eBook: The Thinking Player

Italian Training Concepts - Part 1

Author: Luca Bertolini
Edited by: Peter Schreiner
Editor: Institute of Youth Soccer, Essen – Germany
Pages: 46 Graphics: 68

Description:

The training systems for the individual tactic of a youth player can be divided into two kinds. Every player can be trained for the specific role he will have inside a team during a match or he can be trained to be ready to be an attacker, a defensive or attacking midfielder or an outside forwarder depending on the specific situation he is in during a match.
The training sessions for the first type of player must be repetitive and the exercises could be boring for him, since he must be constantly trained for one single role. The habits of this kind of player on the field could be fixed without any chance to be developed in his future.
On the other side, a “thinking player” is crucial and more useful for his team as he can play at his best and as the situation requires on the field; his role will be specified when and if he is a first team player. The principles of play of football are always general and all the players shall know them and be prepared to carry them out on the field. Therefore, I created these exercises where all the roles are unknown at the beginning and they are decided by one teammate, by the goalkeeper or by the situation of the exercises while they’re being carried out on the pitch; all of them are organized on small sized pitches and they can be set up very fast. Every single player can be an attacker, can become a defender after an attacking move and a lot of transitions are always present; they must think quickly and they must find the best solution to adapt themselves to the situation. Few exercises have coordinative goals included. The most outstanding point of view in this ebook is that all the exercises require to score in big or small goals at the end of any move.

Luca Bertolini

Contents:

• Introduction 4
• 01: Countermovements, cut runs and 1 vs 1 6
• 02: Coloured 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 1 8
• 03: 1 vs 1 and following 1 vs 2 9
• 04: 1 vs 1 in succession and following 1 vs 2 10
• 05: 1 vs 1 decided by the goalkeeper and under time pressure or 2 vs 1 12
• 06: Two kinds of 1 vs 2 14
• 07: 2 vs 1 called by the goalkeeper or 1 vs 2 15
• 08: 2 vs 1 or 1 vs 2 16
• 09: 1 vs 1 called by the goalkeeper or 2 vs 2 17
• 10: 2 vs 2 called by the goalkeeper 18
• 11: 2 vs 2 decided by the first receiver 19
• 12: 2 vs 2 decided by the goalkeeper and the first receiver (1) 21
• 13: 2 vs 2 decided by the goalkeeper and the first receiver (2) 22
• 14: Shoot in the main goal or 2 vs 2 in 3 goals 23
• 15: 1 vs 1 under time pressure or 2 vs 2 24
• 16: 1 vs 1 and following 2 vs 2 (1) 25
• 17: Double 1 vs 1 and following 2 vs 2 (2) 26
• 18: Double passing sequence, 1 vs 1 and 2 vs 2 28
• 19: Clock passing sequence exercise, 1 vs 2 and 2 vs 2 30
• 20: From 1 vs 1 to 3 vs 3 (1) 32
• 21: From 1 vs 1 to 3 vs 3 (2) 33
• 22: 4 vs 2 or 4 vs 3 (1) 34
• 23: 4 vs 2 or 4 vs 3 (2) 36
• 24: Temporary 4 vs 2, 4 vs 3 or 4 vs 4 38
• 25: 4 vs 4 + 3 decided by the goalkeeper 40
• 26: 6 vs 4 with goalkeeper to switch play 41
• 27: 3 vs 3 and/or 6 vs 3 decided by the goalkeeper 42
• 28: 1 vs 1 or 3 vs 3 or 6 vs 6 decided by the goalkeeper 44