09 Apr 2016

Improve the technique of turning with the ball

Improve the technique of turning with the ball. How does Harry Kane drop into space, turn with the ball and unleash a shot or a key pass? Why do players like Ces Fabregas seem to always play in their own space and have so much time on the ball?

A main reason is that they have great spatial awareness. They know before they receive the ball what is around them. They receive the ball with an open body position and they play with their heads up and they know where there is space. But this doesn’t happen by accident, they would have spent countless hours working on these skills in training.

To help you develop these same skills with your players we have put together a Clock Coaching session – one of a series on the site, which originated from my days coaching at Bournemouth Football club with Tony Pulis and Dave Williams.

The session is simple to organise and focuses on developing players spatial awareness, works on their pre movement prior to receiving the ball, their open body position and their ability to turn with the ball.

Because the session is intense and space is at a premium, the players have to really play with their heads up and develop this key spatial awareness.

Organisation:

• Size of the clock to be adapted to suit the age, ability and numbers of the players.
• Have more players on the outside of the clock than inside the clock
• Position discs / cones behind and to the side of the players on the outside of the clock.
• Have the same number of footballs as players in the middle of the clock
• Footballs always start with the players on the outside of the clock

Start

• Footballs are played from the outside of the clock to players in the middle, who turn with the ball and pass to FREE player on the outside. The players in the middle now look to receive a pass from another player with a ball on the outside of the clock.
• Upon receiving the ball, the players on the outside turn with the ball round one of the cones / discs, turn back and pass to a FREE player in the middle.
• Repeat.

Key Coaching – Turning when receiving the ball

• Receiving players to be alert and ready to time their movement to receive the pass
• Body position – open shoulders – not square to the ball
• Awareness of the space around them to turn with the ball – check over the shoulder prior to receiving the ball
• Adjust feet and get in the line of the pass
• Use the quickest and most appropriate turn
• Head up after the turn to decide on next action – turn again if it is tight around them or pass to a free player
• Look to receive a pass from another player with a ball

Key Coaching – Turning when in possession of the ball

• Head up, ball under control. Initial movement with the ball in the opposite direction to the turn
• Action prior to the turn, exaggerated threat to kick the ball
• Technique of dragging or hooking the ball in the opposite direction – hook turn, sole of the foot turn etc
• Quick movement, under control after the turn
• Head up after the turn to decide on next action

Progressions

• Rotate outside and inside players regularly
• Make the area smaller – to develop spatial awareness and to create situations where players have to play with their heads up a lot more and have to solve problems of potentially running into other players.
• Make the area bigger – this will require much more accurate passing and decisions on faster passes about how players can turn with the ball
• Add in a couple of defenders