Try Alternative Kick-Offs to Keep Teams Guessing

Kick-offs are particularly important in junior soccer because if you’ve just given away a goal, or you are starting the first or second half of a match, you need your players to take the initiative and catch your opponent out, says David Clarke.

Positive from the kick-off

In Soccer Coach Weekly last year I wrote about how to be positive from kick-offs, and I was pleased at the success you all seemed to get from it, judging by the emails. However a lot of you remarked that if your teams had to take a few kick-offs during the game the opposition soon read what your teams were going to do. They started intercepting the long ball over the top into the corner and stood players in the appropriate areas. So here is another way to go on the attack straight from the kick-off and catch your opponents off guard.

Try it this way

Tell your left-winger to move quickly forward and immediately pass the ball to the winger.

Get your winger to move towards goal and cut the ball back to either supporting player.

Tell your supporting player to shoot for goal.

Tell your players to vary the cross

Get your winger to vary his crosses between the two attacking players, and the attackers may want to exchange passes. Attackers can change the angle of their runs towards goal. Gradually add defenders to make the practice more difficult. Tell your players they can also pass the ball backwards to another player and then follow the same procedure.

Key coaching tip: move the ball forward as quickly and accurately as possible.