PSW Coaching Library 1.1 - Combination Play in the Attacking Third / Running with the Ball

Welcome to the first addition of a new Potomac Soccer Wire feature - PSW Coaching Library.

Through a partnership with Soccer Source 360 and the Animated Coach's Library, Potomac Soccer Wire will bring you one new library entry per week addressing common areas of youth development. Each issue is authored by John Dingle, after he and other Soccer Source 360 staff members evaluate weekly practices and games. They pick two common issues from the weeks evaluations and then address them in a way that coaches can introduce the topic to their team. Then, they add a coaching progression to the Animated Coach's Library to correspond to each topic addressed. This week’s newsletter addresses the topic of combination play in the attacking third and running with the ball.

While PSW is brining you the topic in writing here, in order to view the full animated library with, you will have to subscribe to at least a one-year membership to the Soccer Source 360 Animated Coach's Library.

PSW Coaching Library 1.1 - Combination Play in the Attacking Third / Running with the Ball

In this week’s newsletter we address the topics of running with the ball and combination play in the attacking third. You will see both progressions are written with an emphasis on having the players not only go through the progression but more importantly understand the visual sign and learn to apply the topic in game situations.
 

Combination Play in the Attacking 1/3
Observation 1: Combination Play in the Attacking Third
Play in the attacking third is often disorganized and forward rarely work together to create opportunities for scoring.

Suggestions:
• Encourage your forwards to play within 15 yards of each other.
• Have your forward work together throughout each practice to develop a playing relationship.
• Show your players combination patterns that can be used.
• Make sure your players understand the visual signs for each combination. (high pressure on the ball = wall pass; low pressure on the ball = run around, back to goal pressure = take over or double pass)
• Follow the progression below

Animated Progression
Activity 1: Rapid Training Wall Pass (1:1 work to rest ratio)
Activity 2: Rapid Training Run Around (1:1 work to rest ratio)
Activity 3: Rotating 2v2 + 1 to goal
Activity 4: 3v3 to goal with play out condition
Activity 5: Two way 3v3 to goal with play out condition
Activity 6: The game
 

Running with the Ball
Player often pass the ball forward when they have open space. If they run with the ball forward they force the opponent to engage the ball. The player who engages the ball must leave a marked player or vital space. By having players run with the ball when they have open space defenses will be less organized.

Suggestions:
• Tell your players the importance of running with the ball.
• Show your players the visual sign of when to run with the ball. (Open space)
• Use rapid training techniques to maximize repetitions in the warm up.
• Make sure the players touch the ball in natural running motion. (Use of the instep/shoelaces)
• Once in opposition activities encourage players without the ball to move into advantageous positions to receive a pass from the player who has unbalanced the opposition.
• Follow the progression below

Animated Progression: This progression has a warm up with repetition, a conditioned game, and then the game.

Activity 1: Rapid Training Technique-Running with the Ball (1:1 work to rest ratio)
Activity 1: Rapid Training Technique-running with the Ball+ chaser (1:1 work to rest ratio)
Activity 2: Conditioned game. Running with the ball lane added.
Activity 4: The game

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About the Author: John Dingle has been active in youth coaching for the past twenty years.  He began his career in coaching conducting summer camps while finishing his playing career at Central Connecticut State University. When returning to Baltimore, John started his soccer company, Soccer Source 360.  Soccer Source 360 is a company devoted to player and coach development.  At this time he began to take licensing courses through MSYSA and USSF.  John now holds a USSF ‘B’ license and the National ‘Youth’ License.  John serves as the Director of Coaching for the Soccer Association of Columbia, an organization of 6000 players.  He started with SAC under John Ellinger as the assistant director of coaching in 1995.  John has been an instructor for licensing classes with MSYSA since 1997.  He has been a featured clinician at coaching workshops throughout the region and in 2006 launched the Animated Coach’s Library.  This electronic coaching education tool now contains over 1000 animated activities and over 100 articles on coaching.  Each animated activity is placed in an age appropriate coaching progression labeled by topic.  The members only site boast over 1000 members worldwide.
 
While coaching teams, John has shown a commitment to player development.  He has coached numerous players that have gone on to play at the ODP, region 1, Youth National, and college level.  In fact, his previous boy’s team now has 17 players participating as student athletes in colleges.