Recognizing Opportunities to Shoot 09/03/2011
The When and The Why: I did the following training session with my U-14 Girls team on August 22, 2011. Last year we had a difficult time scoring goals mainly because we weren't seeing the chances we were creating. Part of the problem is the fact that most 12 and 13 year old girls are more concerned with fitting in than standing out so they tend to be unselfish when opportunities to shoot present themselves. This was our first training session of the year and I decided to start right away with getting them to see their chances and take them. As the season goes on I will continue to work on recognizing chances in front of goal with the goal being that the girls start taking shots as they present themselves habitually.
Warm Up: Each player has a ball, is assigned a number, a team, and an attacking direction to begin the warm up. Players are to dribble at game pace inside the designated central area until the goalkeeper on the end they are attacking calls his/her designated number at which time they have a prep touch and a shot. To begin have players simply working on striking the ball properly with the laces, ankles locked, toe pointed down and landing on the kicking foot. As players warm up instruct them to begin trying to score. With older players you may want to have them stretch a bit as they go or stop and stretch before upping the intensity.
Coaching Points:
Ankle locked; toe down.
Knee and shoulders over the ball.
Land on kicking foot.
Eye on the ball.
Good prep touch out from under feet.
Small Sided: The two teams play 3v3 or 4v4 (depending on numbers) in the middle while the rest of the players are off to either side each with a supply of balls. When a team gets a shot that goes out of play the defending team is immediately off the field and their teammates waiting on the sidelines come into play to attack the other teams goal. If a goal is scored the defending team is off the field but their teammates have to wait for the attacking team to reset before restarting play with the ball.
Coaching Points:
Head up to find shooting chances.
Take the chances that present themselves; BE SELFISH IN FRONT OF GOAL.
First time shots.
Near post far post decisions.
Attack quickly as the defending team is recovering.
See above coaching points.
Coaching Points:
Head up to find shooting chances.
Take the chances that present themselves; BE SELFISH IN FRONT OF GOAL.
First time shots.
Near post far post decisions.
Attack quickly as the defending team is recovering.
See above coaching points.
Expanded Small Sided: 5v5+5 Players are divided into three teams with two teams playing in the middle and the third team playing neutral (2 players on each side and 1 playing centrally). Either play 3, 7 minute games rotating teams each 7 minutes or switch teams off and on as goals are scored.
Coaching Points:
Take advantage of numbers up situations to create scoring chances.
Recognize opportunities to penetrate and shoot.
See Above Coaching Points.
Coaching Points:
Take advantage of numbers up situations to create scoring chances.
Recognize opportunities to penetrate and shoot.
See Above Coaching Points.
The Game: End the session with an unrestricted game including all players. Emphasize the coaching points and themes from the session.
Below you can see and download the training session form that I wrote up for my session. Simply click on the image and you will get a window where you can print or save the session plan form.
Below you can see and download the training session form that I wrote up for my session. Simply click on the image and you will get a window where you can print or save the session plan form.
Add Comment
Playing the Through Ball 04/08/2011
U-13 Boys, U-13 Girls, U-16 Girls
March 2011
Back in March I ran the following session with my U-13 girls as well as U-13 Boys, and U-16 Girls. The idea is to get players to recognize opportunities play a ball through the back line as well as finding ways to create the space to successfully play a through ball.
Warm Up: Players in groups of 3 with one ball in between them pass and move. Each group should find some space on the field to operate in. There is no real need to set them up in individual areas. This will encourage more freedom of movement as well as individual creativity. After 3 minutes restrict them to 2 touches. After another 3 minutes require them to play the ball in combinations.
Stretch.
7v7 with full goals plus Keepers: Set up a field 60 yards long and 50 yards wide. Divide the length of the field into 3, 20 yard thirds. Players play 7v7 in the middle third of the field. The two teams play possession when one team gets three consecutive passes they can then look to play a through ball into either of the attacking thirds of the fields, i.e. players can attack either goal. One player makes the run to receive the through ball and must take a one or two touch shot. One player from the defending team can give chase to put pressure on the attacking player. Offside is in effect using the top of each defending 3rd as the midfield line for offside purposes. 20 minutes.
