Mastering Attacking One v Ones

FEBRUARY 2019| VOL. 14

In this issue Master Attacking One v Ones Strength & Conditioning

30 Ball Mastery Exercises

MASTERING ATTACKING ONE V ONES

Contents Page 3 - This Month Page 4: Monthly Mastery Page 5: Mastering Attacking One to Ones Page 15: Progressing your Ball Mastery Page 16: 30 Ball Mastery Exercises Page 19: Position Specific Ball Mastery Page 21: Strength & Conditioning Page 22: #1 for Ball Mastery Page 23: Subscribe

This Month Welcome to February's latest player development magazine. Developing players with high levels of technical ability is our passion. One of those areas that we feel is incredibly important is the 1v1 situation. We take a look at attacking 1v1 situations and how to get the better of your opponent.

In addition to this we also have Strength & Conditioning with our Coach, George Lyons, assisting players in reaching the levels of fitness required to perform to the highest of standards.

We also have some new Ball Mastery exercises and techniques for you to watch. Give your players, team, or yourself, a challenge and see how many you can complete!

Thanks for reading and we look forward to helping more players develop and reach the next level of their game.

Elliott Everson Owner, OpportunityElite

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Mastering Attacking One v Ones In our opinion, 1v1's are one of the hardest aspects of the game. First of all, players need to have the technical ability to keep control of the ball under immense pressure. Secondly, it is one of the most physical and competitive scenarios in a game. And thirdly, the player requires confidence to actually take someone on.

But how, as coaches, and players, do we develop players to become better at these scenarios technically?

Are there particular technical points that we need to be focusing on?

Specific techniques that bring a higher chance of success?

First of all, we need to help build the player's confidence, and we need to do that through plenty of practice and repetition.

Developing confidence is the most important aspect in mastering One v Ones.

To build confidence we can't just say that the player is great and that they will soon be able to beat their opponent. Players, of all ages, will understand that this isn't the case, causing them concern that their ability to beat a player is all down to luck.

This just isn't the case.

Players must have the technical ability, and tools, to develop their game. As soon as they learn more technical skills then they begin to see an increase in their confidence.

If the player knows what creates a higher probability of beating the defender, then they soon become more comfortable with the situation.

To build confidence, we need to get them on the ball as much as possible.

The more that the player touches the ball, and experiences different speeds of play, the better they will become.

It is all about the repetition. Repetition of technical skills and processes.

Developing this will significantly increase confidence.

And what technical skills do we focus on?

Initially, the player needs to be in contact with the ball as much as possible, taking many touches with both feet.

Always encourage the use of both feet. If a player is very one-footed, this will make their goal of mastering the 1v1 situation very difficult. Ball mastery exercises are very good for this, encouraging fast, co-ordinated footwork.

Ball Mastery will increase contact time, which leads to more repetitions and a faster rate of development. It also promotes that surge in confidence, mentioned previously, which was so important.

Using Ball Mastery will then allow progression to practising skills that can/will be used within the 1v1 scenario.

The increase in confidence will allow the player to begin practising and attempting new moves, or technical skills, that they may not have done before. Initially, the player should start out at a slow and steady pace, increasing the speed to match-like level when they're ready.

Have a look at the 15 1v1 skills on the next page that are brilliant for the attacking player. It is unlikely that all players will use these skills, with some sticking to one or two that work best for them, but it is always beneficial to practise as many as possible. This gives the player the opportunity to explore which skill, technique, or trick will be the most effective in their 1v1 duels.

Using a player, or some cones, work equally as well. If using a player within these drills, then bring them in as a shadow defender, giving the attacker the chance to practise their skill. Once you feel that they are ready, change the defensive player from being a shadow to a live opponent.

15 One v One Techniques

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Technically, what should be the main focus?

What should the main focus be in developing a player who is capable of consistently beating their opponent in a 1v1 situation?

Do we focus on skills and tricks, or another area?

We've built up the player's confidence by giving them the technical development on the ball, through skills, tricks and different techniques. Now that they have developed more on the ball we need to focus on the best ways to get them beating a player.

All players must have good technical ability on the ball, but what is vitally important is body movement. Developing the body movement of players creates space and is incredibly deceptive. Coaching and developing this is key to success.

If we take a look at some of the best dribblers over the last twenty years, they have all been brilliant at shifting their body weight, deceiving the defender and bursting past them.

Ryan Giggs was a master at this, attacking the player with speed, dropping his shoulder, and bursting past. Other brilliant dribblers, such as Arjen Robben (even though he is completely left-footed) could approach their opponent, drop their shoulder and beat them.

Coaching this area is vital in the development of a player.

Coaching points to develop body movement and feints Sometimes we can see players who just seem to get it, like they are a natural. There are those players who can change direction quickly, comfortably throwing a defender off balance and beating them but we can also coach body movement in others, as well as the naturally talented individual.

What are the key points and how do we develop body movement?

