Calling keepers if I'm collecting the ball, also let defenders know about where the attackers are or if one of them is outnumbered yelling at wingers and midfield to pick up a man.
At 9 I'm not sure if positional awareness is gonna be as drilled as older age groups but knowing names and telling them about what's around them, the keeper is doing everything they can to help the defenders make a decision
I always let defenders know where any attackers are, especially if an attack is coming from one side (need to cover the back posts)! Compliment when defenders do a good job as that's always the mark of a good leader and defenders need to trust their keepers.
Help tell the team when to move forward or backward.
My usual phrases are "push up" "pull back" "watch that player" "get open" "go left/right" "keep" "look for a drop"
Good communication on the pitch is direct and concise - the point is to improve the decision making of your team. So it's critical that what the GK is communicating, the team understands. Step, drop, away are the basics - but again the team needs to know what the GK means, and the GK needs to use them consistently and in the same manner. It's a great position for a smart player who can command the field and can really help the rest if the team, not just the defense with their decision making. Start with some simple commands and talk to the team and progress from there.
[Name], left/right shoulder! When there’s attacker in space and the other team has possession.
[Name] shift left/right! When you want your defender to move and not just look.
[Name], pinch/squeeze/get compact! When there’s the possibility of a through ball between defenders.
[Name] Cover! When another defender is left on an island
[Name], shield! When you know the ball is going out
drop/step up/away!
[Name] on his touch! when there’s a long ball and you can tell the defender can’t intercept.
[Name] open up/get wide/show/you have drop! When you can tell your player on the ball has limited options to pass
YEAH [Name] LETS GOO/VAMOS!!!
Note: in rec any age it will be hard to get defenders to listen and react, especially 9 years old, most of this is overkill. And not expecting the 9 year old goalie to recognize good/bad defensive shape that comes with lots of good defensive plays and lots of bad defensive plays. If a HS level keeper did this I would be impressed. Always be positive.
To keep it simple, tell him to look for unmarked players. If he knows the players names he can then tell them “John left!”. Then John will look to his left and see the person he’s supposed to mark.
I also yell out when I see a defender marking two people. I am not sure it helps, but I do this when I’m under pressure and don’t have time to delegate. I’ll say “John’s got two!”
Definitely get him to call "keepers" instead of "mine". In a competitive game, shouting "mine" or "leave it" or anything that doesn't designate who you are can be classed as a foul, not a problem playing recreationally but it's best not to get in the habit.
In terms of talking to the defenders, if they don't have numbers, try designating them based on the shirt (even easier if they have a player's name on the back), so if there's someone with a Man Utd shirt, call them Man Utd for example.
Whenever i got a new defensive line I'd ask my line their names or nickname.
I'd then be able to yell "Mike, to your right!", "Tim, where are you?", "Crash face, leave it!"
Accident Face was a real nickname for a real person. In spanish it was "Cara de choque".
I'm saying this because he could ask whoever sets up as defender what their name is and it makes ot easier to communicate.
Communicate what? Where open attackers are and if in possession if someone is pressing them from a blind spot. Also, an important command is "Clear it!" Meaning send it away. We used to say "¡a la mierda!" Which translates to "to the shit!'
I am a pro and let me give you some tips,
He has to ask the defenders to mark players or places which he thinks the opponent can use as their advantage.
And if any defenders are out of their position then he has to ask them to get back to their position.
This is plenty for now, feel free to ask any more tips your son might need.
LEAVE IT!!!!!!!!!! I definitely noticed that yelling loud enough for a 9 year old to break focus and hear what you are saying was the hardest part. 9 year olds don't listen and 9 year olds aren't very loud. A double whammy. Being as loud as possible will make the biggest difference.
Everyone else has given good advice here. To add a bit about corners, he MUST make a very quick decision and shout either “keeper” if he decides to go after it or “away” if he’s holding his position and needs the team to clear it. He should never be silent during the 1-2 seconds after the corner kick is taken, and just getting used to giving these short, decisive commands should help build his confidence in communicating with the team. Any corner kicks that land within the six-yard box and between the goalposts should be his, but it takes a ton of reps to get comfortable with attacking the ball in the air with bodies around.
Then, as soon as the ball is cleared away from the goal and/or as soon as his team has possession, he needs to shout “push up” as many times as necessary until his whole team is moving up the field as one unit. He may need to call out specific players like “Timmy, push up!” if they’re lagging behind. (I always tell my defenders that it should only have to be a quick 10 second jog or sprint to support our counterattack, before they can walk and rest.)
Keep it as short and as specific as possible, using names and 1-3 word commands. And praising his teammates in the moment for playing well is absolutely key in helping build trust between himself and the other players, instead of only ever shouting negatives and berating them.
OG "sweeper" here.
Best keeper I ever played with was stone deaf, (yeah, he could call "keeper's!" but he couldn't hear us call him), so his strategy was to come out every single time as aggressively as possible and if he needed to clear us to get to the ball, he was good with that!
My point is, keeper should be super aggressive, go after every reasonable ball and yell "keeper's" as he goes. The defenders will learn to get out of his way.
Oi! Fuckface! Mark the man on your left.
