Futsal: formations and transferable skills

1-4-0, 1-3-1 and 1-2-2 - three primary futsal formations

Just like in soccer, there are a variety of formations in futsal.

In possession, coaches will usually choose between three different shapes. In a 1-4-0 formation, the players line up in a bowl shape, with the wide players playing higher up the court than the two central players.

In the 1-3-1 three players start in deeper roles, with one player - known usually as the pivot - playing much higher up the court.

Finally, in the 1-2-2 set-up, two players play in a deep role and two players play higher up the court.

Teams can also play with a ‘fly goalkeeper’. Most teams will only do this if they are losing and need the extra outfield player to create overloads - or they may use it if they are winning and want to retain the ball.  

Out of possession, teams can opt for a few different formations and strategies, such as the full press, where the key is to spot triggers like a bad touch or a slow pass and then pressing hard as a team.

The half-court press is where the opposition are allowed to have the ball in their own half, but once they enter your half, a full player-to-player press is executed.

The practice example on page 5 is set up for a team working in a 1-1-2-1 formation and a low block, which is used to force the team in possession to go around and not through, making them shoot from a much wider angle.

It was hypothesised that futsal players develop more efficient perceptual and decision-making skills than soccer players, and that these skills are transferrable from futsal to soccer.

Of course, this was one study and there are some high-level soccer players who have never played futsal.

However, when you consider some of the players mentioned in this article, the study above and the fact so many top soccer clubs are now using futsal as a developmental tool, it is clear that the game complements its bigger sister in many ways, and that younger players in particular would benefit from playing both sports, at least until specialism becomes a requirement.

Although there are some key differences between futsal and soccer, there are also many similarities - and some of those occur more often within futsal and at a much higher level of intensity.

Therefore we should look at futsal as being an effective tool we can use in player development, specifically around actions such as receiving the ball under pressure and scanning.

In particular this could happen during the time of the year when the environment dictates that training would be more effective inside rather than outside.

By carefully planning the training curriculum, we can make sure that we focus on these areas of the game when it would be beneficial to transfer training to an inside facility such as a sports hall.