March 2011
Back in March I ran the following session with my U-13 girls as well as U-13 Boys, and U-16 Girls. The idea is to get players to recognize opportunities play a ball through the back line as well as finding ways to create the space to successfully play a through ball.
Warm Up: Players in groups of 3 with one ball in between them pass and move. Each group should find some space on the field to operate in. There is no real need to set them up in individual areas. This will encourage more freedom of movement as well as individual creativity. After 3 minutes restrict them to 2 touches. After another 3 minutes require them to play the ball in combinations.
Stretch.
7v7 with full goals plus Keepers: Set up a field 60 yards long and 50 yards wide. Divide the length of the field into 3, 20 yard thirds. Players play 7v7 in the middle third of the field. The two teams play possession when one team gets three consecutive passes they can then look to play a through ball into either of the attacking thirds of the fields, i.e. players can attack either goal. One player makes the run to receive the through ball and must take a one or two touch shot. One player from the defending team can give chase to put pressure on the attacking player. Offside is in effect using the top of each defending 3rd as the midfield line for offside purposes. 20 minutes.
You may want to allow the possessing team to keep possession by playing back to the keepers who are neutral. If you do allow play to the keepers increase the number of consecutive passes to 5. Passes to and from the keeper don’t count as part of the 5 passes but they also don’t interrupt the pass count.
7v7 with full goals plus Keepers: The field is set up in the same way as the last game. Each is team is now attacking only one goal and defending one goal. Players play 5v5 in the middle with two players in the defending 3rd of the field to provide support and defend when a ball is played through. Play starts in the middle 3rd of the field, with a ball played in by the coach, and players play 5v5 there until one team gets 3 consecutive passes. Players may use defenders to retain possession but passes to and from them do not count as part of the 3 passes. Passes back to the defenders cannot be followed by the attacking team and they don’t interrupt the pass count. After 3 consecutive passes the possessing team can attack with a through ball. One player can make a run into the attacking area as well as two other players from the midfield 3rd. Offside is in effect using the top of each defending 3rd as the midfield line. This means that defenders should be required to play the edge of the midfield third unless their team is possessing and they are dropped in, in support. You may also want to allow the defenders to play defense in the gray area between the area they are defending and the midfield. 20 Minutes.
7v7 with full goals plus Keepers: The field is set up in the same way as the last game. Each is team is now attacking only one goal and defending one goal. Players play 5v5 in the middle with two players in the defending 3rd of the field to provide support and defend when a ball is played through. Play starts in the middle 3rd of the field, with a ball played in by the coach, and players play 5v5 there until one team gets 3 consecutive passes. Players may use defenders to retain possession but passes to and from them do not count as part of the 3 passes. Passes back to the defenders cannot be followed by the attacking team and they don’t interrupt the pass count. After 3 consecutive passes the possessing team can attack with a through ball. One player can make a run into the attacking area as well as two other players from the midfield 3rd. Offside is in effect using the top of each defending 3rd as the midfield line. This means that defenders should be required to play the edge of the midfield third unless their team is possessing and they are dropped in, in support. You may also want to allow the defenders to play defense in the gray area between the area they are defending and the midfield. 20 Minutes.
7v7 with full goals plus Keepers: The field is still set up the same way. Players can now move freely into and out of any area. However, each team is restricted to three players at a time in any area. Violation of the three players rule is a turn over. If the other team already has the ball allow play to continue let them restart with a free kick. 15 minutes.
7v7 with full goals plus Keepers. Free Play to end of session.
7v7 with full goals plus Keepers. Free Play to end of session.
