How to Coach Young Soccer Players on Positions

Series Summary

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Known as football, or futbol, in most countries of the world, soccer is a team sport consisting of two teams of 11 players each, one of which must be the goalie. The game has been played for centuries and can be dated back as far as second and third centuries B.C. In typical game play, players attempt to create goalscoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as dribbling, passing the ball to a teammate and by taking shots at the goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. In this free video series, a soccer coach demonstrates a variety of soccer skills, both basic and advanced, while also providing information on soccer preparation and practice. Discover what shin guards and cleats to buy, how to eat right for soccer and how to coach a soccer practice. Learn how to do moves like Diego Maradona, how to kick an in-swerve kick and how to cross a soccer ball. Become a better soccer player with these tips.

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Guillermo Gomez. I coach youth soccer in the U10 category. And today I'll be talking to you about a coach, players and positions. First what I look to do with the players is to explain to them what are the roles of each play on the field is. Like, when they get an understanding, when we're doing the practical sessions. I describe the functions of the defense, the midfielders, and the attackers, the forwards. To make it easier on the players, I actually start teaching these concepts in 2 V 2 games, and emphasize on the two principles of soccer, which is the principles of attack, or the principles of defense. If the player's able to understand the principles of defense, which is first defender, pressuring defender, and cover, then we can multiply that into all the places on the field. Similarly, when we do the principles of attack, we always talked about the attacker, the first attacker, which is the person that has the ball, and then the second attacker, which is the person that makes a run to support the attacker. Once that is clear to a player, we can see that although everybody has a different roles throughout the field, that those principles would apply throughout the whole area of the field. So, a typical formation on the soccer fields with four defenders, perhaps four midfielders or three, and two attackers, or three attackers depending on formation. The most well known formation is a four, four, two. So four defenders, four midfielders, and two attackers. So, how do we do that with young players? Well, you set them up in a 2 V 2 game. You ask them how they can penetrate on the field to attack, and how they can best defend. And then by themselves they will figure out how to approach the game, so they're successful either at winning the game, and also in situations where they need to be defending. We know the most positions are so I can label them. We can start with the goalkeeper, which is a crucial player on the field to stop any goals. We have the two wingers, the left and right, the defenders. And then we have the two central defenders. Then we move to the midfield, which we have a left midfield, two central midfielders, and your right midfielder. Then our two forwards. Note that although they're separate in groups, they all work together to complement each other. So, once the kids understand all these rolls on the field, then I bring a clipboard, go over that information with them, lay some cones on the field so they can see exactly where the positions are on the field. Then I replace the cones with the players, I go on the field, stand on the opposite side of the field, and I move. And as I move on the field, I want to see the players moving to their different sections on the field, so that they understand that the responsibilities not just for two players, both for the whole team as a whole. For example, if the ball is on the attacking third of the field, assuming that we have divided the field on three thirds, then we've got to make sure that the defenders move forward to the mid third of the field, and the midfielders have moved more into the attacker position, the final third of the field. If I move to the right with the ball, then all the players got to shift to the right, but holding their positions."