Player and Coach Development W.Y.S.A.

Working on “TEAM” shape and balance is something that many coaches like to talk about but many don't actually seem to know how to actually train teams to work on this. 

Here is a way to work on both offensive and defensive shape at the same time.

First, you need to break the field into thirds as shown in the diagram.

The rules are actually quite simple. You want to play a regular game of soccer (if possible, actually play 11 v 11 or if that doesn't work get as many players on the field as you can).  A goal counts as 4 points.  Anytime the team with the ball DOESN'T have a player in each of the three sections, they lose a point. (The key here is that it shouldn't always be the same players out wide).  As an additional incentive - a team can win points by quickly switching the ball.  The way this works is that anytime the ball is in section 1, if the defense has any players in section 3, the attacking team gets a point.  If the ball gets switched to section 3 and the defense has anyone in section 1, the attacking team gets a point.  When the ball is in the middle (section 2), all defensive players must be in the middle section or the attacking team gets a point (you have to give a 1 second period from the time the ball gets played from the outside to the middle to give the defense time to shift).

This activity encourages the attacking team to provide proper support with width and also it encourages them to switch the ball through the midfield as well as around the back.  Defensively, this works on proper defensive rotation as well as proper support and balance.

The size of the sections can be changed depending upon the numbers you are working with as well as their understanding of the concepts.  

Some of the variations to consider include rewarding a team for switching the ball from one outside section all the way across to the other (this will help a team switch the ball quickly but will also help them learn when NOT to do it).  For the more experienced teams, one of my favorite things to add is that no player can be in either of the two wide sections for more than 5 seconds without the ball.  This means that if a player is out wide and not being used, she must get out of that section and someone must take her place in that section (or the team loses a point).  If you implement this, the players must understand the roles of different positions or else it turns into pure chaos.

Remember, this activity is best with 7 a side or more and should also be done after a team has gone through a fair bit of shadow training to understand the proper responsibilities of the different roles.