Traffic Lanes - Positions for the Very Young
Posted by Coach John on May 19, 2008
For the very young or first time players learning where to go and what to do in soccer is not always clear. The soccer field is large. You know where their goal is and you know where your goal is, but where should you be?
Having a defined position on the field and being able to locate that position are fundemental skills that need to be learned. What seems simple from the sidelines becomes a complex task for the youngest of soccer players. Without this direction what you usually find is this:
One possible solution to managing traffic on the field is the traffic lane concept.
Traffic Lanes
The playing field can be divided into three traffic lanes. Each player is assigned to a lane and is responsible for what happens in that lane. He is allowed to leave his lane if there is a need to, but he should get back to his lane quickly and spend most of his time there.
The three lanes are labeled belowas the left lane (facing the target goal), the goal lane, and the right lane. No matter which lane you are assigned to, you will need to play offense (attacking) and defense (protecting) as you move up and down the field. By staying in your lane, you can cover a greater amount of the field. If you are not in your lane, you will be leaving a hole for the other team to go through! So, stay in your lane.
Basic Field Strategy
Posted by John on May 12, 2008
What do you do when your team has the ball?
When your team has the ball near your goal you should first safe guard your goal. If there is any risk that the other team could score, you should use a clearing kick to move the ball out of the back zone and into the middle zone. If you have the ball in control, pass the ball up the field.
When your team has the ball in the middle zone you should maintain possession of the ball and move it into the forward zone.
In the forward zone you should shoot at every opportunity.
What do you do when their team has the ball?
When their team has the ball near your goal you need to stop them from taking shots. Use a clearing kick to move the ball out of the back zone and into the middle zone. You may even need to kick the ball out of bounds to prevent a shot on goal.
When their team has the ball in the middle zone you should try to slow down their forward progress as you look for an opportunity to steal the ball.
In the forward zone you should attack the ball as quickly as you can. Do not hesitate, do not give them time to think, force them to pass the ball to another player or steal the ball from them. Keep the pressure on.
Attack! Force the play!
Where do you send the ball?
When the ball is near your goal, the ball needs to be moved to the side of the field, away from the goal.
When the ball is in the center of the field, the ball needs to be moved into the forward zone to create scoring opportunities.
When the ball is in the forward zone, it needs to be passed in front of the goal to a player positioned to shoot on the goal.