The Foundations of the Game

THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE GAME HOW TO DEVELOP TECHNICAL PLAYERS

OCTOBER 2018 | ISSUE NO. 10

STREETDEVELOPING FOOTBALL PLAYERS PLUS

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Get in the best condition for the winter months

THE MENTAL SIDE OF THE GAME

Contents

Page 3 - Welcome Page 4 - The Foundations of the Game Page 16 - The Mental Side of the Game Page 18 - Street Football Page 22 - Strength and Conditioning Page 23 - Follow Us

Welcome Welcome back for the 10th edition of the OpportunityElite Player Development Magazine. We are excited with the new articles and information that we have and look forward to you joining us in this month's, and future editions.

Within this month's edition we look at the foundations of the game and how we can use them to develop technically gifted players. In addition to this, we also look at street football, it's benefits, and how it can help take players to the next level. Plus, the mental side of the game, and strength and conditioning.

We hope you've enjoyed the start to the season, I know I've enjoyed many a game with some fantastic attacking football on show.

Let's hope it continues!

IMPROVING CLOSE CONTROL PROVIDES THE BUILDING BLOCKS TO PLAYER DEVELOPMENT The Foundations of the game are key to player development, but what are they? If you build strong foundations the player's development will increase significantly. We'll take a look at how to develop as an individual, or as a coach working with your players.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE GAME It's most likely that you have heard the saying "build from the foundations up" in all manners of scenarios, whether that be at school, work, with your friends or even in football.

It can be used too often sometimes, however, in this case, it is definitely relevant.

To become a top level player you need to make sure that you have practised and developed your game enough to make an influence in each match that you play.

It isn't easy, but the best way to do this is to think of that old saying, and build from the foundations up.

But what are the foundations of a player's game?

How do you know where to start to aid player development?

How do you know what to work on, and at what age these skills should be practised?

This is where we will help. We'll look at what we feel are the foundations of the player's game, giving the individual the best chance to take their game to the next level and perform to the best of their capabilities. It doesn't just apply to youth players, it could even be adults who are looking to improve in their game. We can always work on our foundations and focus on improving our game, no matter what level we play at.

What are the Foundations?

The foundations focus on the player's close control, keeping the ball at their feet.

Is the player comfortable in dribbling, controlling, passing, turning, and using both feet?

If you or any players that you coach don't feel comfortable in these areas then the most likely thing that will happen is a rushed clearance, similar to what you expect to see when you hear someone on the sideline shout "get rid!". There is no aim on the pass, no control, and definitely no composure.

With good foundations, even under pressure, a young player will most likely feel comfortable in retaining possession.

To improve these foundations you've got to train with the ball at your feet as much as possible. The more touches that you can take, the more comfortable you'll become.

The great thing about it is that you don't need lots of equipment. You can move around in the garden, local park or driveway if you have the space. Manipulate the ball, use both feet and get an understanding of how you can control it, position it, and move it.

As you do this you will feel your reactions sharpen, your footwork improve, and your balance with the ball develop.

If you arrive early for training you could grab a ball and dribble around, or practise your kickups.

The main focus is to get you, or the player you coach, comfortable and confident on the ball.

Four Foundations of the Player's Game There are four main areas that make up what we call the 'foundations' for the player's game. These areas allow the player to develop with the ball at the feet, improving their control, skill, technique and composure in all manner of situations.

These four skills below are what we call 'finer' skills. Techniques that the player aims to master with skill practices and plenty of touches on the ball.

Striking the ball over distance, crossing, long passing and shooting with power are what we describe as larger techniques.

Firstly, it is most important to develop these finer techniques, building the foundations for the player to succeed.

Close Control

Passing

Dribbling

Receiving the Ball

Receiving the Ball One of, if not, the most important technical skills for a player is to have a good first touch. Not just being able to control the ball in front of them, but appreciating where to position the ball in relation to their opponent's position. Sometimes the player may need to control on their back foot and protect the ball, or push it out in front of them to attack the space ahead.

It is a very difficult area of the game, but the great thing about it is that it doesn't need a huge amount of equipment, and each player can easily practise working on their first touch with just a ball, and a wall.

Players who are comfortable receiving the ball will feel comfortable in developing all area of their game.

As coaches, and players, I am sure we have seen many a player who is lacking in confidence, deciding to position themselves away from the ball so that they aren't put in a position to test their first touch.

