand how to make space for their shot. Although good finishers are usually a little greedy, they do need to know how to combine with their teammates. They need to know how to find space, time runs, and get into good spots to get their shot off.
Having been a goalkeeper, I was always around finishing practices, trying to find out what makes strikers tick. I was studying their art while trying to thwart them. I had to understand their thinking, and this was possibly the best lesson I could have learned when I became a coach.
Every coaching session needs a beginning; an introduction. It is important for the coach to set the scene. You may discuss the aim of a session in the locker room, but the technical part of the warm-up is crucial. The session described in this chapter is one of my favorites and I use it a lot, especially in the winter and spring semesters, when I am teaching. I was first given the basic seeds of this session when I was coaching at Stanford. Tommy Wilson, who was one of the Scottish full-time staff coaches, brought the practice with him when he came to work at our summer camp. Tommy is now the reserve team coach with the Glasgow Rangers and was also the Scottish U20 coach when they participated in the U20 World Cup in Canada.
The session is split into the technical warm-up, the finishing phase, and the game phase, which puts the players in a game situation. Following the first three phases are various developments. Do not progress to the development phases until the players have a good feeling for the initial stage. Festina lente - "Hurry slowly" - is a good guide phrase!
Combination Play
Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.
Purpose
Preparing players technically and tactically
Organization
Set up a 44- × 40-yard (40 × 37 m.) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.
Procedure
The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.
Checking In
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485656_ebook_Main.jpg
- Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
- After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
- Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.
Heel Takeover
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485657_ebook_Main.jpg
Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there’s a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there's a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
I sat in a stadium during a prestigious youth soccer tournament watching an American team play in the featured match against an international side. Around me were a number of college head coaches and assistants. A free-kick situation unfolded, during which the American team produced an excellent opportunity to score. A young assistant next to me said, "Hey, they just ran our SMU play - that's unbelievable." That was interesting to me, because this young man only knew part of the story. The head coach of the club team who had initiated the free kick had sent a player to the University of South Carolina (USC), where he played for us for 4 years. This player introduced the same set piece to us, and we adopted it. The young assistant's head coach was my assistant at the time, and he took the same set piece to his college.
The young assistant had not just witnessed a team copying his set piece but rather had seen the original play in action. In such a way, set pieces are witnessed by coaches, embedded in their memory, and then reshaped and retooled in order to meet the demands of each particular team.
Attacking Free Kicks
The first order of business for the coach is to identify players within the team who may have special qualities enabling them to strike a ball accurately in a set-piece situation. One important quality to identify is the ability to bend a ball around or over a wall. Ideally, your team would feature a left-footed and a right-footed player with the same type of capabilities. Every effort should be made to identify these players and encourage them to further develop this set of skills. Repetition is critical here, and much of it will have to be carried out in individual work away from team training. Players should be encouraged to stay after training or come out on their own and work with the aid of an artificial wall and some goalkeepers in order to get the number of repetitions and quality of practice necessary to become proficient.
It is ideal to have a good right-footed and a good left-footed player involved in each free-kick situation over the ball. This creates an unsettled picture for the goalkeeper, who might expect a bending or dipping ball from either player, freezing him in position and preventing him from anticipating the flight of the ball.
Other specialists might include skilled headers of the ball, in many cases the center backs. They also need to spend extra time outside of team practice developing their timing and confidence in finishing chances that come to them.
Taking these concepts into consideration, we have developed a set-piece alignment at USC and used it successfully for many years, creating many variations of it. The setup allows for a balanced approach with many options. See figure 11.1 for an example of this alignment.
USC set-piece alignment.
In this alignment, the space represented by the shaded area in the diagram is critical to the selection of the proper set piece. The closer the ball is positioned to the goal, the more important it is to get a shot or a one-touch-and-hit shot off. These options include the following.
Direct Shot
The first option is a direct shot by player 1 (right footed) or player 2 (left footed). See figure 11.2.
Direct shot by players 1 and 2.
Touch and Hit
The second option is a touch and hit by player 1 and player 2 working together. See figure 11.3.
Touch and hit by players 1 and 2.
The Team Possession Drill
Purpose: Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers. Organization: Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
5v2 Divisions
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485519_ebook_Main.jpg
Purpose
Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers
Organization
Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
Procedure
- Designate two players to start as defenders in the middle. The five attackers start with the ball on the coach's whistle.
