I don't give as many coaching clinics as I used to but over the years I have met many coaches starting out looking for tips on how to plan practices. It is probably the area that causes the most stress.
Even after all these years, I sometimes struggle with wanted to make sure I plan our practices that will keep my players engaged and motivated but also work on the specifics topics I want covered. Below are a few general tips on planning out practices. There are very basic and simplistic and probably common sense for anyone coaching for a while. The training area The reality for most club coaches at the youth level is that you often find yourself sharing a field and therefore have to plan a practice in a manner that is not game realistic. The important thing is to find ways to maximize the space available and always make sure to tie it into game realistic situations. Before the players arrive you should get into the habit of checking the field for hazards. Make sure there is no broken glass around, (especially in public parks) and if you are using goalposts ensure they are securely anchored and not damaged. You should also try to avoid rutted or bumpy areas. Equipment
Help is essential if your transitions from one activity to the next are to go smoothly but – and more importantly – what will you do if a child is injured when you’re on your own? Who will supervise the others while you administer first aid? And what if the child has to go to hospital – you can’t leave the others on their own! It is sensible to have an assistant of the opposite sex if you are training mixed sex teams. Make sure your athletes know that they must:
Be on time! – nothing is more frustrating than to have athletes turning up five or ten minutes after you’ve started explaining a new activity to the group. Don’t allow it – athletes who keep turning up late without good reason should be taken to one side and told why their timekeeping must improve and parents should be told that they must try to get their athletes to the training on time ( where parents are still involved) Remember….
Nothing is more likely to create discipline problems then a coach who fumbles their way through a session with no clear idea of what they’re going to do next. Spend ten minutes or so before every training session considering exactly what it is you will be trying to achieve. Have one clear objective (to improve passing technique, training shielding the ball etc.) and think about how you will organize each activity. Then: 1. Write your objective down on a small piece of paper or a notebook that you can refer to during the training session then 2. Make a note of how you’re going to teach the skill or technique to the athletes and finally 3. Write down how you are going to warm them up and what equipment you will need. The teaching part of the training (number 2 in the list above) should normally have three distinct phases: Individual/Fundamental: Players working individually or in pairs on desired technical or tactical topics. (Your chosen objective may be impossible to instruct in this phase. If this is the case, use this phase to reinforce fundamental technical skills and start coaching your topic when you move to the small and large group phases.) Progress your activities from low to high pressure. Start slowly and gradually increase the speed at which the skills are performed. 1v1 and 2v2 games are ideal in this phase. Small Group/Match Related: This is the phase of training where coaches need to show the greatest amount of creativity. Here we create competitive games (usually 2v2 to 4v4) that have imposed conditions/restrictions that allow the team to easily learn and experiment with the chosen topic. Players are under increasing pressure when compared to the individual phase. Four vs. four games are the preferred method of teaching in this phase. Large Group/Match Conditions: Bearing in mind what was said earlier about large sided games, we now let the game be the teacher. You should be aiming to create fun, competitive games, 5v5 up to 11v11. Remember, the smaller the number of players in a game, the more each player gets to touch the ball and practice what they have learned earlier in the session. This is also an opportunity for coaches to watch and evaluate their team’s performance under match like conditions. Coaches should also be asking themselves, “Are my players using the skills they’ve just been taught?” Coaching the practice When introducing practice, make sure you’ve scaled it to your group. Make sure it is appropriate for the age. U10 boys can not drive balls 40 yards in the air, so crossing attack at U10 should finish on the ground, there will not be any lofted balls to the far post from the opposite touch-line.
Relax, smile, and have fun. Your demeanor should say “this is cool”. Take it to the game. Get to a game at the end to see your topic played. Stop the game if the players aren’t doing what you want them to do. But don’t stop the game too much – beware of over-coaching and don’t be afraid of letting your athletes think for themselves.
