PSW Coaching Library 2.11 - Passing to Space and Fitness with Ball

Through a partnership with Soccer Source 360 and the Animated Coach\'s Library, Potomac Soccer Wire brings 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 passing to space and fitness with possession.

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http://www.potomacsoccerwire.com/news/458/5986

While PSW is bringing 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 2.11  - Passing to Space and Fitness with the Ball

Observation 1 - Passing to Space
Teams that play the ball to feet fail to create many scoring chances although they possess the ball well.  These coaches and players need to recognize that passes to players not on the move and to feet are easy to defend.  Passes to space open organized defenses up.

Suggestions:

• Explain to your players the need to have passes to space.
• Have your players watch a professional game and count the passes to feet and passes to space.
• Ask your players where the passes to feet occurred and where the passes to space occurred.
• Show the players the runs that need to be made to receive a pass to space.
• Follow the Animated Progression below.

Animated Progression:

• Circle Run Around
• Gate Passing
• 3v3 to Gates
• 6v6 to End Zones
• 6v6

Observation 2 - Fitness with Possession as a topic

I am still amazed at the number of coaches that conduct fitness without the ball.  I have addressed this issue a number of times.  When a coach works on fitness only, the players lose an opportunity to develop in the other areas of the game. Technique, tactics, and their mental approach need to be a component of each training session.  When fitness occurs in a training session without the ball it is often fitness for the sake of fitness as the players are not being prepared physically for a soccer game.  Soccer fitness needs to be developed playing soccer.

Suggestions:

• Change your approach to Fitness.
• Challenge yourself to integrate physical fitness into the topic the team needs.
• Ask for help when you can not find activities.
• Watch the Animated Progression below for ideas.

Animated Progression:

• Long Pass-Support
• Pass-move/possess
• Rotating 2v2
• Rotating 5v5
• Opposite Direction Goal Game
• 8v8

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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.