Coach Pete's Lessons

Week #1 - Attacking by Dribbling

Week #2 - Team Shape While Attacking

Week #4 - Knowing How & When to Dribble

Week #5 - Practice Makes Perfect - RTF - DOC - Office2007

Coaching Advice:

In many sports Officiating is blamed for the outcome of the game.  Very rarely does a Soccer Official really affect the outcome of a soccer match.  Remember the two goals of any soccer official is to keep the game flowing and going and to decide "ADVANTAGE".  Advantage can only be decided by who had the ball at the time of the infraction and who ends up with the ball after the infraction.  These events do not necessarily occur at the same time.  Advantage and keeping the game going may go "hand in hand".  So don't be too quick to call for a foul for that may be what affects your team.  Besides yelling at the Official is a bad example to set.

Coaching Tip:

When setting up a training, plan out your spaces carefully and in advance.  Having your training spaces planned will make your transition from one activity to the next smooth and will keep the kids interested. 

When you set up a training grid for small children, it is best to show them by having follow you from point to point on the grid so they visualize the area.

Seven tips for young goalkeepers

Use these tips to coach your goalkeepers and give them more confidence.

1. Get hands in the correct position. It's critical that a goalkeeper's

hands, especially the thumbs, are behind the ball. When the ball is above

waist height, the fingers and thumbs should form a "W" shape with the

thumbs touching. Below waist height, the hands should form a basket,

or M shape, with the little fingers touching.

When picking the ball up from the ground, your goalkeeper should

bend their knees and back, stay low with finger tips brushing the ground

 and scoop the ball in one fluid motion.

2. Get behind the ball. Make sure your goalkeepers always get some part

of their body behind their hands when catching or picking up a rolling ball. T

hey should sidestep quickly to get in line with the shot, and not reach out

sideways for the ball.

Activity Have your players stand in a circle about 15 yards across. Start the exercise by getting the players to throw one ball around the circle at shoulder height. The only rule is it can be passed to anyone except the player next to them. After a minute or so, add a second ball. For young players or beginners, the passes need to be slow. But older or more experienced players will enjoy seeing how quickly they can throw and catch the balls without making errors. Then allow balls to be thrown at knees or rolled along the ground. Balls can also be thrown intentionally off target to test footwork. Coaching points Check your players' hand positions are correct and make sure they stay on the balls of their feet, moving quickly to get behind the ball.

3. Don't stand rooted to the goal line. This is perhaps the

biggest mistake young goalkeepers make. You can easily demonstrate

the benefits of closing down approaching attackers by standing on the

goal line with your goalkeeper in front of you, about 5 yards away.

Ask them: 'how big does the goal look?' Answer: 'big!'

Then you move off the line by 10 yards or so and place your goalkeeper

right in front of you. Ask: 'how big does the goal look now?' Answer: 'very small!'

This should be enough to convince your goalkeeper that they should get

as close to approaching attackers as possible and not wait on the line for them to shoot.

4. Get your knees dirty! Beginner goalkeepers tend to bend from the waist to

block low shots and rolling balls. This makes it hard for them to get their

hands low enough and prevents them getting some part of their body behind their hands.

You need to encourage them to get down. Call out: "Get your knees dirty!"

5. If you're not sure, kick towards the touch lines. Young goalkeepers often

struggle to get any distance on their kicks and throws. Accuracy can be a problem too,

and the receiving player doesn't often have brilliant ball skills.

All this adds up to danger... goalkicks in youth soccer often result in goals for the opposition.

Especially if they are coached to step in front of the receiving player and intercept the ball.

Tell your goalkeepers to take their time and not rush. If they are not sure where to kick or

throw the ball, they should kick towards one of your players on the touch line - not straight

up the middle of the pitch. It's safer that way.

6. Stay focused. Children often switch off when the action is at the other end of the pitch.

You need to help your goalkeeper to stay alert, even when the ball doesn't come close by for long periods.

If you're on the touch line, occasionally talk to them. Ask them if they are okay and

encourage them to move around the penalty box to stay warm.

That way they will be ready for a sudden attack from the other team.

7. It's not your fault! Young goalkeepers nearly always blame themselves

if they let in a goal. Sometimes they can get really upset. I always tell my

goalkeepers we have 10 outfield players whose job it is to stop the other team
hooting at our goal. If they can't stop the other team shooting, it's not the

oalkeeper's fault if the shot goes in. It's a team game!

 

A Simple Introduction to the Offside Law

The basic offside Law is easy enough to understand

"A player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponents' goal line t

han both the ball and the second last opponent". (FIFA Laws of the Game)

However, a player can be in an offside position but not committing an offence.

He or she is only penalised if, at the moment the ball touches, or is passed by,

one of their team, they are, in the referee's opinion, involved in active play.

Wow! (I hear you say). How am I going to teach that to my U10s?

It's really not as difficult as it seems

To begin with, I suggest you teach your players that they cannot be offside if any o

ne of the following applies to them when the ball is touched or passed by a team mate:

• They are in their own half of the field.

• They are level with or behind the ball.

• There are two defenders between them and the goal. Note: the goalkeeper
• is not always the last defender. If he is off his line there may still be two
• outfield players closer to the goal.

• They receive the ball direct from a goal kick, corner kick or throw in.
• Test your players' understanding by setting up the situations listed above and
• ask them if they are offside. Make sure these four basic principles are clearly
• understood before explaining what active play means.

What is active play?

Active play is described by FIFA as:

"...Interfering with play or interfering with an opponent, or gaining an

advantage by being in an offside position".

Some definitions might be useful at this stage.

• "Interfering with play" means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team mate.

• "Interfering with an opponent" means preventing an opponent from playing, or being able to play, the ball. This is an offence if your player clearly obstructs the opponent's line of vision or movements, or makes a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts the opponent.

• "Gaining an advantage by being in an offside position" means playing a ball that rebounds off a goalpost or crossbar having been in an offside position, or playing a ball that rebounds off an opponent having been in an offside position. (corshamref.org.uk)

The most important part of the offside Law

Don't worry about it. It should be quite easy to teach your players to recognise if they or a team mate are in an offside position. However, an 'average' 9 or 10-year-old (as well as your average 30 or 40-year-old) is unlikely to have a clear idea of what active play means no matter how hard you try to explain it.

So make sure your players understand how to avoid being caught offside by using the essential points listed above. But don't spend a lot of time on active play.

Why? Because the most important part of the offside Law is the phrase "in the opinion of the referee". If your players understand that the referee is always right, the offside Law becomes very simple. If the ref says you are offside, you are offside! That wasn't too bad, was it?