Do your players stand out 1v1 when taking players on, but find it hard to know when to lend it to a teammate? Do they look to make the pass, but not get the timing and technique of the pass quite right? Introducing them to some of the core moves and observing their understanding of when to use these moves, might help with this!
Core moves are simple combinations between two or three players that help eliminate defenders through penetration and maintaining possession. The aim is to think ahead of opposition defenders, whilst enticing them, to disguise your intentions on the ball, and they can take place anywhere on the pitch. New to core moves? You can read through our introduction to core moves here.
On our October Webinar, hosted by Game Insights Analyst Katie Sorenson, we explored Core Moves, delving into what they are and why they are important, how we can utilise data insight around them, and how we can observe factors that impact their effectiveness. Katie was joined by Lisa Savage (Women’s National Coach Developer), Natasha Mills (Women’s High Performance Coach Developer) and Nimesh Patel (Coach Development Officer) as they used their experiences and expertise across the game, to put core moves under the microscope, and understand how the six capabilities can be utilised to understand player capabilities when it comes to connecting and combining with their teammates. Before we dive into the three core move clips discussed on the webinar, check out Lisa explaining the six capabilities in the video below:
Clip 1 – Core moves within smaller game formats
At young ages, we want to encourage our players to stay on the ball as much as possible. This will increase their confidence on the ball, whilst also allowing them to discover different techniques to use to move with the ball across the pitch, or past a defender. However, there will be times where we want to encourage them to stay on the ball to draw in an opposition defender, to allow a core move to happen. This is demonstrated really well in the below clip, where Tash takes us through core moves performed within a 5v5 format by foundation phase players. Check out how the young players stay on the ball long enough to entice the defender, to then be able to perform a lending pass, a setback pass and a straight pass, diagonal run all within one passage of play! What capabilities do you see?
Clip 2 – Core moves on a bigger pitch
The first video showcased fantastic ways of utilising the core moves on a 5v5 pitch. But how do core moves now look now on a bigger pitch, with 18 players as opposed to 10? This is where it is really important to consider the STEP Principles. Nimesh talks through how you can put together a practice that encourages your players to make passes out of tighter areas into more open spaces, utilising a core move to do this. On a bigger, longer pitch, there is more often than not, space to exploit behind the opposition’s defence. A core move like a diagonal pass, straight run or straight pass, diagonal run, are great ways to unlock gaps in the other team, as showcased in the clip below:
Clip 3 – Core moves within senior football
When there are 22 players on the pitch, it is sometimes hard to know where to look and what to look for. It is even harder when it is at elite level, where the game is played at a very high intensity, and everything happens so quickly! By zooming your focus and casting your attention on what is happening on the ball and around the ball, will allow you to better observe these core moves in action. We can still see players staying on the ball in this video, waiting for the right moment to make the pass to combine with their teammate, in order to keep the ball away from the other team. Lisa unwraps some of the six capabilities, and the importance of a good first touch to set you up in the right way to be able to perform the move. How many core moves do the panel talk about within this clip?
If you enjoyed this blog and would like to learn more, watch our full webinar here. Short on time? Check out our 20 minute highlights here.