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Developing a new team to spread out and not chase the ball

Matthew Williams

Hi all, im a new coach who has just begun his coaching journey and have an under 7's team with varying football ages. We have some players who have been playing for 3 yrs, some boys who have played for 2 months. Most of the players have good confidence on the ball to dribble and shoot (in varying capabilities) 

Im really conscious that the team seem to chase the ball (which im well aware is normal for this age group) but I would really like to know from any of you what sessions you have found beneficial to help your teams not all chase the ball. 

Some sessions we have already done include playing basketball and netball, helping the players utilise space and scanning. I do wonder if our coaching sessions have not included enough game scenarios and I think in review, were focussing a lot on basics (like passing and receiving, setting and shooting)

Would really appreciate any help anyone can offer. 

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    Hi Matthew, first of all I hope you are enjoying your experience as a new coach.

    In relation to the information you have shared above, it sounds like you are doing a great job in planning for variety within your practice sessions. The use of 'ball in hand' activities brings real benefits in that your 7 year-olds will be more likely to play with their heads up in order to scan; I use the meerkat analogy here which enables them to see what is around them in terms of spaces, options etc.

    Specific to your question, here are a few top tips which I feel will be beneficial to your age group:

    • keep your activities, practices and games short by working in 10-15 minute blocks as concentration span is very short at this age group. For example, have a simple arrival activity for them to engage with straight away; this could be 1v1 cat & mouse tag game using 5x5m grid that they can learn to set up themselves.  As the children arrive they can join a pair and 'referee' initially, then rotate roles in 3s. Let me know if you want further insight here.
    • Use 'learning through games' as your main practice session design. Here I would advocate small-sided games with 2v2, 2v3, 3v3 being a great starting point as these are naturally smaller than their 'match-day' game format of 5v5.Think carefully about pitch sizes, initially making them big enough such that spaces are available. I would suggest at least 25m x 15m if your practice area allows.
    • For your game design, have 2-3 slightly different set ups depending on your numbers eg: end zones, 4 goal/gate game, ball on cone targets. These are so much fun, provide variety of challenge and promote high levels of activity time. Teams can 'carousel' around each pitch every 10 minutes or so.
    • Finally, be creative with your points scoring system eg: play 3-2-1 where every player starts on 3 points. If an individual who is confident on the ball scores a solo effort, this is worth 3 points....along with lots of praise :-) ........ this player now has a scoring value of 2 points. If they score again but this time after a passing combination with a team-mate who has yet to score, the 'goal value' is 2+3 =5 points. This game really gets the youngsters thinking and working out how to play as a team. Worth explaining this one to parents in terms of the focus around developing social and psychological skills.

    Finally, remember that with this age group especially, development is a long term process that takes time so some of the above suggestions will take several sessions for your young players to show any real understanding. Therefore, linking your sessions together is crucial here.

    Hope this helps and happy to pick up any questions you might have.

    Keep up the great work, Vinny

  • 0 in reply to Vinny Halsall
    Vinny Halsall said:
    Finally, be creative with your points scoring system eg: play 3-2-1 where every player starts on 3 points. If an individual who is confident on the ball scores a solo effort, this is worth 3 points....along with lots of praise :-) ........ this player now has a scoring value of 2 points. If they score again but this time after a passing combination with a team-mate who has yet to score, the 'goal value' is 2+3 =5 points. This game really gets the youngsters thinking and working out how to play as a team. Worth explaining this one to parents in terms of the focus around developing social and psychological skills.

    Love this idea Vinny!

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  • 0 in reply to Vinny Halsall
    Vinny Halsall said:
    Finally, be creative with your points scoring system eg: play 3-2-1 where every player starts on 3 points. If an individual who is confident on the ball scores a solo effort, this is worth 3 points....along with lots of praise :-) ........ this player now has a scoring value of 2 points. If they score again but this time after a passing combination with a team-mate who has yet to score, the 'goal value' is 2+3 =5 points. This game really gets the youngsters thinking and working out how to play as a team. Worth explaining this one to parents in terms of the focus around developing social and psychological skills.

    Love this idea Vinny!

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