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Getting Chalk On Your Boots - How to influence wide players.
Small coaching points can make big differences!
Crikey... it's been cold this week in the UK. Training on Tuesday night was just below freezing, so not much standing around and technical practice this week. You see when it's cold I like the players to be playing... yes we still do a warm up of some brisk jogging and dynamic stretches but then we get the players straight into a game.
This week we had 7 a side... the aim of the session was moving the ball quickly along the ground through the midfield, so I placed certain conditions on the teams:
... so the conditions weren't too many but it forced quick play and to feet.
The only other request I made was that when either team won the ball that the wide players (full backs and wingers) got "chalk on their boots" pulling out as wide a possible to offer width to their team.
This weeks tip comes from something that I see on pitches all over our area and something my players were doing too.
When the ball was ready to be played wide, the full back or winger were about 5 yards infield off the touchline... facing the touchline.
The problem with this is that if the ball is played down the line, they will have to move closer to the line, have their back even more to the field and more often than not... attempt to control the ball, over stretch and knock it out for an opposition throw in.
So the key coaching point to the wide players should be:
- was always hit the line,
- stand with your back towards the crowd so that you can see the whole field of play,
- have an open body position that will allow you to control the ball whether you take it back towards where it intially came from, play a one two combination inside or allow/help the ball on down the line if their is space to run into.
When a player opens their body out to see the field of play... the opportunities open up infront of them.
Here are a couple of illustrations to help make the point...
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Here the body position is all wrong. The player hasn't anticipated the next move and is then chasing the ball rather than being ready to receive it!
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Here a good position is taken up which opens up the whole playing area!
This is a tip that should be applied to all players, opening their body up to see the whole field of play... but I specifically focused on this in training with my players on Tuesday night.
Big match for us this weekend, we are in the 2nd Round of the Cup, still sitting top of the League although we didn't have a game this last weekend... fingers crossed we are in the "hat" for the next round.
That's it for this week, good luck in this weekends games...
Best wishes
Neil
www.JuniorSoccerCoach.com
Helping to develop tomorrow's soccer talent, today!
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