Annual training plan · U9–U13

Week 42: Training Decision-Making Speed

2 complete training sessions with 8 drills – created by licensed coaches. Open every drill in the easy2coach web app with one click.

This week’s focus

At corners, the goalkeeper has to decide again and again whether to stay on his line or come out. If he decides to come out, he still has to decide whether to catch or punch the ball. The full-back often has the choice between the brave solution going forward and resolving the situation via the centre-back. The striker has to decide again and again between the options of shooting and passing.

The list of situations in football in which players have to make decisions could go on for ever. Footballers have to decide constantly in a match what their next action will be. Besides the quality, it is also important to make a choice as quickly as possible. Most people would probably assume that it makes sense to work above all on the quality of decisions. However, improving decision-making speed is the more efficient training approach.

Most decisions in a match are made intuitively anyway. So, session by session, players develop an ever better feel for which actions lead to a better outcome. In addition, no decision – or one that takes too long – is usually the worst option, because the match situation has already changed again.

That is why this week is about making decisions as quickly as possible. The quality of the decisions will come by itself over time.

Author Luis Österlein

Session 1

4 drills

In professional football, situations frequently arise in which a player has no time to make a decision after receiving the ball. Because of ball-orientated defending, the space becomes so tight that there are almost always several opponents in the immediate vicinity. They put the player in possession under pressure immediately, which means there is no time to look for options.

That is why the game must always be kept in view. Especially in the central positions, where a player can come under pressure from any side, players must keep scanning. When the ball then arrives, the decision should already have been made and should be carried out with courage.

If the “wrong” decision was made, there is a high probability that possession will be lost. That said, in football there are rarely decisions where it could be said in advance that the clearly right or wrong choice was made. However, if no decision or too late a decision is made, possession will also be lost. That is why players should decide quickly and carry out the action with courage.

That is why you should impress on your players that they should not hesitate. Of course, they are allowed to make mistakes. This helps the players develop a feel for situations, and the error rate drops all by itself. Provided that the players actively make decisions and do not let an opponent force an action on them by waiting too long.

Coaching points for this session
  • Scan in advance
  • Make decisions before receiving the ball
  • Do not hesitate
  • Carry out the decision bravely
  • Allow yourself mistakes and see them as an opportunity to improve
Drill 1

Passing in Fours

12 x 15 metres

Each group of four has a ball and works through the following tasks:

  1. Pass to a team-mate out of a dribble; the team-mate takes the pass in their stride securely and then passes on in turn.
  2. Deal with every pass with a visible change in the direction of play and increase the pace over a few metres.
  3. Play every second pass on first time.
  4. Only pass when a team-mate shows for the ball with a short burst.
  5. On a signal from the coach, carry out all the actions at maximum pace until the coach gives a second signal after five to 15 seconds.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four cones mark out the playing area.

Equipment: 4 cones and one ball per group.

Players: Two groups of four.

Coaching points
  • Take the ball straight into the movement.
  • Control the ball and play the passes with both feet.
  • Demand calls.
  • Carry out the actions with the ball at high speed.
Drill 2

Double Transition

20 minHalf a pitch

One run consists of three balls for the central player.

  1. The coach holds up a colour without calling it out, so that the central player does not notice it, and starts the drill with a pass to the central player. At the same time the players whose colour was not chosen take up position in the mini goals. The central player turns, controls the ball and tries to pass into the free goal.
  2. Then comes the second ball from the coach towards the central player, who immediately plays the striker into space with two touches; the striker finishes first time.
  3. After the striker has finished, the central player receives a third ball and finishes with it.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Three mini goals stand side by side at the centre circle, with a cone in its own colour next to each one. Two more cones mark the positions of the pair of strikers in front of the penalty area. At the other end there is the full-size goal.

Equipment: 1 full-size goal, 3 mini goals, cones in different colours and several balls.

Players: Two players form a pair of strikers, one player acts as the central target player facing the goalkeeper, three players stand next to the mini goals. Plus a goalkeeper and the coach with the balls.

Coaching points
  • Scan in advance.
  • Work in an open body position.
  • Pay attention to the pace of the pass.
  • Play the striker into the front foot or into the run.
  • Work with few touches.
  • Perform the actions at maximum speed.
Drill 3

Finishing with an Overload

25 min
  • The green team starts in a 2 vs 1 and tries to get to a finish as quickly as possible.
  • After every finish — whether it goes in or not — one more attacking player with a new ball and one more defending player come into the playing area, so that step by step 3 vs 2, 4 vs 3, 5 vs 4 and finally 6 vs 5 are played.
  • If the red team wins the ball or the goalkeeper makes a save, the counter-attack goes on the goal at the other end.
  • As soon as all the players are in the playing area, there are five minutes of free play. A new round then begins with a 2 vs 1.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Six cones mark out the playing area; two goals stand at the ends.

Equipment: 2 goals, 6 cones and at least 5 balls.

Players: One attacking team in green and one defending team in red plus two goalkeepers.

