Key Skills (U11/U12)
Control
1-touch and 2-touch passing look up BEFORE the ball arrives so you know where to
go with it.
Settle with foot, thigh and chest bring the ball out of the air and get it down on the ground quickly.
Same principle as receiving with the foot; get soft and give with the ball as it arrives.
Receive and turn away
from pressure in one move settling, then turning, then beginning to dribble takes too long at this level. Do it all in one
motion.
Playing Without the Ball
Movement if you are stationary until the ball arrives and brings you to life,
you are easy to mark. Make yourself difficult to mark, and be open more often, by moving without the ball. Look for spaces
between and behind defenders and make your runs there.
Diagonal runs if you run straight up the field, your teammate
can only see your backside. It is very difficult to play an accurate ball to your feet when you turn your back to your teammate
and run away. Make diagonal runs across the field so that your teammates can see your front and can play the ball to your feet
or into the path of your run. Youll complete many more passes.
Passing
In all directions possession
games WITHOUT goals will help players learn that forward, sideways and backwards are all great directions to pass if they help you
maintain possession. Always encourage passing in all directions; never tell them that they must go forward all the time.
Be PATIENT with the ball and wait for openings. Dont force the ball forward into well defended or tightly packed spaces.
Think possession Keep the Ball!!
Talk
To the player with the ball make teammates better by giving them information
about what to do (time, man on, turn) or where you are (help back, help square)
To other players if you have the
ball let your teammates know if you need help in a particular direction, if you need them to make a particular run.
Teaching Points
Speed
of Play now you are building on the fundamentals contained in the early stages of the Development Progression. Speed of Play
is key to developing good soccer players, because soccer is a game of time and space. If we have time and space, we can all
look very good. Only the better players can perform at high levels with less time and space. Now it is time to challenge
your players to do the same things they have learned in recent years, only faster and under more pressure.
Possession now that your
players have the skills to control the ball individually and to share it with each other, your critical teaching mission is to help
them learn to maintain possession and not give the ball away cheaply to the other team. Young players force the ball forward
into pressure and lose it. Now your players need you to stress the importance of patience and keeping the ball.