When was the last time you used a Soccer field diagram to explain soccer formations to the team? If yours answer is “long time back” or “never”, it means that your team does not know much about positions and formations.
Most of the coaches make the mistake of assuming that kids tend to follow everything by simply giving them the required instructions verbally. The players must take part in the dialogue about formations on the field as they are an important matter.
The soccer positions of the players in every area from the defensive line are depicted in these by way of strategic choices made generally in terms of numbers. As a coach, you should go on interchanging the players during every single game so that the formations are not strict. Another thing worth mentioning is that these formations should be finalized keeping in view the individual strengths and weaknesses of the players.
Following are some of the common formations used in soccer:
4-4-2: This is the most commonly used. This formation has four defenders, four players on midfield, and two attackers, not including the goalie and this is why it’s called a 4-4-2.
In this formation, midfielders play the most important role in form of supporting the forwarders through defense. In case of an attack, they must draw near the goal line and help out the defenders.
4-5-1: Having five mid-fielders and one forward, this is better known as a defensive formation. The advantage with this formation is that since the midfielders are stacked up in the center, the opponents have a hard time attacking.
And because there is only 1 forward, it allows the midfielders to move forward thereby leaving the opposition high and dry.
3-5-2: In this, there are three defenders, five midfielders, and two forwards. This formation makes attacking as well as defending easy as 2 wingmen take up the attacking role and the center midfielder does not allow counter attacks from the opposition.
3-4-3: This is the most violent form of formation on the soccer field diagram that the players resort to when the opponents are defending. With three defenders, four midfielders and three forwards, the strategy is to mainly attack using the forwards and use the defenders in case the opponents break the defensive line.
There is no single plan that stays good for the whole match. It must be in line with the changing situations in the game. So a coach must be smart enough to rotate the players as per the situations in the game. And then, a formation can be either offensive or defensive.
Great soccer tactics for formations play an important role in deciding whether the team wins or loses. As the game improves and becomes more dynamic, there will surely be more changes in the soccer formation strategies.
Now go ahead and use the soccer field diagram to teach the players. Our youth soccer coaching community is full of information on formations in the form of articles, newsletters, and videos.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Practice
