How to Coach POSITIONS to kids (Football Coaches Guide)

Summary

In this coaching session, the focus is on teaching players to adjust their positioning based on ball possession. With the ball, players 'stretch' wide to create space, while 'squeezing' narrow when defending. The coach uses 'pancakes' to mark positions, helping players memorize where to stand for both stretching and squeezing. After mastering these positions, players are challenged to reset and adjust without visual aids, demonstrating their understanding and spatial awareness. The session emphasizes the importance of smart positioning and thinking, not just technical skills, for success in football.

Takeaways

• 😀 The session focuses on teaching players to spread out into the right positions when they have the ball and to adjust their positions when they don't.
• 🔄 When the red team has the ball, they should stretch wide, but when defending, they should squeeze and narrow their formation.
• 🟡 The yellow team, when defending, should also narrow their formation to cover more space effectively.
• 👟 The concept of 'stretch' refers to spreading out to create width and space, while 'squeeze' means players come closer together to compact the defense.
• 🥞 The coach uses 'pancakes' as a visual aid for players to remember their positions when stretching or squeezing.
• 🔴 The red team is instructed to stand on the widest 'pancake' when they have the ball and the narrow one when they don't.
• 🟡 Conversely, the yellow team should stand on the narrow 'pancake' when defending and the wide one when attacking.
• 🤔 Players are encouraged to think and remember their positions without relying on the 'pancakes', demonstrating their understanding of the game.
• 👍 The coach praises the players for their quick learning and ability to adapt to the instructions, highlighting the importance of smart thinking in football.
• 🎯 The session aims to improve not just physical skills but also the players' strategic awareness and decision-making on the field.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the training session described in the script?

The main focus of the training session is to teach players how to spread out into the right positions when they have the ball and how to adjust their positions when they don't have the ball.

What does the term 'stretch' refer to in the context of the training session?

In the context of the training session, 'stretch' refers to the action of players spreading out wide when their team has possession of the ball.

What does the term 'squeeze' refer to in the training session?

The term 'squeeze' in the training session refers to the action of players narrowing their positions when the opposing team has the ball.

Why do the players need to adjust their positions based on whether they have the ball or not?

Players need to adjust their positions based on ball possession to optimize their team's offensive and defensive strategies, ensuring better ball control and defensive coverage.

What is the significance of the 'pancake' in the training session?

The 'pancake' is a visual aid used to help players remember their positions during the game. It represents the spot on the field where players should stand depending on whether they need to stretch or squeeze.

How does the coach use the term 'reset' during the training session?

The coach uses the term 'reset' to signal players to return to their starting positions, which are designed to either stretch or squeeze the game depending on the ball possession.

What is the purpose of having different positions for players when their team has the ball versus when they don't?

The purpose of having different positions for players based on ball possession is to control the game's width and depth, allowing for better passing options and defensive compactness.

Why does the coach emphasize the importance of not being 'sticky' with the pancake?

The coach emphasizes not being 'sticky' with the pancake to ensure players are mobile and can adjust their positions dynamically during the game, rather than being fixed to a single spot.

What does the coach mean when they say 'we're going to play like a lot of busy bees'?

When the coach says 'we're going to play like a lot of busy bees,' they mean that players will be constantly moving and adjusting their positions without the visual aid of the pancakes.

How does the coach test the players' understanding of the stretching and squeezing concepts?

The coach tests the players' understanding by hiding the pancakes and asking them to remember their positions without visual cues, ensuring they can still execute the strategies correctly.

What is the final challenge presented to the players in the script?

The final challenge is for the players to reset, stretch, and squeeze effectively without the use of pancakes, relying solely on their memory and understanding of the game's spatial dynamics.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Positioning and Ball Possession Strategy

The paragraph discusses a training session focused on positioning in relation to ball possession. The coach emphasizes the importance of spreading out into the right positions when in possession and adjusting positions when not in possession. The session uses the terms 'stretch' and 'squeeze' to describe the offensive and defensive formations respectively. The coach uses visual aids like 'pancakes' to help players remember their positions. The session also includes a reset drill where players must quickly return to their positions after the ball goes out of play. The goal is to improve players' understanding of spatial awareness and positioning on the field.