- Players play one touch at 100 percent speed for three 90- to 120-second games, with 60 seconds active rest between games where all players focus on rolling accurate, properly paced passes and receiving the ball with open body positions.
- If defense gets a touch, the defender who's been in the longest and the attacker who played a poor pass trade.
Key Points
- Passes must be crisp, firm, and rolling on the ground.
- Short support is critical with an open body position to receive and play quickly.
- Third attackers are always showing and moving in the windows between defenders for a split pass.
Shooting and Finishing
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let’s look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let's look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
The first great finisher who springs to mind is Joey Harper. I first came across Joe when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Scottish U18 team in the UEFA youth championships in the Netherlands. Joe was the youngest on our squad, but because of his uncanny ability to put the ball in the net, he found his way onto the team.
Later, I was lucky enough to team up with Joe when we were with Aberdeen, and in his time there, the 5-foot, 6-inch (168 cm) striker managed to score in excess of 200 goals. He scored goals at every level and in every club from his beginnings with Morton to his work for Aberdeen, Hibernian, and Everton. He had a wonderful ability to score goals.
The other player from my playing days now manages Liverpool and possibly is better known on the world stage. Yes, most soccer people are aware of Kenny Dalglish. I had the misfortune of playing against him during his Celtic days and the good fortune of playing and practicing with him in his Scotland days. Like Joe Harper, Kenny was not the fastest player, but he was very quick, and most of all, he was quick thinking. He always knew where the goal was, and in the penalty box when everything was busy and frantic, he had the calmest of temperaments. It almost looked as if the game came to a stop as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
I used the word slot. Sometimes Joe or Kenny would slot the ball into the net, but they could also hammer the ball home. Other times it was a pass, a curling shot, or a dipping volley. They both had a great repertoire of shots and seemed to have the ability to use the right weapon at the right time. This is the difference between shooting and finishing, and it is crucial that players learn finishing rather than just learning to shoot the ball hard. Don't get me wrong, there is a time for learning the proper techniques to shoot, bend, and dip the ball, but the most important thing is for players to experience gamelike situations where they learn the art of finishing.
I also have been fortunate enough to coach some terrific finishers here in the United States. Vladi Stanojevic still holds the Dartmouth career points record for the program, and Joseph Lapira scored 21 goals in his junior year at Notre Dame on his way to winning the 2006 Hermann Trophy. In fact, Notre Dame's strikers have led the Big East Conference players in scoring in 2006 (Joe Lapira), 2008 (Bright Dike), 2009 (Bright Dike), 2010 (Steven Perry), and 2012 (Ryan Finley). That's 5 out of 7 years.
We do few line drills, and most of the finishing drills we do are in gamelike situations. I do, however, strongly encourage players to spend time after practice hitting a bag of balls. I always have a bag of balls handy so the players can take 10 minutes after practice or come down when they have some spare time and hit a bag of balls.
During this time they can work on their technique and build confidence, but to score goals they also need to play the game and understand how to make space for their shot. Although good finishers are usually a little greedy, they do need to know how to combine with their teammates. They need to know how to find space, time runs, and get into good spots to get their shot off.
Having been a goalkeeper, I was always around finishing practices, trying to find out what makes strikers tick. I was studying their art while trying to thwart them. I had to understand their thinking, and this was possibly the best lesson I could have learned when I became a coach.
Every coaching session needs a beginning; an introduction. It is important for the coach to set the scene. You may discuss the aim of a session in the locker room, but the technical part of the warm-up is crucial. The session described in this chapter is one of my favorites and I use it a lot, especially in the winter and spring semesters, when I am teaching. I was first given the basic seeds of this session when I was coaching at Stanford. Tommy Wilson, who was one of the Scottish full-time staff coaches, brought the practice with him when he came to work at our summer camp. Tommy is now the reserve team coach with the Glasgow Rangers and was also the Scottish U20 coach when they participated in the U20 World Cup in Canada.
The session is split into the technical warm-up, the finishing phase, and the game phase, which puts the players in a game situation. Following the first three phases are various developments. Do not progress to the development phases until the players have a good feeling for the initial stage. Festina lente - "Hurry slowly" - is a good guide phrase!
