The Importance of Running with the Ball in Youth Football/Soccer
Running with the ball at speed, under pressure, is a critical skill for football/soccer players at any level. Mastering this ability can significantly influence a player’s effectiveness on the field, enabling them to break defences, create scoring opportunities, and maintain possession under challenging conditions. Conversely, failing to develop this skill can severely limit a player’s development, potential and the overall performance of the team.
Why Failing to Develop This Skill Will Hold Players Back
- Limited Offensive Options: Without the ability to run with the ball at speed, players become predictable and easier to defend against. This predictability can stifle a team’s offensive creativity and reduce their scoring opportunities.
- Increased Turnover Rates: Players who struggle to maintain ball control and speed when pressured are more likely to lose possession. High turnover rates can lead to counter-attacks and goals against the team.
- Reduced Confidence and Impact: Players lacking this skill may hesitate to run with the ball, reducing their overall impact on the game. This lack of confidence can lead to fewer successful dribbles, passes, and shots on goal.
Advantages of Having This Skill
- Enhanced Offensive Dynamics: Players who excel at running with the ball at speed can easily break through defensive lines, creating chaos among opponents and opening up space for teammates.
- Improved Possession and Control: Skillful ball handling at high speeds allows for better possession under pressure, reducing turnovers and maintaining attacking momentum.
- Increased Versatility and Threat: Players adept in this area can adapt to various game situations, making them unpredictable and a constant threat to defenders. Think about players like Mo Salah (Liverpool) and Jeremy Doku (Manchester City). They run onto balls behind the defensive line and are able to hold off the defenders to get into goal scoring opportunities.
Training Session: RWTB at Speed, Under Pressure
60-90 minutes
This session uses the Game-Train-Game framework to work on running with the ball at speed, while dealing with pressure from a chasing defender.
Format
- Warmup: 10 mins
- Icebreaker: 10 mins
- Game 1: 15 mins
- Train 1: 10 mins
- Train 2: 15 mins
- Game 2: 20mins
Icebreaker: 10 mins
Aim
- Cross the field without being tagged. Last player standing wins.
Rules
- All players with a ball line up across one side of the playing area.
- One person without a ball starts as a tagger in the middle.
- On coach’s whistle, players run with their ball to get to the other side without being tagged.
- Tagger only needs to touch the players or their ball for them to be tagged.
- Once tagged, player kicks their ball out of play, and becomes a tagger where they were tagged.
- Tagged players cant move from their location where they were tagged, they then help the tagger in the next round.
- The original tagger is the only one who is free to roam the area.
- Last player standing wins.
Notes
- Encourage running with the ball at speed.
- Try changing the size of the area. Thinner areas create more of a challenge.
- Be sure to celebrate the winner.
- Depending on area size, allow the stationary taggers to be able to move one step in any direction.
Game 1: 15 mins
Aim
- Small sided games to get the players playing football early in the session
Rules
- Start the game as soon as possible, with all standard football rules.
- Every few minutes add a new rule:
- When you receive the ball, you must run forward with it to the nearest defender. As you close the gap to the defender by around 50%, then look to play a pass.
- This allows us to run at a defender to draw them into the play. Once they become committed, we can play the ball and successfully bypass the defender, effectively taking them out of the game.
Notes
- Introduce rules 1 at a time to give the players time to process and understand how they work.
- Don’t stop the game to change the rules, explain the rules while the game is flowing.
- Try not to coach, the games are used for self discovery. Use your custom rules to create an environment for them to find the answer.
Train 1: 10 mins
Aim
- Focused repetitions of running with the ball at speed while being chased by a defender.
Rules
- Play operates simultaneously from both ends.
- Player starts with the ball at the inside marker that is approximately 2 metres from the start gate.
- The moment the player touches the ball the game is live.
- The player with the ball must attempt to successfully run with the ball in control between the opposite end gate for 2 points, or either of the 2 side gates for 1 point.
- Once the player first touches the ball, the defender who starts in the gate behind them, must try to catch the player with the ball and disposes them before they make it to safety.
Notes
- These repetitions will help the players calibrate how hard and how far they need to touch the ball in front of them at this speed.
- Generally speaking, the slower the speed the more touches per step.
- The chasing defender is there to create pressure from behind to encourage full speed running with the ball.
- Adjust the distance of the starting cones to balance the challenge vs success.
- Ideally we want to see success running with the ball, but the defender should be very close to catching them.
Train 2: 15 mins
Aim
- Players from 2 teams independently dribble a ball around inside, while the 3rd team has 1 minute to dispossess as many opponents as possible.
Rules
- Split into 3 teams.
- 2 teams start inside the square with a ball for every player.
- 1 team is lurking outside the area.
- On coaches whistle, the 3rd team has 1 minute to kick as many balls as possible out of the area.
- Rotate teams.
Notes
- We are now adding a little bit more game realism, with lots of players to be aware of, both friendly and dangerous.
- Players with the ball will now need to incorporate visual scanning with their dribbling skills.
- Try to keep the area as large as possible to encourage lots of running into space, and high speed running with the ball.
- A hidden learning opportunity is seeing if the 3rd team discovers they can hunt in packs to dispossess players quicker.
Game 2: 20 mins
Aim
- A game of football to finish the session.
Rules
- Keep all the rules normal, must look and play like a normal game.
- Adjust the field size to suit numbers.
Notes
- Avoid the temptation to coach, let the kids just play.
- Give praise when you see a player run with the ball into space.
- Even with reduced numbers, you can still create formations that mimic 11v11 formations.
- In this diagram, there is a regulation back 4, and midfield 3, and a striker. It is played like a 4-3-3 but without wingers or goalkeepers.
- In lieu of goalkeepers, use poles or markers in the corners of the goals.
- Try to keep teams balanced.
