Identify Components of the Game

First break the game down into

4 Main Components

   

Technical :

General Technique centers around touch and ball mastery
Game functional technique : This can include anything that might happen in a game and that can be worked on in isolation (when practicing alone).

   

Tactical

Do you know your team's system of play?
Can you talk through it quickly in the order it might occur in a game?
Can you draw key pictures at key moments?

You should be able to.

 

Physical

The game is increasingly played at very high speed, and under intense pressure. Time and space is minimal.
Are you doing the work to ensure you can move and play at speed?

   

Mental

The game is a confidence game : What are you doing to make sure you are confident going into games?
What are doing to maximize learning from the game?
How clear is your thinking about the game before you start?

 

4 comps of the game.jpg

   

The components need to be broken down into areas that can be worked on.
 

 

Technical

 

Touch in General

One Touch

Two Touch

Three touch

Footwork

Dealing with an elevated ball

Weak foot

Ball Striking

Passing techniques

1v1 Rules

Finishing rules

VAAD [ Head up / Decision making]

   

Physical

 

Agility : Foot speed

Power

Explosiveness

Repeated actions

Strength

 

   

Tactical [SOP]*

 

Playing out from Goalkeeper

General Possession

Getting in behind

Crossing

Finishing

Transition : Lose the ball

Opposition Goal kick : Blocks

Setting traps

Squeeze and crunch

Trap fails

Defending in the box.

Transition win the ball

   

Mental

 

Confidence

Clarity

Objectives

Alternative strategies

   

*Not all practice has to be physical. Be a student of the game. Study tactics. How well do you know your team's system of play [SOP]?. Study players. Study your game. You need to steal ideas from wherever you can and copy other players. If you hope to learn all you can about the game - it is impossible to do this without being a student of the game.

 

   

Pick things from the lists above that need work

 

Put each component of the game into a 'learning' phase.

  1. Attributes in the 'Development phase' need lots of attention.
  2. Attributes in the 'Maintenance phase' need 1 day in the cycle.
  3. Attributes that need a 'polish / tuning / restoration' need work when required.
  4. Try to get as technical as possible as quickly as possible, but once technique has reached a limit (improvement will be minimal despite more practice) switch to 'maintenance, tuning, polishing' for these components and shift your attention to other areas that are not at the same level.

 

Prioritize based on Development Stage :

 

  1. When young, touch and technique needs to take priority. Add in speed of technique, getting the head up and decision making to connect all developing techniques to the game.
  2. Agility, hopping ability and fast feet also are good to develop when young.
  3. As players develop, the most fundamental techniques need to become maintenance components, and technique development should move to more 'advanced / nuance' techniques. Advanced ball striking. Advanced elevated ball techniques. Advanced passing techniques.
  4. Power : explosiveness : Acceleration : Breaking . Running technique (soccer specific) needs to become increasingly important as players move into their mid/late teens.
  5. Players need to develop a deep understanding of the system of play their team adopts.
  6. Players need to do more intellectual development. Study players at the highest level. Steal and copy. Players need to prepare before games and have very clear objectives before games in terms of individual development goals and also how they can better serve the team.

   

This page is page 3 in the table below.