Five articles you may have missed in 2021
- The Boot Room
- 08 December 2021
As we approach the end of the year, we’ve rounded up five articles you may have missed on The Boot Room in 2021.
WHAT SHOULD A FINISHING SESSION LOOK LIKE FOR 5-11S?
Picture this. You line up on the edge of the penalty area and pass to your coach, who lays it off for you to have an unopposed shot. One kick of the ball. Then to the back of the queue. And repeat.
Sound familiar?
While this is simple to organise and sociable – the whole group is together, and there’s time to chat – it’s still problematic. This is because it isn’t realistic. It’s not what a game looks like. Plus, it doesn’t provide the high level of repetition needed to improve performance.
Using data from Euro 2020, we look at how you can make your finishing sessions more realistic than the example above. Click here to check it out.
PLAYERS’ VIEW: THE ‘RIGHT’ ENVIRONMENT
In football, the environment you set matters. Getting it right can be the difference between a player falling in love with the game or falling by the wayside. To find out what works, we caught up with five England stars – past and present. Access their thoughts here.
TOP TIPS FOR MOVING WITH THE BALL
“All children need to develop physical literacy skills. Doing so makes them more confident and competent in their movements.
“Simple tag games are a great tool in this area. For example, if ‘tagged’, a player has to balance on one leg. Then, to get ‘free’, they must seek out and high-five a teammate. Games like this encourage the use of fundamental skills such as agility, balance and coordination. They also make excellent arrival activities.”
Click here to discover Vinny Halsall’s session-based tips to help your players develop the skill of moving with the ball.
SPOTLIGHT ON: INTERCEPTING
While intercepting has always been important, the speed of the modern game has made it an essential skill – for both attackers and defenders.
However, to intercept successfully, your team need to do more than just ‘cut out a pass’. Stealing the ball can be a tricky business. Amongst other things, it involves scanning the pitch, timing your move and getting into position. Then, you need to follow this up with excellent technique.
To find out how you can help your players develop their intercepting skills, click here.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING SKILFUL PLAYERS
Developing skilful players isn’t just about creating a few standout individuals. It’s about releasing the potential of everyone in your team. For some, that’ll be reaching the dizzy heights of the international game. For others, it’ll be a game of walking football down the park.
As a coach, it’s important to recognise that it doesn’t matter where your players end up. When you focus on releasing their potential, you prioritise their needs – and they feel included in the process. Working this way also helps unlock some interesting benefits... click here to reveal all.
