Coaching Question

[AZOffaly]

Hi Lads, a question for some of ye who may be involved in coaching. I'm helping out with the local under 16 footballers here in Tipp. It is predominantly a hurling club, but the lads are keen and they do have some good skills. I'm trying to keep the sessions interesting with a bit of variety, and am trying to build up their skill levels with drills, but the drill are performed at full pace and under game conditions, where possible, to give them a good workout at the same time. They seem to be enjoying it so far, and I am seeing improvement.

There is one area that I am struggling a bit with though, and it's the concept of forward movement into space to receive a pass, and the fact that you might have to make 2 or 3 runs before you get the ball. The lads are fierce for standing up to contest a 50-50 ball, or else they make 1 run out to meet the ball carrier, and then stop if they don't get it.

It's a mindset as opposed to laziness, so I was just wondering if you knew of any drill that might encourage them to make runs, and move onto the pass, and also encourage the passer to look for the run and reward it by giving the pass? (Foot pass only, I have loads of support play games and drills which I've used for handpass and they are working well). I've tried to draw up a couple myself, but I think they might all involve too long 'standing around' which I treat like the plague, or else won't scale to the numbers I have ~15 to ~25 on a given night.

Any ideas gratefully received.

[brokencrossbar1]

Pairs and numbers, odd numbers on the end line evens on the 45 with 2-3 passers in different positions.  Call 2-3 numbers each time.  Players on the end line are receivers and can take and score or pass out to players coing in from the 45 who are support players.  If done at match pace the lads will be running every 2-3 turns.

[AZOffaly]

I get ya. Where do you set up the passers? Different angles, or coming in soloing from halfway? I presume you rotate positions after a few reps? I don't want to pigeon hole 'forwards' or 'backs'.

[brokencrossbar1]

I get ya. Where do you set up the passers? Different angles, or coming in soloing from halfway? I presume you rotate positions after a few reps? I don't want to pigeon hole 'forwards' or 'backs'.

Rotate passers shooters as much as you like and change backs to forwards and forwards to backs as much as you like.  Passing comes from MF area as that is where the majority of the kick passing comes from. Spread 3 lads evenly across the field and get them to vary passes, down the line and cross field.  Also give the passers licence to create an extra man if they feel it is needed.  Free them of the shackle of a hurling parish!!!!!!!

[AZOffaly]

I get ya. Where do you set up the passers? Different angles, or coming in soloing from halfway? I presume you rotate positions after a few reps? I don't want to pigeon hole 'forwards' or 'backs'.

Rotate passers shooters as much as you like and change backs to forwards and forwards to backs as much as you like.  Passing comes from MF area as that is where the majority of the kick passing comes from. Spread 3 lads evenly across the field and get them to vary passes, down the line and cross field.  Also give the passers licence to create an extra man if they feel it is needed.  Free them of the shackle of a hurling parish!!!!!!!

Good stuff. I'll give it a lash. I don't want to free them from hurling, I just want to expand their mind

[AZOffaly]

That worked a treat lads. I'd recommend it as a game type situation drill for anyone. One thing to be wary of, which I had to deal with at the start. Make sure your passers let the receiver make their run first. At the beginning our lads were calling '3' and then kicking it to him, rather than calling '3', letting him run to space, and then passing. Knocked that on the head after 3 passes, and after that it went like clockwork. They enjoyed it too.

[brokencrossbar1]

Another one which could be done is groups of 6 across the field from sideline to sideline.  2 with the ball on one sideline, 2 in the middle about 10 yards apart and 2 the far side.  Straight line across the field. 

2 players with ball---------------------1 player--------1 player---------------------2 players

Green player starts with ball,  red player makes a run towards him, but it is a dummy run, player with the ball kicks over his head to blue player, red player turns and take hand pass off the blue player and kicks to far side to yellow player.


green goes to red, blue stays where he is and red goes to yellow.  Vice versa going the other way with blue making dummy run.  Gets it into the head for first player to make the unselfish first run and then back it up.

[the colonel]

check the gaa.ie coaching part. Some good drills in there. Also the other provincial council sites which have lots of drills and game based exercises

[Zulu]

A few drills and games I use and have found to work well.

1. Randomly set out a number of different coloured cones across the pitch and between 15 and 25m from goal. The forwards line up in groups at the two corner forward and full forward positions. I call out a routine (i.e. blue, yellow, red) and the player(s) have to run to those coloured cones in that sequence. I send the ball in, just before the player reaches the last cone, which he gathers and attempts a score, or plays it to a supporting forward if 2 or 3 players are involved.

