1. Team Play / Tactics & Maximum Involvement Level 1 Youth/Junior Coaching Course
‘ Teaching a junior footballer the fundamentals of the game is the second most important job for you as a coach.
The most important job is facilitating enjoyment and being responsible for a players continued participation.’
Mark Smart

2. Youth Coaching Philosophy’s
You MUST teach all your players the fundamentals of the GAME:
1. The ‘BASIC SKILLS’:
All the basics skills of the game (extension/advance them)
TEACH ‘HOW TO PLAY DIFFERENT POSITIONS’
Give all players the opportunity to play BACK, MID, FWD.
3. TEAM THEM ‘HOW TO BE A TEAM PLAYER’
This is where your team rules are important
YOU MUST ALLOW ALL PLAYERS TO ENJOY THEIR INVOLVEMENT
Develop a culture of ‘ENJOYMENT, LEARNING, DEVELOPING, UNDERSTANDING THE GAME – ‘NOT WINNING BASED’
Mark Smart

3. “TEAM RULES & GAME PLANS”
Why have
“TEAM RULES & GAME PLANS”
It makes an “unpredictable game predictable”
It gives a coach a PLAN to work with at TRAINING and work to on GAME DAY
3. Allows players to read the game in ‘ADVANCE’
4. Enhances players understanding of how to play POSITIONALLY and as part of a TEAM
Mark Smart

4. GAME PLANS - Geelong v St.Kilda?
‘STYLE OF PLAY’ or ‘BRAND’
- Geelong v St.Kilda?
- Team Strengths OR Coaches Philosophy?
TEAM RULES
- Whole Team – Coach or Players?
- Playing Zones (backs, mids, forwards)
TACTICS
- Phases of the Game (us, them, in dispute)
- Playing zones
SET PLAY’S
- Plans to exploit opposition
PLAYER MATCH-UPS
Mark Smart

5. ‘Tactics’ Purpose: 1. Improve team/individual performance
2. Exploit opposition
3. Motivate and educate players
Guidelines:
1. Must be practised frequently with all players
2. Must serve a clear purpose
3. Every player must understand the tactics, signals and roles
4. Must be shown and learnt a number of ways
5. Must be adaptable (ground, opposition, weather, timing etc)
Offensive:
eg. Forward set-ups, ball-ups/stoppages, running lines, kick-ins etc
Defensive:
eg. Hard tags, zones, man on man, flooding etc
Mark Smart

6. Formulate your Game Strategy PLAYERS STRENGTHS OR COACHES PHILOSOPHY?
Know your players physical capabilities.
eg. Height, skill level, strength, speed, endurance etc
You need to utilise the groups strengths in your style of play.
eg. Good talls – utilise a long kicking game to key targets
Quick mids – running possession game
Tactics need to evolve and good coaches tailor their strategy to meet the changing demands.
eg. Rule changes, opposition, ground size, weather, state of the game etc
Sell it to your players. If they are convinced they are more likely to carry it out.
eg. Show them video footage of it’s success
Mark Smart

7. Implementation
“You need to make sure you cater for the different ways players learn.”
AUDIO (Hear-Tell them what, when, how)
VISUAL (See-Show them diagrams, videos, notes)
PHYSICAL (Demonstrate-Do on the track, mini oval mat’s)
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE repeatedly at training, your drills must have purpose and define your pattern of play
Involve all players – every player in your group should know tactics for each area of the ground (backs, mids, forwards)
Ask players questions/do scenerios to check their understanding
Mark Smart

8. How do you know it’s effective?
ANALYSIS
Stats (only specific to your strategy)
Video replay
Observation
Scoring breakdowns (quarters etc)
PLAYER FEEDBACK
Leadership group
3. SUPPORT TEAM
Assistant Coach
Runner
Mark Smart

9. MAXIMUM PLAYER INVOLVEMENT
“For a junior footballer to want to continue playing the game he/she must be able to experience success in some degree both individually and as a team member.”
“The coach and team members must make every player feel accepted and valued through positive reinforcement or feedback”
Ideas:
Rotate positions
Fair game time policy
Use better players to help coach
Roster players on and off games
Explain your methods to the parents
Manufacturer results for struggling players
Develop a supportive environment for all players
Mark Smart

10. ATTACKING AGGRESSIVE ACCOUNTABLE Hard outs - desperation
Explosive / energetic
Dangerous / Desperate
Aggressive/ proactive
Get the ball back inside where poss.
Arc & go 050 to Adv. Fat side
Look to switch
Play on where possible – back & around
Hit Critical kicks
Keep possession by foot I35
Hands receive to runners from behind
Hard ball carrier
Get DOB
Pressure by presence
Create/control space
Charger time 035 GO !
Hard outs - desperation
Charge Thru Midfield
Run to create
Create space – complete leads
Kick to adv
Slow play out wide
1.Look inside
2. Hit up short lead
3.Long up line
Under Pressure kick long to hot spot
1st away / surround & stoppage
Kick TOSq out wide
CONTROL the game when we have possession,
CREATE when we don’t

