Support play – for 10 to 14-year-olds
Wouldn’t it be nice if your team could win the ball, run straight at the opposition’s goal, score then run back for the resulting kick off?
It might happen occasionally with U6s or U7s but as children get older, they learn to put pressure on the ball carrier and stop him running directly to goal. So your players have to learn that if they want to go forward it’s sometimes necessary to pass the ball sideways or even backwards.
Players who don’t have the ball have to learn that they must move into a space where they can receive a pass and, at the same time, the player on the ball has to decide who to pass to.
None of this comes naturally to young players.
A 10-year-old in possession of the ball tends to have just two thoughts in his head: “I’ll score” or “I’ll get rid of the ball.”
If it’s the former, he gets his head down and dribbles straight at goal and, quite often, he runs into a wall of defenders who will stop his progress and probably take the ball away from him.
If he decides to get rid of the ball, he will just hoof it upfield and watch to see if any of his team mates are lucky enough to be near it when it lands.
Players who don’t have the ball will tend to either stand around, get in the way by moving too close to the ball or charge, head down, towards the other team’s goal.
If your players are very young you should expect and allow them to play like this.
But as your players get older and more experienced, you need to help them develop the skills they need to really support each other. Such as find “useful” space, stay within range of a pass but not get too close and progress towards goal by passing the ball in different directions.
Age range: This support play session plan is designed for players aged from about 10 to 14, although it can be used with players as young as eight if they’ve played soccer for a couple of seasons.
Number of players: Between nine and 12.
Equipment required: Three different colored bibs [pennies], some flat cones, two small goals (or poles to use as goal posts) and several balls.
Warm-up: Three color passing
Divide your players into three teams of three or four and give them different colored bibs [pennies] to wear.
Players move around a 30-yard square playing area and pass to each other in sequence, for example: red to blue to yellow then back to red.
You don’t want to see players standing around. All your players should be in constant motion. The whole playing area should be used.
Encourage long and short passing and insist your players move immediately to a new patch of grass after passing.
Progress by imposing a two or three-touch limit and changing the color sequence.
Game 1: Three color keepaway
Using the same teams and in the same playing area, two of the teams try to keep the ball away from the third team, the defenders.
To improve movement and encourage your players to get their heads up, tell the team in possession that, like in the warm-up, they can’t pass to their own color – if the defending team is in yellow, they must pass red to blue to red etc.
The defending team earns a point if they can intercept a pass.
Teams in possession earn a point for every five passes they can put together without the defenders touching the ball.
The team that gives the ball away becomes defenders.
Play for 10 minutes and see which team has the most points.
Game 2: Silent soccer
Good support play requires good communication but it doesn’t have to be verbal.
Help your players to understand the importance of non-verbal communication by playing a small-sided game in which players are not allowed to say anything for the first five minutes.
Play this a few times during the course of a season and you should see an improvement in the way your players “show” themselves for the ball.
Game 3: The 1-0 Game – by Paul Cooper
This is a game I’ve described several times in this newsletter but it’s brilliant for encouraging composed, thoughtful soccer even in players as young as eight or nine.
Click on this link to find out to play it.
Finally, take off the restrictions imposed by the 1-0 Game and let your players play without any coaching from you.
You should, even after just one session, see an improvement in the decisions your players make when they have the ball and the way they move off the ball and support each other.
General support play coaching points
Supporting the ball carrier from behind is difficult. How does the ball carrier know that he has support?
Encourage supporting players to move into the line of sight of the player on the ball or, if they are directly behind him, to call “I’m behind you.” Loudly.
Should supporting players be in front or behind the ball? Help your players understand that they should only move forward of the ball carrier when he no longer needs any support.
How good are your players’ first touch? If they need three touches to get the ball under control they won’t have time to see or pass to supporting players.
Do players glance around to see where pressure is coming from before they receive a pass? Encourage your players to take a “snapshot” of the field every few seconds.
Tag Netball
Objective: To improve speed of play, movement off the ball, supporting the player with the ball.
Age range: U7s to U14s
Set-up: Use an area 40 yards long by 30 yards wide with a goal at each end.
Create two evenly matched teams of five or six players wearing bibs.
How to play: The players’ objective is to throw the ball into the opposition goal.
• Play begins with you throwing a ball in the air.
• Teams advance the ball up the field by throwing it from player to player.
• If the player holding the ball is tagged by an opposition player possession goes to the other team.
• Balls that go over the side or end lines result in a throw-in from wherever the ball went out of play.
• First team to score five goals wins.
Tips: Other than tagging, physical contact is not allowed.
Stop players protecting their goal by setting the goals three yards back from the end lines.
Hopefully we have a great soccer season here is a video i have found that help’s you stretch out your body before a game. they call this warm up the “MAP SYSTEM” and it was created in Sweden.
Best motivational video i have ever watched in my life after i seen this i felt so pumped and just wanna explode on the other team MUST SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Guys we played great today against star we showed sportsmanship, we played like a team, there was no problems at all, and the thing i loved the most there was no yelling at all between our players so guys if we do the same thing against cesar chavez we will win so great job guys come to practice tomorrow
all right guys no more fun and games its time for districts. we had a rough season and i loved it. all of you guys have grown into great players since we started and i have high hopes for all of us that we can reach the finals. leave all the games we played behind dont even think about them this is where we start fresh and this is where we show the other teams who Universal academy really is. so lets go out there and play as a team!!!!!!!!!!
UASG 
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Support play – for 10 to 14-year-olds
Wouldn’t it be nice if your team could win the ball, run straight at the opposition’s goal, score then run back for the resulting kick off?
It might happen occasionally with U6s or U7s but as children get older, they learn to put pressure on the ball carrier and stop him running directly to goal. So your players have to learn that if they want to go forward it’s sometimes necessary to pass the ball sideways or even backwards.
