COACH DAN ORIGINAL COFFEE CUP EPIPHANIES ~ #3: PARENTS GUIDE TO UNDERSANDING SOCCER STRATEGIES (Part 2 of 2) Here is a quick summary and definition of the four “basic” strategic philosophies coaches and teams apply. The examples are not extensive nor are they overly defined. These are simple explanations for parents to grasp the concepts used by the coaches. 1 & 2. “Tactics” – “Tactics are WHAT a team will do to defeat the opposition". This is the method, concepts and approach a team will use to defend (stop goals), attack (score goals) and the transition between the two. Offensively, tactics could include using a target man, inclusion of defenders into the attack, using width and crossing the ball from the outside toward the goal, using through balls or attacking primarily with the dribble. Transitional tactics could be long over-the-top passing vs. short passing, quick switching of fields from one side to the other, players interchanging positions on the fly or holding in their structured formation, or direct passing or passing to space. Defensively, tactics could range from man-to-man marking or zonal coverage, a flat (straight across) defensive line or shift-and-support, containment, offside traps, pressing or double-teaming, utilization of a sweeper or giving the dribbler the outside space or forcing toward the middle support. #1) Common “Offensive Tactics” include: • Possession – “They can’t score if they ain’t got the ball.” The goal of this tactic is for the team to keep possession as long as possible choosing the easiest pass to control the pace of the game and waiting for the opposition to lose focus. The key is patient passing. Passes are usually short, always on the ground and go backwards as often as forward. The focus is keep possession until an opportunity presents itself. This follows the coach’s golden rule of “pass and move”. • Counter-Attack – “The Fast Break”. This tactic emphasizes quickly attacking the opposition while they are out of position usually because the defense has pushed up too far to be part of the attack. To be most successful, the team gains possession and quickly find an outlet pass to a breaking midfielder who quickly finds a breaking forward usually with a through ball behind retreating defense which is out of position and unable to get back and defend properly. • Wide-Play – “Get it out wide and dump in the box”. The concept is to spread the ball wide to the outside midfielders or wingers running the flanks. By getting the ball wide, it offers great 1-v-1 opportunities versus going down the middle toward the congestion. Quick switching of the ball from one side to the other is advantageous as the defense is often out of position to take away the 1v1. • Long Ball/Direct Ball – This is often referred as “kick ball” or “route one football” due to its approach to creating scoring opportunities. The team sends a long booming ball over the defense (called “hoofing the ball”) for the attackers.. In spite of its displeasure by fans who call it boring and ugly, this can be a very effective method of creating mismatches against the opposition’s weak defense with fast or strong attackers. • Total Football – Simply put, this is a tactic implemented to create as many numerical advantages as possible using give and go’s, overlapping runs and switching of positions on the fly to confuse the opposition and create numbers on attack. In other words, everyone has a general role but players switch positions on the fly based on the attack. This is great for a team with offensive-minded defenders and center midfielders and forwards with great vision. #2) Common “Defensive Tactics” include: • Zonal Marking – “Control your area”. The goal of this tactic is for the team to guard an area versus guarding a man. The team will shift according to the position of the ball and location of the opposition’s players. The focus is on the support of the second and third defenders (soccer term). • Man-to-Man Marking – “Shut Down Your Man”. The goal is that players “match up” and mark players. The left back will guard the oppositions right forward and so on. Players can switch “marking” players as they move but every players is always guarded, especially in the defensive third. #3. "Style of Play" – “Style of Play will determine HOW a team will defeat their opposition". This is usually the behavior, attitude, and utilization of skill sets by your players. Style of play can be seen in how players tackle, tempo, speed of transition from defense to offense, fluidity players interchanging positions, or discipline of shape, freedom to create using the dribble, shot selection, etc. Does the coach want players who are gritty and aggressive or patient and composed? Does the coach like discipline or creativitiy? Does the coach like strength or speed? #4. “Formations” – "Formations is the WHERE and WHO a team will use to defeat the opposition". These are the starting positions and responsibilities of the ten field players called “outfielders”. Formations are named by numbers of players starting from the defense (excluding the keeper) and moving upward to midfield and finally to the attackers. Formations can vary from the modern standards of today like: · 4-4-2 (four defenders, four midfielders, two attackers) · 4-5-1 · 4-3-3 · 5-4-1 · 5-3-2 · 3-4-3 · 3-5-2 Within each of these formations are variations that add more lines of positions (i.e. 4-1-4-1) or defining of shape within a line (i.e. 4-4-2 Diamond or Staggered). Formations are designed to complement the Style of Play and put players in the best positions to achieve their Tactics. By understanding these simple concepts and basic variations, you can better appreciate what your coach is trying to teach your son and the reasons why he teaches your son in the method in which he does.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 04:31:44 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015