Teaching players to create space and exploit it can be one of the most complicated things to teach a player. It is one thing to tell player to move one way to take a defender away from the space you want to open up and then move into it. It is a completely different thing to get players to recognize opportunities to create, create and then exploit it with a combination or attacking run. This session is really two sessions or a two hour session. You can mix and match the games to create two sessions. I would suggest using the simpler games first then in the second session adding the extra rules. As a two hour session the games get more complex and then reduce the restrictions until free play at the end which should have the effect of players continuing to create space by using combinations and wide play to open the field up.
U-17/18 Girls Training February 16, 2011
U-16 Girls Training February 17, 2011
8v8 with Outside Lanes- Area is half field or smaller depending on the number of players. There are no permanent players in the outside lane. The ball must enter the outside lane before the possessing team can attack. The outside lane is also not a free zone defenders are allowed into the outside lanes.
8v8 with Outside Lanes 2nd Progression- The same game as before with a new restriction and players must create a combination in addition to playing to the outside lanes before going to goal. In the second progression don’t allow defending in the outside lanes for the first 5 minutes. Encourage overlapping runs as the combo especially before defending is allowed its one the best ways I’ve found to demonstrate how an overlap should work.
U-17/18 Girls Training February 16, 2011
U-16 Girls Training February 17, 2011
8v8 with Outside Lanes- Area is half field or smaller depending on the number of players. There are no permanent players in the outside lane. The ball must enter the outside lane before the possessing team can attack. The outside lane is also not a free zone defenders are allowed into the outside lanes.
8v8 with Outside Lanes 2nd Progression- The same game as before with a new restriction and players must create a combination in addition to playing to the outside lanes before going to goal. In the second progression don’t allow defending in the outside lanes for the first 5 minutes. Encourage overlapping runs as the combo especially before defending is allowed its one the best ways I’ve found to demonstrate how an overlap should work.
8v8 with Midline and Outside Lanes- The ball still has to go outside before attacking but now in order for a goal to count all players must get to the attacking side of the midline. If all defending players are not back on the defending side of the midline any goal counts for double. Combinations should still be encouraged as a way to open up space.
8v8 with Midline- The requirement to play to the outside lane is now gone. All players still need to be on the attacking side of the midline in order to score and on the defending in in order to avoid goals counting for two.
8v8 No Restrictions- This should be self explanatory. Continue to encourage outside play and combinations and everyone getting forward and back together.
Finishing out of the Air 02/14/2011
Finishing is a tricky thing and finishing a ball out of the air is even trickier. Players see a bouncing ball in or around the box or get a waist high cross and they begin to salivate. Its a great chance to put a ball through the back of the net. Unfortunately most of these attempts wind up in the trees, stands or whatever else is behind the goal. The thing about finishing a ball out of the air is that its really about technique and most of all patience. Paul Scholes may be the best in the world at hitting a ball out of the air and every time he does it, it looks easy. This is because his technique is flawless, he is extremely patient, and he doesn't try to hit the ball through the back of the net. The following videos are classic examples of this. In the first clip, Scholes waits for the ball to come across his body and then hits it with his toe pointed down, his knee over the ball and he lands on his kicking foot. In the second clip Scholes demonstrates that patience and timing are the most essential elements as he makes the strike look almost effortless; yet hits an absolute screamer.
U-17 and U-18 Girls Training Session September 22, 2010
The following session incorporates the technique that should be used but it is mainly about learning the timing and patience that it takes to hit a good volley or half-volley.
Warm-Up- Players set up in pairs with one ball between them. One player serves the ball from his/her hands and the other volleys it back using both feet and all surfaces: inside, outside, and laces. If the level of the players is high they should be looking to put some spin on the ball when returning it to the server. Switch Players and Stretch. Both players should be working hard, up on their toes, and serving the ball at different heights and speeds. This can be done in groups of threes as well with one player serving balls from the side the other catching and then switching servers and sides. This gets the servers moving a bit more.
