FFTW Soccer Camp Review - Blue Mountain - FFTW Development
FFTW SUMMER CAMP - BLUE MOUNTAIN (JULY 29TH - AUGUST 2ND)
Dear all,
First and foremost, on behalf of all the coaches who attended the FFTW Summer Camp in Blue Mountain, we wanted to send a massive thank you to all who attended the camp last week in Thornbury. It was an absolute pleasure working with every player and also having some great conversations with parents and families during our time there.
We wanted to write out a short blog post to allow parents to see what the players worked on during our week of camp last week and also have something for the players to look to, to make sure they are practicing their skills even after camp and in their regular training.
Below, you will find the key topics per day as well as the main coaching points we were trying to bring out of all the sessions/small games we played.
MONDAY - 1 v 1 ATTACKING
Coaching Points:
- Attack with Speed
- Bend your Knees to help with doing the skill
- If you don't sell it, they won't buy it (really exaggerate the direction you are trying to fake the defender)
- After executing the skill, accelerate away
- Know what skill you are going to do before you get the ball
- Use your body to shield the ball after completing a move (use outside of your foot to make this easier during the exit of your skill if it is a speed skill)
Main 1 v 1 Skills:
The Messi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9i7zmMWX3k
Ronaldo Scissors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUwQ6xS2pOg
Hop n Chop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcYkP9-aydY
Roll n Go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD__buuhfSI&t=4s
TUESDAY - PASSING & RECEIVING
Coaching Points:
- Bend your knees when passing the ball
- First touch out of your feet to get momentum behind the pass
- Surface of your foot
- Know what type of pass is going to be the best in given situation
- Distance (farther you go, the more power needed on the pass)
Inside Foot Pass (5 Stages)
1. Standing Foot Beside the Ball Pointing at Target
2. Ankle Tight
3. Strike with inside of the foot
4. Hit the middle of the ball
5. Follow through straight towards to your target
Driven Pass (5 Stages)
1. 45 Degree Run Up
2. Standing foot not too far, not too close
3. Diagonal foot position (strike right below the laces)
4. Strike the middle of the ball
5. Follow through pointing at your target
Lofted Pass (5 Stages)
1. 45 Degree Run Up
2. Standing foot not too far, not too close (bend your knee)
3. Hit with the top of your foot (closer to the toe like a wedge under the ball)
4. Strike the bottom of the ball
5. Follow through pointing at your target
WEDNEDSAY - FIRST TOUCH/CONTROL
Coaching Points:
- Know where you want to take your first touch
- Type of surface you want to do for the touch
- Weight of touch (defenders around or do you have space)
- Let the ball come to you, don't reach for the ball
- Judge the trajectory of the ball - both for ground and aerial control
THURSDAY - DEFENDING
Coaching Points:
1 v 1 Defending (5 Stages)
1. Curve your run to block the net and close down (limit the space between the attacker and the net or space they are trying to attack)
2. Slow down (as you are charging out to close down the space, need to slow down to get into your defensive stance
3. Get down (show them away from goal)
4. Stay down (agile and quick)
5. Be a thorn (be annoying, aggressive and never give up)
2 v 2 Defending (Additional points)
- 1 defender has to be pressure defender, other defender is cover defender
- Communication (cover defender tells the pressure defender what way to face so they can work together)
- Cover player has to block the net
- If the ball gets played across, the other defender presses and the original cover defender has to drop to block the net
FRIDAY - FINISHING
Coaching Points:
Inside Foot Technique
1. 45 Degree run up
2. Ankle Tight
3. Inside of foot
4. Strike middle of ball
5. Follow Through (Most important to help you guide the ball where you want - keep your hips open to strike to the right or left. To shoot across the net, swing your hips and point to the corner you are looking to finish in).
Diagonal Foot Strike
1. 45 Degree Run up/what type of run up is comfortable for you
2. Ankle tight
3. Strike with diagonal foot (just below the laces - big bone)
4. Hit the middle of the ball
5. Follow through where you want to place the ball
** PLACEMENT OVER POWER ALWAYS! **
- - -
All in all, it was a fantastic week of camp and we are excited at the prospect of coming to do more programs/camps in the future.
There is a lot of potential in the region for player growth and development and one thing all coaches can agree on is that the players in the Blue Mountain and surrounding areas have great raw athleticism.
The next goal for all the players would be to focus heavily on technical development (ball control, ball manipulation and other areas of technique) and then once this is mastered, to then focus on the tactical side of the game and understanding individual positions and then learning how to work in a team environment.
We would once again like to thank Blue Mountain Soccer Club who helped put this together and are excited at coming back in the future and giving players more opportunities like this camp.
Thank you and hope to see you all soon!
FFTW Development
Forever Moving Forward