Combination Play
Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.
Purpose
Preparing players technically and tactically
Organization
Set up a 44- × 40-yard (40 × 37 m.) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.
Procedure
The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.
Checking In
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485656_ebook_Main.jpg
- Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
- After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
- Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.
Heel Takeover
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485657_ebook_Main.jpg
Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there’s a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there's a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
I sat in a stadium during a prestigious youth soccer tournament watching an American team play in the featured match against an international side. Around me were a number of college head coaches and assistants. A free-kick situation unfolded, during which the American team produced an excellent opportunity to score. A young assistant next to me said, "Hey, they just ran our SMU play - that's unbelievable." That was interesting to me, because this young man only knew part of the story. The head coach of the club team who had initiated the free kick had sent a player to the University of South Carolina (USC), where he played for us for 4 years. This player introduced the same set piece to us, and we adopted it. The young assistant's head coach was my assistant at the time, and he took the same set piece to his college.
The young assistant had not just witnessed a team copying his set piece but rather had seen the original play in action. In such a way, set pieces are witnessed by coaches, embedded in their memory, and then reshaped and retooled in order to meet the demands of each particular team.
Attacking Free Kicks
The first order of business for the coach is to identify players within the team who may have special qualities enabling them to strike a ball accurately in a set-piece situation. One important quality to identify is the ability to bend a ball around or over a wall. Ideally, your team would feature a left-footed and a right-footed player with the same type of capabilities. Every effort should be made to identify these players and encourage them to further develop this set of skills. Repetition is critical here, and much of it will have to be carried out in individual work away from team training. Players should be encouraged to stay after training or come out on their own and work with the aid of an artificial wall and some goalkeepers in order to get the number of repetitions and quality of practice necessary to become proficient.
It is ideal to have a good right-footed and a good left-footed player involved in each free-kick situation over the ball. This creates an unsettled picture for the goalkeeper, who might expect a bending or dipping ball from either player, freezing him in position and preventing him from anticipating the flight of the ball.
Other specialists might include skilled headers of the ball, in many cases the center backs. They also need to spend extra time outside of team practice developing their timing and confidence in finishing chances that come to them.
Taking these concepts into consideration, we have developed a set-piece alignment at USC and used it successfully for many years, creating many variations of it. The setup allows for a balanced approach with many options. See figure 11.1 for an example of this alignment.
USC set-piece alignment.
In this alignment, the space represented by the shaded area in the diagram is critical to the selection of the proper set piece. The closer the ball is positioned to the goal, the more important it is to get a shot or a one-touch-and-hit shot off. These options include the following.
Direct Shot
The first option is a direct shot by player 1 (right footed) or player 2 (left footed). See figure 11.2.
Direct shot by players 1 and 2.
Touch and Hit
The second option is a touch and hit by player 1 and player 2 working together. See figure 11.3.
Touch and hit by players 1 and 2.
The Team Possession Drill
Purpose: Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers. Organization: Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
5v2 Divisions
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485519_ebook_Main.jpg
Purpose
Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers
Organization
Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
Procedure
- Designate two players to start as defenders in the middle. The five attackers start with the ball on the coach's whistle.
- Players play one touch at 100 percent speed for three 90- to 120-second games, with 60 seconds active rest between games where all players focus on rolling accurate, properly paced passes and receiving the ball with open body positions.
- If defense gets a touch, the defender who's been in the longest and the attacker who played a poor pass trade.
Key Points
- Passes must be crisp, firm, and rolling on the ground.
- Short support is critical with an open body position to receive and play quickly.
- Third attackers are always showing and moving in the windows between defenders for a split pass.
Shooting and Finishing
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let’s look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let's look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
The first great finisher who springs to mind is Joey Harper. I first came across Joe when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Scottish U18 team in the UEFA youth championships in the Netherlands. Joe was the youngest on our squad, but because of his uncanny ability to put the ball in the net, he found his way onto the team.
Later, I was lucky enough to team up with Joe when we were with Aberdeen, and in his time there, the 5-foot, 6-inch (168 cm) striker managed to score in excess of 200 goals. He scored goals at every level and in every club from his beginnings with Morton to his work for Aberdeen, Hibernian, and Everton. He had a wonderful ability to score goals.