05:02

😅 Game Dynamics and Responsive Positioning

This paragraph continues the training session, focusing on the dynamics of the game and how players should respond to changes in ball possession. The coach uses the 'pancake' system to help players remember their positions during the game. The session highlights the importance of not sticking to one position but being fluid and responsive to the game's flow. The coach corrects players who fail to adjust their positions according to the ball's possession and emphasizes the need for players to be smart and use their brains to make quick decisions on the field. The session concludes with the coach hiding the pancakes to test the players' memory and ability to position themselves correctly without visual aids.

10:03

😃 Cognitive Skills in Football

The final paragraph praises the players for their performance in the training session. The coach notes that the players have successfully completed two weeks' worth of training in one session, demonstrating their cognitive skills and ability to think strategically on the field. The coach emphasizes that the best football players are not just those with good foot skills but also those with a good understanding of the game and the ability to make smart decisions. The session ends with the coach planning to challenge the players further in the next training, as they have already shown a high level of understanding and adaptability.

Keywords

💡Stretch

Stretch refers to the action of spreading out or increasing the width of a team's formation when they have possession of the ball. In the video, the coach emphasizes how players should position themselves wider when their team has the ball, allowing for better passing options and field coverage. This concept helps to open up space and create more opportunities for effective gameplay.

💡Squeeze

Squeeze refers to the action of narrowing a team's formation when they are defending, or when they don't have possession of the ball. The coach explains that the defending team should tighten their formation to reduce the space available to the attacking team. This limits passing lanes and makes it harder for the opposition to break through the defense.

💡Reset

Reset in this context means returning to the starting or optimal defensive or offensive positions after a significant event, such as a change of possession or the ball going out of play. The coach uses this term to help players understand that after every key moment, they need to quickly get back into positions that align with their team's strategy, whether it's to stretch or squeeze the field.

💡Pancake

Pancake is used metaphorically in the video to refer to markers or spots on the field where players are supposed to position themselves. The coach gives each player a 'pancake' of their team color (red or yellow) to indicate where they should go when resetting. It's a visual aid to help players understand the positioning concepts of stretching and squeezing.

💡Positioning

Positioning is the key concept of where players should stand depending on whether they have the ball or not. The coach repeatedly emphasizes that the players' positions should change based on the situation—wider when attacking (stretch) and narrower when defending (squeeze). Good positioning ensures a team is well-balanced both offensively and defensively.

💡Wide

Wide is a term used to describe the horizontal spacing across the field that a team should maintain when they are in possession of the ball. The coach instructs the players to position themselves as wide as possible during attacks to maximize field coverage and create passing opportunities. It is the opposite of squeezing when defending.

💡Narrow

Narrow is the opposite of wide and refers to how close together the players should be when they are defending or do not have possession of the ball. The coach instructs the team to 'squeeze' into a narrower formation to make it more difficult for the attacking team to find space or make passes.

💡Defending

Defending refers to the actions a team takes to prevent the opposing team from scoring. In the video, the coach highlights the importance of squeezing and maintaining a tight, narrow formation to reduce the attacking team’s ability to pass and move forward effectively. Defensive positioning is crucial to minimizing the threat of conceding goals.

💡Attacking

Attacking in the video refers to the actions a team takes when they have possession of the ball and are trying to score a goal. The coach encourages players to spread wide and stretch the field when attacking, which opens up space and creates more passing opportunities, improving their chances of moving the ball up the field and scoring.

💡Goalkeeper

Goalkeeper is the player responsible for guarding the goal and preventing the opposing team from scoring. In the video, the goalkeeper also plays a role in resetting the team’s formation when they receive the ball, helping the team stretch the field and resume their attacking shape.

Highlights

Coach emphasizes the importance of positioning with and without the ball.

Red team instructed to stretch wide when in possession, while yellow team narrows when defending.

The concept of 'stretch and squeeze' is introduced to manage space on the field.

Coach corrects the team's formation, ensuring they are not too narrow or wide.

The team learns to adjust their positions based on ball possession.

Coach uses the term 'reset' to signal players to return to optimal positions.

Players are given 'pancakes' to represent their positions for quick reference.

The coach explains the need to stretch when attacking and squeeze when defending.

