You cannot predict the next play, so you receive and then look for someone to dribble past or pass to. How can you learn to predict and move?

Children who are not good at predicting the next play and moving. After receiving the ball at their feet, they look for someone they can dribble past or pass to.

A dad coach worries: I want them to be able to control the ball while predicting the next play and moving, but how should I teach that?

Jun Ikegami, who has served as a development coach at JEF United Ichihara Chiba and as home town academy director at Kyoto Sanga F.C., and who has coached more than 600,000 children of all ages in total, explains the order of training. (Composition and text: Yuko Shimazawa)

<Question from a dad coach>

Hello, Mr. Ikegami. I am a parent and coach who coaches at a sports boys club.

My worry is that they always receive the ball at their feet. I am in charge of U-10, and they cannot move while predicting the next play, so after receiving the ball they look for someone they can dribble past or pass to.

I want them to learn to control the ball while moving and to make their first touch while predicting the next play. What kind of practice menu is good?

<Advice from Mr. Ikegami>

Thank you for your question.

U-10 is fourth grade in elementary school. First, as for the practice menu in your question, what I often do is a scissors pass while advancing.

At the end, either side shoots and finishes. I tell them that this kind of thing also happens in matches, and I ask them: in order to get to the goal as quickly as possible, where should you play the pass?

Or I set conditions like "Let's try to get there with five passes before shooting" or "We're going with three passes next." What I often talk about then is "reading ahead."

Where should you play the ball so the receiver can get it easily, where should I receive it next so I can get it easily, or can I shoot? I have them read ahead like that.

I tell them, "If you can do that, you can get to the goal smoothly and quickly." In that way, I have them deepen their understanding of "playing while moving."

■Order of training 1: First do it directly

As for the order of training, first I have them do it directly.

The reason is that if I say, "Try doing it with two touches," the children become fixated on controlling the ball and forget the biggest goal, which is to move forward quickly.

First, they start from the halfway line and move toward the goal while passing. How should they pass so they do not stop the receiver's speed? Where should they play the ball so the receiver can carry it without slowing down? I have them develop that feeling.

It is fine if the passes do not connect smoothly. I have them learn how far forward to play the pass.

■Order of training 2: Make it two touches and pass without losing speed

Next, when it becomes two touches, because they understand where to play the pass in order not to lose speed, they become able to play it into the space where the receiver is running.

The receiver understands that if they do not control the ball into the space ahead of where they are running, their speed will drop, so when they focus on that, they become able to do it well.

Control while moving, and pass while moving. They gradually come to understand doing these things while carrying their speed.

Also, when they become cautious, their speed tends to drop. To prevent that, for example, I say, "Let's try to do it in eight seconds," and count "1, 2, 3," or sometimes I have two groups compete. Please use that kind of training as an entry point.

■Order of training 3: Do rondo with 3 vs 2

In addition, I devise ways of doing rondo.

For example, in the case of 3 vs 1 rondo, the three players pass the ball around so the defender does not take it, but often the three players do not move. I even think that doing this too much may prevent them from developing the feeling of playing a pass into space.

So I make it 3 vs 2. Then, more than in 3 vs 1, the three players have to move or they cannot receive the pass. Concretely, because the pass will not connect unless they play it into where the opponent is moving, the children begin to play while moving.

When controlling the ball too, in order to play the next pass they try to move away from the opponent and play the pass, so they control while moving. In other words, it becomes more match realistic.

I recommend this 3 vs 2 rondo in many places. Modify it, and if the practice field is large, call out to them, "You can use plenty of space and move."

Furthermore, you can also make it a game format. For example, make it 3 vs 3 and place two target men on each goal line to play a match. If the three players hit their target, then they can attack in the opposite direction.

I think it is also fine to add a restriction that dribbling is not allowed, but first let them do it freely.