Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Playing as a unit and counter-press

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Pro-Club: FAI - Coach Education

Keith Healy

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Keith Healy
Name: Keith Healy
City: Dublin
Country: Ireland
Membership: Adult Member
Sport: Football/Soccer
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Description

Primarily this game is one to use to maintain a good compact shape in attack with a mind on rest defence and counter-pressing on transition. Basically all attacking team must be in opponents half before they can score. This will need focus on the game from all players. Reading and anticipation of the game from the players. The players will have to work hard to keep moving up and down the pitch as a unit. Good Communication. Loads of progressions for this game - we can focus on many aspects around counter pressing, rest defence and attacking structures.


Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Playing as a unit

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Playing as a unit
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Playing as a unit (40 mins)

Method: 6v6 - working and moving as a unit - The one constraint for this game is all of your players must be in the attacking half to score. This game can be used to automatically get your team moving up and down the pitch together as a unit without even having to coach it. The game requires that the team must all move forward and backwards together. It can also be used to train counter-pressing as our defensive shape on transition to defend will be compact and naturally compressing the space in which to play for the opponents.



Coaching Points: Demonstrate clearly how to score a goal at the start. Demo a successful scenario and one where a player does not get into the opponents half before his/her team score. Anticipation is important in this game to make sure we are all in the opposition half. Good Communication by the last man. Attacking/Defensive shape, help the players, especially if younger, to maintain a good shape when going forward - keep a player centrally to block incase of transition to defend, always a support behind, beside, in front. Third man runs, 1-2's, can we isolate a defender to use 1v1, 'up, back, through'. Coach the defenders of the team attacking to cover in case of a transition. Don't forget 'What If' questions. 'What if we lose the ball now?', 'What if we win the ball?' Try to get the players thinking about the 'What if?' Progression - On a transition we can introduce some counter-pressing ideas: Nearest to the ball presses, next nearest tries to block passing lanes around the ball carrier then advance on the carrier. Cut passing lanes before engaging opponent. Add GK's so we can train cutting off the back pass which is an important principle of counter-pressing. Add a rule if we score from a counter-press its worth 2 points. Keep score and declare a winner. For older teams add a consequence for losing - Put all the gear away, burpees etc....


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