Things are starting to settle down at the Club, the merry-go-round of staff is coming to end and it looks like my coaching partner for the year is confirmed and we worked together for the first time last Thursday and then again on Saturday. We are still in limbo awaiting the new syllabus so roughly working to the end of last years, ramping up the tempo and intensity of training as the games programme starts in a few weeks time.
This Saturday I led the session, with my partner having not worked in the Academy for a few years, he needs to find his feet again. Having still not seen the boys in games, it's very much learning about them still, what they can and can't do and know or don't know. Therefore, the session was to see what they understood about defending principles.
Session went as follows:
15mins - Tag games.
These have a great focus on agility for the boys, require real quick feet and dodging and weaving skills to get themselves out of tight areas. Interesting to observe who the boys were that are good at this, and often the smaller ones. It also teaches them some of the principles of defending, linking to the main body of the session. Does this also equate to dribbling skills? Maybe.
15mins - Passing square.
As part of the syllabus there is a reptition circuit that is done twice a week. Essentially this is about technique development, pass and follow around a square. Four cones, whatever distance you feel is right apart. The boys did this all last season so are familiar with its organisation ergo the instruction was simple; "there's the equipment, in two minutes can you be playing?".
What was interesting then was to stand back and see who led the group, who solved problems, who tried to do their own thing without the rest of the group etc. Real social corner skills. With this you generally have 5 players per square, otherwise you have an empty cone once the passes have been made. There was 8 boys and set up two squares...until one bright one sussed they needed one square! He is very much the thinker and the leader.
It was then a case of watching technical work in practice; who cheated and used their stronger foot, who did a pre-move and checked away to lose a defender, who had the biomechanics to punch a pass in...
30mins - Try to put into practice the principles of defending during a small-sided game.
Set up was as follows; a pitch big enough for 7v7, in this case about 60x40, split into thirds and then the middle third I split into four channels with flat rubber discs. The challenge was "when defending, can you defend three channels but attack across all four".
It then gave us as coaches the opportunity to watch the players understanding of defending principles; who closed the ball down quickly, who got side on to predict play, who covered and offered support, who tucked across and left the far channel where there wasn't any danger, who recovered when the ball had gone past them etc.
I then coached WITHIN the practice - asked questions during play using a variety of different coaching methods from command ("you need to get across when the ball is on the other side") to guided discovery ("what happens if you turn side on and why different sides - try it"). I'll talk about coaching methods in a future blog.
Anyway, for the 30mins they played I stopped the session ONCE. I set myself the target of stopping it a maximum of twice so succeeded. Children don't like adults ruining their game by constantly stopping it! So, just the once, and this was so they could have a drink as the tempo and intensity was high.
In that 2mins (maximum) of stoppage I asked some questions around their understanding and they had some surprinsgly good knowledge, I was impressed. Don't assume they don't know, and then teach them stuff they already do!
30mins - Small-sided game, thirds but no channels.
Could they now recall the information when they didn't have guidance to help them...and they did! Again, stopped it just once during the game for drinks and changing ends. Finished 5-4, very competitive...
...who said kids needs three points and a medal to be competitiive?!
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