Firstly, we want to make sure the attacking player is facing the opponent, chest toward them. This makes the attacker look confident. They aren't trying to skirt around the edges of the defender, they are engaging them, showing that they have the confidence to attack them. Initially, this is hugely important. It may also cause the defender to step back, giving more space and time on the ball for the attacking player.

Approaching the defender face on also gives options, the attacker can go left, or right, making their play unpredictable.

As the attacking player approaches the defender, he/she look forward. If the player looks forwards they can still see the ball and also the defender's body position.

Being aware of the defender, and their positioning, is crucial. While the attacker is moving forwards they need to check the positioning of the defender and step to one side, dropping their shoulder and bending their knees. Looking forward another time will allow the player to see if the defender is off balance. If so, accelerate into the space that has been created.

The speed at which the attacker performs this movement is very important. We can't prolong the movement; it needs to be sharp, with a very quick change of direction.

As soon as the opponent is off balance the player must have confidence in themselves to attack the space.

Developing these points in a player's game will give them a much more significant chance in beating their player. Having a quick change of direction, and change of pace, gives players a great chance to beat their opponent.

When do we use skills though? At what point do they become beneficial?

Some skills, if their movement is sideways, can slow the attacker down, giving the opponent a chance to get into a sound defensive position. However, skills can be great if they are performed with speed, body movement, and a change of direction.

With Ball Mastery drills you always want to have quick feet, good balance, movement and as a progression, a change of direction. This is getting the player used to deceiving the defender.

With skills in a 1v1 situation we want to have speed, direct play and a quick change of movement. If we can combine those three points then the skills and tricks are very useful.

The key to it is to get the defender off balance, then change pace to accelerate away from them. It's very difficult, and sometimes we can look at it as players just trying to be flash, but with practice and clear coaching the players can flourish with skill and great technical ability.

We always believe that players should practise as much skill as possible. It gives them great confidence on the ball, and lots of tools in their locker if they are in a difficult situation.

Building that grasp and mastery of the ball will significantly benefit any player in a 1v1 situation.

Always remember that players should be direct, engaging, positive in their body language and then perform the skill. As that skill is performed, a quick drop of the shoulder and explosive change of pace will leave the defender off balance, struggling to get back and win the ball.

Combining all these technical points will give the attacker the upper hand, potentially causing the defender to rush their decision-making and lose their balance.

Take a look at our technical One v One training video

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Progressing your Ball Mastery Ball Mastery provides players with the technical training to improve their close control on the ball. Over time, the players will become much more confident with the exercises and techniques that they have been practising. When they do get to this level, we need to give them something that will progress, and challenge, further.

Our main aim initially is to assist players in becoming comfortable moving the ball with control on different areas of both feet. As this progresses, it is important to provide more challenging exercises, similar to moves, turns, or changes of direction that the players will come across in match play. It is important to progress to this next level as Ball Mastery trains players to perform skills without even thinking. Once we have found that a player is comfortable with the basics we need to ensure that they are challenged and tested furthermore. This will only help improve, and speed up, their rate of development.

After progressing the player we want to give them Ball Mastery skills that combine two, or more, movements. Can the player transition from one component of the skill to another, without losing control, or slowing down significantly? This will be a difficult challenge and something that will take plenty of time. Firstly we should, as coaches, encourage the player to perform the movement in their own time, at their own pace, allowing them to become more confident with their balance, co-ordination, control, and touch on the ball. As they then become more comfortable, we then start to increase the tempo, challenging them to see if they can perform the skill at high speed.

Training this way will build the technical ability greatly, training the muscles to memorise what they need to be doing, at that certain point of the skill.

With enough practise, the muscles will remember what they need to be doing. When it comes to a situation in a game where the player needs to shift the ball from one foot to another quickly while turning, they will do so with speed, agility, and balance.

Progress your Ball Mastery when your players are ready to. What is great about it is that you can easily challenge new players individually, and at their own pace. Look to coach close control, speed of ball movement, body movement, and changes of direction.

If we do this we will see some fantastically technical players.

Watch our latest 30 Ball Mastery exercises on the next page!

30 Ball Mastery Exercises Look to take the next step with your Ball Mastery training. In the YouTube video below we have 30 Ball Mastery drills, beginning with smaller touches that lead to quick turns and changes of direction. Always focus on balance, close control, movement, and speed of the skill.

Get the balance and technique correct, then become explosive, moving the body with the ball and increasing the speed of the technique.

Watch now...

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Position specific Ball Mastery

Ball Mastery for Defenders

Ball Mastery for Midfielders

Ball Mastery for Attackers

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Strength & Conditioning With George Lyons

Our Strength & Conditioning Coach, George Lyons, talks us through the glute bridge, ideal for postural strength.

Postural strength is vitally important to sports people. If we have a bad posture it is likely that that can cause many injury problems in the future. Developing a strong posture can help increase strength and reduce injuries.

This month we are looking at the glute bridge, a perfect exercise for players and those who spend extended periods of time sitting down.

Using either a box, or from the floor, leave one foot flat on the ground. Raise the hips to the ceiling and squeeze the glutes at the top of the stretch for a couple of seconds.

#1 for Ball Mastery

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