U10-U12 Coaching Manuel Part IV Player Development Model

C. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT MODEL

This section deals with the features that define an optimum player development program

for U-10/U-12’s. It discusses the best way to ingrain good playing habits, recommends

training priorities and highlights which techniques should be emphasized at each age, and

delves into ways to progress through the age groups and develop a curriculum that builds

upon itself in a logical, progressive manner. This section also talks about field size

considerations, covers the methods for forming teams, and provides insight into the type

of coaches best suited to work with these age groups.

Ingraining Good Habits

The previous chapter summarized the characteristics of U-10 and U-12 players. Based on

this information, coaches can now tailor the training to address their players’ specific

needs. It is worth noting here that a healthy dose of patience is required. When players

are introduced to new concepts or skills, they go through two stages of skill acquisition:

1. Learning the skill.

2. Embedding it into their set of instinctive responses.

In the first stage, they learn how to execute the new concept or new skill. The second

stage, namely ingraining it into their instincts, usually takes much more time than the first

stage, but is fundamental for long term success. The objective here is for the skill to be

executed at the right time in the game and to be used instinctively.

The optimum mode of play is through instinctive responses. Players should trust their

own instincts and play without ‘looking over their shoulders’. Otherwise, they become

tentative and get bogged down by thinking too much, or by being conditioned to wait for

their coaches’ instructions. The problem with most young players new to a sport is they

don’t yet have good instincts, or habits. When put under the stresses of competition,

players will automatically revert to their natural instincts. But if the right habits have not

been ingrained yet, undesirable responses will be elicited. For example, the ‘kick and

chase’ mode of play is essentially the players’ natural response to competitive stress in

games they are not equipped to handle.

The perennial challenge for youth coaches is to get rid of the bad instincts and replace

them with good habits, habits that in time become ingrained into their instinctive

responses. But this process takes time and requires patience by the coaches. As soon as

coaches notice that their players have learned to execute a skill, or seem to understand a

new concept, they assume that they can move on to a more complex topic and do not

allow the new skill sufficient time to get ingrained. How often have we heard coaches

grumble in frustration “Yesterday, we worked on possession in practice, but today they

can’t string two consecutive passes to save their lives”.

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This ‘fast tracking’ through the developmental stages of players in the haste to get to the

‘big game’ 11v11 tactics is not advisable, not even for the better players. The longer we

keep players in the second stage of the skill acquisition process (ingraining stage), the

better long term results. And this is true for all young players, even the best ones. The

patient approach of skill acquisition is especially crucial for the U-5 through U-12 age

groups, the formative years. In practical terms, as an example, it means that the 2v2

training environment recommended for tactical development of U-9/U-10’s needs to be

repeated until the desirable habits are ingrained.

Technical and Tactical Progression U-5 to U-12

The current small-sided game format for youth soccer in Georgia is:

U-6: 3v3

U-8: 4v4

U-10: 6v6

U-12: 8v8

U-13: 11v11

For most players, U-6 and U-8 play is purely a technical experience and U-10 is the first

time basic tactical concepts can be taught. The play format at U-10 is 6v6, but, as

mentioned before, tactically the players are at the 2v2 stage, since they still can’t solve

support and movement problems near the ball.

Games of 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 do not require organization of players into positions. But

once we get into 6v6 and higher, it becomes necessary to organize the players into some

form of team formation, with specific units (lines) of defenders, midfielders or forwards

and specific roles. Given that U-6 and U-8 play did not involve positions and that U-10

is the first time players are organized into formation, it is highly recommended to start

with only two lines, i.e. playing 6v6 with a keeper and a 3-2 formation (3 defenders and 2

attackers). The level of sophistication and movement off the ball in a three line formation

is too complex for U-10’s. Let them spend some time learning how two lines interact,

before we throw them into a three line formation.

The term ‘small-sided soccer’ is commonly used when referring to games with less than

11 players per side. But when you think of it, in the eyes of the U-10 player, 6v6 is not a

small-sided game, but rather the full-blown game. From the perspective of a typical 9

year-old, the 6v6 game has the same feel that the 11v11 game has for adults. For a 9

year-old, it’s the 2v2 or 3v3 games that give them the ‘small-sided’ feel. Hence, in terms

of a tactical progression through the eyes of the players, we can re-define small-sided

games as follows:

2v2 to 4v4 Small-Sided Games (SSG)

5v5 to 6v6 2 Line Games (2LG)

7v7 to 11v11 3 Line Games (3LG)

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Taking this player-centered view of the progression of small-sided play is just another

tool we can use to design a more effective, age-specific development program. Based on

this approach, the player development model shown in the table below gives an outline of

what we should focus on at each age group.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT MODEL

PROGRAM

AGE

TECHNICAL

EMPHASIS

TACTICAL

EMPHASIS

TRAINING

ENVIRONMENT

GAME

FORMAT

U-5/U-6 Dribbling (100%) - Fundamental.