Players are taught to recognize when to reset based on ball possession by the goalkeeper.

Coach demonstrates the importance of not being 'sticky' to one position during play.

The team practices dynamic positioning without visual aids like 'pancakes'.

Coach removes the 'pancakes' to test the team's memory and understanding of positions.

Players are encouraged to use their memory and teammates as guides for positioning.

The coach praises the team for their quick understanding and execution of strategies.

The session concludes with the team successfully implementing strategies without visual aids.

Coach notes that the best football players are those with good spatial awareness and thinking skills.

The team demonstrates advanced understanding by completing two weeks' worth of training in one session.

Transcripts

I couldn't work on shape and spaces so

we're going to do matches for quite a

lot of the sessions today but what we're

going to do is we're going to try and

get you spreading out into the right

positions when you've got the ball and

we're going to look at how your position

might be different when you don't have

the ball okay does everybody get that

when you've got the ball

you might have a different position to

when you don't have the ball yeah and if

the red team have got the ball they're

going to stretch like we did last week

right they're going to go with lots and

loads of width but if the yellow team

are defending they're going to go a

little bit narrower now is that a bit

too narrow yeah we've got a bit too

squashed there haven't we but we

definitely wouldn't go as wide as the

other team because they've got the ball

so we make sure that when we get the

ball we go wide but when they've got the

ball we go narrow yeah we've got it

stretch and squeeze now what if the ball

was with the other goalkeeper what would

the red team need to do

defend which means coming what really

close to each other good so what's that

called is that a stretch or is that

squeeze

squeeze squeeze together right but then

what did my yellow team need to do now

stretch first they stretch which means

going into what positions

wide with weights goodbye and get into

positions where we can receive the pass

now this play is really wide

but he stood behind somebody is that a

good position

no we need to make sure that people can

get to our feet got it but the first

thing we're gonna do with this game guys

is just make sure we understand that

when we get the ball we've got white

come when we lose the ball we've got an

arrow when we get the balls stretch and

when we lose the ball we squeeze

everybody got that yeah

we've sort of done this

um okay we look like a High full of bees

then when the ball goes out we'll play

that's a really good sign to reset

everyone say that word back to it and

what we mean by reset is we get back

into good positions that help us stretch

the game okay and then the yellows might

get back into good positions that help

us squeeze again all right now what

we're going to do here to help is we're

going to give you a pancake and that

pancake is gonna be your color so red

plate will have a red pancake yellow

please

set back does that make sense so if I

say reset you don't look around and go

oh where do I go you go pancake back you

get this quick and then as soon as

you're reset we can Flash them all make

sense so we're all gonna go get a

pancake Now red or yellow to match your

color

yeah

right guys so now we've got our pancakes

in position we've got your much wider

because he's stretching the game and

then red you guys are making a triangle

out there as well I like it now Reds are

missing a player

because they've only got three but Jack

is gonna help by being a goalkeeper he's

going to be a bit of a Defender too like

we've got okay but we've got our stretch

now what's the words that I'm gonna say

when I need you

reset perfect are we ready to go let's

get it again let's go

we're gonna look at what you do when you

lose the ball because what we said is we

need to squeeze when the other team's

got the ball we're going to stretch when

we've got the ball but what's been

happening is because of when your

pancakes are we've had the red team lose

the ball and that should be still really

really wide

where should they stand if they've lost

the ball

squeezing a little bit narrower so I'm

going to give you two pancakes now if

you're out white

if we get the ball we stand on the

widest pancake but if we lose the ball

and I shout reset if you know that

you're defended you sat on the wider one

of the narrow one yeah stretch pancake

or the squeeze pancake that makes sense

yeah now the middle players are gonna

stay in the same place because this is a

good place for him to be whether we've

got the ball or not that's a good place

for him whether we've got the ball or

not but if Alma see stood over here no

he's yellow if I honestly stood over

here and we've lost the ball then that's

fine but if Pharmacy stood over here

when we won the ball we need to go away

yeah the other way around we lose the

ball

so what we're going to do now

guys

you got it but you've only got to stand

on the narrow one if we've lost the ball

oh perfect and it so just to check

understanding Jax has got the ball here

so where would the yellow players go

were they still wide or they can say

narrow ones you go narrow them Federal