0 Comments
This past weekend, two former players from the Montreal Impact hosted their annual combine-showcase for Quebec based players. They hold their event over 2 weekends, a male and female version held over a two day period. The showcase consists of scrimmages where various coaches from different universities and colleges have the chance to evaluate them and if interested try and sell them on their school.
The Ribiero-Moojen combine has been been taking place for a few years now and each year the event has grown. This year, Quebec based coaches from the RSEQ were formally invited and you even had a few cegep coaches in attendance since there were some Gr 11 students participating. The showcase brought together about 60 players ranging in age from 15 to 19 years old, players still in high school, some in cegep and some having already finished cegep and looking for a final opportunity to be seen primarily by a US coach. Having attended various type of showcase over the years, you always arrive hoping to find that one magic player that will turn your soccer program around but the fact is that if the player is that good, she will attract interest from lots of schools, some of which, especially in the US are able to offer more that we can, or least that is the perception. The reality is that recruitment players in an ongoing process over time, Seeing a player in various games, in training, getting to know them, their academic ambitions, their motivations, their personalities and how they might fit in with the plans I as a coach have for my soccer program. The dream of a US scholarship is strong with many of our younger soccer players. This is not unique to Quebec but nationwide although the language barrier does come into play on occasion. I can understand the lure of US university sports and the perceived better quality of play, the idea of big scholarships providing for a free education etc. Unfortunately, the reality is that their is a wide range of experiences with attending school and being a varsity athlete in the US and many of factors that affect the quality of the experience having nothing to do with the soccer itself. Their are thousands of universities and colleges in the US when you take into account the 3 NCAA divisions and the various NIAI conferences. Players hear about top programs like UCLA, North Caroline, Florida, Portland etc and thing that every school is like that. Or they might think about using their soccer to receive a scholarship at a top academic school. The very truth of the matter is that soccer wise, the top 20 or 25 schools won't look outside of their borders unless the athlete is an established international level player. With respect to the top academic schools, the requirements to be admitted are such that the athletic component is a small consideration for admission. If academics are the primary driving force for choosing a school, why wouldn't a local student attend McGill or Montreal whose academic entry requirements are on par with any of the US top schools and the cost is at a fraction. The reality is that with so many schools fielding soccer programs in the US, the possibilities of playing varsity sport somewhere is fairly good if a player is of a decent caliber. In Quebec, we have only 8 universities with soccer on the female side and there are only 53 universities and perhaps 30 degree granting colleges across Canada so the possibilities are limited somewhat. Having worked with the provincial teams and National Training Center and now at a university for the last 15 years, my position has always been that each individual needs to make the decision that is best suited for them. If leaving home to study and play varsity soccer is their preferred path then by all means, they should make every effort to achieve it. The important thing however is for the student-athlete to do their research. What is the "real" cost of attending a US school on scholarship. Someone may receive a 75% scholarship with a value of $15,000 and but still have to cover an additional $5000 (or more ) is US money, not to mention soft or associated costs which can quickly become $10,000 CDN per year, when the same amount could over more than 2 full years at a local university. Are the degrees offered recognized and compatible in Canada, Is there academic support? Is the the scholarship guaranteed over the full course of study? There are as many stories of students going south and having a negative experience as those who return having gone through a fulfilling one. In terms of this weekend's showcase itself., it was well organized. It had a varying degree of talent but overall was hard to really judge because of the significant age range. As a coach, you tend to approach these showcase looking to find that one or two players that might address a need you have and then when you speaking to them, hope that your university is of interest to them. The showcase also serves to perhaps get younger players on our radar so that we can follow their progress over the next few years and start an early dialogue about what Concordia could offer them. I left the showcase with a few interesting candidates for the future, players I will monitor over the next couple of years and try and see about how they might fit in at Concordia and how Concordia might be able to attract them. Commençons avec quelques perceptions générales sur le soccer féminin.