The player will become more comfortable with the more touches that they take, building strong foundations for the rest of their development.

Having a first touch isn't easy, but with practice anyone can do it, it just all depends on the amount of time and effort you take!

First Touch Techniques

Close Control Keeping the ball close to your feet and being able to turn and move the ball wherever you want to is important. Even under pressure, players should feel comfortable with the ball under their control, unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Getting as many touches as we can in practice gives players the chance to try new ways of turning while protecting the ball or changing direction at speed.

The more that this is practised the more development is seen.

The key areas to focus on with close control are ball mastery, turning, and dribbling in small spaces, with both feet.

Developing the close control on both feet is essential to the player becoming comfortable in pressurised situations. If we as coaches, or players, decide to  move on because you or the player feels comfortable with close control on just their strong foot, then we haven't done enough. Challenge yourself to use both feet, to move the ball with small quick touches on both sides of your body. This will only benefit the player and give them the confidence to control the ball in a wide variety of situations and become hard to dispossess.

Turn over to the next page to see some great close control drills that will help you develop your game...

The Both Footed Player

Ball Mastery Skills

Four Turning Drills

Dribbling We've practised keeping the ball under our control in tighter spaces, can we now focus on keeping the ball when dribbling?

There are many good dribblers out there but the main skill with dribbling is knowing when to keep the ball and attack your opponents, or when not to and pass the ball on to your team-mate.

Those who are comfortable in possession will see the space ahead of them, and drive into it with purpose, potentially turning a possession based scenario to an attacking situation.

You never know when you might need to dribble.

In some cases you may have to dribble out of a tricky situation, or take the full back on in a one v one attacking scenario. It is now used all over the pitch, even John Stones, Manchester City's centre back likes to dribble forward, bringing the ball out of the back line.

It is an important skill to have, even if you don't use it in every game as you never know when you might have to dribble out of a situation.

When these situations do arise where you need to dribble you should feel comfortable and confident in doing so. The main aim with developing these foundations is to have players who can keep possession, increasing their control on the ball which leads to them being a threat to the opposition.

Dribbling can do just that.

On the next page there are some YouTube drills that are great for dribbling and keeping possession of the ball. Practice these and make sure you use your left and right foot.

One to One Skills

Dribbling in tight areas

Passing

Composure on the ball is something we all want to have, but in reality, under pressure, it is very difficult to think clearly and calmly. Walking around the local park pitches on a Sunday morning we can quite regularly hear 'get it up there!', or, 'clear it!'. Sometimes, it is more common to hear more applause for a powerful clearance than a player trying to keep control of the ball and pass it to their team-mates. At the higher levels, clearing it, isn't enough.

As players develop they become more comfortable on the ball, keeping possession and ensuring that they are in control of the situation. Making the right decision to pass forwards to counter attack, or a sideways pass to keep possession is very important to the developing footballer.

Therefore, one of the key foundations is passing the ball, initially over shorter distances. Can the player pass with good speed into their team-mates feet, not just to them, but into the space so they can move forward, or on to the back foot if they need to protect the ball? In other words, pass appreciation, don't just get it there, place it in the best position for your team-mate, on their strongest foot, if need be.

The more that we can practise these passing skills, the better the weight and quality of the pass.

It is a key foundation and one that is vital to the development of skilled players.

Make sure to work on your passing with both feet, eventually increasing your passing range to further distances, but make sure to remember, technique over power!

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The Mental Side of the Game: Control your Performance Sports Performance Coach and Psychotherapist, Trevor Gray, discusses control and how you can get the most out of your potential

'The power to influence or direct people's behaviour or the course of events'.

The fifth 'C' in becoming the ultimate athlete is Control. As sportspeople we need to be in control of our emotions, and behaviour.

How many times do we watch our team play and see someone lose control, reacting aggressively to an opponent or team-mate? It happens more than we think, even at the top level. It is incredibly important to maintain control in all situations, helping you and your team to achieve success.

Behaviour is made up of three areas, Feeling, Thinking, and Doing.

“Successful athletes are able to control their behaviour. They focus on what they can control and don’t allow things that are outside of their control to affect them.”

So how we can improve our Control in a match?

Sometimes, it can be difficult to maintain control, but first of all, we need to know what behaviours show that you are in control, or out of control...

