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Step 1
Start with 4-a-side teams, then 6- or 7-a-side, before going on to regulation 11-on-11. In the early stages, players can start to sort themselves out in small-sided games.
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Step 2
Ask your players how they can best defend and attack. What is width and why might it help the team? If you start in small-sided games, they'll be able to come up with the answers.
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Step 3
Keep positions flexible until kids play 11-a-side. One approach is to designate a central defender and a central attacker, with the rest of the positions fairly free. This way, players will come to understand basic positions over time.
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Step 4
Teach 11-a-side players positions through zones on the field: defensive, midfield and striking zones. An ideal formation is 4-3-3, which means positioning 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 strikers in the three distinct zones.
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Step 5
Allow the player who wants to be goalkeeper to play that position. If no one does, rotate so that everyone is a goalie at some point.
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Step 6
Use games to teach formations. Games that emphasize passing prepare a team for three-zone, full-field soccer.
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Step 7
Make the field as large as possible when learning to play in zones. This will give players more room to spread out, and force them to pass.
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Step 8
Widen or narrow the field according to ability, with younger players on narrower fields. This makes passing more manageable.