Le foot féminin est plus technique que physique Vrai. «Dans le football féminin la qualité technique est primordiale. La femme reste moins puissante que l’homme. Je le constate quand on joue contre des équipes masculines. Les garçons ont un jeu plus direct alors que les filles développent un football plus collectif. Mais c’est en passe d’évoluer. A Lyon, on a beaucoup travaillé sur la puissance tout en conservant les qualités de base des joueuses.» Les filles n’ont pas de culture tactique Faux. «A la base, les filles ont moins de vécu tactique que les garçons. Mais elles sont beaucoup plus réceptives à ce qu’on peut leur dire. Elles comprennent et s’adaptent très vite au système tactique qu’on veut mettre en place. C’est d’ailleurs très agréable de travailler avec elles. Alors que lorsqu’on arrive à un certain niveau, les garçons pensent qu’ils savent déjà tout.» Les gardiennes sont souvent le maillon faible Vrai mais ça change. «Les gardiennes ne sont pas encore au niveau des joueuses. En championnat de France, on voit souvent des buts évitables. Comme le foot féminin reste encore un sport amateur, il n’y a pas encore beaucoup d’équipes qui disposent d’entraîneur dédié à ce poste si spécifique. Mais c’est en passe d’évoluer. A Lyon, nos gardiennes ont un entraînement individualisé.» Il y a un meilleur état d’esprit Vrai. «Dans le foot féminin, on ne voit pas les attaquantes se rouler par terre au moindre contact dans la surface. Les filles peuvent râler contre l’arbitre mais elles sont beaucoup plus respectueuses. Chez les garçons, certains feraient mieux de se regarder devant la glace plutôt que de toujours s’en prendre à l’arbitre.» Tout comme le Canada avec les Coupes du Monde U20 et seniors en 2014 et 2015, la France espère qu'étant hôtes de prochaines compétitions va servir de tremplin pour continuer la progression du soccer féminin. La Coupe du monde de football féminin aura lieu en France en 2019. Pour la Fédération française de football, l'enjeu est important. Objectif: poursuivre le développement du foot féminin, qui commence à trouver sa place en France... et à attirer des diffuseurs et des sponsors. En 2014, la FFF comptait en effet près de 75.000 femmes licenciées, soit 30.000 de plus qu'en 2011. Pour autant, impossible de comparer football féminin et masculin. Droits TV, budgets, la différence est de 1 à 100. 7 millions d'euros de budget par exemple pour le PSG des femmes, contre quasiment 500 millions pour celui des hommes. Et pourtant, le football féminin est bien en train de se faire une place. D'abord grâce à la performance de l'équipe de France féminine, demi-finaliste du dernier Mondial en 2011 et des Jeux Olympiques de Londres l'année d'après. Leurs matchs ont débarqué sur la TNT, sur D8 d'abord, qui a atteint un pic d'audience à 2,5 millions de téléspectateurs. Conséquence: une bataille entre D8 et W9 a eu lieu pour la diffusion de la Coupe du monde de cet été. W9 a remporté l'appel, le groupe M6 ayant déboursé 800.000 euros pour acquérir les droits de diffusion. Le championnat fait lui aussi parler de lui, en particulier grâce aux lyonnaises, qui brillent en Ligue des champions. Et les sponsors suivent: le maillot de l'Olympique Lyonnais féminin vaut un demi million d'euros, plus que certains clubs de Ligue 1.
Youth soccer coaches need to bear in mind the physical and mental age of their players when planning their training sessions.