Coaching points
  • Use the numerical advantage to make the game wide.
  • Demand many 1 vs 1 situations.
Drill 4

3 vs 3 in a Marked-Out Area

25 min32 x 32 metres
  • The two teams play 3 vs 3 with goalkeepers.
  • The aim is to score as many goals as possible in two minutes.
  • The outfield players are then changed.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark out the playing area; there are two goals at the ends.

Equipment: 2 goals, cones and several balls.

Players: Two teams of three outfield players each; plus two goalkeepers.

Coaching points
  • Use the size of the playing area to make the game wide.
  • Make the opponents run.
  • Get to the finish quickly.
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Session 2

4 drills

In the 1st session of this week, it was already mentioned that perceiving what is happening in the game plays an essential role in speed of action. Especially when the action is meant to bring the ball closer to the opposing goal. For this, however, a player must not constantly operate with their back to the opposing goal, as otherwise time is lost or playing forward is not possible at all.

If, for example, a holding midfielder standing in a closed body position receives a pass from a centre-back, the holding midfielder lacks the information as to whether they can turn. The centre-back can give the holding midfielder the call “turn” or “lay off”, but this is no adequate substitute for scanning and operating in an open body position.

If a player scans the play further forward, they not only know whether they can turn but can already consider potential follow-up actions.

If the holding midfielder also keeps looking forward without the ball and realises that there is no opponent behind them, they can still switch to an open body position. This makes it easier for the holding midfielder to keep the options further forward in view. In addition, the holding midfielder does not lose any time by having to turn. That would be the case if the holding midfielder were operating in a closed body position. In the open body position, the holding midfielder can then immediately be played to the front foot, take the ball forward in their stride and quickly carry out a follow-up action.

Coaching points for this session
  • Keep looking up the pitch
  • Operate in an open body position
Drill 1

6-Player Grid in a Square

15 min

The players pass the ball to each other according to the following instructions:

  1. Simple combination play with a one-touch lay-off, forming triangles and creating space.
  2. A player away from the ball is always played with an opening pass. That player lays the ball off to the second player in the centre, who plays the ball back out wide.
  3. The player nearest the ball is always played the pass; that player turns and faces play.
  4. Free combination of all the variations.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four cones mark the corners of a rectangle, two more stand side by side in the centre.

Equipment: 6 cones and several balls.

Players: One player stands at each cone, so four on the outside and two in the centre.

Coaching points
  • Pay attention to the pace of the pass.
  • Demand calls from the players.
  • Lay the ball off with the foot furthest from the opponent.
  • Look for the next passing option quickly.
  • In the free combination, pay attention to quick decisions.
Drill 2

Reaction and Speed

20 min

Exercise 1

  • Two players run from the tall cones towards the halfway line or the cone line respectively.
  • Player 1 tries to get to the ball first, either on the left or on the right, in order to finish; while doing so, Player 1 changes direction quickly at least once or twice.
  • Player 2 tries to copy the same movement and to get to the ball sooner.

Exercise 2

  • As in Exercise 1, but Player 1 touches the tall cones in a changing order, and Player 2 does the same.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Two red and two yellow tall cones as starting points, about eight to ten yellow and four red cones as a ball line and a halfway line plus two mini goals.

Equipment: 4 tall cones, about 14 cones and 2 mini goals.

Players: Pairs are formed.

Coaching points
  • The striker should beat the defender with a body feint.
Drill 3

Timing and Speed of Action

25 minFrom the penalty area to the halfway line
  • Two attacking players start from midfield with the aim of scoring in the mini goal on the penalty area line.
  • On the coach's call, a defender of the colour called out sets off.
  • Depending on the age group, the game is played with or without offside.
  • If the defender wins the ball, a forward pass can be played straight away into the goal on the halfway line, scoring two points for that group; the attackers get one point for a goal.
  • After each run all those involved join the back of their groups again.
  • The first to score ten goals wins; the groups then swap between attack and defence.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark the halfway line and the edge of the penalty area; plus two mini goals — one on the penalty area line, one on the halfway line.

Equipment: 2 mini goals, cones and several balls.

Players: The defending players are split into two groups in two colours and positioned next to one mini goal; the attacking players are split into two numbered groups and positioned next to the second mini goal.

Coaching points
  • Play out the numerical advantage.
  • The defender tries to isolate one attacker in a 1 vs 1.
  • Finish attacks off quickly.
  • React to what the defender does: finish or pass.
  • Play the team-mate into the run or into the front foot wherever possible.
Drill 4

4 vs 4 with Target Players in Behind

25 minDouble penalty area
  • 4 vs 4 is played inside the playing area.
  • Each team has two target players next to its own goal.
  • If one of the wall players receives a pass, that player dribbles into the playing area and the passer takes up the vacated position.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark out the playing area; there is a goal at each end.

Equipment: 2 goals, cones and enough balls at the sides.

Players: Two teams of four, two target players next to each team's own goal as well as two goalkeepers.

Coaching points
  • Open up the passing lines in behind through movement to get free.
  • The deep players move actively along the goal line in order to get out of the cover shadow.
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