1v2+Goalkeeper- A coach or player serves the ball over the attacking player's head and the attacking player looks to volley the ball either near or far post depending on the position of the defenders. Defending players on the posts come out to defend a single attacking player once the ball is in the air. Rotate players after each ball from one defending post to the other then from one attacking line to the other. Set up to stations if necessary to keep players playing no more than three in any line is a good rule to follow in drills like these. Introduce fitness for shots that go over the bar. If players are using good technique and have the patience to wait for the ball to fall to the proper level before striking it they won't be hitting them over the bar. Exception to fitness is a well hit ball that dips after going over. A good restriction for the players is that the ball must hit the ground before the goal line. Turn it into a competition and count goals double for ones that hit the ground just before going in.
1v1+Goalkeeper- Both attacking and defending players start 25 yards out. A ball is played over the head of the attacking player who looks to control and shoot or hit a one touch volley while under pressure from the defender. It may be necessary to delay the defending player by a step or two. Use the same fitness penalties and turn it into a competition in the same way as the previous exercise.
8v8+Goalkeepers- Restriction: Headers, volleys, and half volleys to score; the ball must be played into the attacking area in the air.
8v8+Goalkeepers- No Restrictions. 2 points given for headers, volleys, and half-volleys scored to encourage balls to be played in the air.
8v8+Goalkeepers- No Restrictions. 2 points given for headers, volleys, and half-volleys scored to encourage balls to be played in the air.
September 21, 2010 U-11 Boys
Warm Up- Players lined up no more than three to a line each with a ball facing each other at a distance of 20 yards. Players dribble out to a cone 10 yards away and perform a feint or move of the coaches choosing and accelerate to the back of the opposite line. Players stretch while resting. Give 5-7 repetitions of 5-7 different moves. Possible Moves: Fake Shot push away with the outside of the foot, Lunge, Scissors, Rake, Chop-Chop (two touches with the inside of the foot one across the body the other past the defender. Make sure to have the players facing each other all going at the same time and accelerating in the same direction to avoid collisions.
Coaching Points: A change of Pace must accompany the change in direction.
Warm Up- Players lined up no more than three to a line each with a ball facing each other at a distance of 20 yards. Players dribble out to a cone 10 yards away and perform a feint or move of the coaches choosing and accelerate to the back of the opposite line. Players stretch while resting. Give 5-7 repetitions of 5-7 different moves. Possible Moves: Fake Shot push away with the outside of the foot, Lunge, Scissors, Rake, Chop-Chop (two touches with the inside of the foot one across the body the other past the defender. Make sure to have the players facing each other all going at the same time and accelerating in the same direction to avoid collisions.
Coaching Points: A change of Pace must accompany the change in direction.
1v1 Individual Challenge- The group of boys I was training for this session numbered 12 so I divided them into two groups of six and set up two areas for this exercise. Players face each other across a 20x25 grid, the attacking player starts the ball by pushing it into the playing area, play continues as long as the ball is in bounds. Scoring is by individual and is one point for dribbling across the opponent’s touchline and two points for doing so after performing a move to beat the opponent.
Coaching Points: Get the defender off balance with a move or feint then go by him/her with a change of direction or a change of pace.
Coaching Points: Get the defender off balance with a move or feint then go by him/her with a change of direction or a change of pace.
6v6 with 6 Goals and 2 Balls- Two teams defend 3 goals and attack three goals. Players must dribble through the goals to score. Each player needs to keep track of his or her own score. At the end of playing time players come together to figure out their teams total score.
Playing the Ball Wide to Attack 10/20/2010
U-15 Boys Sept 21, 2010
Warm Up: Play a simple possession game defending minimally, play with a three touch max at 50-75% effort (5 Min). Stretch (5 min). Back to simple possession up intensity to 75-100% (5 min).
Combinations on the Flanks: Play a Game to full goals with ten yard wide areas marked as shown in the illustration. Field Size: 50 long 60 wide. A player from each team plays inside the wide area and the ball must be played outside to the player in order to attack. In this first progression there is no defending in the flanks. The outside players should stay even with the ball at all time in order to be in position to receive it whenever his team picks up possession.
Progression 1: Defending in the flanks is allowed. When the ball is played into the flank a player (preferably the one who played the ball) can enter the flank for support or a combination.