This might seem like stating the obvious but many coaches experience discipline problems simply because their plans are too ambitious or too easy for their players. Also, some coaches expect their players to master skills or techniques that they are simply not capable of at their age. For example, children up to the age of about ten may lack the physical ability to lock their ankle; a skill that is necessary to accurately strike a ball. There’s not much point, then, to get frustrated with an eight year old who can’t hoof the ball from one end of the pitch to the other! Coaches whose players are aged up to six or seven years old should also bear in mind that young children are very egocentric; they see the world only from their perspective. As a result, they are not going to want to pass the ball to their team-mates. They’re worried they might never get it back! So don’t be surprised that it’s difficult to get six year olds to stop swarming round the ball. Also, young children lack the ability to “look ahead” and see what is about to happen. This is a limiting factor that coaches need to bear in mind when teaching how to attack the ball at corner kicks, for example. So…when designing practices coaches need to take into consideration the age characteristics of their players. Activities should be picked that fit the developmental needs of the children, rather than trying to make the children participate in activities that are developmentally inappropriate for them. What are developmentally appropriate exercises? When picking activities always remember what the game of soccer is like – players are moving around constantly. Because everyone is moving the environment is constantly changing which requires players to be constantly making decisions. It is because of this that practice games are more effective than ‘drills’ at teaching kids how to play soccer, even when dealing with techniques like how to pass the ball. Many coaches choose to do drills that involve players standing in lines waiting to have a turn. This type of drill is not ‘soccer-like’. No child should be encouraged to stand in a line and wait a turn. There are plenty of ‘soccer-like’ practice games that can be used to teach any technique or tactical concept. Finally…. Enjoyment is the unifying motive. Some children don’t want to learn. Some don’t care about winning. A few have no interest in hard work and one or two can’t remember which goal they’re attacking. In spite of all of their different agendas they all want to have fun and play a game, that is what brings them there. They also want to be children. Too often the coach sees them as an extension of his vision and they become puppets to it. The time spent at practice and at the games is a part of their childhood. It should not reflect the adult world. Some adults forget this and their expectations take the fun out of the experience. Take time to consider your coaching style and understand that your expectations and hopes may not be shared by the children you’re coaching. In my 27 years of coaching, I have had quite a few highlights. Some were related to wins, moment shared with players etc.
Two of these highlights are the two occasions that I got to wear the Maple Leaf and represent Canada at the 2009 (Belgrade, Serbia) and 2011 (Schenzen, China) World University (or FISU) games. These games are not well known or publicized in North America but are considered the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympics. They are basically the Olympics for university sport. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude, the games in 2011 had 11,000 athletes and team officials involved in 21 sports. For some of Canada's national sports federations, these games are considered as Olympic standard qualifying event and a competition for athletes attempting to qualify for their sports A national team ( so basically serve as a reserve team competition). Unfortunately the CSA does not recognize these games in their competition structure and the selection of coaches and athletes falls to USport and specifically the USport women's soccer coaches' association. Since Usport ( formerly the CIS) starting soccer teams to the FISU games, on the women's side, the decision has always been to choose players that would represent schools within the CIS and not select Canadian players who might be playing in the NCAA or NIAI. The goal was to give our university league a venue to showcase the quality of play we have. The games themselves are organized and overseen by a local organizing committee in conjunction with FISU (Federation International de Sport Universitaire), but the soccer tournament itself it run by members of FIFA and is played under FIFA interntational tournament regulations. Many of the teams entered in the competition had players that had prior international experience with U17 or U20 teams and even a full few internationals. In some countries, the university structure serves as caliber players. My memories from both of the opportunities are two-fold. Obviously getting to represent my country at a multi-sport event, cross paths with athletes and coaches from different