11. CENTRE BOUNCE
We need to be proactive and aggressive to protect what is one of our most important springboards to success this year.
Get organised early, pre game, start of ¼’s, after goals
Communicate clearly with the ruckman
KEY 12
OPPO HIT 6
GO TO Ruckman
STANDARD SET UP

12. BALL UPS / BTI’S

13. FORWARD SET UPS STANDARD
TFP FF FP
CHF HF HF
KEEP LINE OPEN

14. FORWARD SET UPS HORSE SHOEFF FP FP
CHF HF HF
KEEP LINE OPEN

15. FORWARD SET UPS LINE OUTFF FP HF FP
CHF HF
KEEP LINE OPEN

16. Zone Set Up 15 MAN ZONE FF FP FP HF RO RR HF CHF C RUCK W W HB HB CHB
PRIORITY 3
PRIORITY 3 FF
PRIORITY 1 FP FP HF RO RR HF
PRIORITY 2
PRIORITY 2
CHF C
RUCK W W HB HB
CHB
QUICK SET UP ON SET SHOTS
ENERGETIC / ACTIVE eg arms up,move. Don’t guard grass
SPOIL HARD BACK INSIDE
NO EASY OUTS

17. CHARGERS BACKLINE GOALS 1. Opposition 12 or less goals
2 marks Q game)
10 H’ball Q game)
8 Pressure game per player
Rebound Rules:
1. QUICK TRANSITION (attack, defend, kick-in’s)
2. VISION (inside/switch)
3. FEEDBACK hands
4. KICK to advantage
5. SUPPORT in numbers, blocks

18. PKI’s STANDARD Kicker BP BP HBF HBF RO RR C w w R/CHB (KICKER)
INSIDE 40 – 50M RO,RR,C,W
To HBF
SAFETY – Wider to Wing
Ruck / CHB – DOB Support
ONCE U HAVE RECEIVED KICK
PLAY ON WHERE POSSIBLE /
FEED HANDS TO RUNNERS,
‘CHARGER TIME’
MOVEMENT CREATES in & out
of space
LEAD LIKE YOU WILL RECEIVE
THE KICK
Kicker BP BP
HBF
HBF RO RR C w w
R/CHB

19. PKI’s SLIPPERY WING DK LEFT F HBF BP W.HR RR RO CHB C HBF R w
WHEN OPPO MAN ON MAN
HUDDLE INSIDE 50
W – TARGET
BP,HBF,C BLOCKS FOR W
W,Ru FWD CORRIDOR RUNNERS
FWDS BACK IN F50 ARC
WINGS CAN SWAP ROLES
Ie. W1 LEADS WITH FLIGHT
W2 IS FWD RUNNER
MIRROR IMAGE OTHER SIDE
FOR RIGHT FOOTER PLAY ON
KICK
PKI’s
DK LEFT F
HBF BP
W.HR RR RO
CHB C
HBF R w

20. OPPO SCORING CHART GOAL BEHIND 25m 50m C C B B A GOAL TYPE Bendigo
Mark 1
General Play
Free
Total 2

21. OUR PKI’S
Effective
Ineffective
25m
50m

22. TRAINING DEVELOPMENT PLAN
SPECIFIC FOOTBALL COMPONENTS
MIDS
FORWARDS
BACKS
PATTERN
OF PLAY
PRESSURE
SKILLS
Start
points
Start
points
Start
points
Switch & run
Tackling
Kicking
Entries
Goal
Switch
Fat side leads
Hit up short
Arc & go
PKI’s
Break lines
Long up line
Hit Zones
Def zone
Set ups
PKI’s
Corridor CA
Charger time
blocks
rotations
DOB
Counter attack
Hb receives
Inside fat side
Chase downs
blocking
leading
Killing ball –
Using line
Break lines
– Run & carry
spoils
Ruckwork
- Jack in the box
Controlling space
Man on man V
Playing off
Long up lines
zone
Handball
def CA
Inside receives
Stoppage
Sweeper target
Off/def roles
Def pressure
Tempo
Zoning off
Entries - kicks
Goal kicking
possession
Goal side def
Contested ball
Ground balls
Stoppage roles
Marking
Contested
Lead
jumping
Def zone
Lock down
Hands out back
Using sweeper/ wing
marking
Red time
Def zone
Rounding up

23. On the Mat Activities....
Groups of 4 and discuss the following scenerio’s and implement your strategy, tactic, rules or game plan.
SCENERIO 1:
Design a PKI (point kick in) strategy:
1. To beat a 3,4,5 man zone
2. To beat a man on man situation
SCENERIO 2:
Midfield strategy to combat a dominant opposition clearance team
1. CB
2. F50 Stoppage
3. D50 Stoppage
SCENERIO 3:
You are playing a team this week that has a very attacking backline that likes to back themselves and run up the ground, even if it means leaving their opponent. Develop some forward strategy and structure to combat this.
Mark Smart

24. Questions ??
Mark Smart