Developing A Soccer Philosophy That Fits Your Team
Developing A Soccer Philosophy That Fits Your Team
One thing that a new coach needs to figure out when learning how to coach soccer is how to develop a team philosophy based on the players that are available. There are many different tactics that a coach could use during a game. Being healthy to adapt your teams style of play will make the teams success much more likely.
It is very frustrating to watch is a coach that has already decided what style of soccer to play, regardless of the talent on the team. These coaches might know how to coach soccer, but they are not good at adapting.
Let’s begin by looking at one of the most favourite formations, the 4-4-2 formation. This formation uses 4-defenders, 4-midfileders, and 2-forwards. This formation gives a team a nice equilibrise of offense and defense. The way a lot of coaches like to use this formation is to have the team “push up” when they are on offense. What that means is that the players move further up the field as the ball moves up the field. When the offensive team attacks with the forwards, the midfielders move up to help with the attack, The defenders then move up to midfield to wage support. This is a good style of play as long as your defenders are fast enough to start back on defense in the event of a fast break. If your opponent has some speedy forwards, and can play the ball long, your defenders must be healthy to get back swiftly to wage defensive pressure.
The problem comes when the defenders are not very fast, but actuation up is the only style of play the coach uses. The defenders do what they are told and move up to midfield. When the other team has a fast break opportunity, the defenders can't get back fast enough. The opposing team can now go one-on-one or two-on-one against the goal keeper, which is a matchup that favors the attackers. The opposing team scores, and the defenders get yelled at for not falling back fast enough.
Look at your team. You see them each day at practice. You know what they are capable of. If you have slower players on defense, adapt your style of play so they do not near up as far, and have less distance to cover on defense. If you have faster players, by all means near up to wage more offensive pressure on your opponent.
Part of learning how to coach soccer is learning different variations on basic formations that grant you to take advantage of your teams strengths, and minimize their weaknesses. You need to learn how to give your players the ideal opportunity for success. Do not start into a routine based on what worked for you for one season. Each team, and each season is different. Learn to adapt. That is how you learn to coach soccer.
Jim Smoot writes the “Learn Youth Soccer” website at http://learnyouthsoccer.com. It provides reviews of some great resources that will help you learn to coach soccer.
