In Week 20 with the girls we worked on attacking from different angles.  The court was laid out in a square and the attackers started in 2 corners with one defender starting in another.  The attackers also had a gate that both of them had to run through before they could score.

At first, both attackers ran straight through the gate making it easier for the defender to mark them both and hardly any chances were created.  But after some coaching they realised to be more patient and time their runs to put the defender in difficulty.  We then progressed to 3v1 and finally onto 3v2.  If the defenders got the ball they had a goal to go and attack.

It is interesting to watch as players work out where the space is in futsal, some get it immediately, others take a while.  In the final match Chris got his team to play in specific areas when they won the ball.  He got each of his players to occupy a corner of the court, creating more space to play in.

With the boys we did the same practice but with a much bigger court.  Also we emphasised trying to get a player beyond the defender into the far corners of the court.  This meant the defender was looking to defend both in front and behind.  We also got the boys to play with lots of pace, especially when they created the overload on the defender.

In the final match again Chris got his team to play in specific areas in the court when in possession.  The boys’ team struggled to mark the players and at times were caught with 2 or 3 players high up the court.  One of the fundamentals of Futsal are recovery runs, and at times players really do switch off and stand and watch, something to work on!