you do it promise you do it there you go

all right now we're gonna roll the ball

in here

yellow team has now got the ball where

did you know

why and Ethan's already doing it use it

you guys go narrow everybody getting up

yeah perfect

are we ready

there we go what we do once the game

starts because what you all did blessed

he's a he's a clever kid but you've got

to be confused what happened is he

started here

because I said reset so he went to

Sony's pancake and I think his pancake

must have had like some maple syrup or

something because he got very very

sticky

and when the game started and everybody

was playing you always just stuck to his

pancake

and then the ball came near him and he

was just suddenly spanking and his

teammate needed a bit of support and he

was just filming his banking so it was a

good idea to start there what does he

stay there for the whole game no

absolutely not

yeah but that's what we need to do we

need to keep our feet moving make sure

now what also happened you and this is

the whole yellow team not Joshua this

time yellow's got a corner up here and

they're attacking they've got the ball

they could score and see what they did

they all turned around and ran back to

their pancakes over here are you gonna

start from that corner in this goal if

you're all the way up there

and then the red team who was supposed

to be defending their goal like the

corner they all started resetting back

to their pancakes over here while the

yellows we're trying to score so it's

important that we understand when we

reset we only reset when the ball is

with our goalkeeper you got that now

that also means the ball might not even

go out it might be that our red team are

like this and they're under a little bit

of pressure and the yellows are trying

to defend against them and they decide

the best thing to do is pass the ball

backwards Ethan's done it a couple of

times he's passed the ball back to the

goalkeeper

he does that the ball hasn't gone out

for a goal kick it's just that our

goalkeeper's feet but could we still

reset

the restore stretch it would be a good

idea to get our width back yeah

absolutely so what I want to see now is

two things kids that are smart enough to

play back to the goalkeeper and then the

team that's smart enough to stretch or

squeeze

just like we did when the ball went out

but now while the ball is still on the

pitch goalkeeper gets the ball we reset

you got it even if it didn't go up with

the goal line I understand remember no

sticky Pancakes on your feet

look at the same it's gonna be exactly

the same something's changed I've worked

on the pitch see if you can notice

anything that's changed

the pancakes some burglars stolen my

pancakes

all right you all right we have hidden

the pancake so now it's impossible to

stretch it's impossible to reset and now

we're just gonna have to play like a lot

of busy bees again

what do you think it is

all right I'll must help us

we memorize it if we remember where to

go can we still go there

if if we're in a good stretched position

do we need a pancake to tell us that

if the other team have won the ball do I

need a pancake to tell me where to stand

no or do I just squeeze please as long

as we've got our diamond and as long as

we've got the right amount of width

or the right amount of squeeze then we

don't need the pancakes do it so that's

your final challenge we're going to play

the game and when I say reset some kids

will go exactly where they should some

kids will go I can't remember but they

can look at their teammates to work out

whereabouts they should go you got it

and some kids will go

hopefully nobody will do that you got it

so we are going to reset without the

pancake we can do it yeah let's do it

there we go guys right so even though we

lost all our pancakes we've still got a

really nice reset for the yellows Ethan

has just realizing they've not got the

ball so he's starting to squeeze without

the pancake well done this is the play

foreign

that's a goalkeeper's ball but do you

know how to reset anymore do you know

how to stretch you've done it perfect

let's play

good reset guys even without the

pancakes

now guys

that session is supposed to be two

different weeks and with some groups I

do the first bit where it's like

pancakes stand in the right place and

get used to stretches and in week two we

start to talk about squeezing and we

start talking about putting the pancakes

out to see if people can still do it you

guys just did week one and week two this

week but you did it so well and you were

so switched on and you're also in the

right positions and I was like you know

what let's make it harder again and then

you did it let's turn the pancakes off

and you still did it and all that is

down to how well you think the best

players in football not always the best

players with their feet it's the best

players who've got one thing but a

really good brain too and the way you

guys were thinking the way you guys were

following the instruction when I was

saying reset everybody is going to the

right place whether you had the ball so

you stretched or you lost the ball so

you squeezed you all did that absolutely

give yourself

for next week is supposed to be part two

but I'm gonna have to do something

different because you've just done part

one and part two in one session