Football/Soccer Session (Beginner): Coaching with a Street Soccer Mentality: Problem Solving

Whole

Per the direction of the coach the players are asked to bring in all the equipment they were using upon their arrival to training. The players are to sort out the equipment as they were when they arrived. Why? This is another layer of teaching organization and cooperation. The coach may also indicate a time by which this must be completed- "Have all the equipment sorted out within 1 minute!...Go!" Be sure to let the group know when they've completed the task well. Using a portable white board (visual learning), instruct the players to create playing grids that can accommodate games featuring 4 v 4. Depending on the number of players, the coach can instruct the players to also create spaces that can accommodate lesser numbers (2 v 2, 3 v 3). The rules by which they play is entirely left to the players. 

Part

Remember, the topic of this session has to do with problem solving. Therefore, the environments are altered to pose challenges to the players both technically and tactically. This is an "Attack 2 - Defend 2" activity where the players are formulated in a 4 v 4 fashion. There are no goalkeepers and the goals which are utilized are oversized which increases the possibility of scoring goals. The environment in which the players are competing offers both technical and tactical implications. The players are challenged technically in the areas of dribbling, passing, receiving, tackling, and shooting. Tactical implications arise when the players must assess which goal to attack and why and conversely, which goal must be defended and why. Balls that go over the end line, side line, or scored results in the game being restarted by a kick in which is free; i.e. the game resumes when a player receives the ball. 

Whole

The last portion of the training session features the players participating in an actual 4 v 4 game. When it is age appropriate, the inclusion of goalkeepers is acceptable (5 v 5). All rules pertaining to the game apply. Before the game begins, the coach brings the group together to ask about some of the things they've learned in the prior activities and play. In essence through that method the coach is planting the seeds of moments that learning took place. That lays the groundwork for the coach to observe and see if indeed those areas manifest themselves in the game. 

In summation, the players from the moment they arrive are immersed in game like activities and the actual game itself. The "coaching" which takes place manifests itself through observation, guided learning through the Socratic Method. The idea of street soccer has been complimented by the structure of the session and the activities implemented. Last but not least, from the very beginning of the session, the coach is an enthusiastic cheerleader and supporter of creative play. have fun out there!