PAGE  50
by Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net
 

NOTE:  Gary did not write these exercises and tips with the idea that someone would publish them.  I subscribe to the Soccer-Coach-L e-mail list and Gary is one of the coaches that posts extremely well thought out replies.  These are some of Gary's posts that I collected for use in coaching my own teams.   I approached Gary and he was gracious enough to allow me to publish them here.  If you like what you see or have a question about one of the exercises you can reach Gary at garyrue@bellsouth.net There are 50+ more pages of Gary's posts categorized at the Home Page of Exercises of the Day by Gary Rue. Click here and enjoy.

Note from the author:

      It has been a while since I've done a series. I came across this set of nine principles on a project at work. The principles I will refer to are out of the US Army Field Manual FM-3 Military Operations. Hopefully, I will connect these principles appropriately to our game.

      One note before I start. In the recent TV movie the "The Junction Boys," Bear Bryant said to a parent of player that he was dismissing from the team that the upcoming football schedule was war. The parent, who had lost an arm and broke several bones in a parachute accident just before being captured by the enemy, responded, "No sir. I know about war. Football is a sport."

Principles of War #1: Mass

Principle #1 Mass: concentrate combat power at the decisive place and time.

Attack:
When on the offensive, concentrating combat power at the decisive place and time is an easy to say, but hard to do. During possession, it means giving the player with the ball options. Off-ball attackers set up to move quickly to the next point of attack. Other players need to be able to respond. Concentrating players often means making a numerical negative into a numbers up or at best numbers even situation. Tactical movements such as overlaps or diagonal runs can turn a 2v3 situation into a temporary 2v1. Massing players does not mean putting them all in the same area but into spaces where they can play a direct role in the attack or just provide support if needed. For example, teams may not want to put 7 players into the penalty area on a attack on goal, but have all field players and possibly the goalkeeper positioned to not only keep the attack active, but to be ready to stave off a counter. An attacking should be careful not over commit numbers.

Defense:
Numbers to (or behind) the ball is a key defensive concept. The shifting of a defensive shape is critical to stay numbers up on defense. In some cases, over committing players to the defense may be a team strategy.

Restarts:
Because of the potential to control what happens from a restart, the attacking team has the best opportunity to devise a way to concentrate particular or greater numbers of players at a certain point. Defensively, it is harder to maintain a numerical superiority because of all the options that a well developed and practiced restart can produce.

     A team's system of play should define with the way players are massed in particular situations.

Later!

Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net

Principles of War #2: Objective

The principles are out of the US Army Field Manual FM-3 Military Operations.

# 2 Objective: direct every military operation towards a clearly defined, decisive and attainable objective.

I would paraphrase this as "coaching with a purpose." The coach should have purposeful and defined objectives for every practice and game. These objectives should be clearly defined to the players. At practices, the session's objectives should be explained before the session; however, it is the closure at the end of the session that is as important if not more so. It is the post session that the lessons learned in the session are recapped concisely and clearly. Player feedback (via open ended questions) is a key component at this time to ensuring just exactly "what" lesson were learned.

At games, specific objectives should be given prior to the game (and at
halftime). There can be individual objectives as well as team objectives.
There could even be objectives for a subset of the team (e.g., the backs or the sweeper and center mid). Game objectives should relate to prior training session objectives. Too many times, coaches ask players to do things that they have not worked on it training. Many youth coaches use terminology and tell players to do things during a game that they have never been addressed in training. For example, the game is not the time to develop the offside trap.

Having and vocalizing objectives to the team and individuals is not enough. The coach must also monitor and assess progress on the objectives and provide feedback to players. A coach must stay focused on the objectives during a training session and game. The objective certainly may change during the course of a session or game, but there needs to be closure and probably a replacement when that happens. During games, many tactical objectives also could be called strategies.

Post practice or game, the coach should definitely revisit the objective
internally. Was it appropriate for the team/individual? If not, why? What
should the next objectives be? A coach that is objective oriented will come closer to providing the team with proper guidance than the coach that "wings" it.

Later!

Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net

Principles of War #3: Offensive

The principles are out of the US Army Field Manual FM-3 Military Operations.

# 3 Offensive: seize, retain and exploit the initiative.

Players must be trained in three distinct areas: attack, defense and
transition between the two. The counter attack is the most aggressive form of transition into the attack. On gaining possession of the ball, the other team is often in their most vulnerable state as they must transition into a defensive mindset and shape. The team now in possession can take advantage of this moment of susceptibility by looking for the most penetrating pass available. Many times this pass is long, but it could be a fairly short one just past the nearest layer of pressure. If a ball cannot be played into, around or past the opponents defenses immediately, a layoff to a supporting player can still keep the attacking momentum alive. Normally this pass would be to a teammate in a position behind the ball (drop or negative pass), but it must be released quickly.

