House Soccer Coaching Sessions
Week 1 - Passing/Combination Play
by Darren Beesley, (USSF A / UEFA A)
Warm Up -10 mins
Players start simply by passing a ball between two in pairs. Progress to passing and moving within the area/grid. Progress to whoever you pass the ball to you overlap, quick sprint an overlapping run. Finally progress to a give and go/one two when passing the ball (Combination)
Coaching Point - First Touch, Weight of Pass.
Combination Advancement - 10 mins
Players start in each corner of the square. You can start by passing in a square, simple pass and follow your pass as demonstrated in the previous warm up but over a longer distance and both directions left and right. Progress then to combination play where it's played into the player on the cone and it's a give and go around the corner cone. See example.
Advancement - Long pass, back to the player passing the ball then a diagonal pass to the opposite player and repeat.
Coaching Point - First touch when receiving the ball, weight of the pass to help the receiving player.
Combination Advancement - 10 mins
Bring the cones slightly in players still starting on each cone. #9 and #10 central target players. Combine through the middle #9 and #10 with crossover runs. Long pass into the nearest central player, lay off to either player crossing over. Next pass Into the 2nd central player, lay off and find either end players on the cones. Long and then short and quick combination play.
Coaching Point - First touch, weight of the pass, on your toes to receive the ball, the ball is kept on the surface, take a touch if need be x2 touches, progress to one touch as the exercise progresses.
Directional possession (Combine through the Middle) - 20 mins
Area size can vary based on success. The area is separated into 4 grids within the playing area with each team having two target players on each side of the square. Three players remain in the middle. Combine in the middle to try and pass to your teams target players on the outside. The four grids inside the area are to emphasize having one player in one box at any given time when in possession, Try to limit how players are in the same grid. It should allow players to combine, triangles to find there teams target players on the outside. Blue to Blue, Red to Red.
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Progress to players on the outside rotate with the player on the inside who passes them them the ball and dribble in to combine.
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Coaching Point - First Touch/Control. Combine, Decision making, Pass to the target player weighted to allow him to dribble in when the exercise is progressed.
8v8 Game - 35mins
8v8 or 9v9 depending on numbers available. Shape of the team should be 1-3-3-1 or 1-3-3-2 . Encourage triangles on the field which allows players to link up and combine. Use a neutral player at times if numbers are uneven. Having a neutral player that plays with the team in possessions and can still score will encourage players in possession to lift their head up and find an open player. It should allow for more success within the game.
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Coaching Point - Encourage all aspects of the session. Example of one combination below.