Upscale 4 v 2 with 4 Goals
June 19, 2008
4 v 2 is a common warm-up game for challenging your possession capabilities and control on the ball. It is a great game to get the blood flowing and the mind sharp but, what I love so much about football is how much you can adapt and build upon simple games like 4 v 2.
For instance, what I have diagrammed above is a 4 v 2 game that increases the intensity, forces the orange team to focus on shape, transition, width and making smart attacking and defending decisions. Playing in this situation with 2 wingers, 2 field players and 4 goals presents players options to learn beyond what a simple 4 v 2 game of possession play represents.
As you can see in the diagram above we have illustrated a narrow field of play where you have a 2 v 2 situation and these players are restricted to this area of play. Whereas the wingers are support players to provide shape and quick outlets for transition play. The wingers are to remain outside the lines (or cones could be used) and should stay in this respective area of play. Other restrictions could be placed on these players like 1 or 2 touches or not having the capability to shoot and score.
But enough about restrictions. To play in short man situations and how players are able to cope with and make smart decisions in an intense environment like this make the best use of creating a game related environment. The great thing about a game like this is that all players are involved, active and are able to learn. Typically you might want to play 5 to 10 min short games to keep up the intensity and having the wing players serve as neutral players. The outside support players could easily replace two players in the middle every 5-10 minutes to really shake things up and thus provide mutli-dimensional learning opportunities.
What I think is really great with a game like this is that it forces players to move very quickly, allows for many touches on the ball and creates an opportunity to really test a players mental or tactical thought process. With that I am really interested to what you think about a game like this and what you might add?
Playing Headstrong
June 12, 2008
Playing with your head is both a mental and technical skill. Strong players, play headstrong by using their mind and head to gain maximum advantage over their opponent. During the first and last 10 minutes of a half are usually when many mental lapses take place.
This is another content test….please join the rest of the Footballers here.
Tackling Tough For Transition
June 12, 2008
Tackling should always be done with vigor. One should never try to tackle lightly for several reasons. One, if you tackle your opponent lightly you run the risk of getting injured. Two, if you don’t tackle tough your opponent may win. Each approach you take to regaining possession should be done in such a way that it allows you to regain possession and more importantly allows you to create a transitional opportunity.
This is just another test…..
Footballers FC Goes Old Skool!
June 6, 2008
Footballers FC goes old skool with their new blog theme. Come get all the news, and info about your game, body and mind just in time for the Euro 2008. The helium-filled ball which is 49 feet in diameter was slowly inflated Thursday on Lake Geneva. Read more
Don’t Let your Game scare you!
June 1, 2008
Many players tend to let the big games scare them. But the best players overcome their fears and perform under pressure. How can they show up for the big games? Read more
