Hi everyone!

I'm a young coach of a U13 boys' team (12-year-olds). We play 8-a-side in a 3-3-1 formation.

The boys have a great attitude and love attacking, but we're in a division that's probably too strong for us. We're struggling with two main tactical problems when in possession:

1. Both fullbacks push forward at the same time, leaving our central defender exposed to counterattacks.

2. Both wide midfielders push very high, while our central midfielder also joins the attack. This leaves large gaps in central midfield that opponents exploit.

I don't necessarily think the formation is the problem. I think we lack clear positional responsibilities when attacking.

My proposed solution:

- Ball-side movement: The fullback and wide midfielder on the side of the ball can push forward, while the opposite fullback stays deeper and tucks in towards the centre. The opposite wide midfielder provides more central support.

- Central midfielder: He generally stays behind the ball, protecting the central space and providing a passing option instead of automatically joining every attack.

I want to keep our attacking mentality while making us harder to counterattack against, using simple rules that 12-year-olds can understand.

I'd love your thoughts:

- Is this a sensible solution within a 3-3-1?

- Should the central midfielder stay central or shift towards the ball side?

- What one or two tactical principles would you prioritise?

-What do you think?

We're playing at home against the league's strongest team next, so I'd like to improve our organisation without overloading the players with instructions (too much information doesn't work for most 12-year-olds)

Thanks in advance!

Hello there. First of all, I’m a goalkeeper. Recently I signed a paper where it said that I would be playing in a soccer tournament for my school. I’m a pretty decent goalkeeper, but normally I only play with friends. I’d like to ask for any suggestions or tips to improve, and trainings. Also methods not to get nervous

When we talk about attacking in the 1-3-3-2, the first thing is not the formation. The first thing is how the players use the space, how they move, and how they help each other.

At U12, players are still learning the game. So, we need to give them simple ideas. We do not need to tell them everything. We need to help them understand what to do, when to do it, and why.

Start from the goalkeeper, How can we start an attack? We can start with the goalkeeper. If the other team is pressing, we need to know where the free player is. Is it one of the three defenders? Is it a midfielder?
The goalkeeper can play to a defender, but the defender must look before receiving the ball. What can he do next? Can he pass to a midfielder? Can he carry the ball forward?
If there is no good pass, we do not need to force it. We can play a longer ball to one of the two forwards. The important thing is that the team moves together to help.

The three defenders have an important role when we have the ball. They are not only there to pass the ball. They can also help the team move forward.
For example, if the middle defender has the ball, the two other defenders can give him passing options. The midfielders should also move to find space.
What happens if an opponent comes to press the defender? Maybe a midfielder becomes free. The defender needs to see this and play the right pass.
We also want our defenders to be brave with the ball. If there is space in front of them, they can move forward with it. But when should they pass? When an opponent comes close, or when a teammate is in a better position.

The midfielders connect the defenders with the forwards. They help us keep the ball and move the attack forward.
But should all three midfielders stay in the middle? No. They need to find different spaces.
One midfielder can come closer to the defenders to help build the attack. Another can stay between the lines, where he can receive the ball and turn. The third can move higher to support the two forwards.
Of course, these are not fixed positions. The players need to look at the game and understand what is happening.
If one midfielder moves towards the ball, who can use the space he leaves? Maybe another midfielder can move into it. This is how players can help each other without always asking for the ball.

With two forwards, we have a good chance to attack the space behind the defenders. But the two forwards should not always stand next to each other.
One forward can come closer to receive the ball. The other can move behind the defence. Why? Because this gives the player with the ball two different options.
For example, if the ball goes to the forward who comes closer, he can pass it back to a midfielder. At the same time, the other forward can run into the space behind the defenders.
What if the forward receives the ball with his back to the goal? He can protect the ball, play a simple pass, or turn if he has space.
The most important thing is that the forwards work together. They should not both wait for the ball in the same space.
We need to help our players understand that space is not always in front of them. Sometimes it is on the sides. Sometimes it is between two opponents. And sometimes it is behind the defence.

If the middle of the pitch is crowded, where can we attack? We can use the wide spaces and move the ball from one side to the other.
For example, we can start on the right side. If the other team moves many players to that side, the left side may become free. Can we move the ball there quickly?
We should also remember that the player without the ball is very important. He can make a run, move away from an opponent, or create space for a teammate.
We do not need to attack quickly every time we get the ball. Sometimes we need to keep it and wait for the right moment.
If we see space in front of us, we can move forward. If a teammate is free, we can pass to him. If the other team is well organised, we can move the ball and look for another space.

But what happens when we lose the ball? The players close to the ball can try to win it back. The other players should move to protect the middle and stop the other team from attacking easily.
This is also part of attacking. We need to think about what can happen if we lose the ball.

The goal is not only to keep the ball. We want to move forward and create chances to score.
We can do this with simple actions. A forward can run behind the defence. A midfielder can pass between two defenders. A defender can carry the ball forward and create a new situation.

