11 Principles of Team Play
These are the 11 principles that make up the Soccer Awareness philosophy of team play.
- Keep Possession - If players chase for the ball a long time they get frustrated, get tired and commit fouls. So keep possession and force this upon them.
- Develop Play from the Back - When it is on to do so to help maintain possession of the ball and not rely on a 2nd ball pick up.
- Pass and Move - Movement off the ball is a major part of our team development.
- Form Triangles and Diamonds of Support All Over the Field - Creating open body stances and increasing peripheral awareness.
- Inter-Change Positions - Offensively and defensively cover for each other.
- Create Space for Your Teammates; Not Just for Yourself - Unselfish team play; Play for the TEAM.
- Attacking Fullbacks Using Width in Attack - Offense is the best form of defense
- Keep a Very High Line Defensively - Squeeze opponents into their own half of the field
- Pressure Opponent’s High Up the Field - Winning the ball back 30 yards from the opponent’s goal is better than 80 yards away
- Counter Attacking and Quick Breakaway - Developing different ways to counter attack
- You Need Skillful Players to Make this All Work - We have the raw material so let’s develop them
Problems to Solve
- How to get FREE AND FIND SPACE TO RECEIVE the ball and to maintain possession of the ball
- How do we do this?
- Using the Thinking Process
- Players must learn to think AHEAD of the ball, to think two moves ahead in their mind.
- So; Observation of own players positioning / Opponents positioning / SPACE available / where the ball is in relation to all these factors.
- All done BEFORE RECEIVING THE BALL.
- Saving time doing this; Increasing time and space to play in by doing this.
- Also; POSITIONING OFF THE BALL
- Positioning to find SPACE based on their own team mates and the opponents positioning; the position of the ball; and based on these factors: FINDING THE BEST SPACES AVAILABLE.
- Doing all of the above means: we can be successful using fewer touches on the ball.
- Doing all of the above will SAVE a touch or two on the ball; and by doing so:
- Players will: PLAY MORE QUICKLY, THINK MORE QUICKLY, MOVE MORE QUICKLY.