sports and universities, inter-acting with athletes from around the world and having the chance to visit to cities that in all likelihood I wouldn't have visited. The opening ceremonies at the 2011 games is something that I will carry with me for all my life. As a huge fan of the Olympics in general, getting to march in alongside 300 or so Canadians, wearing our colors, in front of 50,000 spectators was surreal. All the years I watched these types of ceremonies on TV could not prepare me for the emotional and excitement that I felt during the entire time. I of course carry memories directly related to the soccer itself. Getting to be a coach to 20 of Canada's best university players, coach at a high level which I will probably never be exposed to again and specifically, to have coached a game vs China, in China, in front of 40,000 fans. There stadium was filled with a constant "buzz" of noise and while this game was one among thousands and I have coached in, the environment made is so unique. I have often shared pictures and stories about my experiences at these games with friends and family and I can only assume that any athlete or coach who has experience the same level of competition might agree with the me that telling people about can't come close to match the thrill of living it in the moment. I have a few blog posts that I put up at the time of the sames and had athletes that were on the team also add their thoughts. I have a few pages on this site with information about the games and pictures that I took. Hopefully you might enjoy sharing a bit in my experience. all the best Le Canada a eu la chance d’être hôte des coupes de monde U20 et Senior Féminines en 2014 et 2015 respectivement. Suivi d’une deuxième médaille de bronze consécutive au olympiques de Rio en 2016, on peut dire avec certitude que le soccer féminin a été bien en vue durant une période de 24 mois chez nous. Suite aux performances aux olympiques, le Canada s’est retrouvé classé 4e au monde. De quoi vraiment être fier. Mais avec la prochaine compétition majeur étant la coupe de monde 2019, et un partie des joueuses arrivant en fin carrière, on verra surement un tournant dans notre programme nationale de soccer féminin. Afin de poursuivre sur la lancée établie par cette période de grande visibilité pour le soccer féminin, il faudrait continuer le travail au niveau « grassroots « à travers le pays.
Prenons ensemble un aperçue de la situation du soccer féminin au Canada. Le soccer est le sport le plus pratiqué au Québec. Plus que le hockey facilement. On compte près de 200,000 joueurs fédérés, dont 40% de filles et de femmes. Au Canada, c'est plus de 800,000 joueurs, ayant pres de le même pourcentage de filles et femmes à l'echelle canadienne. Dès 4 ans, les petites filles peuvent s'initier au soccer organisé. Certaines atteignent de très hauts niveaux tandis que d'autres découvrent le soccer dans des ligues de garage à 45 ou 50 ans. C'est ça la beauté du soccer. En plus d'être accessible, il touche toutes les générations. Après les Coupes du monde et les Olympiques, ou a vue une hausse importante des inscriptions à l'échelle nationale mais on n'a pas vraiment vu une augmentation importante par rapport à l'investissement financière dans le sport. Certainement, la popularité augmente mais la qualité par rapport au haut niveau ou des équipes canadiennes qui jouent dans la ligue professionnelle NWSL, n'existe pas. Même nos deux équipes semi-pro au Québec ainsi que ceux qui ont déjà existé Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, ont disparue et la WLeague n'opère plus. Le soccer a longtemps été perçu comme un sport de garçon dans les pays européens ou ailleurs alors qu'ici et aux États-Unis, il a tout de suite été accessible autant aux filles qu'aux garçons. A l'école, on pratique les mêmes sports qu'on soit une fille ou un garçon, c'est notre côté nord-américain. Les portes d'entrée sont les mêmes. On a beaucoup parlé un peu de l'histoire du soccer féminin ainsi que voir une couverture médiatique accentué que le Canada recevait la Coupe du Monde, mais autrement, on ne parle jamais du soccer féminin. Nos vedettes féminines de soccer sont quasi inconnues sauf peut-être la capitaine de l'équipe Christine Sinclair. La médaille de bronze remportée par les Canadiennes aux Jeux olympiques de Londres et Rio ont fait toute une différence. La petite fille qui voit ça, ça lui donne un petit coup au cœur et un objectif accessible Dans ce cycle entre les grosse competitions, Il faut vendre le soccer féminin pour faire en sorte que les médias en parlent, continuer de le développer, avoir des ligues de haut niveau et préparer les prochaines générations de joueuses internationales. Ca fait 27 ans que je travaille dans le soccer féminin et de penser que je suis allé vois un match demi-finale de la Coupe du Monde au stade Olympique avec 50,000 partisans me rend heureux, mais j'aimerais pouvoir aller voir les matchs pros féminin comme il existe aux États et en Europe sachant que je regarde le plus haut qualité possible. bon soccer à tous et toutes ! The title to today's post defines the topic I wanted to address on various levels.
