“I know a lot of younger players don’t love the game now, but it is not a game you love anymore. When I was young we played in the street, had fun, identified with great players, thought & talked nothing but football, lived for a Saturday game on telly. Now there’s too many games on TV & you see the kids now in their teams at 9 years old, & its do this, do that with their parents on the touchlines screaming at them…” Gordon Strachen

“The young player should not be at all bothered with tactics, defending or positional elements. The focus should be on learning basic techniques. It should be ball, ball and more ball.” Zico

As youth soccer coaches, we think we know why our children want to play football (soccer).

We all try hard to make our training sessions and matches a fun experience for everyone concerned while the more enlightened coaches make sure that they offer all children the opportunity to play football, regardless of their ability.

At it’s best youth soccer really is the ‘beautiful game’: inclusive, democratic and inspiring.

But it’s not always like that. All too often the ‘beautiful game’ is tarnished by parents shouting at their kids from the touchline, clubs preoccupied with winning leagues and cups, ‘average’ players sitting out most of the season on the bench and young players being forced to play in fixed positions.

And so, sadly, many children give up playing soccer because ‘it’s no fun anymore’.

So what’s the answer?

Maybe we should play a different game altogether……futsal

If you coach futsal (and if you don’t, you should!) I’m sure you’ll find the the tips below very useful. I know I did!

Short rosters: Teams have short roster to have more playing time. This is not the spirit of Futsal. In Futsal coaches should replace players often to get the most of their energy and coach them while they are out.

Excessive kicking: Futsal is not a kicking sport. It is a moving and getting close to the goal.

Bad transition from attack to defence and vice-versa: When your team has possession all players attack. Immediately when the ball is lost all players defend. If you have to tie your shoes ask the coach to sub you.

Dead zone players: Players that don’t move get in a dead zone. If a coach perceives a player in a dead zone the coach should replace the player immediately and talk to him. Either the player is tired or don’t understand the game.

Giving up: Do not look at the score board, a goal can be scored in 2 seconds in Futsal. If you think that your game is lost because you are loosing by 5 or 6 goals you are mistaken.

Not using the goalie as a 5th player when available: Use the goalie when you can. The goalie becomes the fifth player and gives an edge. If the opposing player goes after the goalie the goalie passes to the open player. If the goalie can’t pass he can kick to get rid of the ball after 4 seconds of possession.

Over committing on the last minute. When players see the clock on the last minute they get desperately on the attack. The odds are that they will get scored against. This tactics of over committing should be used only when the game or tournament is completely lost.

Marking: Futsal is dynamic and so is marking players.. A front player walking back slowly should be replaced immediately.

Goalie bouncing the ball to players. Goalie should roll the ball as close to the floor as possible because it is easier for the player receiving the ball to control.

Slow ball reposition: The fastest the ball is played after a game stop the better is for your team.

Distracted players: Players should have the eye on the ball as close to 100% of the time as possible.

Controlling the ball with the side of the feet: in Futsal the ball is controlled with the bottom of the feet.

Players losing focus: There is no time in Futsal for getting upset. Getting upset with a play or the referee may cost your team dearly. If you don’t have the focus the odds are that your team will suffer.

Physical games: Futsal is skills; it is not a physical game. Instead of play physical players need to focus on the game.

Playing Futsal just to enhance skills: To benefit from Futsal you have to understand the spirit of the game.

Lack of movement: When attacking, players should be moving constantly. Rotation is highly desirable. When attacking, players need to be constantly looking for open space.

• The kick start is a forward kick. Place the receiving player close enough so he can get the ball before the opponent.
• Place the ball on the line and have your body outside of the field to restart a play after the ball goes out of the boundaries.
• The goalie must use his hands for a goal clearance.
• The opponent player should allow 5 yards in a kick in play.
• When the goalie throws the ball it must hit his own court or a second player before it hits the opposing court.
• There are no shoulder charges, slides or even play the ball when you are down allowed in Futsal.

With 9 players we played 3 v 3 with 3 teams so that one team was always resting. In the gym where we were training there were two wooden benches without a back (just the seating area), which we used as goals by laying each bench on its side on the centre of the end lines (under the baskets). The boundaries for the game were the outside lines of the basketball court.

The rules to the game were simple. The game lasts three minutes. Anytime the ball goes out of bounds, the other team (the team who it didn’t go off of) gets a “kick in”. A “kick in” starts by the player stopping the ball with her hand and then either passing the ball or dribbling into the field. The reason for the use of the hand is to make sure the ball comes to a complete stop and also so there is no confusion when the player takes the first touch. To score a goal, the ball has to hit the front of the bench (the part where if the bench was upright, people sit). If a goal is scored the team that scores the goal gets the ball and immediately attacks the other direction.  At the end of the three-minute period whichever team has scored more goals wins and stays on the court and the losing team switches with the resting team for the next game. In the case of a tie, the team that last won stays on (this creates an atmosphere where you have to beat the champion to become the champion).

For this to work the real key is to use a Futsal Ball instead of a regular soccer ball. On a gym floor, a regular soccer ball can be too bouncy which results in it being too difficult to control. A Futsal ball is “deader” ball that works much better indoors than a soccer ball (more on the game of Futsal)

The advantage of this type of a game is that it is less physical and less dangerous than the regular indoor soccer played here in the US because there aren’t walls to worry about plus it requires a softer touch in order to keep the ball under control and in bounds. Plus it can be played anywhere there is some open floor space. By playing 3-minute games the players work really hard for a relatively short period of time as opposed to pacing themselves so it’s a great cardiovascular workout. Also, there are the tactical aspects of this game since the “defending champion” can play differently in the last minute of the game than the “challenger” since one team can play for a tie and the other team has to win to stay on. If one team is stronger than the other two teams you can either switch the teams around or just let it go because the longer they stay on the more tired they will become which will equal out the differences in the teams.

