To all U15 Super League Players in 2008
Overview of Program
We are looking forward to working with a talented squad of young men over the next 12 months.
The players from our 2007 program have developed very good technical skills and game awareness, but this still needs to be enhanced to ensure they can execute their skills and play the ball as fast as possible. Practicing their moves at pace, maintaining a sublime first touch while under game pressure is essential to making the higher grades of football.
The coaching curriculum that the players will be taught is based on current professional European standards for youth development. For this age group, to have the best possible chance of playing at a high level, the players need to be in a technical and skill-based training program consisting of 5 sessions per week, plus approximately 35 games (competitions, friendlies and tours). The Club will be able to offer 3 sessions and 35 games. Players have options to find additional training opportunities with private providers to suit their needs.
Existing players from the 2007 season know the high standards that they have created and achieved. It is important that new players joining the squad understand the commitment that is required. We will be selecting 16 advanced technical players by mid February 2008.
Emphasis will be on player development. We will not be chasing titles as a measure of success, but we will measure achievement by how well we play against the opposition technically (we aim to out-play them).
The pre-season training schedule from 15 January to end of March 2008 will be at 7 pm each evening on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There will be also training or a game each Saturday or Sunday.
Standards and Curriculum
The Age Group
The pace of development quickens appreciably at the U15 group due to the acceleration of physical and mental maturation of players going through puberty. The demands of skill training as well as training loads therefore need to increase, thus provoking improvement with mental toughness, concentration and diligence.
Awareness of tactics within the game becomes an important facet of the learning process. Players tend to be self-critical and rebellious, but have a strong commitment to the team.
Coaching Style
Enthusiastic and patient, but demanding.
Individual Technique:
Build on the players base with the development of individual skills under the pressure of time, space, and with an opponent. There will be a continuation of increased technical speed.
Dribbling: players encouraged to take opponents on 1 v. 1. to practice feints/moves, how to keep possession, how to shield and spin turns.
Receiving: emphasis on quality first touch. Players take balls out of the air and work on turning. Players should use all surfaces and learn to receive the ball on the run.
Shooting: Shooting on the run, on the turn, from all angles, from crosses and from volleys with and without pressure.
Passing: Short, long, bent, crossed, driven and chipped passes within the context of game play and game simulations.
Heading: Heading to goal (shoot/glance), to pass and to clear.
Tackling: Emphasize the proper techniques and positioning.
Tactics:
Increase tactical speed individually and in small groups (decision making under pressure).
Individual: Work on 1 v. 1, in attack and defence.
Small Group: Continue with 2 v. 1, 2 v. 2, 3 v. 2, 3 v. 3, 4 v. 2, 5 v. 3 and 4 v. 4.
In attack: Players trained to keep possession but encourage risk taking and taking players on in the proper areas of the field. Players encouraged and shown how to support within combination plays (including the wall pass, takeover, overlap, the double pass). Instruction given in the concepts of width, depth and penetration. Emphasis on working the ball into wide areas to stimulate opportunities for crossing with players instructed on making proper runs in the box.
Demonstration and set-up of simple set plays.
In defence: Continuation of instruction to angle and distance of cover, defensive balance, delay and pressing as a group. How to channel players, when to use immediate chase and how to use angles of pressure (ball-orientated defending)
Team:
In the attack: Players instructed how to keep possession and how to play the ball away from pressure. They should know how to maintain balance in the chosen playing system. Players will be interchanged in different positions during the run of play to learn various roles. Attackers will be encouraged to take-on defenders on in the final third.
The keeper becomes an integral part of the attack (balls played back to the keeper to maintain possession and rebuild attacks out of defence).
In defence: Players to be instructed to maintain good "shape." Zonal defending concepts will instructed, including knowing when to "delay" or "step." Players to be taught how to maintain concentration (squeezing of opposition space and passing channels) in defence and should know how to maintain good pressure and cover in all three thirds of the field.
System: The recommended system for player and team development is 4-3-3 (or 4-2-3-1 / 4-1-4-1) to encourage use of wings and diamond shape midfielders to learn concepts of combination play, risk-taking and taking players on in the right areas. Defence will take the ball through the midfield zone, while fullbacks will be encouraged to attack.
Team coaching/teaching will be simulated in small areas using 4 v. 4 and 7 v. 7 games as numbers allow.
Physical:
Almost all fitness work will be done with the ball. There will be combination of plyometric and isometric training aids used to work on improving strength and speed is integrated for relatively short sessions.
Flexibility - static stretching and dynamic flexibility.
Agility - Coordination with and without the ball.
Speed and speed endurance training will be main physical focus.
Strength some light-weight bearing, core strength and stability
Some medium distance endurance training at pre season and mid season. Use of para-courses with balls and training aids to be used infrequently to give players sense of what training is like at the senior levels.
Balance
Psychological:
Players should have a passion for the game. This will be encouraged by making the game attractive, competitive and fun.
Imagination/creativity will be encouraged.
Increase demands will be measured for the players abilities.
Training targets will be set.
Discipline will be a key requirement.
Players will be encouraged to watch professional games live (A-league/VPL) and on television.
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