Player with ball.

Unopposed (1v0).

3v3 (SSG)

KINS ‘New

Ball’ method

K

I

N

S

U-7/U-8 Dribbling (70%)

Passing (30%)

- Fundamental.

Player with ball.

Unopposed (1v0).

Opposed (1v1).

4v4 (SSG)

KINS ‘New

Ball’ method

U-9/U-10 Dribbling

Juggling

Short Passing

Receiving

Shooting &

Finishing

Shielding

Support near

the ball (ahead

and behind the

ball).

First touch.

Combination

play.

2-line shape.

2-line

interaction.

Technique: (70%)

Unopposed (35%)

Opposed (35%)

Tactics: (30%)

2v2 to 4v4 (SSG).

U-9: 2v2 mainly

U-10: 3v3 mainly

6v6 (2LG)

3-2 formation

A

C

A

D

E

M

Y

&

S

E

L

E

C

T

U-11 &

U-12

Dribbling

Juggling

Medium Passing

Receiving

Finishing

Heading

Shielding

Support.

Combination

play.

Deception.

3-line shape.

3-line

interaction.

Technique: (70%)

Unopposed (35%)

Opposed (35%)

Tactics: (30%)

2v2 to 5v5.

(mainly 4v4)

8v8 (3LG)

3-2-2

formation

The table summarizes the main recommendations for designing the training and game

format for U-5’s through U-12’s. The U-5’s through U-8’s are included here for the sake

of completeness (for more detailed recommendations and rationale on these age groups,

refer to the KINS Manual). Suffice to say that players in the U-5/U-6 ages need to spend

most of their practice time in individual activities learning to dribble and manipulate the

ball without pressure of opponents. They cannot handle both controlling the ball and

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keeping it away from opponents at this age (this is referred to as ‘unopposed’ 1v0

training under the ‘Training Environment’ column in the table). As players move to the

U-7/U-8 ages, we can gradually add pressure of opponents in practice sessions and use a

mix of fun activities, some of which are unopposed (individual or cooperative activities)

and some of which incorporate opponents (competitive activities).

Once players graduate to the U-9/U-10 stage, the better ones migrate to the ‘Select’ or

‘Academy’ programs, while the rest go into the ‘Recreational’ program. This manual

focuses on the select players, but most of the recommendations apply to all levels of play.

Technical Emphasis

The column titled ‘Technical Emphasis’ highlights the technical priorities for each age.

Dribbling and juggling are very high on the agenda of U-10/U-12’s. These players love

to dribble and are sufficiently coordinated to work on feints and fast footwork and try it

out against live defenders. A lot of 1v1 activities should be used with U-10/U-12’s and

it should be planned such that there is minimal idle time between turns, to maximize

repetition and learning. Some coaches might regard juggling as an expendable luxury

that players can indulge in on their own free time. But it’s not a mere coincidence that

every star player is also an accomplished juggler. Juggling helps players develop a feel

for the ball, improve their first touch, and advance their balance and coordination, not to

mention their confidence on the ball. All the top players spent hours of their childhood

juggling the ball and continue to do so in their professional career. As youth coaches, we

need to inspire our players to do the same. Setting aside some time for juggling in the

practice session can only help.

Another aspect of the game that can never be overplayed is finishing. The more creative

ways we can find to incorporate finishing into our activities, the better. Even when we

work on dribbling or passing, it’s possible and advisable to add finishing as the end

product of every passing drill or make scoring on goal the objective of every dribbling

move.

A question often asked by coaches is when should they introduce training to teach

heading? The simple answer is that heading should be taught when players are

technically able to cross the ball in the air. Before that, there is no point spending too

much time on heading when there are so many other, more applicable and fundamental

skills to improve. However, there is nothing wrong with occasionally working on

heading at U-10/U-12 just to introduce the technique and eliminate any early fear of ballto-

head contact. A soft introduction to heading, using small balls (size 1 or 2) is

recommended. How often and how much heading practice? It is up to the coach, and

should be based on priorities and players’ abilities.

