Reply to Transitioning from 9v9 to 11v11 tips

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[quote=Anonymous]Some tips from following closely my son's transition from U12 DA (9-sided) to U13 DA (playing "up" occasionally, which meant switching back and forth between 9 and 11-side) a couple of years back, then eventually (with his own team) to U14 DA. 
- Positioning. Becomes much more critical on a large field. I have seen this to be more of a challenge for the extremely fast, all-action players who are used to running all over the field. On the larger field, positioning becomes far more important, regardless of how fast one is. The key thing here is patience, and to learn to be tactical, which is a long process that much older players are still learning with every game. Watching a lot of games (entire games, including the "boring" parts, not just the goals, great moves, and highlights) helps. While watching, my son was advised to focus on the movement and positioning of a few great players who play his position (midfield), and especially defensive positioning, regardless of where the action is on-field - a little hard on TV, but still possible. He was also asked to change some habits: (a) run "less"; (b) not attempt any dribbles past multiple players in the defensive half; and (c) to recognize that the speed of the play - which needs to be high in possession to break down any decent team - depends on the speed at which the ball is moved, and not the speed at which he runs.
- Paying close attention to the tactical tips provided by coaches. Some coaches are better than others in communicating the tactical differences going from a smaller to a full field. A good coach will constantly find little tactical things that the team as a whole, and individual players, can improve on. Playing on the wing, the tricky decisions your player will have to make constantly are when to drop, when to make the runs behind the defense when the team has possession (stay wide or cutting in), and when to sit back in midfield even with possession to create overloads and little triangles with central midfielders and the wing back. Lot of this is instinct that she will develop over time, but good coaching, and reminders during or just after games or during video sessions (if any), can speed up the process.
- Trusting teammates while defending. Sounds easy, but for a player who was a leader on his/her 9-side team, and thus used to helping out teammates in trouble by hustling on a small field, this is non-trivial. On a large field, and assuming the team is playing at a high level, every player should be capable of holding his/her own most of the time, and hustling to help out a teammate on defense can lead to leaving someone (or some space) open, which any average attacking player can exploit. The best help one can provide in defense may be to track runs of attackers who don't have the ball and/or defend open spaces (against runners from the deep). This of course changes if a striker is running on to a long ball one-on-one with one defender, where whoever is closest should help out the defender.
- Team dynamics. This in my limited experience can affect wide players more, especially while playing "up" on a new team. I have seen many instances where a team in possession keeps forcing the ball through the middle or one side because maybe they are not used to playing with and trusting the other winger, or whatever. Even the best center-mids and center backs can show this trait - they are kids after all, and no one is trained in La Masia :-) The new player (winger) in these circumstances has to be patient. Help out a lot on defense, keep showing for the ball (even if it is not passed to her enough), be vocal without being a pest, help the central players and defenders by constantly moving and providing them with outlets, and over time things will improve. Above all, if deprived of the ball for long stretches of time, when she does get it, not try to do too much and keep things simple. Connect on quick, simple passes, and take dribbles only when necessary (to get out of trouble or in the opposition third). Over time, she will get the ball more, and will have many more chances to do more with it when she does get it. One thing to keep in mind though is that the ability to get the wings into play depends a lot on the technical quality of the central players. If these players do not have the right body positioning, vision and passing ability, the ball will keep flying vertically or to one side of the field. This is an under-appreciated, but critical skill, and it's really up to the coach to develop these skills.
- Finally, the very obvious things for the player to remember. Longer passes need to be hit harder on a larger field, esp cross field passes that are more likely to be intercepted as they have to travel longer distances, straight-line speed becomes more important, esp. for the wing players who often have to track the opposing wing players, who will always be fast on a good team. Every wing player will at some point of time play against someone who is faster, and would need to adjust accordingly (how close you play them, where and how you dribble, when you cross).  Creating the right angles for passing lanes are very important and take adjusting to when the field size changes. Playing back is much easier usually on a larger field, including to the goalkeeper, and it's an option that players transitioning from smaller field often forget or are not used to. 
- For the player (and the parents), important to realize that the no. of touches one gets during a game may decline a lot as the field size increases, especially if one is playing on a team that is not possession-oriented or plays a lot against bigger, faster teams. That's ok, and one can have a perfectly fine game even with limited no. of touches, by just doing her job well defensively and passing accurately - something kids find very hard to accept. A smart coach (and parents) will appreciate little-noticed, smart plays, even without the ball, that do not get the cheers but are crucial elements of a player's and team's development. Example: wing back overlaps, dribbles past 2 players, plays a quick 1-2 with a midfielder and launches a great cross that almost gets headed in for a goal. As everyone is cheering for her and ruing the missed chance, the ball gets launched to the opposing team's winger who is on the side that is unprotected, where there are acres of space, which pulls one of the center backs out, leaving their striker acres of space to run into with just one center back in tow, where the winger can just play the ball as the center back near her tries to close down. Rather, this would have happened, but the winger in your team had the smarts to drop as the wing back bombed forward, and is now the one who is harrying and delaying the opposing winger with the ball, allowing enough time for the defense to set and the danger to be averted. The winger who decided to protect the space behind the wing back without trying to join the attack, reading that they have enough players in the box, and that the space behind has to be covered against an easy counter-attack, may not even have touched the ball, but deserves appreciation from the coach and team fans for her presence of mind and tactical nous. Too often, that does not happen. 
Too long a post now I see. Just to defend myself against those who might find all this to be rubbish, these are just my untrained views. I am not a coach, just a keen observer of the game - from kiddie level to pros -  throughout my life. Played some soccer growing up, but was never good enough to make it beyond high school soccer, albeit in a country that is mad about soccer.[/quote]

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