I have been coaching soccer for 27 years, always on the female side. I didn't really have ambitions to coach, and certainly I didn't set out thinking I wanted to coach women's soccer. My start in coaching was really a question of being in a certain place at a certain time (not right or wrong, was just there). I have shared about how I got started in coach on an earlier post so let's just say, it happened and I caught addicted to the thrill of coaching. I was coaching women's soccer long before it was chic, before women's soccer was so popular , games shown on TV, the thought of women's soccer at the Olympics was just an idea, thought of women's pro leagues was not even on the radar and where coaching soccer for the most part was not a way to make a living. Today, our women's soccer team were the darlings of the last two Olympics and generated so much pride and support, there are professional leagues in many countries allowing players to make some form of living, the are reporters covering women's soccer, websites dedicated to it, and women's games can be watched on TV or web streamed with a certain frequency. Not to mention that certain female soccer players are among the most recognized female athletes in the world. So why do I bring up credibility ? When I started coaching 27 years, I heard a wide range of comments which regardless the specific topic all basically revolved around one main idea, that somehow, what I did with my coaching was less important, less credible or less valuable than someone coaching men's (or boy's ) soccer, or coaching in another sport. It was assumed that somehow if I was coaching women's soccer, it was because I was in some way not qualified enough to coach "real" soccer. That I chose an easier path , or that the coaching knowledge required to coach female players was somehow less important. And those were the polite comments, for the most part ( and coming from males of course) , I heard comments in the gist of how lucky I was to get to spend time with sweaty women, running around wearing shorts and wet tee-shirts ( and different varying versions of that). That somehow I chose to coach women's soccer for the thrill of being around females and nothing to do with the sport or the coaching.. As a male, I was always embarrassed and ashamed that my gender were so ignorant to make those comments. Let me set the record straight, I might not have chosen to coach when soccer at the start, but I have chosen to coach it ever since. I have spent significant time, energy and effort, not just coaching teams, but growing the game, its quality, the perception and it popularity. I have worked as a coaching certification instructor, given clinics specifically aimed to female players or coaches who coached female soccer, been on committees to grow the game. I have spent 27 years invested in women's soccer and hopefully, helping younger females develop skills that go beyond the soccer field. I can in no way be considered a role model ( wrong gender to become with) but I would like to think I have been a mentor to some and influential to many. In my coaching career, I have probably coached or interacted with hundreds if not thousands of players, I am sure opinions of me as a coach ( and as a person) vary all along the spectrum from really like to really dislike ( or worse), but at the foundation of everything I have done is give the athletes I work with the best possible experience while hopefully making the women's game better. That is one level of the credibility I was referring to. Now as the women's game has grown, become more popular, my in the public eye, I hear people taking about the need to encourage more women to become coaches, that the women's game will only grow when we can count of my former players staying in the game as coaches. Now, don't get me wrong, I truly believe that young females need role models, successful, strong females that they can look up to and emulate, The need to see the message that it is ok for females to stand up and fight for what they want and seek out equity and equality. I am not just taking about female soccer or female sports, but in general, in everyday life. I think that recent things like the agreements between US women's hockey and US women's soccer with the Federations , or the non allocated players from the NWSL forming a players union is a huge positive step. I am not threatened by women demanding their fair share of anything, on the contrary I applaud it and support it. And finally, the last issue about credibility, it would seem that for some, all my years in coaching, because it is in the female game, somehow doesn't not allow me to have the sufficient expertise to comment or share opinions on the men's game. Ironically, these comments don't come from other coaches, because I coach can tell when a coach knows what he is talking about, but from soccer fans who consider themselves experts in the sport. My knowledge of soccer is not uniquely tied into my coaching, but the sport being a part of my live for as long as I can remember. Being the son of Spanish immigrants, with a father who is a die-hard lifelong fan of Real Madrid ( and as a ticket holder when he was younger). I played the game for 20 years, watch games from various domestic leagues, international games, read articles on the game, stay on put of coaching tendencies, etc. I think I am an expert of the game of soccer, as much because of my coaching a version of the game that happens to be played by females , but remains the same game and as much because of the simple passion I have for the game. all the best Having spent almost 30 years solely coaching women's soccer, I am most certainly biased but I do feel it gives me a certain expertise to comment on the main differences between women's and men's soccer because at the core I am a fan of the game on w whole.
