Courtesy: Soccer America


Tips for Futsal Coaching

Thursday, Feb 12, 2009

by Cy Philbrick

For many soccer coaches, both veterans and novices, coaching a futsal tournament is a new concept. Although the sport shares the same DNA as soccer, coaches should be aware of the unique benefits that the sport provides and the unique approach to coaching it allows.

Why Coach Futsal? Futsal is increasingly seen as an ideal way to introduce children to the skills that soccer requires.

Above all else, futsal develops ball skills. By playing with small numbers, players get lots of touches on the ball in tight spaces. Beginner players, U-6 and U-8, typically play 3 vs. 3 with no goalkeepers. In its pure form, futsal means 5 vs. 5, with 4 field players and a goalkeeper.

"It is very important for young soccer players to gain confidence as they grow comfortable with the ball at their feet," Erica Mastrogiacomo, recently named the Academy Director of the Massachusetts Futsal Association, said. "Unlike larger games of 6 vs. 6 or 11 vs. 11, in which a tentative player could get lost in the mix for many minutes without ever touching the ball, futsal involves players in action all of the time."

Futsal accelerates development of other crucial soccer abilities. According to the US Futsal Federation, the sport develops balance, motor ability, agility, coordination, accurate passing and receiving, perception, insight, and awareness.

Coaching Your First Futsal Tournament

Like any tournament, futsal tournaments can be both exciting and hectic. If it's your first one, here are some tips you should keep in mind:

• Review futsal rules and the specific rules of the tournament you have entered. Although futsal has few rules, you and your players should know how to make a proper substitution, how to take "kick-ins" and "goal clearances."

• Keep your roster small. This helps avoid confusion with substitutes and keeps kids involved in the game. For 5 vs. 5 tournaments, coaches should consider bringing a roster of 8 to 12 players.

• Consider determining a rotation for substitutions. You can rotate one or two players at a time, or you can replace an entire team of four at once (a la line shifts in hockey). It helps to have an assistant coach minding the clock, to keep track of when to change players.

• In futsal, substitutions happen "on the fly." To change an entire team, or goalkeepers, coaches should wait for a stoppage in play such as halftime, a timeout, or an opponent's goal.

• In gyms, time and space for warm-ups can be limited. Go over a dynamic warm-up that players can perform in small space. This might include some lunges, jumps, skips and stretching.

• Let the game be the coach. You don't need to give complicated instructions before the game. And you shouldn't yell instructions to players throughout the game. Instead, talk to the players on the bench about the decisions being made on the field. Try to help them recognize good vs. bad decisions.

• Encourage and praise good decisions.

• Give your team (or individual players) a challenge or one focus during each game. For example, focus on forming triangles, or creating combinations, or shielding the ball.

• Above all, Mastrogiacomo says, "focus on technique and tactics, not the score."

Part of the brilliance of futsal is that the game serves as a natural teacher. Coaches can sit back and let the exciting nature of the small-sided game grow players' enthusiasm while improving technique, creativity, and quick decision-making.

The tactical aspects of futsal get more complicated as players and teams become more advanced. But, at its core, futsal is fun and free-flowing. And any youth soccer team would improve by playing it.

(Cy Philbrick is the is the Managing Editor of Coach-Smart.com and a freelance soccer writer.)








Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com