The other player from my playing days now manages Liverpool and possibly is better known on the world stage. Yes, most soccer people are aware of Kenny Dalglish. I had the misfortune of playing against him during his Celtic days and the good fortune of playing and practicing with him in his Scotland days. Like Joe Harper, Kenny was not the fastest player, but he was very quick, and most of all, he was quick thinking. He always knew where the goal was, and in the penalty box when everything was busy and frantic, he had the calmest of temperaments. It almost looked as if the game came to a stop as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
I used the word slot. Sometimes Joe or Kenny would slot the ball into the net, but they could also hammer the ball home. Other times it was a pass, a curling shot, or a dipping volley. They both had a great repertoire of shots and seemed to have the ability to use the right weapon at the right time. This is the difference between shooting and finishing, and it is crucial that players learn finishing rather than just learning to shoot the ball hard. Don't get me wrong, there is a time for learning the proper techniques to shoot, bend, and dip the ball, but the most important thing is for players to experience gamelike situations where they learn the art of finishing.
I also have been fortunate enough to coach some terrific finishers here in the United States. Vladi Stanojevic still holds the Dartmouth career points record for the program, and Joseph Lapira scored 21 goals in his junior year at Notre Dame on his way to winning the 2006 Hermann Trophy. In fact, Notre Dame's strikers have led the Big East Conference players in scoring in 2006 (Joe Lapira), 2008 (Bright Dike), 2009 (Bright Dike), 2010 (Steven Perry), and 2012 (Ryan Finley). That's 5 out of 7 years.
We do few line drills, and most of the finishing drills we do are in gamelike situations. I do, however, strongly encourage players to spend time after practice hitting a bag of balls. I always have a bag of balls handy so the players can take 10 minutes after practice or come down when they have some spare time and hit a bag of balls.
During this time they can work on their technique and build confidence, but to score goals they also need to play the game and understand how to make space for their shot. Although good finishers are usually a little greedy, they do need to know how to combine with their teammates. They need to know how to find space, time runs, and get into good spots to get their shot off.
Having been a goalkeeper, I was always around finishing practices, trying to find out what makes strikers tick. I was studying their art while trying to thwart them. I had to understand their thinking, and this was possibly the best lesson I could have learned when I became a coach.
Every coaching session needs a beginning; an introduction. It is important for the coach to set the scene. You may discuss the aim of a session in the locker room, but the technical part of the warm-up is crucial. The session described in this chapter is one of my favorites and I use it a lot, especially in the winter and spring semesters, when I am teaching. I was first given the basic seeds of this session when I was coaching at Stanford. Tommy Wilson, who was one of the Scottish full-time staff coaches, brought the practice with him when he came to work at our summer camp. Tommy is now the reserve team coach with the Glasgow Rangers and was also the Scottish U20 coach when they participated in the U20 World Cup in Canada.
The session is split into the technical warm-up, the finishing phase, and the game phase, which puts the players in a game situation. Following the first three phases are various developments. Do not progress to the development phases until the players have a good feeling for the initial stage. Festina lente - "Hurry slowly" - is a good guide phrase!
Combination Play
Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.
Purpose
Preparing players technically and tactically
Organization
Set up a 44- × 40-yard (40 × 37 m.) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.
Procedure
The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.
Checking In
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485656_ebook_Main.jpg
- Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
- After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
- Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.
Heel Takeover
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485657_ebook_Main.jpg
Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there’s a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there's a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
I sat in a stadium during a prestigious youth soccer tournament watching an American team play in the featured match against an international side. Around me were a number of college head coaches and assistants. A free-kick situation unfolded, during which the American team produced an excellent opportunity to score. A young assistant next to me said, "Hey, they just ran our SMU play - that's unbelievable." That was interesting to me, because this young man only knew part of the story. The head coach of the club team who had initiated the free kick had sent a player to the University of South Carolina (USC), where he played for us for 4 years. This player introduced the same set piece to us, and we adopted it. The young assistant's head coach was my assistant at the time, and he took the same set piece to his college.
The young assistant had not just witnessed a team copying his set piece but rather had seen the original play in action. In such a way, set pieces are witnessed by coaches, embedded in their memory, and then reshaped and retooled in order to meet the demands of each particular team.