Progression 2: As in the first two progressions the ball must be played wide to attack. Defending is allowed outside now an attacking player must enter the outside area and create a combination (Wall Pass, Overlap, or Take Over) in order to complete the attacking play. Defender must defend the player with the ball not position himself in order to not allow a combination. For example: Standing on the touch line to avoid a wall pass or making the overlapping run with the player entering the flank to keep a pass from being made and leaving the man with the ball alone. In a game a defender would never do this so it shouldn’t happen here. In short the player who finds himself defending on the outside should be looking to outsmart the game rather he should simply be looking to play the best defense he is capable of.
Progression 3: Eliminate restrictions and play to full goals. Encourage wide play, combinations, and creativity on the outside.
In the last three games against Gonzales, Hammond and MSC High Voltage, MSC Chaos has had varying results from undeserved and disappointing to successful to seemingly confounding respectively. In the first match against Gonzales the score, a 4-3 loss, wasn’t indicative of the way the girls played. We made a couple of mistakes that unfortunately resulted in goals for Gonzales. The mistakes were a result of poor communication and a lack of assertiveness in the back. The most disappointing thing here was that the mistakes were wholly unforced rather than being the result of pressure from the other team. While the result of the game was disappointing I thought the girls moved the ball well and there were moments where the ball movement was beyond what I was aware we were capable of. These moments opened my eyes to the fact that the amount of potential on this team, which I already felt was very high, may be even higher. However, being satisfied with a couple of moments of brilliant play isn’t my style and the girls shouldn’t be satisfied with it either. We need to work to get to that level of play for entire games. The moments I am talking about are the few times when the girls were playing the ball to feet, communicating constantly, moving before the ball was played to them, and moving into open space after they played the ball to a teammate. The result of doing all of these things together was the girls strung together 5-6 passes at a time ending in chances on goal. For the most part we were effective in front of goal but, as in other games, there were times when we were tentative, not following shots or getting on the end of balls played across the goal face.
The second game, against Hammond was a satisfying win. We continued to do all the things we did in the first game and a 6-0 win without any silly mistakes is always a good way to wipe away disappointment resulting from silly mistakes. The girls did very well in front of goal in the Hammond game and again put together some things in possession of the ball that were way above the heads of our opponents. There weren’t many mistakes in the second game but then again Hammond didn’t play at a high enough level to cause many mistakes.
The last game in this review is our 1-0 win against our sister team MSC High Voltage. I know that on paper many thought this would be a big (as far as the score goes) win for us and that the close score line was unexpected. Being in South Louisiana unexpectedly close score lines have become the norm this fall so why shouldn’t it be the same with us. I think that, as in our last game in the Gator Classic, we came out a bit over confident (some of the girls admitted to this) but I don’t think that we played as poorly as we did to start that game. MSC High Voltage kept players 20-40 yards in back of the midfield line and when we were in possession their midfield did a good job of getting back in front of the ball. The result was that when we went forward there were 5-8 opposing players to deal with and even with 3 players in the front line the numbers didn’t work in our favor. We simply couldn’t get enough players forward fast enough to create the chances we expected. We had a number of chances from outside and these could have resulted in couple of more goals had we been following the shots up with pressure on the goalkeeper (we definitely missed Maddie H. in these situations as she relishes the opportunity to put pressure on the keeper). There is a simple way to deal with teams that play a defensive game such as High Voltage did, but we haven’t talked about it or worked on it as there is only a slight chance of coming across teams that play that way. The thing to do in those situations is to push the ball forward and rather than going to goal when the ball gets up top simply continue to possess the ball as we do in the midfield until we have the numbers forward to create better chances.
The second game, against Hammond was a satisfying win. We continued to do all the things we did in the first game and a 6-0 win without any silly mistakes is always a good way to wipe away disappointment resulting from silly mistakes. The girls did very well in front of goal in the Hammond game and again put together some things in possession of the ball that were way above the heads of our opponents. There weren’t many mistakes in the second game but then again Hammond didn’t play at a high enough level to cause many mistakes.
