How to defend better

A sweeper can shore up a shaky defence

By David Clarke

Giving your players a chance to play a sweeper role gets them running all over the pitch and helping them to learn how support play can stop opposition attacks.

A sweeper basically covers the defence. At 11-a-side they will be covering the back four, at 7-a-side they will be covering a back two. It means you have extra cover in defence - since they are not burdened by any specific marking assignments the sweeper can go wherever they are needed.

You really want a fast player who can read the game, tackle and pass over long distances. But when you practice this get all your players to try the position because you are developing their soccer brains by getting them to make decisions and organise the team all over the pitch;

• Who do they support?

• Which players are most vulnerable and need help?

• Is the space left behind the defenders covered?

• Who is covering when defenders join the attack?

Make a game of it

Play a game where four attackers are running at four defenders with a sweeper behind them. The sweeper can start in a central position behind the defense, but from there he might chase after a through ball or sprint wide to cover a defender and create a 2v1 situation.

Change the number of attackers and defenders to suit your players - so, if the attackers are struggling to get through to the sweeper, take out a defender. If the defence is struggling take out an attacker.

Let each sweeper cover 4 plays then change them.

If you found this helped your defenders cope better with powerful attacks you can get more tips like this by trying Soccer Coach Weekly for just $1 for 8 weeks.

How To Become Soccer Super Player Like Ronaldo, Messi adn Kaka'and

A simple way to start your players juggling with the ball

By David Clarke

Getting young players to juggle with the ball is a great way of getting them used to just kicking and controlling the ball and gives them a headstart when they practice drills and exercises that involve ball control.

Showing them a simple way to juggle and how they start off doing it will help them to develop as players. When they watch players like Ronaldo, Messi and Kaka tell them they started off by juggling the ball on their own, and if they want to be players like them they must do it also.

On my blog is a video which shows a simple way to get your players to start juggling the ball, and a video of Billy Wingrove's freestyle skills to show your players what they are aiming for!

How To Improve Soccer Technique

Learning to control height and pace of volleys

By Tony Carr

This is one of things that if you get right puts the frighteners on your opponents before the game has even kicked off. It is also a lot of fun for your players, seeing if they can put a few volleys together keeping the ball off the floor.

I don't expect you to create ball jugglers straight away! Volleying the ball is hard without expecting players to be able to volley to each other consistently so they can pass it around in the air. But they can practise and if they practise enough they will be able to keep the ball going long enough to get a real kick out of it.

The key to this is to get them to start off slowly just volleying and catching and eventually build up to seeing how long they can keep the ball in the air between them.

Your players will be able to experiment using different parts of their feet to see how it effects the height and pace of the volley.

• Around a 10 x 10 yard grid stand 4 players, the practise begins with the players passing the ball around the grid in the air by throwing up gently to serve themselves and pass with a volley.

• They should use a variety of volleying techniques, predominantly the inside of the foot and the laces of the boot.

• The ball is always played in the air.

• Players should start by staying in their positions, only moving to get misplaced passes, then they can advance to moving around the grid and varying the height and angle of the pass.

Development

1. Players now throw to a partner who volleys the ball for the next pass, the receiver catches and throws another serve; each player taking opportunities to serve and volley.

2. If the volley pass can be volleyed again, or controlled in the air before volleying, without losing quality then there is no need to catch and throw.

3. Eventually see how long the players can keep the ball up in the air using only headers and volleys.

Tony Carr is the Academy Director of West Ham United in the English Premier League.

Can your strikers control, dribble and shoot?

By David Clarke (coach-soccer.com)

Getting your strikers to control, dribble and shoot is a good way to ensure you're having more shots on goal than before. You are developing their instincts in front of goal.

I use this exercise which gives strikers a solid work out. It's also a good way for your goalkeeper to practice saving 1v1s.

• Set up like the diagram.

• Use six players and a goalkeeper.

• You stand on the corner of the penalty area and encourage your strikers to move quickly into the area in a twisting run and shoot into the corner.

What your players have to do

• Players line up beside the goal and at the corner of the penalty area.

• First player beside the goal serves the ball diagonally to the player in line who must dribble towards the goal and shoot.

• The server then runs around behind the striker to join the queue.

• The goalkeeper must be on their toes and try to save the 1v1.

• The striker runs to the back of the server queue by the goal.

How to advance it

Advance the session by getting the server to follow their pass and become a defender to try and stop the striker shooting, instead of running behind the attacker to join the queue. Once they have defended then they go and join the back of the striker queue.

If the player who receives the ball is fast they can get into the penalty area and shoot before the defender has reached them.

What to look for

Accurate passing, good ball control, quick defensive covering, dribbling, accurate shooting. And you can get your goalie to practice one on ones.

Tell your strikers to keep shots low, concentrate on accuracy before power and follow in for rebounds.