As I mentioned in the previous article, the boys were playing too many per team as it was. Now it was time to go ridiculous, and have seven-year-olds playing 9v9. They barely even have the attention span for 7v7. Big pitch, lots of time without the ball. At least with two extra players I could shove two more kids in defence as a barrier between their forwards and our goal, right?
Positioning
When defending, all players should come back to help the team, apart from one forward who will find in space in the middle third of the field.
If our goalkeeper has the ball and is looking to pass, our players need to find a big space away from other players. The best places to find space are on the far left and the far right of the field.
The goalkeeper should avoid passing the ball through the middle of the field, and should always look to give the ball to a teammate rather than just kicking it as far as he can.
At throw-ins, the taker should take no more than three seconds to pass the ball. His teammates should find a space with no other players in it, and not ask for the ball when standing behind a defender.
The team should never shoot from kick off.
If you want the ball from a teammate, find a space where he can kick the ball to that is not near any other players, and call for the ball, asking him to pass to you.
If a forward is running through to our goal, the goalkeeper should come out of the goal to meet him.
When surrounded by opponents, the player with the ball should look for a pass. Never be scared to pass in a sideways or backwards direction. It is better to keep the ball than to kick it away.
Do not stand still and talk to your friend. Always pay attention.
If an opponent has run past you and is going to goal, run past him to be between him and the goal, then make your approach to steal the ball.
When the opposition has the ball, try to position yourself between the ball and the goal that you are defending, making it more difficult for them to pass forward or to shoot.
After a shot, when both attacking and defending, run towards the goalkeeper in case the ball is dropped. Being first to the ball can help either score or prevent a goal.
Try to make decisions quickly. Always have your next pass already decided in your head, well before you receive the ball.
Goalkeeper Distribution
Look for players in the wide positions.
Do not just kick the ball long down the middle.
If a player is not open or free, do not pass to them.
Pick the easiest pass.
Use hands, kick from hands, or put the ball down to kick. Whichever method is easiest.
Try and keep the ball lower when passing so that it is easier for your teammate to control.
After the ball is released, other players must move into positions to support and receive the ball.
These starting positions must be found immediately when the ball leaves the field. The quicker we get into space, the quicker we can play.
Attacking Throw-InsEveryone should look for their own individual space.
The three players in the three positions nearest to the ball must support in a diamond shape.
If we cannot play forward because there are too many defenders, then we can look to play sideways or backwards.
The diamond shape provides us with forward, sideways, and backwards options.
The cue is a call of “DIAMOND” which signals to the players that they need to find their space.
All throws on the left must be taken by the left defender.
All throws on the right must be taken by the right defender.
The positions taken up by the rest of the team will also create diamonds all over the field.
If the throw is on the left, the three options should be filled by; Back: central defender, Sideways: central midfielder, Foward: Left midfielder. A similar setup is required for the right side of the field.This leaves us with options on the other side of the field, but also with structural integrity if we were to lose the ball.
We MUST be first AND second to the ball.
Attack the ball before it bounces.
Forwards is not the only way to throw the ball, and if our chances of retaining the ball when moving forwards are low, we look for other options in other directions.
Defending Throw-Ins
Act quickly to cover all the immediate opponents.
Use a cue of “Everyone take a [COLOUR] shirt!”
Be FIRST and SECOND to the ball.
Stand one metre away from your opponent, and sideways on, in case they throw the ball over your head, allowing you to turn quicker, and always be GOALSIDE.
Be strong when challenging for the ball.
If the opponent receives it at their feet, quickly move into the line of the goal and pressure them, preventing them from turning or playing forward.
If we receive the ball, can we play it into space, rather than trying to kick it through the crowd of other players.
I did want to work on these titles too; free-kicks in attacking positions, free-kicks in the middle or defensive third, defending free-kicks, defending corners. A lot to go over for U8, yes, but not as organised, detailed, or micromanagement orientated as you would think. Remember, these are groups that like to shoot from kick off. We wouldn't have been talking about intricate set-piece routines. It's more don't shoot from too far out, can you look to play quickly, find a different space to your teammate, and don't run too far away from the kicker.
The idea with young kids and set-pieces is that they are to be creative and to experiment. I see adult teams all the time, missing opportunities to start a counter-attack after being awarded on the halfway line. The player on the floor takes twenty seconds to play with their socks, the teammates turn their backs as they jog into positions sixty yards away, then the kick taker strolls over. While the team is spread out, in attack formation, potentially weak defensively, and the opposition is organised, the kick taker then decides to take a run up, and launch the ball forward. In women's football you see far more often the cardinal sin of not beating the first defender. You have just organised yourself into a state of defensive vulnerability, and given the ball away, unopposed, now giving them the prerogative for a counter. Criminal.
