When Should We Teach Positions?

by Jan Smisek, US Soccer U-14 National Coaching Coordinator with Dave Schumacher, WSYSA Coaching Director

At youth coaching clinics and licensing coursed across the country, the question of when to teach positions is usually raised. The fact that questions and concerns continue to be asked, mainly by coaches of 9 or 11 year olds, suggest that it is important to address this issue. Many coaches of this age group seem to be focusing on organizing players to play in specific positions once they begin playing 6 v 6, 7 v 7 or 9 v 9. It also appears that, at this point, these coaches are abandoning the use of small-sided games, 3 v 3, 4 v 4 or 5 v 5, as a teaching tool in their practices.

Because there are more players on the field at this age, inexperienced coaches feel an overwhelming need to manufacture structure at the expense of continuing to build a solid bas of individual techniques and a clear comprehension of individual and small group tactics. Many coaches fall back on their familiarity with other American team sports, where positional play and structure are a natural and fundamental part of playing the game. As a result, these coaches create practices filled with an array of contrived, unrealistic drills designed to get players to spread out in an attempt to resemble the adult game. Providing the structure of being a defender, midfielder or forward starts to become the guiding force in their approach.

This is not to say that as we begin to add more players on the field 4 v 4 to 9 v 9 we ignore that team roles start to occur and that players should be allowed to experience these various roles. It should not, however, assume high priority in coaching 9-11 year olds. Soccer is different! Its foundation is based upon basic techniques and elementary principles required by all players. A young player’s ability to perform the basic techniques of the game; passing, dribbling, receiving, shooting, heading, and tackling, is directly related to the application of simple principles of play and is critical to their development and future success. It is therefor vital that coaches continue to play small-sided games such as 3 v 3 and 4 v 4 in practices. Small-sided games increase the number of touches on the ball, do not allow players to hide or be excluded, and provide simple but realistic soccer challenges and decisions. In addition to small-sided games at practice, providing players a variety of playing experiences in games produces the appropriate environment for learning to take place.

Goalkeeping is a unique role and needs training of special techniques. However, it must not be forgotten that in today’s game goalkeepers are soccer players and need exposure to the same techniques and principles as field players. Youth coaches must safeguard against limiting players to just playing in goal at these young ages, we must develop well-rounded soccer players with some ending up as goalkeepers later in life.

A major element of soccer is decision-making. Players must make decisions individually and collectively regarding possession, penetration and defending. Playing in a particular area of the field only provides one view of the options or choices available to the player with the game. It is important for young players, as they learn the game, that they be exposed to playing in different areas (roles/positions) to gain the perspective (vision) which will help increase their recognition of situations and decision-making options. When players play in various areas of the field they develop an increased awareness of relationships to teammates, opponents, the ball and the goal. Over time, through practice and competition, players will be able to apply basic techniques and simple principles of play in different areas of the field. This is the foundation from which positional play develops.

As players get older they will naturally start to gravitate to particular areas of the field. This is usually based on personality, natural athletic qualities and the skills they have developed. Coaches must appreciate that playing a position is part of a player’s overall maturation in the game. Players should be allowed to gravitate towards these roles when they demonstrate a predisposition to the role. Players by the age of 13 or 14 will start to feel more comfortable in one or two roles/functions. This feeling may even be apparent much earlier, however, be on guard about limiting players too early just because they “like to play defender”. Players will continue to develop physically well into their teens and they may become more effective in other roles as they mature. Playing a position is a natural end to playing the game rather than a predetermined staring point by which the youth coach organizes practices or Saturday’s line up.

Coaches must remember that they are working with 9, 10, and 11 year olds. They display distinct characteristics mentally, physically and socially. It is the ideal age for challenging technical development and it is the point at which they begin to understand the importance of cooperation in team play. They are capable of grasping basic principles of play, such as support, and their application in a small-sided environment. We need to take this into account and keep our expectations and demands of players within this context. The foundation of the game must be created in the small-sided environment. We can’t expect players to see the pictures and make good decisions in larger sided games until they master them in small-sided games. Most of all, be patient. We don’t teach children to read by starting with “War & Peace”. In this respect, soccer is not different.