Drills: order in the chaos
Football is a game full of chaotic situations. The moments of transition often string themselves together. Players must be prepared for this and that starts with training. This article provides some tips for that.
Making scrimmages more realistic, by training them more chaotic
It is crucial that as a trainer you add chaotic moments in your training sessions at some times during the training week. This means that you and your team train for the chaotic game situations that can also occur in the matches. Players learn to adapt to the constantly changing environment and become more cognitively proficient in the process. They will see and understand the situations faster. The perception gets better, the processing goes quicker and the acting on what the situation demands is more effective and faster.
Executing a game principle in a 'structured' situation calls for very different actions than when this arises from a chaotic situation. Mutual distances, reaction time, quality in implementing the principle, cooperation, and adapting to the situations are all different. Chaotic training forms can be an excellent methodical step in training the game principles of one's style of play. After all, the match is one big chaotic situation. A logical step is that the training should also include this to better implement the game principles. The players must learn to observe, think, and decide better and faster within the match situations.
Playing style and game intentions are leading
A form of training without a relationship to game intentions or playing style is generally a waste of the learning moment of the players. This also applies to the training forms with chaos. Adding unstructured situations can be an excellent methodical step within a training format. However, chaotic training should not become an end in itself. The way of playing will always have to be leading. The role of the trainer is to make known why players (have to) show this behavior about their way of playing. What is the core of this shape, what link does it have to our way of playing and how can we add that to our game?
The training forms must therefore contain logical actions. This means that players have to perform logical things in the training formats, which are also expected in the match. A neutral player who only belongs to the team in possession throughout the entire form does not make sense about the match, for example. The overnumber situation is logical, but the person who is the neutral player is taught behavior that does not fit in a real match situation. The neutral players must then be used in your form in such a way that they also learn (switch to) defending. You can do this, for example, by having the neutral players start with team 1 which starts with ball 1, after which they remain with this team even if the ball is lost (possibly also with a switch ball). Then you start with a new ball at team 2 and then the neutral players belong to this team, including the switch ball. In this way, you implicitly create match-like football behavior, also with the neutral players.
Drills in which chaos gets the upper hand, compared to the details within the way of playing, have less added value. A trainer needs to monitor the performance of the game during each form. The shape must have a purpose and the players must know the cause vs. effect of certain actions within the chaotic situations. But always linked to the way of playing.
7v7 + 2GK pressing in boxes
Organization
- Both teams have a box in which they play their positional game. The other team always presses with 4 players in the opponent's box. Then 3 will remain in their box.
Content
- 7 consecutive passes is a point.
- Capturing the ball + scoring in the opponent's small goal or big goal is 3 points (promoting depth and goal-directed action after capturing the ball).
- Conquering the ball + moving to your own square + scoring within 3 actions in the big goal counts as 2 points (stimulating to move and then act purposefully).
- To score is always to keep the ball. In other cases, the ball is for the team entitled to it.
Coaching remarks
- Stimulate play style intentions within the team functions.
- Pressing the ball in sprint.
- Make sure you have protection behind the player who is going to press so that you can keep the pressure on the ball when the first player goes out.
- Close back immediately when you have finished playing so that the mutual distances remain small.
- Force the ball in one direction.
- Keep the passing lines closed.
- Know in advance what action to take when you take the ball: direct depth or 'take the ball out'.
Methodology
- Encouraging players to create 1 or 2 players in the middle for triangles and third-man situations.
- Add a rule for when the ball is recaptured before the other team can score in the switch.
- Reward a team when the ball goes out of bounds through a good defensive move and the defender touches the ball last (e.g. on a block). This is then well-defended and the defense then gets the ball in its box.
8v8 + 2GK transitional drill after a pressing moment
Organization and content
- It starts from a framed middle section where it's 8v4. The moment the ball (more than half a meter) goes out or is captured, we immediately continue in the large box. This is then immediately the moment of transition. The red players stand around the field to receive the ball directly. The blue team can also earn points by playing around 7 times.
- As soon as ball 1 is out of play, a second ball comes from the trainer to any team. As soon as it is out of play, we start again in the small box. After x number of rounds, the teams turn around.
Coaching remarks
- All defensive moves are in sprint.
- Stimulate choices after winning the ball forward as much as possible. This depends on the situation.
- Get alignment between the players in the axis who win the ball and the players who should be able to receive the ball. When do you start sprinting and in what direction?
- Depending on where the ball is, the players around the center box must move along to get the best starting position. This way they learn to keep an eye on the ball in case blue can still attack outside the box and they will not only focus on attacking after conquering.
Methodology
- Add a third ball.
- Extra points for scoring within x number of passes after capturing the ball from the center section.
- Extra points for blue when they create third-person situations.
- Hit a maximum of 1x or 2x in the middle section for the starting team.
Implicit learning
Implicit learning is important in training with structured chaos because the changing environment of the training forms is organized from implicit learning. The rules in the training form and environment already ensure that the players will show certain behaviors without the trainer having explicitly said anything about this.
Players learn the intentions and principles, how to deal with change, and what to do in those moments, all unconsciously. The role of the trainer is to make known why players (have to) show this behavior, in particular, what this means for the way the team plays. Forms of training in which chaos gets the upper hand, compared to the details within the way of playing, have less added value. It is important for a trainer to monitor the performance of the game during each form. The shape must have a purpose and the players must know the cause or effect of certain actions within the chaotic situations. But always linked to the way of playing.