The last game in this review is our 1-0 win against our sister team MSC High Voltage. I know that on paper many thought this would be a big (as far as the score goes) win for us and that the close score line was unexpected. Being in South Louisiana unexpectedly close score lines have become the norm this fall so why shouldn’t it be the same with us. I think that, as in our last game in the Gator Classic, we came out a bit over confident (some of the girls admitted to this) but I don’t think that we played as poorly as we did to start that game. MSC High Voltage kept players 20-40 yards in back of the midfield line and when we were in possession their midfield did a good job of getting back in front of the ball. The result was that when we went forward there were 5-8 opposing players to deal with and even with 3 players in the front line the numbers didn’t work in our favor. We simply couldn’t get enough players forward fast enough to create the chances we expected. We had a number of chances from outside and these could have resulted in couple of more goals had we been following the shots up with pressure on the goalkeeper (we definitely missed Maddie H. in these situations as she relishes the opportunity to put pressure on the keeper). There is a simple way to deal with teams that play a defensive game such as High Voltage did, but we haven’t talked about it or worked on it as there is only a slight chance of coming across teams that play that way. The thing to do in those situations is to push the ball forward and rather than going to goal when the ball gets up top simply continue to possess the ball as we do in the midfield until we have the numbers forward to create better chances.
Speed of Thought on the Soccer Field 10/13/2010
Warm-Up:
Tag inside a 30x30 Grid Players are it if they run outside the grid. 2 Players are it two at a time. This may seem too simple for a group of older players but remember that these are competitive athletes and they will compete; besides, it is only 5 minutes and then a stretch.
5v5+5:
Inside a 35x35 grid. Two teams of 5 play possession inside the grid and the third team is neutral. One neutral player plays inside the grid and the other four are outside each of the four sides of the grid. To score a team must possesses and play to one of the outside neutral players and then possess until they can play to the neutral player across the grid. Players on the outside should move according to the balls position so as to always be in line with the ball. Alternate teams about every 7 minutes. 21-28 minutes.
Tag inside a 30x30 Grid Players are it if they run outside the grid. 2 Players are it two at a time. This may seem too simple for a group of older players but remember that these are competitive athletes and they will compete; besides, it is only 5 minutes and then a stretch.
5v5+5:
Inside a 35x35 grid. Two teams of 5 play possession inside the grid and the third team is neutral. One neutral player plays inside the grid and the other four are outside each of the four sides of the grid. To score a team must possesses and play to one of the outside neutral players and then possess until they can play to the neutral player across the grid. Players on the outside should move according to the balls position so as to always be in line with the ball. Alternate teams about every 7 minutes. 21-28 minutes.
Note:
The path of the ball indicates one point, the other outside neutral players can be played in order to move the ball from one end to the other. Also note the position of the outside neutral players in relation to the ball.
Progression: To score a team must play in all outside neutral players in order without losing possession. This can make scoring in frequent so don’t worry if the game becomes low scoring.
Blackjack:
A simple (two team) possession game where every one touch pass that finds a teammate is a point. Teams may want to dictate a person to keep score, have them do so out loud to ensure fair play. 15-20 minutes. Play two games. If there are uneven numbers have one player as neutral.
Game to Full Goals:
Two touch restriction to start. Play on a small field (40x40) which will increase pressure and encourage quick play
The path of the ball indicates one point, the other outside neutral players can be played in order to move the ball from one end to the other. Also note the position of the outside neutral players in relation to the ball.
Progression: To score a team must play in all outside neutral players in order without losing possession. This can make scoring in frequent so don’t worry if the game becomes low scoring.
Blackjack:
A simple (two team) possession game where every one touch pass that finds a teammate is a point. Teams may want to dictate a person to keep score, have them do so out loud to ensure fair play. 15-20 minutes. Play two games. If there are uneven numbers have one player as neutral.
