Soccer Field Diagram: Killer Tips On Soccer Formations
When was the last time you used a soccer field diagram to explain soccer formations to the team? If you answered "Never" or "Long time back", chances are that your team knows very little about formations or positions.
Almost all coaches falter when they consider that spoken instructions are sufficient and the kids will learn everything through these. Formations should always be talked about with the players beforehand because they play an important role on the field.
These are tactical choices usually made in the form of numbers and which describe the soccer positions of the players in each area from the defensive line. The formations need not be stringent and the coach must continue to alternate the players in a game. One very important thing is that the formations must be chosen keeping in mind the strengths as well as weaknesses of all players.
Some of the formations used regularly in soccer are as follows:
4-4-2: This is the most commonly used. It derives its number sequence from the fact that there are four defenders, four midfielders and two attackers, not including the goalkeeper.
It is the midfielders who play the most important part by way of supporting the forward players through defense. At the time of attack, they should move towards the goal line to support the defenders.
4-5-1: This is a defensive formation and consists of five midfielders and one forward. The advantage with this formation is that since the midfielders are stacked up in the center, the opponents have a hard time attacking.
And because there is only 1 forward, it allows the midfielders to move forward thereby leaving the opposition high and dry.
3-5-2: This formation has three defenders, five midfielders, and two forwards. This formation makes attacking as well as defending easy as 2 wingmen take up the attacking role and the center midfielder does not allow counter attacks from the opposition.
3-4-3: This is the most violent form of formation on the soccer field diagram that the players resort to when the opponents are defending. Using three defenders, four midfielders and three forwards, the plan is to attack using the forwards and make use of the defenders in case the opposition pierces the defensive line.
There is no single plan that stays good for the whole match. It must change according to the changes in the overall situation of the game. So a coach must be smart enough to rotate the players as per the situations in the game. However, any formation can either be offensive or defensive.
Good soccer tactics on formations are very important since a team's victory or defeat depends on it. As the game becomes more action oriented, it should bring about more changes in the soccer formation plans.
Now go ahead and use the soccer field diagram to teach the players. Our youth soccer coaching community is the best resource for information on formation with its articles, newsletters, and videos.
Â
Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players' skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Drills.
Â
Â