Tactical Emphasis

The column titled ‘Tactical Emphasis’ highlights that tactical training is not really

applicable or realistic at U-6 and U-8, and that the main priority at U-10 and U-12 should

be the teaching of ‘support play near the ball’, deception with the ball, and

combination play in small groups.

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Training Environment

It’s important to pay close attention to the column in the table, titled ‘Training

Environment’. This column contains the recommendations for the content and emphasis

in practice sessions. As we mentioned before, technical training is the number one

priority for U-10’s and U-12’s and the table suggests that technical work should involve

70% of the practice time. However, working on technique in isolation without

opponents, such as repetitions of unopposed dribbling or passing moves, should not

constitute the only part of the technical content. Players at the U-10 and U-12 stage need

to practice technique against opponents. This will improve the transfer of skill to the

game and will be more realistic, not to mention more fun for the players.

To that end, a mixture of individual, cooperative and competitive activities should be

used to hone technique. Rather than spend a whole hour doing ‘Coerver’ moves or

passing combinations without any opponents, better to add the realism of opponents for at

least half the time. The low ratio of players to ball inherent in small groups will still

produce the requisite volume of technical repetitions.

As a rough guideline, a typical practice session should be split into 3 parts: A third of the

practice devoted to unopposed technique; a third of the time for practicing the technique

against pressure; and the last third in small-sided games devoted to tactical teaching.

This approach has the recommended allocation of ‘two thirds technique/one third tactics’,

not to mention the fact that even the tactical third provides for plenty of technical

repetitions due to the small player-to-ball ratio.

The ‘Training Environment’ column also recommends 2v2 as the main vehicle for

tactical training for U-9’s, 3v3 for U-10’s, and 4v4 for U-12’s. Each stage builds on to

the next:

2v2: It’s ideal for U-9’s since it is the smallest possible unit for teaching tactics and

combination play. It’s advantageous for teaching to open body, support angle,

support distance and reading the pressure on the ball, without any distractions of

additional player permutations.

3v3: This is the smallest possible unit for addressing width and depth, the key elementsof team shape, as well as support behind the ball, while still reinforcing the

previous points of open body, support, and reading pressure. Players can start to

learn how to stretch the field and create passing lanes for penetration.

4v4: This format adds more options and complexity to the 3v3 and is a great segue toteam tactics and formation. Some coaches see 4v4 as the starting point for teaching

tactics and laud the diamond shape as the basic tactical unit. This writer feels that

4v4 is too complex for U-9/U-10’s as a preliminary tactical tool and needs to be

preceded by a healthy doze of 2v2 and 3v3 play. A diamond shape in itself is not

the objective, but rather a byproduct of good support play.

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This approach gives coaches a consistent, progressive plan that allows players to advance

tactically from simple situations to more complex ones at a steady and manageable rate.

It doesn’t exclude other activities or numbers, but is recommended as the predominant

staple of training at each stage.

Fitness on its own has no place in the training program of U-10/U-12’s. Players at this

age have not completed their growth spurt and many have not even started their puberty.

This means that fitness work with players who have not yet matured physically has

limited value since the neuromuscular system cannot yet handle full adaptation to fitness

training. The fun games and activities will take care of the fitness needs of these

players. Every moment in practice needs to be devoted to ball work.

Game Format

And finally, the column titled ‘Game Format’ addresses the game environment for each

age group. Following the plan allows players the easy transition from Small-Sided

Games of 3v3 and 4v4 at U-6/U-8, where there are no positions/formations, to the 6v6

game with only two lines, hence, a soft introduction to formations, and then to the 8v8

games with three lines.

Field Size Considerations

One of the main objectives for going small-sided is to discourage the ‘kick and chase’

mode of play that players are forced into when playing on large fields. Playing in smaller

fields encourages using skill and keeping the ball on the ground to get into scoring

positions since the long kick up field would put the ball out of bounds. Another

advantage of smaller fields is that less physical effort and less stamina is required to

cover the field, saving more energy for skillful play. This is especially important for 8-11

year-olds who still lack the stamina necessary for long sustained runs.

The GYSA playing rules allow for a range of field size. For example, the range for 6v6

play at U-10 is from 35X45 to 45x60. The maximum size of 45X60 is probably too big

and the recommended field size for U-10’s is 40x50. In games involving mostly U-9’s,

recommended field size should be even closer to the minimum allowed, 35x45. Ideally,

field size should present the players technical and tactical challenges and eliminate the

fitness challenges. If the field is too big, the amount of running required leaves players

exhausted and defeats the purpose of small-sided soccer.

