Junior Soccer Coach - Mini Soccer Formations 2-3-1

Neil Stafford
filed under "Recreation-and-Sports"

Article: 579 words including the resource box. Formatted at 60 characters per line You may publish this article without charge in your ezine, website, ebook or print publication so long as the content remains intact and the copyright notice & resource paragraph (at the end of the article) are included. ----------- Article Begins Below This Line -------------- Junior Soccer Coach - Mini Soccer Formations 2-3-1 Copyright Junior Soccer Coach 2004 http://www.juniorsoccercoach.com We are often asked what is the best formation to play mini soccer. There are plenty of different variations on how you can structure your 6 outfield players. In this series of articles we will explore different formations that we have used and seen and outline the respective roles that need to be fulfilled in these set ups. These are not sure fire winning formations! You should know what strengths you have in your team and hopefully, these examples will give you some food for thought on how you may best structure you team. Starting formation two players in defense, three midfielders and one attacker. Organisation The defense starts with two players in a line who cover the left and right sides of the field. The midfield players can be organised in a line or with the central midfield player playing ahead of the two wingers (more attacking) or slightly behind (more defensive). The lone attacker should take up a position deep into the opponents half. Rules may change from state to state but the offisde rule does not apply in mini soccer here in the UK, therefore the lone attacker can take this position without any worries. Defense Left and Right Backs, mark the opponent's forward(s) and are the only real defenders. They have to be dependable and will only play a supporting role in offensive play if your oppenents retreat all players. The left, centre and right midfielders should also be available to assist in defending dependant on where the attack originates, they should try to stop or slow down opposing plays before they get to the defensive line. With only one attacker they can chase the ball and harry their opponents, possibly forcing errors in passing. This then allows the midfielders to take charge. Attack Left, Centre and Right Midfielders main consideration should be to distribute the ball among themselves and to the striker. Possession is key and steady, patient build up play is required. Good passing techniques and movement off the ball, creating good passing triangles should also be encouraged. The single forward will have to cope with a game with few chances to score. The striker will also have to fight for every ball in the attack and do a tremendous amount of running. Good shielding and holding up the ball should be a key skill to enable supporting midfield players to catch up with play. During mini soccer, rolling substitues can be used and the attacker should be rotated frequently to prevent fatigue. Remember all young players like being striker so this is an ideal opportunity to enable this. Also, the attack should originate from occasional crosses and long balls down the flanks. In this instance the right & left midfielders should use the wings with the centre midfielder holding their position to be used as an outlet and keep possession or if required be on defensive duty. About the author: