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Football Hero

Adam Maylor

Ages ago my son was playing a game on his pad called Soccer Hero. It is kind of like playing football in levels. The team he plays for and I coach where getting good a keeping the ball but needed work on creating chances so I thought about creating Soccer Hero into a game they could play. I had seen similar things to this before but never including lives and the possibility of going out. Of the 12 in the team only 3 had played Soccer Hero (don't like the name but it is catchier than Football Hero) so we explained how the game works. 

The objective is to improve the Speed of Passing. The penetration of the team. The risk taking. The movement. The awareness.  

And so far it has worked. The team are passing to each other quicker and moving forward to create chances. It has even helped to improved the attitude of the players. Knowing they are playing this at the end has meant they work hard at the previous tasks and listen to gain as much time at the end to play this. 

Anywhere between 7 and 12 is good. 

As I wrote earlier I am sure someone else will have thought of this before and may have even put this on here but I thought it would be worth putting on here for anyone else who may find it useful.

If you have a go at it. Let me know how you get on? Anything you would change in the STEP process? Anything you would do differently?

Equipment

  • Large Goal
  • 2 x Mini Goals
  • Cones to make three zones 
  • Area 60 by 20 if you are playing with 11 players.
  • Plus Starting Positions
  • And Extra Life Zones
  • Bibs

Rules - Attackers

  • Teams start with 3 lives
  • Teams pass the ball and try to get to the next level. 
  • Once they have entered a level they cannot go back.
  • Placing your foot on top of the ball means it is safe.

Rules - Defenders

  • You must stay in your Zone
  • You can only enter a Safe Zone if a player doesn’t have his foot on top of the ball.

How to Lose Lives

  • The ball going out of play
  • The goalkeeper saving and throwing out to a defender and defender or Goalkeeper scoring in the mini goal

How to Gain Lives

  • Scoring in the Goal
  • Entering and Exiting an Extra Life Zone 

Attacking Coaching Points

  • Movement
  • Support
  • Awareness
  • Combinations
  • Triangles
  • Fast Passing
  • Patience
  • Decision Making

Defending Coaching Points

  • Defending Positioning & Covering
  • High Press
  • Retaining Possession and counter attack

Progression

Add a condition that

each attacker must

touch the ball at least

once in each zone

before progressing to

the next level.
Parents
  • 0

    Hey Adam, thanks for sharing this, it looks like a really good idea! Sounds like it would be really useful for encouraging a team to keep possession too. Out of these that you mention - Speed of Passing. The penetration of the team. The risk taking. The movement. The awareness. Have you found the session to help one slightly more than others? Thanks, Tim

  • 0 in reply to Tim Bamber

    In our last game we noticed a massive increase in the movement the whole team was making. They moved as a team which was lovely to see but the also crossed over and rotated really well. They all looked for space to attack and moved the ball at the same time. Each team member was far more aware of where the space was and we attacked with far more fluidity. 

    my main take away was the number of runs off the ball   Even when they didn’t get it they kept making runs. 

  • 0 in reply to Adam Maylor

    Awesome, sounds really good! Are you planning for any progressions on future session? as in making this plan harder or altering it further to work on something else or do you feel it is ok as is? 

  • 0 in reply to Tim Bamber

    I have been thinking how to adapt it to playing out from the back?
    Obviously I have added in for each player to take a touch in each section. 
    later we could have 1 touch but I don’t always like that idea as a lot of Peter Sturgess’s sessions talk about letting the boys have as many touches as they like. But it is a possibility. I try my best although it is very hard to not tell the boys when to pass.

    I like letting the boys make up their own mind on these things. 
    I always base the size on the numbers and have said the defenders can break the lines. 
    defenders can go into a safe zone after more than 5 seconds but they have to shout out the 5 seconds. 
    Remove the goalkeeper and have need to hit the posts or crossbar if short a player. 
    the list could go on. 

  • 0 in reply to Adam Maylor

    Yeah all fair points - it's really important to give the players autonomy during practice. I think your approach to it is spot on. I wonder if we can loop into the conversation to see what he thinks re adaptations? Adaptations may not be needed. 

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