“Spread out” and “pass it” are all wonderful things to do when playing football and when you see players at the highest level do it effectively, it is a joy to watch. However, this level of competence will have been achieved through many years of practice (both formal and informal) and a deep understanding of time and space. But do our four- to six-year-olds possess the same number of accumulated hours, months, and years of experience? and do they possess the same level of understanding about how to be successful when playing an invasion game?
The answer, of course, is no. But these phrases seem to make up lots of the coaching information and help given to our youngest children when starting their football journey. The big question is: “if we prioritised other things, would the preparation of our young players to play football be even better?”
The answer would be a resounding yes. So let us take a closer look at each statement (spread out and pass it) as we enter the world of our children.
Spread out
Asking our children to spread out, at this age, is like saying you can go to an exciting sweet shop but you must stay away from the sweets. Children come to football at this age to touch, kick and bounce the ball (amongst other things). It goes against every driving force they have, to move away from the ball. This explains why “honey potting” around the ball happens at this age (and beyond). They all want to be near the ball and to kick it (or pick it up and make it theirs for a few brief seconds).
If the children come with an intense desire to be “on the ball” then we must feed this and ensure that each child gets millions and millions of individual contacts with it. This is where confidence grows, and skilful players emerge. Any kind of intentional attempt to pass the ball to someone in space is already doomed to fail. So let us stop saying spread out and help each child fall in love with the game. They are being given the opportunity to develop a real touch and feel for the ball which can be refined and polished as the years go by. And other parts of the game can be added later at a more appropriate time.
Pass it
I have already begun to unpick why this should not be a priority at this age but let us delve deeper. To play a passing and moving game of football the level of technical competence and decision-making needed is extremely high. A high ability to constantly read the game, where you and your teammates act as one to empty and fill spaces with ease, is also required.
To pass effectively you need to begin to:
- look around for a teammate in space and be aware of any opponents who, if near, may be putting you under pressure. This is extremely difficult for children as all of their attention will be on where the ball is.
- look away from the ball at your feet to assess all these things at a time when you do not have complete control over the ball or your body.
- decide who to pass it to and at what speed, direction and weight to get it there safely and accurately.
These things mount up to asking our youngest children to undertake “mission impossible” every time they come together. Especially when all the things mentioned above become even more complex the more players there are on the pitch. Should we really be asking our U7’s to play 5v5? It makes you think, doesn’t it?
The play phase provides the perfect start for our youngest children. The format we want our children to play is 2v2. A format that reduces the decision-making dramatically, provides lots of ball contacts and means that every player feels that they are only a brief time away from their next touch of the ball. These things will make the time together fun and enjoyable. They all add to a great introduction to football for our youngest children.
For more info, check out these resources.
Also, keep an eye out for more play phase blogs on this page.
We will also be running live events where you can ask experts written questions on the forum. These are taking place on:
23rd October 7-8pm
5th December 6-7pm
19th February 6-7pm
4th June 6-7pm