1 v 1 Attacking Principles

Age Group: 9-10 years old     Ability Level: Beginner     Gender: Boys

Equipment Required: Bibs, balls, cones

Aim of Session: To learn, practice and improve taking on an opponent in a 1 v 1 situation.

Overview: 1 v 1 situations happen all the time during soccer games, this practice is developed to build confidence in young players and help them practice (hopefully with some success) the key formula to going past a player when in this situation. When faced with an opposition player trying to steal the ball, it is a combination of three things you need to go past them;

1. Close Control

2. Change of Direction

3. Change of Speed

These concepts will be introduced gradually throughout the practice so not to overload the player with information and so they are given adequate time to work on each step, then hopefully with practice they will perform all of the above together to successfully go past there opponent in a 1 v 1 situation.

 Set Up 

This practice will involve players working in pairs. A player should partner up with someone wearing a different coloured bib and you will need one ball between two for this session. Pairs work together in a squared area, here I have used 10x10 but each individual coach will make a judgement on the dimensions for 1 v 1 situations depending on age and ability level of the group. Set up as many squares as required for this 1 v 1 session. I have already set up goals so not to disrupt the practice later.

Drill 1 - Close Control

Instruction: The red players starts with the ball, on the coaches command the red player must try and hit the blue players feet with the ball, without the ball going outside the square (this will stop kids kicking the ball too hard as if the ball goes outside the square they loose). As the blue player moves around the tight area to stay away from the ball this will encourage the player on the ball to keep the ball close in order to move/turn quickly and chase the player while keeping there head up and on the opposing player. Switch roles. (for young kids you can put a bib in as a 'tail' to catch instead of kicking the ball.)

Coaching Points: Red player keep the ball close to feet so you can move it quickly, encourage use of all parts of the foot (inside, outside, sole, laces).

Blue player never turn your back on the ball, keep your eyes on the ball and work on quick feet, fakes and explosive movement without the ball.

Drill 2 - Change Direction and Change Pace

Instruction: Player line up on opposite sides of the area, with the markers acting as an end zone. The blue player feeds the ball to the red and then acts as a defender shutting the ball down quickly. The red player must demonstrate good close control when he receives the ball and then the aim is to try and get past the approaching defender and stop the ball under control over the blue players end zone. Switch Roles

Coaching Points: Encourage the attacking player to go past defender quickly, first time! If you do not get past within 4 seconds in a game it is likely the chance will be gone as the other team will have time to get players back. To go past quickly - approach defender at 75% pace, change your direction when you get closer the player and change your pace to 100%. Encourage attacker to perform fakes (drop shoulder, step overs) and show them when you break these moves down they are essentially the same thing, change direction (fake one way and go the other) then change pace (to catch defender of guard and so he can't catch you once you are past)

Drill 3 - Attacking Competition

Instruction: This time players line up diagonally on opposite cones, the blue player passes to the red who is the attacker to start. The attacking player is attempting to go by the oncoming defender (blue player). The scoring system is as follows; the attacking player gets 1 point if he can successfully get to the cone to the right or the left with the ball under control and having not been tackled by the blue player. If the attacker can get to the cone behind the defender he will get 3 points. Each player has 5 goes and score is kept to determine a winner. This can easily be turned into a tournament with winners moving up grids.

Coaching Points: Close control, change direction, change pace! Attackers should control the ball quickly with there first touch taking them forward in the direction they wish to go, if they attack one marker and the defender follows, quickly change direction and pace to get to the other marker before the defender has time to adapt. If the defender does not fall for the attackers fake then the attacker has a head start on the marker he is already pursuing. Let players be creative, who can do double fakes and step overs, make up their own moves and give them names and try new things, perfect them before the next game.

Conditioned Game

Instruction: Once the skill of 1 v 1 attacking has been practiced, put it into a conditioned game for the players to use the skills they have learned in a game type atmosphere. Play a small sided game 4 v 4 or 5 v 5 with goalkeepers who you can rotate as desired. In this game if the team in possession pass the ball forward they concede a free kick, they can only pass back. This means the only way to get the ball up the field to approach the other teams goal is to dribble with the ball and beat players in the 1 v 1 situation practiced. It is also a good game to develop young players the concept of passing the ball backwards to go forwards.

 Coaching Points: Close control, change of direction and change of pace.