Attacking With Crosses

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Heres a session on attacking with crosses, using a 4-3-3 layout using colour cones as helpful reference points

- To start set up as the picture below

The drill starts with the coach with the ball, a midfield player feints and comes for the ball. 

This player needs to be on his toes, checking his shoulder and be receiving on the half turn.

On receiving the ball this is the TRIGGER for the two wingers to LEAVE the middle grid and back pedal to the touchlines, creating width and space midfield. Along with the CF pushing up high to when progressed with defenders they'd be pushing the CBs back.

The midfield player with the ball then passes out wide to EITHER winger, (this session can be progressed to use defenders, and in this case the midfield player would be looking for whichever winger was free to pass too)

Once the winger receives the ball, this is the TRIGGER for the attackers to attack the box. Using cones for visual reference points, the typical layout would be of something similar too:

FRONT POST = CF

CENTER = CM

FAR POST = OPPOSITE WINGER

EDGE OF BOX = CM

Progressions / Variations:

- Add defenders

- Remove visual aids (cones in box)

- Add stipulations ie, midfield so many passes before they hit a winger

- Wingers stay within the grid, and CM only look to pass on the TRIGGER of a winger breaking free

- Introduce WBs and look at working overloads and 2v1 in the flanks

- Only wingers allowed in flanks

- CMs can enter flanks but for x-amount of time/touches

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Tile Slide - Advanced

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Progressing from the previous 'Tile Slide' Drill Found HERE

This drill, progression, variation is to FOCUS on positions when the opposition are taking a goal kick. Using two triggers - pressing and dropping

- Like before this can be used as a re-cap drill/session/game done before a match/session etc or for a starting point for players to realise positions etc and then progress it even further / using live defenders inside the grids etc

Again the set up can be the full size of one half, or made smaller be it so its easier to manage/ fitness levels/ etc For the blog post i've gone for a small grid.

Here in this BLOG POST i've gone for working with the 'YELLOW' team who during their next game OR training session will be setting up in a typical 4-3-3 formation. 

With working on positional awareness during an opposition goal kick (White) - Note - The goalkeeper can just as easy be the coach, if your short on players etc.

If the goalkeeper looks to play out from the back we can initiate the 'PRESS' trigger, OR if the players or coach during the game have worked out their strikers aren't good in the air or small and we've got a height advantage etc and we wish to exploit this, PRESSING from a Goal-kick ideally would leave the keeper with the only option being to KICK long.

- Here we've gone for the CB 'possible captain/ leader/ Good tactically etc' Calling out the trigger 'PRESS' 

Upon this, the RWB and LWB push into the next grid

Now depending on the ability/ age of the group your working with you can progress it and also include one midfielder to push into the 'OPPOSITION CB's' grid aswell

Now again i've gone for the opposition playing a 4-4-2, so the yellows have quickly gone from a 4-3-3 to a 2-4-4 and in doing so have man marked the opposition reducing alot of options for the keeper to play out too. Hoping the keeper will either play a RISKY ball out to his defence, or opting to kicking it long, and hopefully losing possession.

Now the second option 'DROPPING' again, this could be used as the team/ coaches have noticed the opposition are powerful in the air, play it long with most goal kicks etc

Again i've gone for the CB calling the trigger 'DROP'

- Here the RW and LW pull back into the next grid, and in doing so turn into a 4-5-1 formation.

So now if the opposition's goal keeper goes long, as normal. We've now got players back covering all areas, with a spare man in the middle.

NOTE = Since coaching for 8-9 months I'm now fully on the side of there's no such thing as ridged FORMATIONS. As i've been talking about playing a 4-3-3 but in two simple moves, the team have gone from playing in a 4-3-3 to a 4-5-1 to a 2-4-4. So for me tho i say a certain formation etc i fully believe the players need to understand POSITIONS / PLAYER ROLES within the game

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Fitness Drill - Random Cone

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Great drill for working on multi-direction speed, balance and reaction times.

Player or client simply stands in the middle of the 'pictured' area 5x5. The coach then calls out a colour to which the player reacts by accelerating towards, laterally or backpedalling too.