I knew most of what I am sharing below, but what I didn't know, I learned through research, which I would hope that those who minimize the value of the women's game would do. Although the rules of the game are the same, the way that men and women play soccer differs on a many levels. Women's soccer matches tend to be slower but often more direct in their play. There is less playing up on every foul, congregating around the referees to try and influence calls and the awarding of cards. Unfortunately, women's soccer doesn't receive nearly the same media coverage as men's soccer. I have seen some statistics that show, for every twenty articles on men's soccer, women get maybe one. Which seems ridiculous since at least at the international level, Canadian and US women's soccer have a much more successful track record than men's. The U.S. women's national team has won two World Cups and four Olympic gold medals and Canada has won bronze at the last two Olympics. Canadian men's soccer has... well no need to go into details. Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but even as a starting soccer player for NCAA Division I, chances are players won't be a household name unless they have accomplished something at the international level.. Unlike D1 football or basketball, games won't be playing to sellout stadiums or have your games broadcast on network TV (unless it's the championship and even then maybe on ESPN 4) All of the above has led to some myths related to women's soccer which just don't hold any water. - Women’s football is not global Women’s football is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. It is a myth to suggest that women’s football is not global for it has a growing presence in more than 138 countries. The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the largest sporting event in the world for women. Since the USA beat Norway 2–1 in the 1991 , the first FIFA women's world cup, the competition has doubled in size. While 12 teams competed in 1991, 24 teams, from six confederations participated in the 2015 World Cup held in Canada: USA, Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, England, France, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, China, Japan, Republic of Korea and the hosts. In development terms, since 2008 FIFA has targeted grassroots development programs in many non traditional areas where women's soccer was not overly present. It is serving to break stereotypes and empower women world wide. - Women’s football is not popular FIFA has stated that more then 30 million females are now playing soccer with obviously the US leading the way. While it would seem women's hockey has been around longer, only US and Canada have won every major competition, while in soccer, the parity is spread out among many countries and professional leagues exist in many countries. - Women’s football is new If the purpose of history is to disprove myths then one should research history properly to really see how long the women's game has been around. There are reports of women's soccer being played as far back as the 18th century and leagues for young girls and women have existed in various forms since then although often via school leagues. The modern game really came to people perceptions after the 1999 Word Cup and Brandi Chastain's winning PK ( and something about a shirt) but international women's soccer really started to take shape in the late 1980s The first FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in 1991 as indicated earlier and subsequent hosts have included Sweden (1995), the USA (1999 and 2003), China (2007) and Germany (2011) and of course Canada (2015). There are also U17 and U20 World Cups held every two years. The WWC tournament has been won twice by Germany and the USA, once each by Japan and Norway. Soccer is a global game and if females represent half of the global population, it stands to reason the women's game can also be part of it. But just one person's opinion. 4-4-2