If your delivery is expert and consistent, then going long can be a good option. What I'm saying is that it shouldn't be the only option. It shouldn't be done every time. We should know when to go short, and we should be able to recognise when the opposition are vulnerable to quick free-kicks. Are they arguing with the referee? Do they only have one recovered defender? Punish them. If we don't get it into kids at young ages that they can be creative and experimental, it's so hard to get it into them when they are older. People don't seem to mind wasting a free-kick by going long, as forward is often seen as the only option, and if you lose the ball, it's down the other end anyway.
Challenge them with four second restarts. Corners, throws, goal keepers, all have four seconds to get the ball back into play, or else it can be contested (if it's on the ground) or a turnover if it's in their hands. Now the player with the ball must think quickly. The players around the ball cannot stand still. What we do at Aldershot with corners is that we have a pretty standard model of positioning. No surprises. Then, just before the kick is taken, two, and that's any two, including a defender running deep from the halfway line, will move in to offer short to the corner taker. The boys take care of this and rotate each time, so it's not always the same two. Most teams will have one defender spare in case the opposition go short. Very quickly the opposition start leaving two or three in case we go short. Our rule is that the taker doesn't have to play short. If he sees a better crossing option, then he whips the ball into the box. Why not, when we've just decongested the box by drawing out two defenders? If he does go short, we're often in 3v2 overloads, able to work a better crossing, and sometimes shooting opportunity. It's an idea. Sometimes it goes wrong. What it does is it provides us with plenty of creative ways to solve problems. The boys have the ownership as the decision to do it or not is entirely theirs, as is who makes the runs, and what they do with the ball. It's experimental, and I recommend giving it a try with your teams.
Act quickly to cover all the immediate opponents.
Use a cue of “Everyone take a [COLOUR] shirt!”
Be FIRST and SECOND to the ball.
Stand one metre away from your opponent, and sideways on, in case they throw the ball over your head, allowing you to turn quicker, and always be GOALSIDE.
Be strong when challenging for the ball.
If the opponent receives it at their feet, quickly move into the line of the goal and pressure them, preventing them from turning or playing forward.
If we receive the ball, can we play it into space, rather than trying to kick it through the crowd of other players.
I did want to work on these titles too; free-kicks in attacking positions, free-kicks in the middle or defensive third, defending free-kicks, defending corners. A lot to go over for U8, yes, but not as organised, detailed, or micromanagement orientated as you would think. Remember, these are groups that like to shoot from kick off. We wouldn't have been talking about intricate set-piece routines. It's more don't shoot from too far out, can you look to play quickly, find a different space to your teammate, and don't run too far away from the kicker.
The idea with young kids and set-pieces is that they are to be creative and to experiment. I see adult teams all the time, missing opportunities to start a counter-attack after being awarded on the halfway line. The player on the floor takes twenty seconds to play with their socks, the teammates turn their backs as they jog into positions sixty yards away, then the kick taker strolls over. While the team is spread out, in attack formation, potentially weak defensively, and the opposition is organised, the kick taker then decides to take a run up, and launch the ball forward. In women's football you see far more often the cardinal sin of not beating the first defender. You have just organised yourself into a state of defensive vulnerability, and given the ball away, unopposed, now giving them the prerogative for a counter. Criminal.
If your delivery is expert and consistent, then going long can be a good option. What I'm saying is that it shouldn't be the only option. It shouldn't be done every time. We should know when to go short, and we should be able to recognise when the opposition are vulnerable to quick free-kicks. Are they arguing with the referee? Do they only have one recovered defender? Punish them. If we don't get it into kids at young ages that they can be creative and experimental, it's so hard to get it into them when they are older. People don't seem to mind wasting a free-kick by going long, as forward is often seen as the only option, and if you lose the ball, it's down the other end anyway.
Challenge them with four second restarts. Corners, throws, goal keepers, all have four seconds to get the ball back into play, or else it can be contested (if it's on the ground) or a turnover if it's in their hands. Now the player with the ball must think quickly. The players around the ball cannot stand still. What we do at Aldershot with corners is that we have a pretty standard model of positioning. No surprises. Then, just before the kick is taken, two, and that's any two, including a defender running deep from the halfway line, will move in to offer short to the corner taker. The boys take care of this and rotate each time, so it's not always the same two. Most teams will have one defender spare in case the opposition go short. Very quickly the opposition start leaving two or three in case we go short. Our rule is that the taker doesn't have to play short. If he sees a better crossing option, then he whips the ball into the box. Why not, when we've just decongested the box by drawing out two defenders? If he does go short, we're often in 3v2 overloads, able to work a better crossing, and sometimes shooting opportunity. It's an idea. Sometimes it goes wrong. What it does is it provides us with plenty of creative ways to solve problems. The boys have the ownership as the decision to do it or not is entirely theirs, as is who makes the runs, and what they do with the ball. It's experimental, and I recommend giving it a try with your teams.
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