Game to Full Goals:
Two touch restriction to start. Play on a small field (40x40) which will increase pressure and encourage quick play
Proper Ball Striking, Chips, and Pings 10/04/2010
U-13 Girls Training Session Oct 4, 2010
Warm-Up 5-7 Minutes
All the players in side a 30x40 area passing and moving at 50%-75%. The number of soccer balls involved is half of the number of players involved in the training session. Stretch. Play for another 5 minutes at full speed.
Intro to Pings and Chips-
This bit of the training session is a little boring but it is necessary for players to get technique correct. Demonstrate proper ping and chip technique. Striking the ball slightly off to the side with the toe pointed out, ankle locked, knee bent, hit the ball with the laces and follow through low. The difference in a ping and chip is simply where the ball is struck. for a ping (or low driven pass) the ball is struck in the center while for a chip the ball is struck below the center. Have player in pairs only about 15 to 20 yards apart to start so they aren't trying too hard to get the ball to the target. This way they can focus on technique.
Ping/Chip Game-
I learned this game from my friend Jared Montz through working at his camps and have modified it slightly. The game has six players in two three player teams. Set up in two 10x10 grids, or target areas, 20 yards apart. Two teammates and one target player occupy each grid. One of the teammates starts the game by playing a ball to his/her teammate in the opposite target area and follows the ping or chip into the opposite area to become the next target. To score, the target player settles the ball and plays it to an opposing player then makes a run into his/teams possession area. A one touch flick or pass to an opposing player can be added for two points. A ball that misses the target area is a point for the other team. The runs from the players go like this a player acts as target then makes a run, into his/her own area to become the player who receives the ball from the opposing teams target player. After receiving the ball the player plays it off to be pinged or chipped into the target area. The player who pings or chips the ball makes a run into the target area and so on so players make two runs in a row then get one off.
Warm-Up 5-7 Minutes
All the players in side a 30x40 area passing and moving at 50%-75%. The number of soccer balls involved is half of the number of players involved in the training session. Stretch. Play for another 5 minutes at full speed.
Intro to Pings and Chips-
This bit of the training session is a little boring but it is necessary for players to get technique correct. Demonstrate proper ping and chip technique. Striking the ball slightly off to the side with the toe pointed out, ankle locked, knee bent, hit the ball with the laces and follow through low. The difference in a ping and chip is simply where the ball is struck. for a ping (or low driven pass) the ball is struck in the center while for a chip the ball is struck below the center. Have player in pairs only about 15 to 20 yards apart to start so they aren't trying too hard to get the ball to the target. This way they can focus on technique.
Ping/Chip Game-
I learned this game from my friend Jared Montz through working at his camps and have modified it slightly. The game has six players in two three player teams. Set up in two 10x10 grids, or target areas, 20 yards apart. Two teammates and one target player occupy each grid. One of the teammates starts the game by playing a ball to his/her teammate in the opposite target area and follows the ping or chip into the opposite area to become the next target. To score, the target player settles the ball and plays it to an opposing player then makes a run into his/teams possession area. A one touch flick or pass to an opposing player can be added for two points. A ball that misses the target area is a point for the other team. The runs from the players go like this a player acts as target then makes a run, into his/her own area to become the player who receives the ball from the opposing teams target player. After receiving the ball the player plays it off to be pinged or chipped into the target area. The player who pings or chips the ball makes a run into the target area and so on so players make two runs in a row then get one off.
8v8 to full Goals-
Play the first half of remaining time in the session with the restriction that a ball must be chipped or pinged into the attacking area from the wings or the back in order to score. Play the second half of remaining time with no restrictions.
Play the first half of remaining time in the session with the restriction that a ball must be chipped or pinged into the attacking area from the wings or the back in order to score. Play the second half of remaining time with no restrictions.
Gator Classic Tournament Recap 10/03/2010
The weekend of September 24-25 we played in the Gator Classic and for the most part had a very nice, although disappointing, showing. Before the first game I asked the girls what they wanted and they all agreed that we wanted to walk away with the top trophy. So, in that we didn’t walk away having won the tournament it was a disappointment; but, there were some very bright spots and some things to be proud of by the end, regardless of the end result.