Attacking Free Kicks
The first order of business for the coach is to identify players within the team who may have special qualities enabling them to strike a ball accurately in a set-piece situation. One important quality to identify is the ability to bend a ball around or over a wall. Ideally, your team would feature a left-footed and a right-footed player with the same type of capabilities. Every effort should be made to identify these players and encourage them to further develop this set of skills. Repetition is critical here, and much of it will have to be carried out in individual work away from team training. Players should be encouraged to stay after training or come out on their own and work with the aid of an artificial wall and some goalkeepers in order to get the number of repetitions and quality of practice necessary to become proficient.
It is ideal to have a good right-footed and a good left-footed player involved in each free-kick situation over the ball. This creates an unsettled picture for the goalkeeper, who might expect a bending or dipping ball from either player, freezing him in position and preventing him from anticipating the flight of the ball.
Other specialists might include skilled headers of the ball, in many cases the center backs. They also need to spend extra time outside of team practice developing their timing and confidence in finishing chances that come to them.
Taking these concepts into consideration, we have developed a set-piece alignment at USC and used it successfully for many years, creating many variations of it. The setup allows for a balanced approach with many options. See figure 11.1 for an example of this alignment.
USC set-piece alignment.
In this alignment, the space represented by the shaded area in the diagram is critical to the selection of the proper set piece. The closer the ball is positioned to the goal, the more important it is to get a shot or a one-touch-and-hit shot off. These options include the following.
Direct Shot
The first option is a direct shot by player 1 (right footed) or player 2 (left footed). See figure 11.2.
Direct shot by players 1 and 2.
Touch and Hit
The second option is a touch and hit by player 1 and player 2 working together. See figure 11.3.
Touch and hit by players 1 and 2.
The Team Possession Drill
Purpose: Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers. Organization: Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
5v2 Divisions
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485519_ebook_Main.jpg
Purpose
Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers
Organization
Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
Procedure
- Designate two players to start as defenders in the middle. The five attackers start with the ball on the coach's whistle.
- Players play one touch at 100 percent speed for three 90- to 120-second games, with 60 seconds active rest between games where all players focus on rolling accurate, properly paced passes and receiving the ball with open body positions.
- If defense gets a touch, the defender who's been in the longest and the attacker who played a poor pass trade.
Key Points
- Passes must be crisp, firm, and rolling on the ground.
- Short support is critical with an open body position to receive and play quickly.
- Third attackers are always showing and moving in the windows between defenders for a split pass.
Shooting and Finishing
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let’s look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let's look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
The first great finisher who springs to mind is Joey Harper. I first came across Joe when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Scottish U18 team in the UEFA youth championships in the Netherlands. Joe was the youngest on our squad, but because of his uncanny ability to put the ball in the net, he found his way onto the team.
Later, I was lucky enough to team up with Joe when we were with Aberdeen, and in his time there, the 5-foot, 6-inch (168 cm) striker managed to score in excess of 200 goals. He scored goals at every level and in every club from his beginnings with Morton to his work for Aberdeen, Hibernian, and Everton. He had a wonderful ability to score goals.
The other player from my playing days now manages Liverpool and possibly is better known on the world stage. Yes, most soccer people are aware of Kenny Dalglish. I had the misfortune of playing against him during his Celtic days and the good fortune of playing and practicing with him in his Scotland days. Like Joe Harper, Kenny was not the fastest player, but he was very quick, and most of all, he was quick thinking. He always knew where the goal was, and in the penalty box when everything was busy and frantic, he had the calmest of temperaments. It almost looked as if the game came to a stop as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
I used the word slot. Sometimes Joe or Kenny would slot the ball into the net, but they could also hammer the ball home. Other times it was a pass, a curling shot, or a dipping volley. They both had a great repertoire of shots and seemed to have the ability to use the right weapon at the right time. This is the difference between shooting and finishing, and it is crucial that players learn finishing rather than just learning to shoot the ball hard. Don't get me wrong, there is a time for learning the proper techniques to shoot, bend, and dip the ball, but the most important thing is for players to experience gamelike situations where they learn the art of finishing.