We can also use combinations. One player passes the ball, moves into another space, and receives it again. This can help us get past an opponent.
But who should take the final shot? The player in the best position. If a teammate has a better chance, we should pass to him.

At U12, we should give players the freedom to make decisions. Sometimes they will make the wrong choice. That is normal. We can use these moments to help them learn.
The 1-3-3-2 gives us three defenders, three midfielders, and two forwards. But the formation alone does not make a good attack.

How do we attack well? We use space, move the ball, support the player who has it, and look for the right moment to move forward.
If we want our U12 players to improve, we need to help them understand the game, not only remember their positions.

And maybe the most important question is this: when one player has the ball, what are the other eight players doing?

Because attacking is not only about the player with the ball. It is about the whole team.

I'm purchasing a coaching board for game-day line-ups. It's like a leather folder containing a dry-erase, magnetic board with an image of a field on one side. Has anyone found good magnets to use with this to label players and keep track of positions & subs? I want to have names, not just numbered magnets that it comes with. TIA.

Hi everyone,
I’m writing this because there’s someone in my life whose potential I genuinely believe in, even at a time when he might not fully believe in himself anymore.
My boyfriend is 18 years old and comes from Romania. He used to play for local football teams, and from what I’ve seen and heard about his journey, he was genuinely talented. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, he stepped away from the path he was once on. He still plays for a smaller team now, but I can’t help wondering what he could achieve if he had the right opportunity and support.
I know football is competitive, and talent alone isn’t always enough. Opportunities, hard work, discipline, and the right people can make a difference, too.
We don’t have the financial means to pay for expensive academies, trials, or connections. I’m not asking anyone for money. I’m simply hoping to reach someone who knows the football world and might be able to offer advice, point us toward open trials, or tell us about a club that could give a young player a fair chance to prove himself.
He’s only 18. I don’t believe his story has to end before he’s had the chance to discover what he’s truly capable of.
Maybe I’m just a girlfriend who believes in her boyfriend a little too much, but I would rather try to find an opportunity for him than sit back and wonder what could have happened if someone had given him a chance.
If you’re a coach, a player, someone involved in a football club, or simply someone who knows where a young Romanian player could start looking for opportunities, I’d be incredibly grateful for any advice.
I’m not asking anyone to promise him a career. I’m just hoping to help him find a door he can try to open through his own hard work.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I’m 13, from Tyresö, Sweden. I used to play for Tyresö FF in Div 2, after the coach got fired I was clubless for a year which decreased my stamina a bunch but then I joined Nacka FC in Div 1, where I scored against BP (2nd best akademi in Sweden). I’ve been away from club football for a while, but I’ve been training on my own and now I’m trying to make a comeback.

On Monday, I’m preparing for a trial with Hammarby HTFF P2013, which competes at the highest division level for my age group. I wanna earn my spot, so any tips on how to stand out and impress the coaches? And the trial is in a week so I wanna train beforehand, I am a winger so any drills or tips would help! Thanks redditors!!

chat so i have got a sports day at school and the thing is i know loads about football ive been watching it since i was a kid but ive never actually played i told some of my mates i could play but i can't and now they're making me take part im properly stuck and don't know what to do could you lot recommend some drills that'll help me in a week? the others participating aren't exactly footballers either so a few starter tips would be brilliant so i don't lose my face(it's my last year at school)😔

Hi, I would like to coach soccer for kids in CA. I played organized Club soccer in Argentina for 13 years and I have a 3 yo daughter. I love the sport and I want kids to develop the same leadership skills, camaraderie and responsibility that I built through playing soccer.
I would like to learn from youth (2-8 yo) soccer coaches in the US:
How did you start? What certifications (if any) you feel are most useful to get a part time soccer coach gig? What would you recommend? Is my background enough?

Thanks!

Hey fellow coaches! does anyone know what chest POV cameras people use to record themselves playing soccer? from the pros to content creators, im trying to find a great camera that you put on your chest

Hi i’m an 15 year old boy and I’ve been studying for the past one year football theory and getting ready after 18 to study in a sport university and become a football coach. Someone is gonna ask, why? Why at this young age, you have so much in front of you?
Well the reason is because even tough is hard to accept it my chances of becoming a player are below 1% at the main reason behind that is because of COACHES. That’s why i want to become an coach, to never let down anyone give up on his dream because I don’t like him or his play style. I will be very greatful if i can have the chance to talk with an real coach about!

I coach a U9 girls rec team, they play 7v7 and I have 13 girls on the team (max is 12 but I had to take on a late registration player). I don't have an assistant coach, and the club said that hired coaches (which i am) typically don't have an assistant coach even if it's a parent. It's my fourht season coaching and second season with this team (we were U8 last season) but I'm worried I took on too much.

One practice out of the two, all 13 girls show up and it's been extremely difficult to manage those practices. I have one player in particular who is disrespectful and extremely distracting along with 12 other 8 year old girls. I know it's the age, but when they're all together I can barely get through my practice. A parent even came up to me asking if I needed help with I guess the discipline aspect of it. She said that it would be a lot for anyone to handle and since their parents aren't all there that there's no one to really put them in check.

