Anyone who knows their football knows that good communication is the key to a successful team. You could have a squad that’s full of the most talented players in the world, but if they can’t pull together and work with each other, it’s never going to get anywhere.
How else can one player let another know that they’re in a good space or not to pass to them because they’re being marked. Or how can the players know where on the field they need to be to ensure that the team is set up properly in either attack or defence.
When it comes to youth players it can sometimes be quite tough to get them to communicate with each other, to listen, react accordingly and to understand how vital and successful communication can be when done right.
To combat this, many coaches believe that having one player who is able to communicate effectively with the players can be key to ensuring that good communication becomes common place among the team as a whole.
Often a great player to do this with is the goalie. Once you have the goalkeeper on board they should be able to communicate well with the defenders and midfield, which will hopefully set a good example for the rest of the players, keeping the team united and not playing as individuals.
So here’s how to do it…
Let the goalie take charge of the defence
Have the goalie make the decisions on who goes where when free kicks or corners are on the cards. This you can practise during training sessions and by doing so, make sure he grows in confidence if needs be and can get his voice heard and responded to.
As well as the defence, the goalkeeper should also be able to make contact with midfield, so again, he will need to be able to project his voice and know how to make his intentions clear.
Take your team through it in training
When you plan on encouraging greater communication among your players and you’ve realised that a place to start would be with the goalkeeper, you can have a run through in training which will help the team visualise how it might pan out in a match scenario. It will also give you the chance to see where any problems might occur and find ways to tackle them.
So, from the goalkeeper calling out instructions to defenders, play should move up the pitch. As it does, encourage communication to become frequent among the team by having them shout out their positions to let each other know whether it’s safe to pass to them and where they are.
Make sure your youth team competes in 2017!
When you have a youth team to be proud of, let them show off their skills to the best effect by taking them along to compete in one of our football festivals. You can find out more about the 2017 tournaments either on our website or by getting in touch with us today.
