Key Targeted Skills

The ages from 4 through 14 are considered to be the most important years for players to develop technical skills. These skills are the same for each age group but are introduced and practiced with differing levels of complexity depending upon the age and ability of the group. Players can observe proper techniques on instructional videos, watching matches on television, watching matches of older age groups and through their coaches. However, each player must work with the ball on his/her own time in order to develop the necessary “muscle memory” that comes from the repetition of practicing a skill. If a player wants to excel in soccer, then s/he has to work with the ball extensively.

Consider this: if a young child is learning how to skate in order to play ice hockey that child’s brain is spending most of its energy concentrating on how to skate and not on the tactical aspects of the game.

The same is true of soccer. Young players will focus on how to control the ball while running as fast as possible. They are not worrying about whom to defend or where to pass but how to gain and maintain control of the ball. The sooner the child has mastered the technical foot skills of soccer, the sooner those skills are “second nature” to the player which frees up the brain to concentrate on the more tactical aspects of the game during the mid to late teen years. This is why the soccer community emphasizes development of technical skills as early as possible.

The purpose for identifying these skills as we have below is to help align players, families and coaches toward the same metrics to measure progress. These are the skills we will watch to determine whether the program is successful in achieving its goals.

“First Touch”

This refers to the speed and dexterity with which a player gains control of a pass or loose ball. Upon gaining control the player can appropriately “dribble” the ball to next level of pressure or distribute the ball to a teammate or another part of the field with control and purpose. A player that has mastered this skill can do so at a pace that is quick and with what appears to be little effort. A player must be able to use every part of his or her body (except for hands and arms for field players) to trap or receive the ball to perfect the “first touch”. Ball possession is one of the key elements to playing the game of soccer and the “first touch” is critical. We want our players to (1) receive the ball, (2) gain control, (3) look up and (4) move the ball with direction, purpose and the appropriate speed.

Maintaining Ball Possession

Watch a soccer game in western Pennsylvania and try to count the amount of time that either team has controlled possession of the ball. You will find that that ball spends most of its time in the air as each team kicks the ball as far as it can to see whether the attacking players can outrun the defending players. The problem with this scenario is this is not soccer – it is more a version of kickball or the “Hail Mary” pass in American football.
We believe that our players first have to focus on the skills to maintain possession of the ball (more like a game of “keep away”) before they all try to run up the middle and score. A team becomes far less predictable and much more effective at winning if the players can attack the other side using multiple, short passes then to have one player try to run the entire length of the field.

1v1 Technique

This refers to the skill of challenging a single player when in possession of the ball and making the necessary moves to proceed past a lone defender while still retaining possession of the ball. This skill is part creativity, timing and knowing when it is the right time to take on an opponent via 1v1 situation.

Winning the “50/50” Ball

During the play of the younger ages ball possession is a desired end but not always a common result. Until the players learn the art of maintaining possession, the ball is often played in a “kickball” format where the first touch is a driving kick back to the other team. Therefore, winning the 50/50 ball becomes critical in a game where the ball is “not in possession” by any team during periods of the match. Successfully playing the 50/50 ball means the player is thoroughly engaged in trying to speed toward the free ball, matching the pace of the ball and working to gain possession with a single touch. This type of alertness also focuses on the concept of a player’s responsibility when playing “off the ball”. This refers to the notion that players should not be “ball watching” but instead constantly reminding themselves on where they should be on the field if they do not personally have the ball and how best to anticipate where the ball might be played.

“Pressure” on the Ball

The opposition has the ball and initiates an attack on our goal. This could begin anywhere on the field. In this instance, the closest Sentinel challenges the opposing ball carrier and clearly takes the role of challenger. The other Sentinels provide staggered support (triangle or diamond shape) while keeping a second-eye on the open players of the attacking team with the idea of “marking” them in case they become members of the attack. As soon as the ball carrier plays the ball to another teammate on the field, the pressure shifts to that player closest to the receiving player and the staggered support shifts accordingly. Think of this process as constantly fluid diamond shape that keeps shifting and requires lots of verbal and visual contact amongst the players to maintain.

Playing “Off the Ball”

Soccer is a game of constant movement. It is not irrational movement – players running wildly after every ball – but rational movement that when performed well is unexpected yet effective. The development of this skill requires the player to make his/her own judgment calls on whether a pass can be made, a ball can be won, etc. It also requires the player constantly try to anticipate the next play. When defending, the player is constantly evaluating and moving to a location that supports the defensive effort of the team. As an attacker, the player is always moving to make sure there is an open channel to the ball carrier to enable a successful pass.