3 Tips to develop Player Awareness | Soccer Coaching Drill

Find out more and have your own digital assistant coach at Coachbetter Technical Director and former English National Team (Lionesses) and Stevenage Head Coach, Mark Sampson, explains how to deliver this session to your players. PROGRESSION I Activity Flow 1. Start at the starting cone with a pass to your teammate 2. The teammate has two contacts - first contact controls the ball, second contact is the pass to the next teammate 3. Players follow their pass Organization 1. Place 4 cones for orientation 2. Set up the cones in a diamond pattern 3. Adjust the distance between the cones depending on the quality and age of the players 4. Two players at the starting cone Coaching Points 1. Scanning permanently – before the ball is coming, while the ball is traveling and after the action 2. Open position and reception of the ball in the direction of the pass Variations 1. Change passing direction 2. Touch requirements (for example: every second pass must be played directly) 3. Progressions - Exercises 2 and 3 can be found on the platform PROGRESSION II Activity Flow 1. The goal is to play the ball from A to B 2. Observe the defender: where is the defender? Which passing line is open? 3. If it is possible to pass the ball directly from A to B, this option is preferred, because only one pass is necessary 4. If the defender is in the middle of the field and covers the pass from A to B, a solution via C and D must be found 5. Start at the starting cone with a pass to your teammate 6. The teammate has two contacts - first contact controls the ball, second contact is the pass to the next teammate 7. Players follow their pass Organization 1. Place 4 cones for orientation 2. Set up the cones in a diamond pattern 3. Adjust the distance between the cones depending on the quality and age of the players 4. Two players at the starting cone 5. Place a player in the centre of the diamond as a semi-active defender Coaching Points 1. Scanning permanently – before the ball is coming, while the ball is traveling and after the action 2. Open position and reception of the ball in the direction of the pass 3. Decision-making (Where is the defender?) Variations 1. Change passing direction 2. Touch requirements (for example: every second pass must be played directly) PROGRESSION III Activity Flow 1. The goal is to play the ball from A to B 2. Observe the defender: where is the defender? Which passing line is open? 3. If it is possible to pass the ball directly from A to B, this option is preferred, because only one pass is necessary 4. If the defender is in the middle of the field and covers the pass from A to B, a solution via C and D must be found 5. The defender is able to attack 6. Start at the starting cone with a pass to your teammate 7. The teammate has two contacts - first contact controls the ball, second contact is the pass to the next teammate 8. Players follow their pass 9. If the defender wins the ball, change the defender Organization 1. Place 8 cones for orientation 2. Set up the cones in two diamonds (see image) 3. Adjust the distance between the cones depending on the quality and age of the players 4. Two players at the starting cone 5. Place a player in the centre of the diamond as a defender Coaching Points 1. Scanning permanently – before the ball is coming, while the ball is traveling and after the action 2. Open position and reception of the ball in the direction of the pass 3. Decision-making (Where is the defender?) 4. If several diamonds are set up next to each other, the players must also take care that they do not crash into each other (scanning) 5. Players should be creative, there is no given passing direction Variations 1. Touch requirements (for example: every second pass must be played directly) Chapter 00:00 Theory 04:29 Session Intro 07:14 Demonstration 08:10 Execution 09:14 Variation 10:15 Execution 11:33 Coaching 12:08 Variation 13:22 Execution 14:10 More active defenders 14:58 Execution 15:56 Coaching 16:15 Execution 16:53 Demonstration 18:08 Execution 18:27 Coaching 18:42 Demonstration 19:00 Execution 19:19 Debrief 20:13 Take home messages