Counter Attacking Play
Adrian Parrish, Director of Coach and Player Development for Kentucky Youth Soccer offers these insights
Too often we don’t educate our players to see the big picture. If you want your teams to be successful at counter attacking you need to help them read the current situation, calculate the probabilities, and make a decision on what to do and how to act. The game will present these situations but it is our responsibility as coaches to help players understand the possibility of a counter attack.
Below are four sample lesson plans that focus on counter attacking soccer. We continuously encourage "giving the game back to the children" and making them the main focal point so to encourage your players solve the problems and think for themselves. Within each Key Coaching Point Section you will now find a Guided Discovery question which you can ask of your players when conducting these sessions:
Kentucky Youth Soccer Association recommends that you build a library which you can use for the season, you can do this by writing your own or using the resources such as the Lesson Plan Form or by visiting the Coach's Corner website collection by clicking here.
Key Ingredients to Counter Attacking Soccer
The Dutch National Team have become masters in Counter Attacking Soccer, this article has quotes from Rinus Michels book "Team Building" which covers the important aspects you need in helping your players understand the concept of counter attacking soccer. Rinus Michels played and coached for the men’s Dutch National Team and is credited with invention of "Total Football." To read the entire article, please click here.
The Counter Attacks Video
We have all heard and possibly used the expression "A picture paints a thousand words". This compilation of video clips on Counter Attacking plays from some of the world’s best is a great way for coaches to understand the concept and share it with their players. As you watch these clips observe how the players control the tempo of the game and utilize the space. You will also recognize that counter attacking does not mean that you have to attack with numbers up but rather with conviction.
