My goal in writing this article is to share some of the benefits my team
and others have gained by adding futsal to our regular winter soccer
program.
Futsal has been such an effective development tool that we have
replaced the conventional US walled indoor soccer game with it this
winter. Our soccer week follows a pattern of one formal skill session on
Tuesday using the futsal format, outdoor pick-up games on Saturday, and
organized league play in futsal on Sunday. We are not using the walled
indoor soccer game to train players at all this winter. The cost of court
time and available space makes this prohibitive. I believe that when given
a choice for player development, futsal does it better and more
economically.
Futsal
may be new to some coaches, so I'll describe it briefly here. This is a
court soccer game. Its origins are credited to Uruguay some 30 years ago.
This game is common in certain areas of Brazil where the shortage of open
space encourages short-sided court games and beach soccer. Because of it's
availability and small-sided format, Futsal has impacted on the early
development of some of Brazil's finest football (soccer) players. It is
also played in parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and is the indoor game
favoured by FIFA and the
English FA.
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Quick definition: the name
'Futsal' simply combines the Spanish words for ‘Hall’ –
Sala and ‘Football’ – Futbol into Futsal. It is a five-a-side
game, played with hockey sized goals and a smaller ball with a
reduced bounce.
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Futsal is played with a goalkeeper and four
field players. The character of this game is outdoor soccer played
indoors. It is played in soccer's fundamental shape, which the
4 vs. 4
format is so good at presenting. The futsal ball is smaller and heavier
than the outdoor soccer ball and has dampened bounce. Players, U12 and
under, play with a ball about the size of a No. 3 outdoor ball. U13
players and above, play with a ball approximating a No.4 outdoor ball.
Since the court surface is usually fast and the space small, these
modified balls scale the game to the size of the court remarkably well.
The smaller circumference makes precision touch and the sweet spot on the
ball more challenging to hit.
The rules of the game are similar to the
outdoor game with some friendly modifications that fit the game to the
smaller space. Throw-ins are replaced by kick-ins and the goal kick is
replaced by a goal clearance. The goal clearance is a restart by the
keeper using his hands to put the ball back in play with restrictions
similar to those of the outdoor soccer goal kick. Substitutions are made
on the fly, including the keeper. Most importantly, the game is played
with touchlines and goal lines, with all the consequences that go with
them. Simply put, a bad play with the ball may result in the ball leaving
the field of play with the resulting loss of possession being the
consequence. This game also emphasizes skill and control. Rough play is
discouraged. Shoulder charges and slide tackles are forbidden. Fouls are
tracked and teams penalized for playing too roughly. As in basketball, a
sanction is placed on a team after 5 fouls have been assessed in each
half. In futsal, this sanction takes the form of a revised free kick
process. Only the goalkeeper may defend the goal during the taking of the
kick. The offending team loses the privilege of their wall and the ball is
spotted on the second penalty spot 10 meters from the goal. As you can
see, this is a strong deterrent to rough play. I have rarely seen a game
get to this point with young players. For more details about the rules, go
to Futsal rules, OK?.
Futsal
is great for young players. It provides numerous ball touches in a short
period of time and it presents many of the fundamental tactical patterns
of the big soccer game. The game contains many of the challenges faced in
the final third of the field and provides repeated opportunities to
finish. As a requirement of all teaching, futsal provides repetition and
recognizable consequence for poor execution. Conversely, it also
reinforces good play with tangible results, mostly shots and goals. In
most coach's training sessions, the 4 vs. 4 format is often used. Its
effectiveness in teaching players both skill and tactics is widely
recognized. The 4 vs. 4 game can
present all the primary combination plays. It emphasizes both offensive
and defensive support, but most importantly - immediate transition. Futsal
can be a brutally honest game. It will isolate and expose your team's
deficiencies. It will also showcase your teams strengths. The game is fast
and numerous finishing opportunities are offered when played well.
Technical and tactical speeds are emphasized. A bad touch or a slow
recovery will almost always result with a loss of possession. Quite
frequently the lesson is driven home with a goal scored by the opposition.
These lessons learned hard are not easily forgotten. The satisfying thing
about this game is that these lessons are quickly learned and that players
readily adjust themselves to the game's demands. Coaching clinicians have
often stressed that the game is the best teacher. By putting players in
learning situations, the results of the decisions and their technical
execution will educate them with a minimum of coaching involvement. In
futsal, you can see this happen.
When teaching young players, I think some coaches struggle with getting
effective player movement off the ball. Players tend to feel that their
work is done after they deliver the ball to a teammate or when a shot is
taken. In this game, supporting movements and management of space are keys
to success. Slow transition and lazy supporting play will result in
turnovers and goals to the opposition. This game requires strong play in
these areas. If not shored up, the score can get ugly. Team success
requires good spatial management, patience, and poise. Goalkeepers must be
more than an obstacle standing in front of the goal, they must also play
in the field and support the attack. A good futsal goalkeeper plays is a
sweeper and a goalkeeper. Because of the speed of the game, communication
and anticipation are necessary and are usually rewarded with ball
possession and finishing opportunities. Finishing opportunities generate
enthusiasm and reinforce quality decisions and execution. This is a
position-less game (excluding the goalkeepers). Players must continually
rotate between defensive positions in the back and attacking runs to the
front. Players must organize themselves to maintain both defensive and
attacking shape.
I think futsal's advantage over 5
a side is that it naturally teaches good habits. My experience with 5 a
side is that it doesn't punish bad play or bad decisions. In some cases, a
bad decision can turn into an assist with a lucky carom off the wall.
Since the ball is kept in play by the boards, players don't have a
consequence for a misplayed ball or for bad tactics. A player in trouble
can be redeemed with a kick off the wall that sometimes results in an
accidental assist or an opportunity to maintain possession. I have watched
my young player's movement and work rate diminish steadily over a 9-week
season in walled soccer. Sometimes the game declines into a long kick and
chase game where possession and control lose importance. Futsal demands
play to feet or to playable space. Players learn good possession habits,
how to make space, and how to attack space.
Futsal's most powerful selling point to
players is that they get more playing time and shots on goal.
"In a 40 minute Futsal match, a
field player on a team using a dynamic system of play...will touch the
ball once every 29.5 seconds . . . that's just
over 80 possessions per player per match,
if the player plays the entire match. This compares to only 30 to 40
possessions per player in a full 90 minute outdoor soccer match."
4futsal.com
Because of futsal's smaller
pitch, touches and shots per minute are also increased. Possession and
shots in futsal are more frequent. This playing time differential sells
the game to kids.
One of the powerful attributes of this game is its accessibility.
Any basketball gym will work. Any open warehouse space will do. You can
even play futsal on grass or concrete!
Bottom line? Futsal is a great training tool for developing soccer
players. It is also a very fun and safe game to play and an excellent
alternative to traditional 5 a side indoor soccer.
basic futsal coaching
football coaching in a small gym
futsal rules, OK?
futsal...the way forward for youth soccer
in praise of futsal
tips for youth futsal coaches
whats wrong with youth soccer?
go to
futsalpoint.com for futsal news and equipment
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