In Control Think Positively Play Well Avoid Injuries/Incidents Team Benefits Inspire Others Respect for Self, Others, Referee

Out of Control Think Negatively Make Mistakes Get Injuries/Involved in Incidents Team Suffers Behave Selfishly Red & Yellow Cards

Always remain conscious of your behaviour. If you do so you will be able to assess whether you are acting in the 'In Control', or 'Out of Control' box.

Improve your control, become a better team player, and get the most out of your potential!

Trevor Gray Sports performance coach and psychotherapist www.psychotherapyforsport.co.uk www.trevorgraytherapy.co.uk

STREET FOOTBALL Does it help develop players?

THERE USED TO BE A TIME WHERE CHILDREN USED TO MEET UP WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND PLAY IN LOCAL PARKS OR ON THE STREETS. BUT, NOWADAYS, THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN SO MUCH, BUT A RESURGENCE IN DISORGANISED FOOTBALL IS HAPPENING. AS COACHES AND PLAYERS, DO WE EMBRACE DISORGANISED FOOTBALL AND DOES IT HELP DEVELOP THE PLAYER?

OFF THE CUFF

From the age of 9/10 I would run home from school, get changed and rush out to knock at my friend's door. If it wasn't me first, I'd get a knock on the door asking if I wanted to come out and play football. Each night one of us would rally the troops and we'd take our ball out to the park and see who was there.

Sometimes we would play a two v two, other times we found another group of people and played 10v10 or more, but this experience in football taught me huge lessons that benefited me to this very day.

Over the past ten years or so, it has sadly been less common to see these impromptu matches taking place.

However, there has been a slight resurgence in street or park football. They say Wayne Rooney was a street footballer, playing off instinct, and Wilfred Zaha of Crystal Palace credits street football for his creativity and skilful game. I've even read of academies such as Southampton FC scouting local parks or five a side pitches trying to find that skilful street player!

Over the past ten years or so, disorganised football between friends or groups of players has become less common, but if you can take part, it will definitely help your development.

It helps players learn that not every game is fair, you may play against players technically much better, older, or stronger than you.

However, you learn very quickly.

Pitches can be small, cramped and uneven. Sometimes even with an unexpected obstacle in the middle! There were many a time where we would play 6v8, or some form of un-even teams, but you just get on with it.

The nature of the street game allows players to experience uncontrolled conditions, making them a bit more streetwise in their performance, while also learning how to overcome adversity.

Technically, street football helps players improve hugely. Players can perform new skills with the knowledge that no-one cares if you make a mistake. In most cases players can't even remember the score at the end of the game, with 'next goal wins' as the common decider!

On these crowded pitches you learn to look up to see what is around you and develop your skills.

No referees, few, if any, pitch markings, and un-even teams make it sound like chaos. Generally it is, but the creativity that it fosters in players is second to none.

As players and coaches we should be looking into ways that we can play street football or 'kick arounds' more. If you're a player, try and knock round your friends and take a ball to the park. You will begin to see others wanting to join in. For coaches, there is absolutely nothing wrong, time permitting, to roll out a ball to the kids and let them self manage, deciding what teams they play on. . It gives children freedom, allowing for more creativity to be developed. It is no surprise that the country with the most technically gifted players is the country that just play football for the sheer enjoyment of it. Even adults on the beach in Brazil will go and play against a group of strangers.

Street football can create great technical players who are comfortable on the ball with fantastic technical ability.

We highly recommend it, and know that it develops players who think for themselves, and play for the love of the game.

It is a fantastic tool for player development. Give it a go, we know you'll love it!

Strength and Conditioning: with George Lyons Strength and Conditioning coach, George Lyons, talks us through the single leg drive, giving us the power, and stability, to succeed.

The single leg drive is an exercise that promotes the triple extension needed for all footballers. Triple flexion and extension is where a player will produce their power from lengthening, and shortening the muscle. Think of the exercise as a catapult. The further you pull the catapult back, the further the stone travels upon release. Therefore, the more powerful extension of the muscle.

Step 1

Step 2

Have both feet placed on the ground with the barbell on your back.

Slowly flex your hips, stretching the muscle. Drive your knee through and plant your foot on the box.

Ensure that this part of the move is performed very quickly, in an explosive manner.

Maintain a stable position at the end of the move.

Key Considerations

Slow first movement Fast second movement Aggressive hip drive forwards Maintain a stable bottom position at the end of the exercise

Step 3

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