There is a tendency to put the better/bigger players into bigger fields because “they are

ready for it”. In actual fact, this rationale contradicts the coaching principles we teach at

coaching schools. As players get better, they should be subjected to more pressure. One

method we often use to increase pressure in practice is by decreasing field size. Smaller

grids (or fields) punish a poor first touch or a bad pass. Bigger fields forgive bad

technique and give the physically bigger players an advantage. In reality, putting the

bigger players on bigger fields makes it easier for them to use their physical assets and

conceal their technical and tactical weaknesses. It doesn’t make sense to adopt two

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diametrically opposite strategies to develop players, where we decrease playing area in

practice but give them acres of space in games. Smaller spaces, for practices and games,

are more consistent with our main objective at U-10/U-12 of encouraging and teaching

skillful play and good technique.

Hence, the recommendation here is to use fields that are small enough to force players to

find soccer solutions but not too small that play is bogged down in a congested traffic.

This is another consideration that calls for insightful observations by the coaches and a

continuous re-assessment of players’ progress. In trying to strike the right balance

between too big and too small, erring on the ‘too small’ is preferable as it is more

conducive to skill development.

The same considerations apply to the U-12’s. Here the recommended field size ranges

from 40x60 to 60x100. The upper limit of the range (60x100) is too big for 8v8 and is

probably more appropriate for 11v11. The recommended size should be around 50x70,

depending on the players.

Finally, most activities incorporating pressure (opponents) should involve usage of conesto restrict space. Allowing unlimited space is unrealistic and gives the activity a fitness

slant instead of a technical/tactical one, even if the intent is not there. Some coaches

don’t have the necessary equipment to lay enough small grids or don’t have the patience

to do it. This lack of organization should be addressed. Clubs could mark permanent

grids in specially dedicated areas, which saves the need for laying many cones and

facilitates the planning of practices. More on this in a later section.

Forming Teams: Balanced Versus Ability-Based

One of the hottest debates in the U-10/U-12 circles is whether clubs should split their

Competitive/Academy program players into balanced teams or form Gold, Silver and

Bronze teams based on ability.

This is an issue that can be fraught with special interest and personal agendas, making it

difficult to please all parties. Parents of strong players often prefer ability based teams

while parents of weaker players campaign for balanced teams. Coaches who emphasize

the need to win prefer ability based teams while coaches who prefer to downplay results

opt for balanced teams.

Both methods have some merits, but the general feeling among youth development

experts is that the later we segregate the players by ability, the better. Some of the

arguments for balanced teams are:

- No one knows for sure who will develop into a good player since players mature at

different rates. We must do everything we can to encourage ALL players and make it a

positive experience for all of them. In many cases, the only difference between an ‘A’

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team player and a ‘B’ team player is the physical attributes rather than skill differential,

and we know that post-puberty, early physical advantages can disappear. Players who

get placed on the lower teams might get discouraged and quit.

- It is another strong message to parents and coaches that results are not important at this

stage. Players’ self-image is more important.

- Weaker players learn from the stronger players

- Stronger players still improve, even when mixed with weaker players. They develop

leadership skills, self confidence and self-reliance by having success and are not afraid

to experiment with new tricks and expand their technical repertoire. This is the stage

for exploration, not for playing it safe.

- It is still possible to find ample occasions to separate players by ability within the

balanced team approach. This can be accomplished in practice, using the 2v2/3v3

activities where the best players are grouped together in the same grid.

Balanced teams could also have disadvantages:

- If the weaker players are VERY weak, they will hold other players back. They will not

have any success, they might lose confidence, and their enthusiasm could dissipate.

- More difficult to match up against other clubs if everyone does something different.

This is not an issue except when scores are very lopsided.

Weighing the pros and cons, it is recommended to balance teams at least at U-9/U-10. If

possible, balancing the teams at U-11/U-12 should also be considered, but it’s a bit tricky

since we now enter the stage where puberty kicks in and some players are just so

physically advanced while others have not hit the puberty curve yet and variations are

more pronounced than at U-10.

Ultimately, each club must assess its own talent level and player depth and decide

accordingly. There is no one single answer for all. Coaches should analyze the players at

each age group and decide on the arrangement that suits their players’ specific needs. In

some instances where numbers dictate, it might be better to have 2 balanced teams and a

third team containing players who are too weak compared to the rest.

It also depends to a large degree on how the players are treated and trained and how

skillfully the rationale for splitting the teams is articulated. Perception and poor

communication can ruin the best laid plans.