03-20-2008, 09:42 PM
Basic Soccer Positioning Is Easy
Soccer is a very simple game. It has only 3 basic positions that areused in attacking, and only 3 basic positions that are used indefending. This is why many soccer clubs are moving towards 3v3 and 4v4games at the younger age levels, so that players get a good foundationin this basic positioning. In addition, by playing 3v3 or 4v4 soccer,younger players end up with substantially more contact with the ball,which improves their skill level and makes things more fun.
Basic Defensive Positioning In a Nutshell
The 3 basic positions of players on defense are best described by the acronym "PCB" (Pressure-Cover-Balance).
The person closest to the ball is called the First Defender, and his job is to provide PRESSURE on the ball.
The second-closest person who is goal-side of the ball (meaning closerto his team's goal than the opponent) is called the Second Defender.His job is to provide COVER. That is, to be in a position toimmediately become the pressure person if the attacker gets by theFirst Defender. In addition, the Second Defender will frequently havethe additional job of guarding (called "marking") another off-ballattacker to whom the ball might be passed for a shot. The SecondDefender will normally chose to take up a position ball-side of hismark if possible, but will mark goal-side if the ball-side positionmakes it impossible for him to provide support for the First Defender.Goal-side marking is also used if a defender knows that his mark ismuch faster than he is, as it gives him the lead that he needs to keepfrom being beaten.
The defender who is in the deepest position (closest to goal) if a linewere to be drawn directly from the attacker to the goal is called theThird Defender. His job is to provide BALANCE to the defense. Inessence, he is providing additional cover for the two primarydefenders, and also watching out for additional incoming attackersmaking runs towards the center or far post areas of the goal.
All players should be taught these basic principles, and how to applythem in a game setting. It's also very important that playersunderstand their supporting duties to those players who are immediatelyaround them. For example, someone who is a midfielder must know thatthey must automatically and immediately assume the role of the"pressuring defender" if they're the closest player to the ball.Additionally, they must understand that they need to loop around toprovide cover for the defender behind them and pick up his mark ifthey're initially beaten by the attacker. Sometimes, young playersmistakenly believe that, unless they have been given the job title of"defender", they do not have defensive duties. Indeed, some coachesrefuse to even use the label of "defender" in order to avoid thisconfusion, and just refer to the players at the back of the group as"backs", in order to reinforce the idea that everyone is a "defender"when their team does not have the ball.
It is normally easier for players to learn this basic positioning interms of "Pressure-Cover-Balance", rather than using terms like FirstDefender. Thus, all that a young player needs to know is that theclosest player to the ball is the Pressure player and to know what thejob of the Pressure player is. Ditto for the Cover player and theBalance player.
Basic Offensive Positioning In a Nutshell
There are also 3 basic positions in the attack. The person with theball is called the First Attacker. His job is to retain possessionwhile getting the ball as close to goal as possible by dribbling,passing or shooting.
The player(s) within an easy ground pass of the First Attacker arecalled Second Attackers. Up until the time when the ball is advanced towithin scoring range of the goal, the primary role of the SecondAttacker(s) is to prevent loss of possession, while still allowing theball to be advanced forward if at all possible. Prior to getting intoscoring range, a single Second Attacker typically will position himselfso as to allow short relay passes between himself and the FirstAttacker in order to move the ball around the defenders). Of course,the goal of the attackers is to get the ball past all of the defendersinto unobstructed space within scoring range of the goal and then,ultimately, into the goal itself.
Therefore, as the ball moves into scoring range, the role of the singleSecond Attacker switches from a "safety-first" orientation of keepingpossession, which may even involve moving the ball away from the goalin order to keep it. Instead of "safety", the Second Attacker's role isto set up a shot on goal for himself or the First Attacker.
At this point, the Second Attacker's needs to move into a position thatwill allow the First Attacker to pass the ball into "scoring space"behind or to the side of the defenders, i.e., space from which animmediate shot can be taken. The positioning of the single SecondAttacker will depend on the number of defenders to be beaten. Normally,however, a single Second Attacker will position himself on the far sideof the defenders and set up within scoring range of the far post area.This allows him to distract and/or pull one defender away from thecentral goal area or, if unobserved, to sneak in the "back door" whileeveryone is watching the attacker with the ball.
