Soccer Width In Defense
Too much width in your soccer defense is bad. The wider your soccer defense is, the more spread out & the easier it is to penetrate. Your defenders should stay close enough together to support each other, but not too close (if they are too close, they lose effectiveness & can’t cover enough space). Your soccer defense should be just wide enough to slow down the attack (i.e., just wide enough that the attackers can’t easily go around you) & should “shift & sag” so there are multiple layers of defenders between the ball & the goal. As your team gets older & plays better teams, the attackers will start to “switch fields” and use a wide attack as a way to get around your defense & to loosen it up. (See “Soccer Support“, “Soccer Cover“, “Support Distance & Relative Position in Soccer“, “Spread The Soccer Field” & “Stretched Soccer Defense“).
Soccer Width In Attack
Soccer Attackers want to “spread the soccer field” & get width in an effort to find open spaces to move the ball (e.g., down the side lines) & to “stretch” the soccer defense so holes are created that the soccer offense can attack & penetrate. Defenders, obviously, want to prevent this by maintaining cover, depth, support & shape. (See “Soccer Support“, “Soccer Shape”, “Soccer Depth“, “Soccer Support Distance“, “Spread The Soccer Field” & “Stretch The Soccer Field“).
Soccer Where….From?
Ask your soccer players “Where will the other soccer team score from’” The answer is, “In front of our soccer goal“. Repeat this often until they have it memorized. You must teach them to protect the area in front of your goal & have enough defenders in front of the soccer goal to not let the attackers get clean shots, but you must also leave forwards out (a long pass away) so you have a way to outlet the ball. As players get older, attacks will be less direct & more scores will come from “crossed soccer balls“. But, still, most scores will occur “in front of the goal”. This is even true for the pros.
Soccer When To Shoot
My rule is: “If you have a shot, take it.” This means you should shoot any time you are in soccer scoring range & have a clean soccer shot, but if it is a long shot (i.e., from outside the soccer Penalty Box) chip it at the top of the goal. (A grounder from far out doesn’t have much chance of scoring). Sometimes soccer players will pass up a clean soccer shot to try to pass. I tell them “If you have a shot, take it.”
Soccer When To Dribble and When To Pass
- a. Any time you have a soccer pass, take it. Dribble only when you can’t pass or if you can dribble & score.
- b. Generally, do not dribble in the 1/3 of the soccer field nearest your own goal (i.e., in your "defending Third") unless you must in order to get past a defender so you can make a pass or a clearing soccer kick, because if you dribble near your goal the other team might steal the ball & score. Especially if the ball is in the Danger Zone, you should clear it, preferably to the side. If you must dribble, dribble toward the side line, not toward the center. (See "Soccer Attacking", "Soccer Creating Space" & "Soccer Attacking Third").
Soccer Weight
Similar to Soccer Pace, but also refers to how playable a soccer ball is (i.e., how easily it can be controlled by the receiver). For example, a through soccer ball might have “perfect weight”, which means that it’s distance, spin, pace & playability were perfect for the soccer receiver. The ball must have enough pace to get past the defender, but must be controllable by the soccer receiver. For example, on a hard, fast field, a “soft” through ball or a chip soccer pass with back spin would be more playable than a hard soccer pass.
Soccer Warning
Often a soccer referee will give a soccer player an informal warning before he gives a yellow soccer card. Soccer players should take any warning very seriously because the next time the behavior is repeated a card will probably be given (See “Soccer Cards” & “Soccer Fouls“).
Soccer Warming Up & Stretching
The Importance Of Warming Up Before Playing Soccer.
At age 10 and older,children become susceptible to muscle pulls. When you move up to U-11, you should have your team warm up their muscles before playing soccer. You should have them Warm Up their muscles by light activities such as jogging or slowly dribbling a ball around the soccer field. (Warming up with a ball is the ideal way if it is practical to do so).
The light soccer warm up is important because it “warms up” the muscles which makes them stretch easier & less likely to tear. If you think about it, this makes sense. (Have you ever noticed how all the horses are warmed up before a race’)
Soccer coaches used to believe soccer stretching was good, but an article in the March 2007 issue of Prevention magazine says: “A review of 23 studies found that stretching before an activity damages muscle tissue, which reduces muscle strength and hinders performance. Start each workout by moving your limbs through a full range of motion”. Personal trainer Judy Heller is quoted as saying “You want to get the fluid in your joints flowing, so they are well lubricated and move with ease”.
Soccer Wall Pass
A “Wall Pass” is when a soccer player passes the ball to a teammate who one-touches it right back. This can be very effective because the defender will turn with the first soccer pass & can’t recover to defend the second. If the initial soccer passer passes & then breaks (makes a run) it is called a “give and go”. (See “Soccer Give & Go“).
Soccer Wall
In Soccer, at U-8 & older, when the other team has a free soccer kick, you may want to have your soccer players stand side-by-side between the ball & their soccer goal so they form a “wall” so the kicker doesn’t have a straight shot on soccer goal. They will have to stand the required distance back (usually 6 yards for U-8, 8 yards for U-10 & 10 yards for U-12 & older) & they can be given yellow soccer cards if they are too close (although the Referee almost always gives a warning first).