Several components must be developed in training to create an effective
counter attack. Speed of play is absolutely critical. Not only must the ball move and be played quickly, but the players must react and respond to the potential situation. The player that first gains possession but look to do something positive with ball as quickly as possible. The players closest to and behind the ball must look to move into a position to receive a quick outlet pass. It is important that these players also have a sense of defensive responsibility in case the ball is lost. As they move into their preferred spots, they should look for opportunities forward in order to be able to play a positive ball as soon as they receive it.

Off ball players have several options. Players that are wide can look to
move forward, expecting a long vertical or (preferred) diagonal ball.
Players already forward of the ball need to make themselves "visible" and
free as soon as possible. They can check back toward the ball into
uncontrolled space, make diagonal, open or lateral runs into to new space or stretch out the defense looking for a ball over the top.

Once the ball is played forward, certain players behind the ball should look to move quickly forward in support of the pass or in a high speed overlap of the ball. A good counter attack can be a quick series of forward and negative passes, looking to penetrate deeper on each forward pass. This requires effort to sprint forward for either the next penetrating pass or to be in support position in case it is needed. Generally a dropped ball creates the best opportunities for going through or past the defenses.

Coaches and trainers need to develop not only the mentality of the counter attack, but the way to effect it.

Later!

Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net

Principles of War #4: Surprise

This principle is out of the US Army Field Manual FM-3 Military Operations.

# 4 Surprise: strike the enemy at a time, at a place, or in a manner for which he is unprepared.


Defenses are designed to encourage and to create predictability. Attacking schemes and players want (and need) to be unpredictable in order to succeed.  Some examples are surprises in our game are:

• a dribbler beating a defender off a move setup by a feint.
• player behind the ball overlapping into forward space
• player on the off-ball side moving forward with a timed run into unguarded space
• one touch passing
• early cross
• quick shot
• defensive double team from a recovering player
• quick closedown or defensive pressure
   

Change of pace is probably the technical essence of "surprising" or
unpredictable play. It is easy to predict the movements of players that
rarely change their pace. Explosive starts and stops are needed. Gradual
increases and decreases in speed can be effectively monitored by an
opponent. Tactical movements and timing of runs need to be trained to
promote the element of surprise; however, it is the explosive change of pace that must be constantly encouraged.

Later!

Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net

Principles of War #5: Economy of Force

This principle is out of the US Army Field Manual FM-3 Military Operations.

# 5 Economy of Force: allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts

Some opponents seem to play with more players. They always seem to be numbers up on the attack and on defense. They do this through economy of force. Every system of play creates certain vulnerabilities. The good teams are able to put their numbers into play around the prime areas and use a minimum number of players to maintain the "secondary" areas.

For example, when the ball is being defended near one touchline, the
defensive team shifts to that side. Though there may be several attacking players near the other touch, one "balancing" defender can secure this area (generally from a fairly central position). If the ball is able to be rotated to the other touch, the balancing defender should be in a fairly good position to intercept or at least delay the attack until help arrives.

Some other examples of this principle of secondary efforts would be:

• defender that contains play behind the other backs
• goalkeeper that patrols the area behind the backs that have moved up
• only one attacker (at any one time) creating width on a given sideline
• an attacking player creating attacking depth (stretch the defense)
• dummy runs to create a diversion or to unbalance a defense
• delayed runs in order not to commit from a stable position too soon
   

Note, a secondary effort or position could at any time become the primary area of action. The ability to adjust and adapt is necessary from both an attacking and defending standpoint.

Later!

Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net

Principles of War #6: Maneuver

This principle is out of the US Army Field Manual FM-3 Military Operations.

# 6 Maneuver: place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power.

     In World War II, the German army utilized spread their foot soldiers around their tanks to prevent close-in attacks on their armament. However, these ground forces were somewhat restricted on their mobility. The allies made great use of the truck as they were able to transport large numbers of foot soldiers from one area of action to another in a short time. Many think the truck and it utilization was one of the key ingredients to the allied victory.

      In our game, we can't bring in trucks, but we can train mobility. Players first need the physical component--stamina and speed work. Conditioning is an essential part of training, but it is must be addressed in concert with other technical and tactical exercises and the amount of time available. Much if not all conditioning on youth teams can occur within a normal training session without it being a primary drill.