Where there are two Second Attackers (i.e. close supporters) available,they will position themselves to form a moving triangle with theiron-ball teammate, by moving into space between or to the side of thedefenders so that the ball always has a clear path to their feet. Asthe ball is moved into scoring range, one of these players will oftenabandon his close support role and will become a Third Attackeralthough this job also may be taken up by any other off-ball teammatewho can fulfill the duties.
The Third Attacker's job is to unbalance the defense by making deepruns, usually to the far side of the goal. By doing this, the ThirdAttacker pulls defenders away from the goal mouth; distracts the keeperand defenders in front of the goal; and opens up space in front of thegoal which can be exploited by incoming teammates.
All players need to be taught these basic principles of attackingsupport. In particular, they need to learn the concepts of settingsupport triangles (basic keepaway) and how to move to create basic2-man and 3-man attacking support, because these tools are essentialweapons used by all soccer players to maintain possession in tightspaces and create scoring chances.
Applying These Basic Positioning Principles In Games
Ideally, your players would not be required to play any games beforethey acquired some basic ball skills and learned some a bit of soccerpositioning. In truth, most clubs probably would be better off if theyheld skills contests like races to see which team could dribble aroundall of the cones in the shortest amount of time instead of games forbeginning players. However, many clubs throw the kids into games beforethey are remotely ready to play, which causes coaches to pull theirhair out as they try to figure out ways to organize the kids so thatthey have fun and put their skills to some use.
Part of the puzzle can be solved by making some preliminary decisionsabout the "style of play" which your team will use on attacks anddefensively. Because attacking is harder to learn than defense, it canoften be helpful to pay more attention to defensive skills at theoutset. This can serve to hold down the scores against your team whileyour kids are learning the basics. Also, narrow losses can help to keepparental morale up, especially if the kids clearly are having fun andgetting praised for their work.
Soccer is a very simple game. It has only 3 basic positions that areused in attacking, and only 3 basic positions that are used indefending. This is why many soccer clubs are moving towards 3v3 and 4v4games at the younger age levels, so that players get a good foundationin this basic positioning. In addition, by playing 3v3 or 4v4 soccer,younger players end up with substantially more contact with the ball,which improves their skill level and makes things more fun.
Basic Defensive Positioning In a Nutshell
The 3 basic positions of players on defense are best described by the acronym "PCB" (Pressure-Cover-Balance).
The person closest to the ball is called the First Defender, and his job is to provide PRESSURE on the ball.
The second-closest person who is goal-side of the ball (meaning closerto his team's goal than the opponent) is called the Second Defender.His job is to provide COVER. That is, to be in a position toimmediately become the pressure person if the attacker gets by theFirst Defender. In addition, the Second Defender will frequently havethe additional job of guarding (called "marking") another off-ballattacker to whom the ball might be passed for a shot. The SecondDefender will normally chose to take up a position ball-side of hismark if possible, but will mark goal-side if the ball-side positionmakes it impossible for him to provide support for the First Defender.Goal-side marking is also used if a defender knows that his mark ismuch faster than he is, as it gives him the lead that he needs to keepfrom being beaten.
The defender who is in the deepest position (closest to goal) if a linewere to be drawn directly from the attacker to the goal is called theThird Defender. His job is to provide BALANCE to the defense. Inessence, he is providing additional cover for the two primarydefenders, and also watching out for additional incoming attackersmaking runs towards the center or far post areas of the goal.
All players should be taught these basic principles, and how to applythem in a game setting. It's also very important that playersunderstand their supporting duties to those players who are immediatelyaround them. For example, someone who is a midfielder must know thatthey must automatically and immediately assume the role of the"pressuring defender" if they're the closest player to the ball.Additionally, they must understand that they need to loop around toprovide cover for the defender behind them and pick up his mark ifthey're initially beaten by the attacker. Sometimes, young playersmistakenly believe that, unless they have been given the job title of"defender", they do not have defensive duties. Indeed, some coachesrefuse to even use the label of "defender" in order to avoid thisconfusion, and just refer to the players at the back of the group as"backs", in order to reinforce the idea that everyone is a "defender"when their team does not have the ball.