I sent a message to the parents encouraging them to show up to practices but I'm wondering if there's more that I should be doing to correct this. Our second practice of the week typically has less girls and we get through significantly more stuff and when certain girls aren't there we get through more too. [edit: we're in the middle of the season, one out of the two practices a week tends to be less productive because of the problems listed above while the second practice more productive]

Our team doesn’t have an active coach, so we mostly coach ourselves. We initially tried a possession-based style, playing out from the back, but our centre-backs struggled to keep possession and we rarely got past the halfway line, forcing them to clear the ball.

Our holding midfielders would drop deep to help build up, while the attacking midfielder and forwards pushed forward looking for the ball, creating gaps between the lines. We thought the formation might be the problem, so we tried a 4-4-2, 4-1-2-1-2 diamond, and 4-2-3-1 before deciding that a counter-attacking style might suit us better since we always chuck the ball into the space for our midfield.

However, we haven’t actually trained for this style. Most of our sessions are just attack vs. defense, which doesn’t teach us how the defense, midfield, and attack should connect or transition together.

We’re now looking for drills that can help us understand what each player should do, how the defense, midfield, and attack should work together, and how to move the ball and transition quickly when we win or lose possession.

I’ve been coaching for around 12 years now and the last few years I’ve gone from coaching youth over the winter to senior over the summer and back to youth… then repeat.

This last couple of weeks I have massively lost interest, finding it difficult to motivate myself for this U18 season and wondering how to get the old mojo back. I’m still working on my coaching platform and it’s getting me by at the moment because I don’t have to think about session planning, just turn up and deliver.

But I sense the players will see through the lack of motivation. Not sure if it’s from burnout or a drop in interest with the move from senior to juniors again or just needing a break.

I’m sure plenty of coaches have hit this wall, just wondering if there’s any advice to get out of the funk?

Back story: brand new team formed as under 9's, coached by the director of the club to get momentum. Some of the boys had never played football before, others had. Skill level was varied as a result, of course.

Over the course of the last 4 years, the team has had so many changes from different coaches and lots of changes within the team also. A few really key players left and some new players joined (again some with experience and some not).

When they moved to under 11's they went up a league as they had a stellar year, lost 2 games in the whole season (i believe from 4th to 3rd.. not 100% though) and the games got a bit harder. Now they are U12's and offside and cards are enforced, the game is again a bit more challenging. Worth noting they now have a brilliant coach who is UEFA qualified and he puts his heart into the training and matches, along with one of the dads who coaches alongside him.

All that said, the boys have not bonded very well. They are struggling to play as a team and are forever arguing on the pitch. Some of the better players get so frustrated with the less able, and they all start bickering. A few of them don't know how to channel their frustration, often steaming the ball off the pitch or storming off completely.

They can win a game but still not be satisfied because they are so annoyed with how a certain player played. As a parent, it is so unbelievably disheartening when they have played a brilliant game and the boys are just so in their heads that they don't see it like that.

I understand at this age, hormones are playing a part in how they behave but I wonder if there is something that as parents we can do to help them? Or anything we can suggest to the coaches that they can do?

We do christmas parties/bowling etc, but i truly dont know if thats beneficial for them.. because they get along off the pitch, but the minute that whistle goes, its a different story.

My daughter is currently playing on her freshman team. She was disappointed not to have made JV (her and her club teams who play GA, were placed on freshman instead of JV, while other lower level club players were placed on JV. We took it in stride and it was a lesson that not all coaches look for/like the same thing). Anyways, the JV team hasn’t been doing well, while the freshman are killing it. My daughter is playing 99% of the game (quick drink and back on). The JV coach had her practice with them one day last week and asked her to guest play in a game. The game was ended up being cancelled/postponed due to weather. My daughter sent the JV coach an email thanking them for the opportunity to practice and saying she’s always available if they need guest players. Coach emailed her back and said there will definitely be more opportunities. The next day, the JV coach told her they would probably swing by her game, they didn’t end up coming, but the varsity coach did. My daughter is trying not to get her hopes up, but would be thrilled with the chance to move up. Is it realistic to think that she could? There’s a month left in the season (about 11 games left).

My U9 daughter (playing U10) is having a really great season but when she gets the ball in the penalty area she's sort of spazzes out and never gets a shot.

To put it in perspective, the good strikers on the team will maybe get two touches a game in the box and score one goal.

My daughter will get like six to seven touches in the box, with just one defender to beat, and never even get a shot. She panics and rushes.

She definitely has the touch and ball skills to do a little move, move into space and get a nice shot if she could calm down.

Are there any specific drills or coaching techniques you all would suggest to help her with this?

I’d like to know which position on a football team is the most involved in the game.

I play in an amateur league and these teams LOVE to press. From the start of the buildup, teams will press us instantly. So we're already pressured from the goal and then we just lose the ball because we don't have the skills to play around this. My team will lose 10-0 or 6-0, season has been rough. So how do we play around these type of teams?