Players who don’t have the ball have to learn that they must move into a space where they can receive a pass and, at the same time, the player on the ball has to decide who to pass to.
None of this comes naturally to young players.
A 10-year-old in possession of the ball tends to have just two thoughts in his head: “I’ll score” or “I’ll get rid of the ball.”
If it’s the former, he gets his head down and dribbles straight at goal and, quite often, he runs into a wall of defenders who will stop his progress and probably take the ball away from him.
If he decides to get rid of the ball, he will just hoof it upfield and watch to see if any of his team mates are lucky enough to be near it when it lands.
Players who don’t have the ball will tend to either stand around, get in the way by moving too close to the ball or charge, head down, towards the other team’s goal.
If your players are very young you should expect and allow them to play like this.
But as your players get older and more experienced, you need to help them develop the skills they need to really support each other. Such as find “useful” space, stay within range of a pass but not get too close and progress towards goal by passing the ball in different directions.
Age range: This support play session plan is designed for players aged from about 10 to 14, although it can be used with players as young as eight if they’ve played soccer for a couple of seasons.
Number of players: Between nine and 12.
Equipment required: Three different colored bibs [pennies], some flat cones, two small goals (or poles to use as goal posts) and several balls.
Warm-up: Three color passing
Divide your players into three teams of three or four and give them different colored bibs [pennies] to wear.
Players move around a 30-yard square playing area and pass to each other in sequence, for example: red to blue to yellow then back to red.
You don’t want to see players standing around. All your players should be in constant motion. The whole playing area should be used.
Encourage long and short passing and insist your players move immediately to a new patch of grass after passing.
Progress by imposing a two or three-touch limit and changing the color sequence.
Game 1: Three color keepaway
Using the same teams and in the same playing area, two of the teams try to keep the ball away from the third team, the defenders.
To improve movement and encourage your players to get their heads up, tell the team in possession that, like in the warm-up, they can’t pass to their own color – if the defending team is in yellow, they must pass red to blue to red etc.
The defending team earns a point if they can intercept a pass.
Teams in possession earn a point for every five passes they can put together without the defenders touching the ball.
The team that gives the ball away becomes defenders.
Play for 10 minutes and see which team has the most points.
Game 2: Silent soccer
Good support play requires good communication but it doesn’t have to be verbal.
Help your players to understand the importance of non-verbal communication by playing a small-sided game in which players are not allowed to say anything for the first five minutes.
Play this a few times during the course of a season and you should see an improvement in the way your players “show” themselves for the ball.
Game 3: The 1-0 Game – by Paul Cooper
This is a game I’ve described several times in this newsletter but it’s brilliant for encouraging composed, thoughtful soccer even in players as young as eight or nine.
Click on this link to find out to play it.
Finally, take off the restrictions imposed by the 1-0 Game and let your players play without any coaching from you.
You should, even after just one session, see an improvement in the decisions your players make when they have the ball and the way they move off the ball and support each other.
General support play coaching points
Supporting the ball carrier from behind is difficult. How does the ball carrier know that he has support?
Encourage supporting players to move into the line of sight of the player on the ball or, if they are directly behind him, to call “I’m behind you.” Loudly.
Should supporting players be in front or behind the ball? Help your players understand that they should only move forward of the ball carrier when he no longer needs any support.
How good are your players’ first touch? If they need three touches to get the ball under control they won’t have time to see or pass to supporting players.
Do players glance around to see where pressure is coming from before they receive a pass? Encourage your players to take a “snapshot” of the field every few seconds.
Tag Netball
Objective: To improve speed of play, movement off the ball, supporting the player with the ball.
Age range: U7s to U14s
Set-up: Use an area 40 yards long by 30 yards wide with a goal at each end.
Create two evenly matched teams of five or six players wearing bibs.
How to play: The players’ objective is to throw the ball into the opposition goal.
• Play begins with you throwing a ball in the air.
• Teams advance the ball up the field by throwing it from player to player.
• If the player holding the ball is tagged by an opposition player possession goes to the other team.
• Balls that go over the side or end lines result in a throw-in from wherever the ball went out of play.
• First team to score five goals wins.
Tips: Other than tagging, physical contact is not allowed.
Stop players protecting their goal by setting the goals three yards back from the end lines.
we ganna do our best
انشــــــــــــــــــــــ الله ــــــــــــــاء سوف نكون عند حسن الظن ونقدم المستوئ المطلوب
Hopefully we have a great soccer season here is a video i have found that help’s you stretch out your body before a game. they call this warm up the “MAP SYSTEM” and it was created in Sweden.
Best motivational video i have ever watched in my life after i seen this i felt so pumped and just wanna explode on the other team MUST SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
انشاء الله راح نفوز وراح نلعب بكل قوه
Thank you mr;c for helping us to do our best
good game guys inshallah we will do better
zezo zidan
thats why am crazy for zidan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vEhY-rJCVg&feature=related
Nice practice today guys lets just keep doing our best and inshallah we have a great game against hamtramick
Remember this guys when we face Cesar Chavez next:
Guys we played great today against star we showed sportsmanship, we played like a team, there was no problems at all, and the thing i loved the most there was no yelling at all between our players so guys if we do the same thing against cesar chavez we will win so great job guys come to practice tomorrow
Thank you
good job guys but idk why is Muhamad Shuhati the last one ?????????
Nice work to all the soccer players for all the hard work
all right guys no more fun and games its time for districts. we had a rough season and i loved it. all of you guys have grown into great players since we started and i have high hopes for all of us that we can reach the finals. leave all the games we played behind dont even think about them this is where we start fresh and this is where we show the other teams who Universal academy really is. so lets go out there and play as a team!!!!!!!!!!