I also have been fortunate enough to coach some terrific finishers here in the United States. Vladi Stanojevic still holds the Dartmouth career points record for the program, and Joseph Lapira scored 21 goals in his junior year at Notre Dame on his way to winning the 2006 Hermann Trophy. In fact, Notre Dame's strikers have led the Big East Conference players in scoring in 2006 (Joe Lapira), 2008 (Bright Dike), 2009 (Bright Dike), 2010 (Steven Perry), and 2012 (Ryan Finley). That's 5 out of 7 years.
We do few line drills, and most of the finishing drills we do are in gamelike situations. I do, however, strongly encourage players to spend time after practice hitting a bag of balls. I always have a bag of balls handy so the players can take 10 minutes after practice or come down when they have some spare time and hit a bag of balls.
During this time they can work on their technique and build confidence, but to score goals they also need to play the game and understand how to make space for their shot. Although good finishers are usually a little greedy, they do need to know how to combine with their teammates. They need to know how to find space, time runs, and get into good spots to get their shot off.
Having been a goalkeeper, I was always around finishing practices, trying to find out what makes strikers tick. I was studying their art while trying to thwart them. I had to understand their thinking, and this was possibly the best lesson I could have learned when I became a coach.
Every coaching session needs a beginning; an introduction. It is important for the coach to set the scene. You may discuss the aim of a session in the locker room, but the technical part of the warm-up is crucial. The session described in this chapter is one of my favorites and I use it a lot, especially in the winter and spring semesters, when I am teaching. I was first given the basic seeds of this session when I was coaching at Stanford. Tommy Wilson, who was one of the Scottish full-time staff coaches, brought the practice with him when he came to work at our summer camp. Tommy is now the reserve team coach with the Glasgow Rangers and was also the Scottish U20 coach when they participated in the U20 World Cup in Canada.
The session is split into the technical warm-up, the finishing phase, and the game phase, which puts the players in a game situation. Following the first three phases are various developments. Do not progress to the development phases until the players have a good feeling for the initial stage. Festina lente - "Hurry slowly" - is a good guide phrase!
Combination Play
Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.
Purpose
Preparing players technically and tactically
Organization
Set up a 44- × 40-yard (40 × 37 m.) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.
Procedure
The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.
Checking In
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485656_ebook_Main.jpg
- Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
- After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
- Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.
Heel Takeover
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485657_ebook_Main.jpg
Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there’s a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there's a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
I sat in a stadium during a prestigious youth soccer tournament watching an American team play in the featured match against an international side. Around me were a number of college head coaches and assistants. A free-kick situation unfolded, during which the American team produced an excellent opportunity to score. A young assistant next to me said, "Hey, they just ran our SMU play - that's unbelievable." That was interesting to me, because this young man only knew part of the story. The head coach of the club team who had initiated the free kick had sent a player to the University of South Carolina (USC), where he played for us for 4 years. This player introduced the same set piece to us, and we adopted it. The young assistant's head coach was my assistant at the time, and he took the same set piece to his college.
The young assistant had not just witnessed a team copying his set piece but rather had seen the original play in action. In such a way, set pieces are witnessed by coaches, embedded in their memory, and then reshaped and retooled in order to meet the demands of each particular team.
Attacking Free Kicks
The first order of business for the coach is to identify players within the team who may have special qualities enabling them to strike a ball accurately in a set-piece situation. One important quality to identify is the ability to bend a ball around or over a wall. Ideally, your team would feature a left-footed and a right-footed player with the same type of capabilities. Every effort should be made to identify these players and encourage them to further develop this set of skills. Repetition is critical here, and much of it will have to be carried out in individual work away from team training. Players should be encouraged to stay after training or come out on their own and work with the aid of an artificial wall and some goalkeepers in order to get the number of repetitions and quality of practice necessary to become proficient.
It is ideal to have a good right-footed and a good left-footed player involved in each free-kick situation over the ball. This creates an unsettled picture for the goalkeeper, who might expect a bending or dipping ball from either player, freezing him in position and preventing him from anticipating the flight of the ball.
Other specialists might include skilled headers of the ball, in many cases the center backs. They also need to spend extra time outside of team practice developing their timing and confidence in finishing chances that come to them.
Taking these concepts into consideration, we have developed a set-piece alignment at USC and used it successfully for many years, creating many variations of it. The setup allows for a balanced approach with many options. See figure 11.1 for an example of this alignment.