It is normally easier for players to learn this basic positioning interms of "Pressure-Cover-Balance", rather than using terms like FirstDefender. Thus, all that a young player needs to know is that theclosest player to the ball is the Pressure player and to know what thejob of the Pressure player is. Ditto for the Cover player and theBalance player.
Basic Offensive Positioning In a Nutshell
There are also 3 basic positions in the attack. The person with theball is called the First Attacker. His job is to retain possessionwhile getting the ball as close to goal as possible by dribbling,passing or shooting.
The player(s) within an easy ground pass of the First Attacker arecalled Second Attackers. Up until the time when the ball is advanced towithin scoring range of the goal, the primary role of the SecondAttacker(s) is to prevent loss of possession, while still allowing theball to be advanced forward if at all possible. Prior to getting intoscoring range, a single Second Attacker typically will position himselfso as to allow short relay passes between himself and the FirstAttacker in order to move the ball around the defenders). Of course,the goal of the attackers is to get the ball past all of the defendersinto unobstructed space within scoring range of the goal and then,ultimately, into the goal itself.
Therefore, as the ball moves into scoring range, the role of the singleSecond Attacker switches from a "safety-first" orientation of keepingpossession, which may even involve moving the ball away from the goalin order to keep it. Instead of "safety", the Second Attacker's role isto set up a shot on goal for himself or the First Attacker.
At this point, the Second Attacker's needs to move into a position thatwill allow the First Attacker to pass the ball into "scoring space"behind or to the side of the defenders, i.e., space from which animmediate shot can be taken. The positioning of the single SecondAttacker will depend on the number of defenders to be beaten. Normally,however, a single Second Attacker will position himself on the far sideof the defenders and set up within scoring range of the far post area.This allows him to distract and/or pull one defender away from thecentral goal area or, if unobserved, to sneak in the "back door" whileeveryone is watching the attacker with the ball.
Where there are two Second Attackers (i.e. close supporters) available,they will position themselves to form a moving triangle with theiron-ball teammate, by moving into space between or to the side of thedefenders so that the ball always has a clear path to their feet. Asthe ball is moved into scoring range, one of these players will oftenabandon his close support role and will become a Third Attackeralthough this job also may be taken up by any other off-ball teammatewho can fulfill the duties.
The Third Attacker's job is to unbalance the defense by making deepruns, usually to the far side of the goal. By doing this, the ThirdAttacker pulls defenders away from the goal mouth; distracts the keeperand defenders in front of the goal; and opens up space in front of thegoal which can be exploited by incoming teammates.
All players need to be taught these basic principles of attackingsupport. In particular, they need to learn the concepts of settingsupport triangles (basic keepaway) and how to move to create basic2-man and 3-man attacking support, because these tools are essentialweapons used by all soccer players to maintain possession in tightspaces and create scoring chances.
Applying These Basic Positioning Principles In Games
Ideally, your players would not be required to play any games beforethey acquired some basic ball skills and learned some a bit of soccerpositioning. In truth, most clubs probably would be better off if theyheld skills contests like races to see which team could dribble aroundall of the cones in the shortest amount of time instead of games forbeginning players. However, many clubs throw the kids into games beforethey are remotely ready to play, which causes coaches to pull theirhair out as they try to figure out ways to organize the kids so thatthey have fun and put their skills to some use.
Part of the puzzle can be solved by making some preliminary decisionsabout the "style of play" which your team will use on attacks anddefensively. Because attacking is harder to learn than defense, it canoften be helpful to pay more attention to defensive skills at theoutset. This can serve to hold down the scores against your team whileyour kids are learning the basics. Also, narrow losses can help to keepparental morale up, especially if the kids clearly are having fun andgetting praised for their work.