      Next the player needs to be in proper position during any situation to be able to respond to the next situation. The coach must be able to create these situation changes through training exercises and game play in order to teach situational awareness and effective responsiveness.

      The player must also understand the range of flexibility they have to
maneuver within their system of play. For example, a coach may tell his
backs to stand on the 18 until the ball comes into that half of the field.
This certainly restricts the mobility of these players. These players may
not have to worry about balls getting behind them (at least initially), but
there are so many other situations that they cannot respond to in this
restrictive setup.

      Other examples of restrictive play could be wings told never to leave the touchline, backs not to go forward into the attack or forwards not to track back on defense. Some of these restrictions may be valid (and needed), but the coach must realize that the overall maneuverability of the team could be limited in certain areas.

Later!

Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net

 

Principles of War #7: Unity of Command

#7 Unity of Command: for every objective, ensure unity of effort under one commander.

      The key point in this principle is the need for well defined goals and
objectives and for a full team commitment to them. The coach must ensure training is geared towards helping the team reach their goals. Players must understand these goals (team and individual) and how their individual role in attaining them.

     At game time, team strategy (focus) should be related to prior training and to previously defined long and short term objectives. It is very important for the coach to relate much of the halftime communication to pre-game focus and make appropriate changes if necessary for the next half. Post game comments should address the game objectives as well.

Later!

Principles of War #8: Security

#8 Security: never permit the enemy to acquire an unexpected advantage.

Even in the attack, a team must have an attitude towards defense and to be prepared for a counter attack. A team can't get "out of shape" in the attack and leave open good opportunities for the other team. When the other team gains control of the ball, the defensive team must transition into a defensive mentality and recover into good defensive positions.

When possible, pressure should be put on the ball as soon as possible. This is needed to: 1) slow down the counter attack allowing teammates to recover; and 2) keep the attacker from playing an accurate penetrating pass.

Next, the defender should look to shepherd the attacker in a direction that will: 1) make the attacking play predicable; 2) reduce attacking options, especially those that will cause the defensive team the most problem; and lastly, 3) allow for more defensive support and assistance (double team) from other teammates. Often times, the defender simply forces the attacker as wide as possible, towards the nearest touchline. However, many systems want the attacker to be move towards the middle where there are a lot of secondary defenders to close down the ball. Even the teams that force the ball to the center will want the ball wide if the attack reaches the last third of the field.

The supporting players nearest the ball have several duties. The first duty is to get "behind the ball" (i.e., between the ball and their goalline) or to close down the ball for a double team. Next they need to provide support (cover) for the player defending the ball. This means that if the attacker gets past the defender, they will need to defend the ball. Once a supporting position is secured, they need to locate the nearest opponent supporting the ball. This is now their "mark." The supporting defender will need to adjust his/her position to the mark not giving up their supporting position. They are to keep the ball from reaching their mark if possible or be able to apply quick and heavy pressure once the ball is received. Supporting defenders need to constantly reevaluate their position of supporting the ball defender, moving into a double team or following their mark. Location on the field, number and position of supporting defenders and movement of the mark are other parameters to assist in this decision.

The other defenders further away from the ball play an extremely important role is securing the goal. They must provide secondary cover in the case of a breakdown of the ball defender forcing the supporting defender to move to the ball. They also provide balance to the defense. This means that no matter how wide most of the team moves to one side, these defenders furthest from the ball will maintain defensive shape, often the defensive depth and the last line of defense (other than goalkeeper). Many times, there are several attacking marks for this balancing defender. Balls played to any of these attackers must be intercepted or cleared. If not possible, it is the balancing defender's duty to delay the attack enough to allow the rest of the defense to rotate back to provide support for this defenders.

Lastly, the goalkeeper must handle any ball that gets past the defense,
especially those into the penalty area, but possibly getting to and clearing away those that have not reached the area. This means that appropriate positioning is needed to first find the best angle between ball and goal; then to find the right distance towards to the ball that will allow the goalkeeper to get to balls played in front, but definitely not let any ball get over the keeper that can't be saved away from the goal.

Later!

Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net

Principles of War #9: Simplicity

This is the last of nine principles from the US Army Field Manual FM-3
Military Operations.

Simplicity: prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and clear, concise orders to ensure thorough understanding.

In training, this could mean starting a exercise at some fundamental base
and developing it with simple and subtle changes of added/deleted players, training space size, different objectives or rules until the final result is a very complex training session.

A game strategy must be simple and understandable, else the players will not be able to adapt to it or adopt it. As teams and players grow through the experiences of games and training, the strategy can become slightly more complex, but only if the concepts are simple for the players to understand and execute.

Later!

Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net