LONDON AREA SOCCER

St Patrick 5th-6th gradde reserve Soccer Team finishes #1 in Div 1. and finished 3rd in tournaments. GREAT JOB ST PATS.

This is the MC United Team from Fall 02 / Spring 03.

Getting back defensively When a defender is marking a player with the ball and that player passes the ball, there is a tendency to do one of two things. Either the defender decides to chase the ball to wherever it was passed OR they stop playing and relaxes with the idea that their job is done. Generally speaking, both of the above decisions are the wrong ones. The reason players shouldn’t automatically chase after the ball is that the ball can travel much faster than the player so it turns into a useless chase PLUS it frequently results in the defender getting caught so far out of position that not only can’t they put pressure on the player with the ball, but they also can’t help mark the player they just left. There are a few occasions when following the pass defensively is the right decision and those are usually when the pass is an EXTREMELY short one and there is defensive support behind but this situation is much less frequent than defenders think. The problem with the defender relaxing after his player passes the ball is that it allows the player he is marking to make a run to get behind him and at that point, he is beat (for example, a wall pass will beat this type of defender every time). As a general rule, the proper thing to do when a player you are marking passes the ball is to get back quickly. By doing this, it eliminates the chances for success of a wall pass plus allows the defender to provide support by becoming the second or third defender. Getting back defensively after a pass is hit is an easy thing to do IF you remember to do it! This is where communication becomes vital since players behind the defender (keeper, sweeper or other defenders) should be directing the defender what to do as much as possible. .

Today’s topic deals with keeping your head up while dribbling. One of the hardest things to do when dribbling is to see the ball and also to see what is happening around you. If you watch really good players it looks like they don’t have to look at the ball when they dribble and when you look at lower level players it looks like they have to stare at the ball when dribbling. The reality is that even top players have to see the ball when dribbling but the difference is they know they can see the ball and also see the field at the same time. The good news is that this is a “skill” that can be worked on and improved. Start with a soccer ball on the ground right in front of your feet. Look straight ahead and see if you see the ball at your feet. If you can, that means you can dribble the ball while looking straight ahead and still see the ball. If you can’t see the ball while looking straight ahead, then slowly lower your head (the key here is to do so lower) until you can see the ball with your peripheral vision. This is the point where you will be able to look forward and also see the ball. Once you determine how far ahead you can see while watching the ball at your feet, the next step is to practice dribbling while keeping your head up to the level where you can still see the ball. This can be done by dribbling randomly in an area, or dribbling around cones or really by doing any type of dribbling you want. The more you practice dribbling with your head up, the more you realize how much you can see while also watching the ball Learning to see many things at the same time will help you become a much better soccer player.

Marking on Opponent Players! I went with a coach friend of mine (Mark Ryan) on Saturday evening after the Rapids game on 2/14/04. Mark is a teacher, and has a student that plays soccer. The student had been trying to get Mr. Ryan to watch one of his games. Mark had called me and asked if I would like to go. Of course I said why would I want to go watch a soccer game! I guess it’s because I love the game. As I watched, I noticed something that I have seen in our teams lately. They had a very young team, and were challenging a team that had some great skills. The kids never looked upset, maybe a bit disappointed. It is very hard being a coach that is just a spectator, because you want to start yelling and helping. The problem I saw is a problem that the London Teams are having. We let our guard off of the opponent. There is the same amount of players from both teams out on the field. We must mark up on each player on the field. The keeper may be an exception and perhaps not if they are open and available to receive a back pass with no opposition. We need to make sure that we keep ourselves close enough to the opposite team, so that they cannot receive the ball very easily. We must oppose them and not allow them to gain possession of the ball. A good team that can make and receive passes, only needs 3 to 4 feet to work in. If we stay close, and not allow them to receive the ball, we are doing great. The team with the possession will usually win. REMEMBER THIS: The player with the ball is the MOST DANGEROUS PLAYER ON THE FIELD. THE PLAYER THEY CAN PASS TO IS THE NEXT MOST DANGEROUS PLAYER ON THE FIELD. If we do not mark them close, the end result will be a GOAL for the other team. The Team played very well for being a younger team. They played a team that was very well trained, and organized. It will make them better players, and a better Team, to challenge teams like this, but we all have to remember not to let the other TEAMS PLAYERS OUT OF OUR SITE. Great Job SWSA. Coach Jeff Stiffler. London Soccer. *********************************************************************