FineSoccer Drill 55

One of the best ways to train small groups is to let them play small sided games in a controlled environment.  

For instance, if you have three players and one of them is a keeper, play a 1 v 1 game going to a big goal.  They start outside the 18 and whoever has the ball first goes to goal with the other player defending.  If the player with the ball wins the ball, she must take the ball outside of the 18 before she can go to goal (for those of you raised playing soccer, it's just like one on one in basketball where you must take everything back past the foul line before trying to score).  The keeper is trying to prevent both players from scoring.  This works on 1 v 1 attacking and defending and from a goalkeepers standpoint, works on shot blocking as well as positioning and breakaways.  You can play games to 5 and with two good field players and a good keeper, they will get an excellent workout.  Some of the rules you can put in are if you score, you get the ball back which really gives the players the incentive to score since most players would rather be attacking then defending.  Plus you can say no free backs which means that if Player A has the ball and Player B wins it, Player A can automatically go into a high pressure defense to try to win the ball back and go to goal.  If Player A has the ball and hits a shot that the keeper saves, Player B must get open and receive the ball from the keeper before Player A recovers.  Now all of a sudden you are working on transition and distribution as well.

If you have 4 players and two of the are keepers (or even if you have two who enjoy playing goal and know the basics of the position, you can play 2 v 2 to two full sized goals.  The designated keeper for each team can use her hands to make saves but once she has possession, she becomes a regular field player.  This really turns into a 2 v 1 game with a keeper so works on attacking, defending, balance, communication, finishing, goalkeeping and much, much more.  Plus, the keepers are working on their field skills as well as their keeper skills which they certainly will enjoy.

With any greater number then 4, just keep adding in field players to the small sided games.  This is where the saying that the game is the best teacher comes into play.  By playing small sided games where on breaks teaching takes place and also where restrictions can be used to simulate different situations, you can accomplish more then any "drill" that is out there.  However, too many coaches instead just throw a ball out there and let the kids play without any guidance or restrictions.  This is the difference between developing good habits and just developing habits (to read more about this, go to http://finesoccer.com/keepers1.htm which is the first FineSoccer Newsletter ever written and still one of my favorites).

The advantages to using small sided games as a coaching tool is that the players will enjoy their training, learn, improve and want to do it again and again.  The disadvantage is that some coaches use small sided games as an excuse and just let the kids play without bothering to make sure the players are doing things correctly.

When kids in the United States start going to the park and playing small sided pick up games on their own time and on a daily basis, we will then see our men's side really be able to compete with the best sides in the world.  All of the organized training sessions wont make up for the lack of just general play of the game.  The least we can do as coaches is try to create the environment where this type of thing can happen.

If you have any small sided games that you like to play, please feel free to share them with us at the FineSoccer Forum

Have a great day

Lawrence