Football/Soccer Session (Advanced): Playing Through Midfield, Positional Awareness in Triangles (1)

Positional Game

SET UP:

- Positional Game. Team on outside look to maintain possession through passing with team and neutral players.

- Points system (1 point for team if able to connect with team through any neutral player).

- If opposition team win ball, they transition to outside via pass to neutral player. Team that has just lost ball can regain ball in transition.

KEY POINTS:

BODY SHAPE/POSITION/ANGLE (HOW CAN I POSITION MY BODY SO I CAN EASILY CONTROL THE BALL AND MOVE THE BALL INTO SPACE/FORWARD?)

- PASS QUALITY (SPEED & WEIGHT OF PASS)

- PASS COMMUNICATION (HOW CAN MY PASS MOVE TEAMMATE FORWARD/INTO SPACE/AWAY FROM PRESSURE?)

- BALL CIRCULATION (HOW CAN USE OF QUICK/MULTIPLE PASSES MOVE OPPOSITION OUT OF POSITION AND CREATE SPACE? USE OF PASSES TO MOVE DEFENDERS AND CREATE SPACE TO PLAY/PENETRATE)

- PERCEPTUAL AWARENESS (WHERE IS DEFENDER? WHERE IS SPACE? WHERE ARE TEAMMATES POSITIONED? LOCATION OF BALL?)

- POSITIONING (STAGGERED/ON DIFFERENT RECEIVING LINES, BOTH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL. HOW WILL THIS BENEFIT OUR POSSESSION OF THE BALL?)

POTENTIAL PROGRESSIONS:

- Points for multiple pass strings in possession.

- Points if team can regain ball in transition.

Conditioned Phase of Play

SET UP:

- Conditioned phase of play. One team (with GK) will try and build up to score in one of 3 goals. GK/CB/CB will be locked into 1st zone and 6/8/10 will be in central zone. Wide players included dependent on numbers.

- Opposition team will have CF in goal zone and 6/8/10 in central zone. additional players added dependent on numbers. This team will try and score in full-size goal.

- number dependent - if extra GK, switch 3 goals for full size goal.

KEY POINTS:

GK

- CAN YOU POSITION AND SHOW FOR THE BALL TO CREATE AN OVERLOAD?

- CAN YOU PLAY STRAIGHT THROUGH INTO MIDFIELD? IF NOT, WHAT IS YOUR NEXT OPTION?

CB

- CAN YOU PLAY FORWARD STRAIGHT AWAY? IF NOT, WHAT IS YOUR NEXT OPTION TO MAINTAIN POSSESSION?

- CAN YOU UTILISE THE SPACE (WIDTH AND DEPTH) TO CREATE MORE SPACE AND EXTRA WORK FOR OPPOSITION FORWARDS?

CM (6/8/10)

- CAN YOU POSITION SO THAT YOU ARE NOT ON THE SAME HORIZTONAL OR VERTICAL RECIEVING LINE AS ANOTHER PLAYER? WHY WILL THIS BE A BENEFIT?

- USE OF WIDTH AND DEPTH (WITHIN A CENTRAL SPACE) TO STRETCH OPPOSITION MIDFIELD. WHY DO WE WANT YOU TO STAY CENTRAL?

- CAN WE REPOSITION TO SUPPORT THE PLAYER WITH THE BALL? ARE WE ABLE TO CREATE AND OVERLOAD AND STILL HAVE AN OPTION TO SWITCH/PLAY INTO SPACE?

- CAN WE DROP OR MOVE BEYOND THE BALL TO SECURE/MAINTAIN POSSESSION AND CREATE OVERLOADS?

- BODY SHAPE/POSITION/ANGLE (WHEN I RECIEVE, AM I ABLE TO 1) MOVE FORWARD 2) MOVE AWAY FROM PRESSURE INTO SPACE?)

*WIDE PLAYERS*

- HOW CAN YOU MOVE/POSITION TO SUPPORT EITHER THE CB'S OR MIDFIELDERS?

- COULD YOU MOVE INSIDE TO CREATE AN OVERLOAD? WHAT WILL BE THE BENEFIT? WHAT MIGHT WE LOSE FROM THIS ACTION?

POTENTIAL PROGRESSIONS:

- Midfielders able to drop into initial zone to recieve.

- Defenders able to move up zone to create overloads.

- Opposition are free to move throughout zones/ Opposition are able to move freely when ball has been reclaimed (or players can move into next box to create overload).