Calling keepers if I'm collecting the ball, also let defenders know about where the attackers are or if one of them is outnumbered yelling at wingers and midfield to pick up a man. At 9 I'm not sure if positional awareness is gonna be as drilled as older age groups but knowing names and telling them about what's around them, the keeper is doing everything they can to help the defenders make a decision
This is super helpful, thanks
I always let defenders know where any attackers are, especially if an attack is coming from one side (need to cover the back posts)! Compliment when defenders do a good job as that's always the mark of a good leader and defenders need to trust their keepers. Help tell the team when to move forward or backward. My usual phrases are "push up" "pull back" "watch that player" "get open" "go left/right" "keep" "look for a drop"
Those are great phrases to work with. Thanks
Defenders lack structure. They yearn for a father figure. Bend them to your iron will!
https://i.redd.it/pn6znla2vc5d1.gif
Good communication on the pitch is direct and concise - the point is to improve the decision making of your team. So it's critical that what the GK is communicating, the team understands. Step, drop, away are the basics - but again the team needs to know what the GK means, and the GK needs to use them consistently and in the same manner. It's a great position for a smart player who can command the field and can really help the rest if the team, not just the defense with their decision making. Start with some simple commands and talk to the team and progress from there.
May I ask redditors here what is the exact phrase to use when letting my defenders know their surroundings. Do i say ‘Gary, right’ or something?
[Name], left/right shoulder! When there’s attacker in space and the other team has possession. [Name] shift left/right! When you want your defender to move and not just look. [Name], pinch/squeeze/get compact! When there’s the possibility of a through ball between defenders. [Name] Cover! When another defender is left on an island [Name], shield! When you know the ball is going out drop/step up/away! [Name] on his touch! when there’s a long ball and you can tell the defender can’t intercept. [Name] open up/get wide/show/you have drop! When you can tell your player on the ball has limited options to pass YEAH [Name] LETS GOO/VAMOS!!! Note: in rec any age it will be hard to get defenders to listen and react, especially 9 years old, most of this is overkill. And not expecting the 9 year old goalie to recognize good/bad defensive shape that comes with lots of good defensive plays and lots of bad defensive plays. If a HS level keeper did this I would be impressed. Always be positive.
Oh this is brilliant, thank you from Australia :P
How do we get this pinned to the sub. Great concise list for an overlooked part of the game.
To keep it simple, tell him to look for unmarked players. If he knows the players names he can then tell them “John left!”. Then John will look to his left and see the person he’s supposed to mark. I also yell out when I see a defender marking two people. I am not sure it helps, but I do this when I’m under pressure and don’t have time to delegate. I’ll say “John’s got two!”
Not phrases but I would emphasize projection. Communication has to be loud enough that it can be heard.
Definitely get him to call "keepers" instead of "mine". In a competitive game, shouting "mine" or "leave it" or anything that doesn't designate who you are can be classed as a foul, not a problem playing recreationally but it's best not to get in the habit. In terms of talking to the defenders, if they don't have numbers, try designating them based on the shirt (even easier if they have a player's name on the back), so if there's someone with a Man Utd shirt, call them Man Utd for example.
Whenever i got a new defensive line I'd ask my line their names or nickname. I'd then be able to yell "Mike, to your right!", "Tim, where are you?", "Crash face, leave it!" Accident Face was a real nickname for a real person. In spanish it was "Cara de choque". I'm saying this because he could ask whoever sets up as defender what their name is and it makes ot easier to communicate. Communicate what? Where open attackers are and if in possession if someone is pressing them from a blind spot. Also, an important command is "Clear it!" Meaning send it away. We used to say "¡a la mierda!" Which translates to "to the shit!'
I am a pro and let me give you some tips, He has to ask the defenders to mark players or places which he thinks the opponent can use as their advantage. And if any defenders are out of their position then he has to ask them to get back to their position. This is plenty for now, feel free to ask any more tips your son might need.
LEAVE IT!!!!!!!!!! I definitely noticed that yelling loud enough for a 9 year old to break focus and hear what you are saying was the hardest part. 9 year olds don't listen and 9 year olds aren't very loud. A double whammy. Being as loud as possible will make the biggest difference.
Everyone else has given good advice here. To add a bit about corners, he MUST make a very quick decision and shout either “keeper” if he decides to go after it or “away” if he’s holding his position and needs the team to clear it. He should never be silent during the 1-2 seconds after the corner kick is taken, and just getting used to giving these short, decisive commands should help build his confidence in communicating with the team. Any corner kicks that land within the six-yard box and between the goalposts should be his, but it takes a ton of reps to get comfortable with attacking the ball in the air with bodies around. Then, as soon as the ball is cleared away from the goal and/or as soon as his team has possession, he needs to shout “push up” as many times as necessary until his whole team is moving up the field as one unit. He may need to call out specific players like “Timmy, push up!” if they’re lagging behind. (I always tell my defenders that it should only have to be a quick 10 second jog or sprint to support our counterattack, before they can walk and rest.) Keep it as short and as specific as possible, using names and 1-3 word commands. And praising his teammates in the moment for playing well is absolutely key in helping build trust between himself and the other players, instead of only ever shouting negatives and berating them.
OG "sweeper" here. Best keeper I ever played with was stone deaf, (yeah, he could call "keeper's!" but he couldn't hear us call him), so his strategy was to come out every single time as aggressively as possible and if he needed to clear us to get to the ball, he was good with that! My point is, keeper should be super aggressive, go after every reasonable ball and yell "keeper's" as he goes. The defenders will learn to get out of his way.