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Hi. I coach a boys U9 team, very mixed ability. Weâve been together a year and had a few wins, a few draws and mostly losses last year. Constantly emphasising the results donât matter - itâs all about enjoyment, learning the game etc. The boysâ effort and resilience is amazing but, in moving to 7 v 7, weâve been walloped in pre-season friendlies and progress from last year seems to have gone awol. The main problem is keeping our shape (broadly 2-3-1) so I wondered if anyone had any tips/ideas on how to encourage the boys to keep their shape. Thanks a million in advance for any suggestions!
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Hi Matt,
In training you can do a training game and split the pitch up into 3 sections, similar to the drill below. Depending on the formation you want to play, you can split the players up into the different areas and the players in those positions have to remain in their area to emphasise the importance of maintaining position and shape. As a progression, you can allow the player who passed the ball in to move into that area and join the attack.
Matt
in more ways than one
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