Four-corner folly?

1. Every time ball goes out - restart with a corner. In possession: connect through all three thirds and score = 3 goals
2. Defending: regain in final third and score = 2 goals. 
3. Question: what is your ‘special teams’ approach?

The pitch is narrow and split into horizontal thirds.

The set up of the players presents some varying problems to solve. The Blues have two Red attackers both defending and creating chances against their two defenders, while a Red midfielder is initially outnumbered.

Organisational constraints designed in this way can afford players the chance to practise in ways relevant to the situations that are present.

The Reds may build slower at times to attempt to draw a Blue midfielder higher and create space to play forward, or the Red goalkeeper may play longer into the front two to try to capitalise on the 2v2 high up the pitch.

The demands that constrain the game also encourage players to practise certain elements of it more than others.

In possession, if a team can play through all thirds and score it is rewarded with three goals. What gets rewarded gets repeated.

The Reds may then limit the times they play straight into their front two direct from the goalkeeper and find alternative ways to draw the Blues onto them - such that they can connect into midfield, perhaps encourage one of their centre forwards to drop deeper to balance numbers in midfield and/or use a patient goalkeeper to control the game as an extra possessor of the ball.

This build-up challenge is, conversely, contending with an out of possession reward. Regaining the ball back in the attacking third before scoring is rewarded with two goals.

Remember, what gets rewarded gets repeated. This can generate a competitive edge that separatists might believe exists in the ‘psychological corner’ - but it is better to consider the ways it influences humans across all integrated systems.

The perceived pressure and intensity such environmental, task and human constraints enable can influence and shape every ounce of our being, which has been shaped by genetics and environmental exposures.

The final task constraint within this game is that every time the ball leaves the pitch, play restarts with a corner.

Increasing the opportunity to practise set-plays, only restarting with kicks rather than throws and consequently encouraging some inventive short corner routines - perhaps additionally constrained by the pitch size - are some of the solutions the players are afforded the opportunity to experiment with.

It isn’t necessary to slow the game down or separate times the players can ‘explore’ (attempting novel game elements) from moments where they can ‘exploit’ (or perform successfully). 

Competitive edge, exploration of new ideas and successful outcomes can co-exist. As can different ‘themes’.

Within this game, like in the unfettered game, players are focussing on building possession, pressing to regain and practising set plays; in unity, not as separate elements.

In previous curriculum iterations it might have been necessary to wait until the season was three months old before defending was included in the syllabus.

This is overly constraining. We can build experiences with and for the players that reflect the dynamic nature of soccer.

Practice 2 - In detail

1. Three-minute games. Longest streak of uninterrupted ‘end to ends’ wins the game. Winner stays on. Final two games: get a streak of five and score in big goal = win the game.
2. In possession: combine centrally before playing to Pinks = 3 points added to streak. Defending: secure possession by finding an end player on regain (break their streak)

The principles of integrating our team intentions - rather than individual themes - with the nature and needs of the players across their connected human systems continues into the second game.

This is a smaller, 3v3 game. The goalkeepers’ only focus is on supporting play with their feet and being the target for the teams to play into to score.

The natural demarcations of the penalty box, which the players play across, provide the pitch boundaries, with the space from six-yard box to the side of the 18-yard box being the target area the players score by passing into.

If we have limited equipment or want to adapt on the fly in the moment, using such natural pitch boundaries can make this kind of transition time efficient.

The game is set up to last for three minutes each time we play, and we might play several times.

The winning team is the one who can move the ball from goalkeeper to goalkeeper, uninterrupted, the most times in each three-minute game. This affords the players the opportunity to focus on sustaining possession and building a winning streak.

Such constraints reward consistency and relentlessness while challenging the opposition to work hard to win back the ball, secure it safely on the regain to support them to break the opposition’s streak and build their own.

Across games, sessions and weeks, we may layer in some additional complexity. Combining with your teammate in the central area before playing to the goalkeeper in the target zone is rewarded with three being added on to their streak. 

This can encourage players to play quick, clever combinations as well as receiving and playing directly forward to the goalkeepers.

Further, we increase the competitive temperature by challenging the teams that they will win and finish the game early by getting a ‘streak’ of five connections from end to end, before scoring into the goal that is naturally situated at the bottom of the penalty box. 

This adds a ball striking or finishing element, as well as an aspect of urgency to defend the goal once the opposition get to a ‘streak’ of five.

These collective environmental, task and person constraints, again, elicit responses and behaviour from our entire being.

Practice 3 - In Detail

1. In possession: with every goal scored, shift to playing in other direction (balance playing through vertically on a narrow pitch with playing across on a wide pitch).

The final game has four goals; however, at all times the game retains direction - with one team scoring in one goal and the other scoring in the goal at the opposite end.

This retains the natural laws of the game of soccer: two teams, two goals and one ball.

The pitch in this 5v5 game is long and narrow at the beginning. The whites attack the goal on the end line, the yellows the goal on the halfway line.

At the point that one team scores, the game shifts direction - with the goalkeepers moving to the smaller goals, perceptibly on the side of the original pitch. The game continues, albeit on a pitch that is short and wide.

The faster the goalkeepers and their team-mates can respond to the change that a goal initiates, the more likely they are to be prepared to take advantage of the switch.

The variance in goal size, and pitch shape and size, affords players the opportunity to practise building play and defending larger spaces vertically (up and down the longer, narrower pitch) before switching to practising using and stifling possession when there is more space horizontally (across the wider, shorter pitch).

HOW THE PRACTICES CAN BE ORGANISED

This shows how you can organise these games so that different groups may play concurrently. Groups may be organised by age groups or by supporting players who may benefit from greater exposure to smaller numbered practices and increased number of ball contacts. Players might rotate each of the practices in one session or stay in the same game across multiple sessions or game days. There is no perfect science - just judgments based on what is important in your environment and to individual players. Explore different approaches and speak with the players about how they feel in different games.