This is a great game for the players to work hard, have a lot of fun and learn more about becoming better soccer players so it’s something I would strongly recommend you give it a try.

I’m a big, big fan of futsal.

Why?

“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.”

Or, as the FA says:

“How did players such as Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Robinho and Roberto Carlos develop skills that set them apart from other players?

What did they do as youngsters that provided them with the basis to becoming some of the world’s best players?

If you are interested in the answer then you need to learn more about a game called Futsal.

Futsal is the format of Small Sided Football that is recognised and supported by FIFA and UEFA with World and European Championships for club and National Teams

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.

As a small-sided game players are constantly placed in situations where they must receive or play whilst under pressure or in confined spaces and it places considerable demand on technique, movement, tactical awareness and fitness.”

How to coach youth futsal

I. The basics

The priority in Futsal is to motivate players in an environment that is conducive to learning. The more pleasure kids derive from their participation, the more they wish to play and practice on their own. While their instinct to play is natural, their affection and appreciation for soccer must be cultivated. Futsal is the foundation to such goals because it:

• Allows players to frequently touch the one “toy” on the field, namely, the ball.
• Presents many opportunities to score goals and score goals often.
• Encourages regaining possession of the ball as a productive, fun and rewarding part of the game (defending).
• Maximizes active participation and minimizes inactivity and boredom.
• Provides a well organized playing environment with improvised fields.
• Reflects the philosophy of player development expressed in state and national coaching schools.
• Eliminates complicated rules such as off-sides that may hinder youngsters from “playing”.
• Reflects the appropriate roll of the coach as a Facilitator
• Makes the game more “beginning coach” friendly because the game is simpler, thus making it easier to recruit more volunteer “coaches”.
• Allows the game to be the teacher!

What About The Goalkeeper?

Goalkeeping, as it relates to the adult version of soccer, requires a combination of skill, athleticism, and decision making. A Futsal goalkeeper learns all these things in the game of Futsal with the added advantage that he learns to react faster because the ball moves faster, and he gets more involvement in the game since they are more shots on goal. Nevertheless a:

Goalkeepers must be field players first. Prior to specializing as goalkeepers, children must learn the broader parameters of “play”. This is difficult to do when they hide beneath the crossbar. Goalkeepers must also learn intuition and anticipation from moving in and playing the game of Futsal.

Goalkeepers must possess field playing skill. This is particularly true since the laws governing the 11 v. 11 game require the goalkeeper to play as a field player, without the use of their hands, at certain times of the game.

II. Why Futsal?

The mode and method for children’s play has changed substantially. The sandlot and playgrounds which allowed for free play have been replaced by organized sport associations and leagues which are instead governed by adults. As a result, these leagues reflect what adults believe the game of soccer should be like for youngsters. The by-product of this is often overcoaching and the investing of an abundance of money and resources on uniforms. warm-ups, and equipment. There is always the likelihood that parents and coaches become too involved in the game during “the game”.

Teaching Futsal to children requires that the information provided to them is appropriate for their maturity level through some means (THE GAME) that makes sense to them. The environment for play must, essentially, meet the needs of players.

Reducing the number of players to 5 per team allows for all of the components that are present in the 11 v. 11 game: the ball, teammates and opponents, realistic pressure, appropriate space, guidelines (rules), direction of play (attacking and defending), and the combination of length and width in the game (team shape), and shooting on goal.

What Is Developed

Skill that is realistic. Motor ability: balance, agility, and coordination. Perception: insight and awareness. Vision. Problem solving: choices and decisions. Physical fitness. Psychological domain: fun, enjoyment, and competition. Learning by discovery, trial and error, playing!!!

Repetition

This is perhaps the single most important aspect over the long term process of developing soccer playing ability. On the playgrounds and sandlots, this occurs naturally… No lines, no waiting, participation is maximized.

Youngsters recognize differing situations that are constantly repeated. Repetition influences: Skill required to play the game (dribbling, passing, shooting, etc.). Decisions and choices that occur during the game.

III. The Role of the Youth Coach

In Futsal, the role of the coach is that of facilitator. The coach sets up the game and the conditions for learning, provides some supervision and allows the game to teach. The coach becomes a manager of the games with the comprehensive and long range objective being to develop and improve the soccer performance of the players.

The primary objective for youth players under 11 years of age is the development of technical skill. This is due, in part, to the nature of youngsters and their willingness to experiment to find their own way to execute technical skill.

Another contributing factor for am emphasis on skill development is that skill is considered a shortcoming. Remember, technique is not an objective in and of itself but a tool. Technical skill must always have a relationship with the game (application). Problem solving, decision making, intuition, anticipation, and technical skill must be developed in the context of games.

Technical activities, outside of games, should not be considered the “end all and be all”. The game, and involvement of playing the game, is most important. Too often, these activities on the individual basis are “drills” and are not realistic as far as the demands of the game are concerned. Technical skills should not be viewed as “tricks” or “gimmicks”, but in the end, must be practical to use in the game.