2. I develop this to having the forwards marked and removing the cones. Now I set a time, e.g 6 seconds (this can be less or more of course), on the whistle the forward(s) must break out from the endline and keep running and trying to shake off their man for 6 seconds before I play the ball into them. If they are running too deep, simply set a line of cones across the pitch at 25m from goal which they can't cross. If they aren't changing direction enough just tell them they must do so on at least one, two, or however many occasions you want.

3. Game. I set down lines of cones the length of the pitch to divide the pitch into zones. I usually break the pitch into 3 or 4 zones. The main rule of the game is a player can't receive a pass in his own zone. So wing/corner forwards line up into the side zones but can only take a pass in the middle zone. The opposite is true for the centre/full forward. This encourages diagonal running and angled delivery of the ball and discourages players running towards the man in possession. To help the game run smoothly you can insist that the forwards must get into their zones once their team crosses the halfway line, which i think is best as it teaches the players to spread out and create space when their defence turns it over. Once the ball is inside the 45' you can allow the players one pass in a zone which makes it easier to create a scoring chance.

For the first two drills if you are worried about lads standing around just divide the squad into two and have the one half play a small sided tackling game. If you don't have anyone to help just make it simple, like a 5 pass to score game.


On BC1's drill, do the players line up across the endline and 45 and a player then kicks it into the players/numbers called on the endline?

[AZOffaly]

On BC1's drill, do the players line up across the endline and 45 and a player then kicks it into the players/numbers called on the endline?

Cheers Zulu.

Re BCs drill, the way I ran it yesterday was lads on the endline, lads 5 yards in from the end line, and lads on the 45. Then I had passers.

The 'full back line' were on the end line. The 'full forward line' were 5 yards off them. The lads on the 45 were the half forwards.

The passer calls 1, 2, or 3. (1 is right corner forward, 2 is full forward, 3 is left corner forward). When he calls, the receiver has to make a run, with the corresponding defender hot on his heels. When the forward gets it he has the option to play it to the inrushing (at top speed) half forward, or else kick a score himself. The defender has to work to play the 2 on 1.

It worked really well I have to say, and there are a couple of variations you could throw at it as well.

[goldenyears]

Slight variation but I have used the following drill to enforce forward movement. I have 6 forwards set up in traditional positions (6 zones) and make them go a different zone before they can receive a pass. Play ball in from midfield to any of the 6 encouraging receipt then leave off before a shot from the support runner.

If two players arrive in same zone give them hell. It should encourage communication between the 6 forwards. Once they get the hang of it, make them change zone twice before ball is played in etc etc.

In time introduce 6 defenders and off you go in match situation.

[ardal]

Any tips out there on how to get a bunch of non Irish players to:

Play the ball back to the free man

Go for the point instead of 10 passes (for the goal) and lose the ball.

PS Already tried violence

[Tony Daily]

Just a few examples - hope you like them - pass and move, 3 seconds on the ball, small sided games etc..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hifrUu5Om_M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bkAMZcHx7A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1whbyEM_LY4

[AZOffaly]

Lads, to keep this going, I have another question for ye tacticians out there. As I mentioned I'm training the Under 16s here in the club, and we are making good progress. We had a challenge match last week and the rate of progress from the last game was remarkable in fairness to them. Movement, support play and use of the ball were much better, but we still have a good bit to work on, and I have a lot of ideas myself.

Importantly, they also seem to be enjoying the sessions as well, and our numbers are growing. I encourage them to provide feedback too, in terms of what they like/don't like. But I make the decision as to what we do, and I explain to them 'why' we do it as well. So far so good, and if we never win another game this year, I know they are improving and enjoying it.

However, we do want to win games, and as such I have a tactical question to see what ye think. I have a few ideas about this myself, but I know a lot of ye would have experience in this. Long story short, at Under 16 level, we do not have a goalkeeper that can kick the ball out 60 yards and let our midfielders contest it. As such, you see a lot of pressure coming on whenever the opposition manage to even get a wide, as the kickout inevitably leads to condensed pitch down our end.

When we get the ball, the lads have really come on in supporting each other and working their way out of trouble, but what is the best way of securing possession in the first place from the kickout? I want to keep it relatively simple, and am toying with a few variations of short kickouts, but I don't want to be too predictable. Equally, I don't want a scrum of 4 midfielders, a centre forward/centre back and maybe wing backs and forwards fighting for 50-50 ball inside our 45.

Thoughts? I was chatting Fergal Byron about this, and he was telling me he had a pile of routines he does with the backs/midfielders and goalies to vary the kickouts, but I didn't have time to get them off him.

[Jinxy]

Just land it in on top of the square.
It's in Gods hands after that.