USC set-piece alignment.
In this alignment, the space represented by the shaded area in the diagram is critical to the selection of the proper set piece. The closer the ball is positioned to the goal, the more important it is to get a shot or a one-touch-and-hit shot off. These options include the following.
Direct Shot
The first option is a direct shot by player 1 (right footed) or player 2 (left footed). See figure 11.2.
Direct shot by players 1 and 2.
Touch and Hit
The second option is a touch and hit by player 1 and player 2 working together. See figure 11.3.
Touch and hit by players 1 and 2.
The Team Possession Drill
Purpose: Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers. Organization: Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
5v2 Divisions
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485519_ebook_Main.jpg
Purpose
Identifying top 5v2 players and potential playmakers
Organization
Set up a 10- × 10-yard (9 × 9 m) grid. There are seven total players, with five attackers and two defenders.
Procedure
- Designate two players to start as defenders in the middle. The five attackers start with the ball on the coach's whistle.
- Players play one touch at 100 percent speed for three 90- to 120-second games, with 60 seconds active rest between games where all players focus on rolling accurate, properly paced passes and receiving the ball with open body positions.
- If defense gets a touch, the defender who's been in the longest and the attacker who played a poor pass trade.
Key Points
- Passes must be crisp, firm, and rolling on the ground.
- Short support is critical with an open body position to receive and play quickly.
- Third attackers are always showing and moving in the windows between defenders for a split pass.
Shooting and Finishing
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let’s look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
What is the difference between shooting and finishing? Let's look at it this way - a player can shoot the ball well but may not necessarily be a good finisher. I was fortunate during my playing career to have played with some great finishers. I also played with some players who were hard shooters but not necessarily good finishers.
The first great finisher who springs to mind is Joey Harper. I first came across Joe when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Scottish U18 team in the UEFA youth championships in the Netherlands. Joe was the youngest on our squad, but because of his uncanny ability to put the ball in the net, he found his way onto the team.
Later, I was lucky enough to team up with Joe when we were with Aberdeen, and in his time there, the 5-foot, 6-inch (168 cm) striker managed to score in excess of 200 goals. He scored goals at every level and in every club from his beginnings with Morton to his work for Aberdeen, Hibernian, and Everton. He had a wonderful ability to score goals.
The other player from my playing days now manages Liverpool and possibly is better known on the world stage. Yes, most soccer people are aware of Kenny Dalglish. I had the misfortune of playing against him during his Celtic days and the good fortune of playing and practicing with him in his Scotland days. Like Joe Harper, Kenny was not the fastest player, but he was very quick, and most of all, he was quick thinking. He always knew where the goal was, and in the penalty box when everything was busy and frantic, he had the calmest of temperaments. It almost looked as if the game came to a stop as he calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
I used the word slot. Sometimes Joe or Kenny would slot the ball into the net, but they could also hammer the ball home. Other times it was a pass, a curling shot, or a dipping volley. They both had a great repertoire of shots and seemed to have the ability to use the right weapon at the right time. This is the difference between shooting and finishing, and it is crucial that players learn finishing rather than just learning to shoot the ball hard. Don't get me wrong, there is a time for learning the proper techniques to shoot, bend, and dip the ball, but the most important thing is for players to experience gamelike situations where they learn the art of finishing.
I also have been fortunate enough to coach some terrific finishers here in the United States. Vladi Stanojevic still holds the Dartmouth career points record for the program, and Joseph Lapira scored 21 goals in his junior year at Notre Dame on his way to winning the 2006 Hermann Trophy. In fact, Notre Dame's strikers have led the Big East Conference players in scoring in 2006 (Joe Lapira), 2008 (Bright Dike), 2009 (Bright Dike), 2010 (Steven Perry), and 2012 (Ryan Finley). That's 5 out of 7 years.
We do few line drills, and most of the finishing drills we do are in gamelike situations. I do, however, strongly encourage players to spend time after practice hitting a bag of balls. I always have a bag of balls handy so the players can take 10 minutes after practice or come down when they have some spare time and hit a bag of balls.
During this time they can work on their technique and build confidence, but to score goals they also need to play the game and understand how to make space for their shot. Although good finishers are usually a little greedy, they do need to know how to combine with their teammates. They need to know how to find space, time runs, and get into good spots to get their shot off.
