By: Nigel Reed
Submitted: 2008-09-25 11:27:07 | Word Count: 731
Youth soccer formations generally follow the same style as used in advanced competition, but some of the roles of players is simplified to suit the ability, skill and maturity of the players. For instance it is not often that you will see an overlapping fullback in the under 10 competition. The particular formation that you use for your team is dependent on a number of factors, such as:
* The ability and skill level of your players,
* The physical attributes of your players,
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* The current score in the game,
* The importance of the game,
* The opposition.
The opposition has had a marked effect on the formations that I have used, particularly if they have a strength that needs to be negated, For instance, we played a team last year that had an outstanding left sided midfielder, that was skilful, fast and creative. To negate this player and stop him romping through our defence, I adjusted the formation so that an extra player was positioned in the defence, in order that two defenders covered this player whenever that player received the ball. So as you can see, whilst you may start with a particular formation and tactic in mind, you may need to adjust it based on the conditions of any particular game.
The 4 4 2 Formation
The 4 4 2 formation is definitely the most popular youth soccer formation used. It is a very easy formation to understand, having 4 defenders (2 central and 2 wide), 4 midfielders (again 2 central and 2 wide) and 2 strikers or forwards, and one of the easiest to understand. The 4 4 2 has been used by a number of successful international teams, including the England team of 1966 that won the world cup.
One of the reasons for the popularity of this soccer formation, even at youth level is its simplicity and its versatility. It is simple to describe the roles of each of the players, and to give them fairly simple instructions of the role that they should play in the team. eg The 2 forwards should remain central, and face the midfielders to lay the ball back to a midfielder and then organise one to run to the near post and one to the far post. Showing the forwards what is expected can be covered in one training session. It is also easy to cover the role of the defenders, where it is common for one of the central defenders to act as a “sweeper”. In other words, if the attack is coming down our left hand side, the left full back will be providing the initial pressure to the oppositions attacker, and the sweeper will provide support for the left full back so that if the attack gets past the initial or first defender the sweeper is there ready to tackle or clear the ball away.
The 4 4 2 is also a very versatile formation. It is easy to change the 4 4 2 formation to a 3 5 2 by simply moving a defender up to the midfield. Naturally, the roles of the defenders changes when this happens, as does the roles of the midfielders, but it is a relatively easy transition to make. The 4 4 2 formation is also easily transformed into a 4 3 3 formation by simply moving a midfielder into the attack
Here is a list of the common youth soccer formations:
1. The 4 4 2. The most common and versatile formation as desribed above is a relatively simple and versatile formation, and very popular as a youth soccer formation
2. 4 3 3 A fairly attacking formation that usually uses the central corridor as the main channel for attacking and defending
3. The 3 5 2 Generally used when there is an abundance of midfielders and the 3 defenders are very strong defensively
4. The 3 4 3 is another attacking formation that is used when the defenders are very strong, the midfielders are of normal ability and the forwards are very strong. This formation is particularly useful to exploit a weak defence
5. The 4 5 1 a fairly defensive formation that be incorporated to close up the game to ensure that the existing score line stands
Conclusion
For Youth Soccer Formations, I would advise getting to know and understand the 4 4 2, basically for its ease of understanding and it versatility to progress to more complex formations. So knowing and understand the 4 4 2 while put you in good shape for the progression through youth soccer formations.
Be sure to see my website for more information on youth soccer formations and the roles of players at http://www.coaching youth soccer for success.com/youth soccer formations.html
Author Resource:-
Nigel Reed has been involved in soccer during the 60's, 70's and 80's as a player and has been coaching youth soccer in Australia since 2000. Nigels main soccer webite has detailed information on youth soccer formations, so visit http://www.coaching-youth-soccer-for-success.com
