How To Coach A Full Roster in Limited Space

Assign Responsibilities

‘Practice design is what determines the learning focus of a session,’ as stated by Gerard Jones, Author of Let’s Talk Soccer.

Depending on your perspective, limited space for a training session can either be a hindrance or an advantage. Your ability to constantly adapt to the changing dynamics of coaching is going to determine the effectiveness of your coaching.

Sharing a field with multiple teams, at times no goals at your disposal, a roster of 18 – 20 players, and in an area of about 25 by 30 yards presents challenges to teach the objectives of a session. Delivering a session when faced with numerous constraints needs to be planned and implemented correctly.

Does The Goal Make the Practice?

I have constantly been in that race to get the area of the field with the goal. I have failed to realize that a session can be an effective learning environment for the players without a goal, and this can be transferred to the game.

I have coached in several clubs, where it is recommended that coaches share the goal areas. Rotating each week has a common practice. That however seldom happens, as I am not only fixed but also reluctant to rotate playing areas.

Larger Spaces, Better Practices

Are you a coach who only thinks a session can be effective if you have 22 players and a full field to play the regular game. If it’s a half field, you need a portable goal at the half-line so you have 2 goals. Are you the coach who believes an objective can only be taught, and players can only learn, if their practice mirrors the regular game.

For you, the more the training resembles the full field game, the better their players will learn. What does your practice resemble when you have a full field or half field and a full roster? Isn’t it just a scrimmage where numerous coaching objectives are taught at the same time?

Practice Design

You can accomplish your objectives with a full roster on less than a quarter of a full-size field as long as you design appropriate activities. Field space is important but it is not the most important in delivering an effective training session.

Regardless of what area of the field you have, or if you have 2 goals at your disposal, your session needs proper planning, the proper organization on the field, and subsequently effective coaching for your players to learn.

Players can easily detect when you are not prepared, which makes them quickly lose interest. They become distracted and find other avenues to be engaged. With a full roster this problem only becomes more challenging.

This blog will share a full roster practice, where the session objective is about building from the back. The primary focus is the organization of players into teams/games, not the actual coaching of the session.

Plan

If you are coaching a full roster (18 – 22 players) with no assistant, do not overlook the importance of your players. Empowering your players can be a valuable tool, when done correctly, to lead and teach their peers.

Organization

This is often overlooked, receives little attention, and is seldom thought through from start to end. As a result, many sessions go from warm-up to a scrimmage, without a progression of stages for players to experience meaningful repetitions.

Allocate at least 30 – 45 minutes to design your practice. Each game/activity occurs within the same area, which means you would be setting up and pulling down (diagram below shows 4 areas).

Prepare your training session in 4 stages where the players are grouped into smaller numbers. The games below provide problems for players to improve – Building From The Back.

1. Activation & Warm-Up – divide the roster into 4 groups. (players can do this). Each group performs 4 – 6 repetitions at each station before moving to the next.
2. Small Sided Game – Within your field create 4 games. Fields 1 – 3 plays 4 versus 2 keep away to start. In the first field where the defenders succeed in winning possession or the ball goes out, the two players who made the error runs to field 4. That makes one field always open.
3. Expanded Small-Sided Game – Divide the roster into 3 teams, with a team in each zone. Zones 1 and 3 players try to possess the ball and transfer from end to end. Zone 2 sends 2 players each time when the ball is in an end to gain possession or knock it out. When successful the team that made the error switches position.
4. Game – Create 3 teams from the field players with 2 goalkeepers. Two teams compete over 3 – minutes. Winners stay on, loser is off.

Conclusion

Training a full roster on limited space is about planning your practice design. The design ensures your players gain repetition and stay engaged throughout the session.

Limited field space should not be a hindrance to a session, it should be views as an opportunity to become creative in your designing and coaching methods.

With the demand for field space from multiple sports a regular challenge in many neighbourhoods, how have you overcome cope?