Our first game against JFC was a big bright spot. After a slow start and going down 1-0 the girls fought back and put some very nice things together in the process. After the first few minutes we started moving to the ball and the game turned in our favor because of it. The goals we scored were also a bright spot and they came from recognizing opportunity in front of goal and moving to a 50-50 ball in front of goal respectively. I was pleased to see both of these things happening as they are things I’ve talked about us not doing well in our first few games. I believe the first game also showed us that when we do move to the ball and communicate well we can play with and beat anyone. In the second game we continued doing things properly and while we still struggled to recognize opportunities in front of goal I think that the girls moved the ball around well and showed definite improvement from the first time we played Pearl River.
Sunday’s game (something of a different story from Saturday) saw us playing about as poorly as we have played. I’m not sure if it was the fact that we simply expected to win, the heat, playing our third game in two days or some combination of the three. I feel like it was mostly our own expectation that Calcasieu would be an easy win similar to Pearl River on Saturday. Although Sunday’s game was a disappointment it wasn’t all bad. The girls fought their way out of a funk which is something that shows a good deal of character. The problem was that our opponents had already bought into the idea that they could play with us and continued to play over their heads. In fact we created more chances than they did in the second half and I would say we out played them; however; we play the only game in the world where you can outplay your opponent and still not come away with a win. It would be easy to blame a referee’s decision for our failure to advance in fact I’m inclined to; however, had we come out and played the way we are capable of playing the referee’s decisions poor or not wouldn't have entered into the picture. Quite simply during the first 25 minutes of the game we sat back and let them win balls rather than moving. Our back line didn’t move out as they played the ball out and we weren't talking to each other. Hopefully we can take a valuable lesson away from this rather than just disappointment. That lesson being that while we are a good team that can play with everyone we come across we also can’t allow other teams to play with us. Assuming a victory isn’t the same as earning one and we didn’t go out and earn one last Sunday.
Our first game against JFC was a big bright spot. After a slow start and going down 1-0 the girls fought back and put some very nice things together in the process. After the first few minutes we started moving to the ball and the game turned in our favor because of it. The goals we scored were also a bright spot and they came from recognizing opportunity in front of goal and moving to a 50-50 ball in front of goal respectively. I was pleased to see both of these things happening as they are things I’ve talked about us not doing well in our first few games. I believe the first game also showed us that when we do move to the ball and communicate well we can play with and beat anyone. In the second game we continued doing things properly and while we still struggled to recognize opportunities in front of goal I think that the girls moved the ball around well and showed definite improvement from the first time we played Pearl River.
Sunday’s game (something of a different story from Saturday) saw us playing about as poorly as we have played. I’m not sure if it was the fact that we simply expected to win, the heat, playing our third game in two days or some combination of the three. I feel like it was mostly our own expectation that Calcasieu would be an easy win similar to Pearl River on Saturday. Although Sunday’s game was a disappointment it wasn’t all bad. The girls fought their way out of a funk which is something that shows a good deal of character. The problem was that our opponents had already bought into the idea that they could play with us and continued to play over their heads. In fact we created more chances than they did in the second half and I would say we out played them; however; we play the only game in the world where you can outplay your opponent and still not come away with a win. It would be easy to blame a referee’s decision for our failure to advance in fact I’m inclined to; however, had we come out and played the way we are capable of playing the referee’s decisions poor or not wouldn't have entered into the picture. Quite simply during the first 25 minutes of the game we sat back and let them win balls rather than moving. Our back line didn’t move out as they played the ball out and we weren't talking to each other. Hopefully we can take a valuable lesson away from this rather than just disappointment. That lesson being that while we are a good team that can play with everyone we come across we also can’t allow other teams to play with us. Assuming a victory isn’t the same as earning one and we didn’t go out and earn one last Sunday.