Le 4-4-2 (quatre défenseurs, quatre milieux de terrain, deux attaquants) est l'un des schémas classiques du football actuel. Il existe sous deux formes ; le 4-4-2 losange ou diamant ou 4-4-2 carré. Au niveau de la défense et de l'attaque ces deux formes sont identiques. (Deux arrières centraux, deux arrières latéraux, et deux avants) C'est au milieu de terrain que la différence est notable. Dans le 4-4-2 losange Qui se joue soit avec un milieu défensif, deux milieux latéraux, et un milieu offensif (10).Soit avec trois milieux défensifs : un milieu récupérateur dans une position axiale et deux milieux relayeurs occupant les couloirs juste devant les arrières latéraux. Mais ceux-ci ont un profil beaucoup plus défensif que des milieux latéraux. En effet, ils doivent épauler le récupérateur dans sa tâche défensive, sans quoi il se retrouverait bien seul. Devant ces trois milieux défensifs se tient un meneur de jeu. Il est le métronome de son équipe et doit se montrer particulièrement décisif dans ses passes pour les deux attaquants afin de compenser l'absence de véritables milieux de débordement. Cette formation est appelée en anglais « diamond » (diamant). Dans le 4-4-2 carré Le milieu de terrain est composé de deux milieux défensifs : généralement un relayeur et un récupérateur. Il y a également deux milieux offensifs latéraux, un à gauche et un à droite, qui sont chargés de déborder et d'adresser des ballons aux attaquants. Mais attention, ce ne sont pas des ailiers ! 4-3-3 Le 4-3-3 (quatre défenseurs, trois milieux de terrain et trois attaquants) possède une défense qui évolue souvent en ligne comme pour le 4-4-2, mais le milieu de terrain change de fonction. Il est souvent à vocation plus défensive, et doit faire parvenir la balle rapidement à l'attaque. Celle-ci est composée d'un attaquant de pointe et de deux ailiers. Le profil des joueurs la composant est le suivant : une défense classique avec de préférence des latéraux offensifs, trois milieux de terrains (deux relayeurs, et un récupérateur qui fonctionnent comme dans un 4-4-2 losange) avec un important volume de jeu (pour pallier l'absence du quatrième élément), deux ailiers rapides et bons frappeurs et un attaquant de pointe de préférence athlétique et doté d'un bon jeu de tête. 4-5-1 Le 4-5-1 (4 défenseurs, 5 milieux, 1 attaquants) ou 4-2-3-1 un système qui vise à étouffer son adversaire au milieu de terrain. Le milieu est celui d'un 4-4-2 carré auquel on ajoute un milieu offensif axial. (Meneur de Jeu) L'attaque n'est elle plus animée que par un seul buteur qui sera néanmoins épaulé par trois milieux offensifs. 5-4-1 Cette formation absolument défensive est généralement développée durant le cours du match par des équipes ayant déjà marqué suffisamment de buts, ou voulant à tout prix éviter la défaite et opérant en contre-attaque. Dans le cas du 5-4-1, on retrouve souvent une défense à quatre avec un libéro. Le milieu est lui disposé comme celui d'un 4-4-2 carré. 5-3-2 Cette formation à vocation défensive se base normalement sur trois arrières centraux, dont l'un des joueurs peut prendre le rôle de libéro. Les arrières latéraux supplémentaires viennent soutenir le milieu de terrain. Cette formation est très comparable au 3-5-2 mais elle utilise des latéraux plus défensifs. Au contraire du 3-5-2 elle est en général utilisée par des équipes faibles qui refusent le jeu. Il existe néanmoins des variantes au sein même de ce système. Si le principe demeure le même (gagner la bataille du milieu et ainsi s'assurer la maîtrise du ballon), il en existe deux principales versions : la version offensive, avec deux milieux défensifs évoluant devant la défense et un trio d'animation en soutien des deux attaquants ; et la version défensive, constituée d'une ligne de quatre récupérateurs devant la défense et d'un seul meneur axial derrière les deux attaquants. 3-5-2 Cette formation est légèrement plus offensive que le 5-3-2. Au lieu de renforcer la défense par deux joueurs qui viennent soutenir le milieu de terrain, on essaye de créer le surnombre au milieu de terrain avec deux joueurs à vocation plus offensive. Et voilà, mais disons qu'il y a bien sûr encore plein de variations à ces formations, puis en bon coach, des fois l'animation et plus important que la formation. |
AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
January 2023
Categories
All
|