Having been a goalkeeper, I was always around finishing practices, trying to find out what makes strikers tick. I was studying their art while trying to thwart them. I had to understand their thinking, and this was possibly the best lesson I could have learned when I became a coach.
Every coaching session needs a beginning; an introduction. It is important for the coach to set the scene. You may discuss the aim of a session in the locker room, but the technical part of the warm-up is crucial. The session described in this chapter is one of my favorites and I use it a lot, especially in the winter and spring semesters, when I am teaching. I was first given the basic seeds of this session when I was coaching at Stanford. Tommy Wilson, who was one of the Scottish full-time staff coaches, brought the practice with him when he came to work at our summer camp. Tommy is now the reserve team coach with the Glasgow Rangers and was also the Scottish U20 coach when they participated in the U20 World Cup in Canada.
The session is split into the technical warm-up, the finishing phase, and the game phase, which puts the players in a game situation. Following the first three phases are various developments. Do not progress to the development phases until the players have a good feeling for the initial stage. Festina lente - "Hurry slowly" - is a good guide phrase!
Combination Play
Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.
Purpose
Preparing players technically and tactically
Organization
Set up a 44- × 40-yard (40 × 37 m.) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.
Procedure
The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.
Checking In
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485656_ebook_Main.jpg
- Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
- After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
- Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.
Heel Takeover
http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/125/E5630_485657_ebook_Main.jpg
Direct and Indirect Free Kicks
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there’s a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
Set pieces are a critical part of the modern game of soccer. Interestingly, they occur more frequently in the biggest matches, where emotions run high and there's a tremendous amount of energy within the players on the field. For this reason, organization in both attack and defense in set pieces is important.
I sat in a stadium during a prestigious youth soccer tournament watching an American team play in the featured match against an international side. Around me were a number of college head coaches and assistants. A free-kick situation unfolded, during which the American team produced an excellent opportunity to score. A young assistant next to me said, "Hey, they just ran our SMU play - that's unbelievable." That was interesting to me, because this young man only knew part of the story. The head coach of the club team who had initiated the free kick had sent a player to the University of South Carolina (USC), where he played for us for 4 years. This player introduced the same set piece to us, and we adopted it. The young assistant's head coach was my assistant at the time, and he took the same set piece to his college.
The young assistant had not just witnessed a team copying his set piece but rather had seen the original play in action. In such a way, set pieces are witnessed by coaches, embedded in their memory, and then reshaped and retooled in order to meet the demands of each particular team.
Attacking Free Kicks
The first order of business for the coach is to identify players within the team who may have special qualities enabling them to strike a ball accurately in a set-piece situation. One important quality to identify is the ability to bend a ball around or over a wall. Ideally, your team would feature a left-footed and a right-footed player with the same type of capabilities. Every effort should be made to identify these players and encourage them to further develop this set of skills. Repetition is critical here, and much of it will have to be carried out in individual work away from team training. Players should be encouraged to stay after training or come out on their own and work with the aid of an artificial wall and some goalkeepers in order to get the number of repetitions and quality of practice necessary to become proficient.
It is ideal to have a good right-footed and a good left-footed player involved in each free-kick situation over the ball. This creates an unsettled picture for the goalkeeper, who might expect a bending or dipping ball from either player, freezing him in position and preventing him from anticipating the flight of the ball.
Other specialists might include skilled headers of the ball, in many cases the center backs. They also need to spend extra time outside of team practice developing their timing and confidence in finishing chances that come to them.
Taking these concepts into consideration, we have developed a set-piece alignment at USC and used it successfully for many years, creating many variations of it. The setup allows for a balanced approach with many options. See figure 11.1 for an example of this alignment.
USC set-piece alignment.
In this alignment, the space represented by the shaded area in the diagram is critical to the selection of the proper set piece. The closer the ball is positioned to the goal, the more important it is to get a shot or a one-touch-and-hit shot off. These options include the following.
Direct Shot
The first option is a direct shot by player 1 (right footed) or player 2 (left footed). See figure 11.2.
Direct shot by players 1 and 2.
Touch and Hit
The second option is a touch and hit by player 1 and player 2 working together. See figure 11.3.
Touch and hit by players 1 and 2.
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