www.UpstateSoccer.org
WHY
4v4
"Good
coaches use the basic
criteria of street football (soccer) for their vision of grass roots
development; they realize that these elements produce a natural process
which
gives the most efficient training for young kids."
- Rinus Michels
(Ajax, Barcelona
& Netherlands coach)
4v4
is not a new concept. The
Dutch introduced the format into youth soccer in the mid 1980s when
they
realized that the decline in street football was having a harmful
effect on
development. This is something we have never really addressed in the
United
States. 4v4 is the game in its simplest form, whilst still
preserving the
main characteristics that game should have both depth & width.
There
are a number of different
games that can be played that utilize different skills.
- It is a very flexible
format, pitches can be marked out with cones and you can have as many
different 4v4 games as you have kids.
- Everyone plays (all
the time)
- Many touches of the
ball
- The different games
bring out different skills
- Many opportunities for
everyone to score goals
- Lots of problem
solving opportunities without coaches 'talking' you through the game
- Kids are not just a
defender or attacker, but footballers
- You don't have to play
other teams, you can play in-house if you don’t have lots of kids
- The kids ref their own
games so improve their communication and social skills
- The children take
responsibility
The
Manchester United Academy U9s 4v4 pilot scheme
Study
For
the past few years Manchester
United U9s instead of playing 8v8 have played 4 different 4v4 games
that they
rotate round. The Results:
- Number of passes -
increase of 135%.
- Number of goals scored
- increase of 500%
- Number of 1v1
encounters – increase of 225%
- Improvement in
dribbling skills (tricks attempted) - Increase of 280%