Coaching Points:

- Athletic Stance

- Player is on the balls on their feet ready to move

- Feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart

Progressions/Variations:

- Call out cones

- Point at cones

- Vary up the movement patterns - shuffle, crossover

- Add more cones

- Increase grid 

Sets of 3-5 with each set lasting between 15-30 seconds

Enjoy thanks for reading...

Zander

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Fitness Drill - Beat The Clock

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All you need is some space, tho to help explain the drill, i've used cones in the picture.

Great fun fitness exercise, to do or add into your routine to spice it up. 

Stand in the middle of an imaginary clock, and slightly adjust your position to face One O'clock. Where by you then perform ONE REP of whichever exercise your using.

So for example if your exercise is lunges, you'd perform ONE LUNGE at 'One O'clock' and return and swivel to now face TWO O'clock and immediately perform TWO LUNGES, and continue, THREE AT 3 FOUR AT 4 etc 

Go round the clock with your only rest coming from returning to your start position and swiveling! 

Try to beat the clock by getting to 12 O'clock and do 12 reps!

Possible suggestions:

- Press Ups

- Squats

- Walking Caterpillars 

- Lunges 

Enjoy thanks for reading..

Zander

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Tile Slide

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This is a great drill for teams who either find it hard to see space to cover / run into / exploit / defend  and support play etc

I used it alot for getting my under 18's to establish player positions during phases of play in a 4-3-3 and is also a very good, 10-15 minute warm up  game before a match to help go over runs and positions etc

However this blog post is gonna be the drill i used but stripped down to its very core! And i will do a more advanced version post soon, in how to use the set up to work on formations etc

The idea is based on the handheld toy/game called 'Tile Slide'.

The aim of the drill is simple, when you receive the ball, you must have a player in every grid next to you before you can pass it.

So the SPARE grid should always be as far away from the ball as possible.

Now with the picture below, this is the first time we would need a grid filling by a player. So player '1' would slide over (as pictured) to occupy the grid and be a passing option for the player receiving the ball, however while doing this they also leave their grid just left now OPEN which also needs filling!

So player '2' must be switched on and realise they need to slide across and cover and occupy another grid.

Now with players '1 + 2' sliding across, the player on the ball has all options open to them, and can play a pass to whoever they chose too.

Rules:

- Players must wait until all relevant grids are occupied before playing a pass

- Central player will always have a spare grid UNOCCUPIED when they receive the ball, so with this being a stripped down version. Explain that this unoccupied grid should always be directly behind the player.

- Passes can only go to one grid across, either horizontally, vertically and diagonally etc

- Keep the ball on the floor

Progressions/ Variations:

- Aerial passing

- Limited touches, one to control, one to pass.

- No waiting for players to occupy grids

- Enlarge the area depending on age to upto an entire half

- Pass across multiple grids

- BE CREATIVE

To sum up, this drill can be progressed easily to bed in formations and tactical positions of players. For example i've used this set up and bedded in a 4-3-3 formation with a back 4 across 3 grids, 3 CMs in the middle grid, and 3 attackers in a grid each at the top of the set up and progressed from there.

I'll do a post on this soon.

Enjoy thanks for reading..

Zander

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Fitness Drill - The Crossroad

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Great fun drill to work on motor skills

I've used cones in the picture to simulate 'ladders' as I'm assuming most coaches might not have ladders to hand BUT would have cones!

Players take it turn to complete the cones/ladders then the next one goes.

They go up the middle and just before they arrive at the 'crossroad' the coach calls out LEFT or RIGHT, players then using fast feet side step there way in the direction the coach called.

Progressions/ Variations:

- With ladders/cones there's loads of combinations to use when running through them:

One foot in each

Two feet in each

Zig Zag your way through etc

- When getting to the 'crossroad' coach can do LEFT or RIGHT on the players view or the coaches, so if using the coaches, view LEFT the player would do the opposite and go to THEIR RIGHT etc

- Progress to instead of CALLING directions to use your hands and VISUAL signals.

- Progress to using visual signals but opposite! so if you signal with your hand for the player to goto THEIR LEFT they need to goto the opposite and go RIGHT instead.

- Add another path leading straight on to further confuse and push the CNS 

Enjoy thanks for reading..

Zander

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