Shape: “Length/Width/Depth”

Shape

Shape is the position the players place themselves when in possession of the ball.  When beginning to train shape, it is important to start with smaller numbers then build to bigger numbers.  Therefore, when training a younger team in shape it is important to break the game down into small sided games.  The implication here is that training eleven versus eleven is relatively useless as the players will quickly lose focus as they are nowhere near the ball.  Furthermore, at any level, the game is broken down into smaller battles of one verses ones, two versus ones, and so forth all over the field.  Essentially a full sided game is really a series of small battles that when looked at from afar becomes the eleven versus eleven everyone is accustomed to seeing.  It is important to first teach a team to play and win these small battles.  When they can win the small battles, winning the bigger battles will follow which will lead to success in the game itself. 

When discussing shape three critical areas must be addressed: length, width and depth.  However, when addressing players it may be best not to use technical terms.  It depends on the age of the players.  It may help to use every day words with younger players.  For age thirteen and younger they may not understand length.  Instead of length tell them to move as far away from the ball as possible while still being able to receive a pass from the player with the ball.  Instead of width ask them if they can move outside to make room for the player with the ball.  This may help the players to understand the concepts without the technical words which they may not understand.  As they advance in age, begin adding these terms in to the sessions as they will have the ability, as well as the need, to understand what these words mean.  

Length primarily refers to a players’ ability to stretch the field vertically.  Stretching the field simply means the player positions themselves in the proper position away from the ball such that they are not to close to it but also not to far away. 

Width refers to a player's position relative to the ball horizontally.  By creating width a player is giving space, to the right and left, for his teammate with the ball to act upon.  Depth refers to a player's position in terms of supporting the ball. 

Depth can be created above, behind or on the sides of the ball thru proper spacing to create passing lanes.  It simply means there are passing options.    

For ages eleven and younger maintain a focus of five versus five a majority of the time.  For ages twelve thru fourteen building into eight versus eights leads to great results.  For ages fourteen and above teaching small sided is still the way to go, however training eleven versus eleven at times will be necessary.  This is not to say that training eight versus eight or eleven versus eleven in game shape should never be done.  In fact there is a place for it, but only for small amounts of time, usually at the end of a session or maybe at the beginning.  The emphasis when training in this manner should be on the "big picture" so players understand how the small sided games fit into the big game.  Build from smaller sided into larger sided games and the players will see a natural progression to the game.

Training shape should begin with three players and the shape to be emphasized is a triangle as three points can either create a triangle or a straight line, and making a straight line is rather useless in this game.   Once the shape of three is understood, move on to the shape of four which is a diamond as a diamond presents player on angles.  The focus of the diamond will be on placement and position of players within a diamond shape.  When moving to five, the shape stays as a diamond however the fifth player will work the middle acting as pivot point thru which the ball can move.  Furthermore, with four and five players it can be noted that a diamond is really a complex sets of triangles, therefore spacing/shape can be taught within the idea of forming triangles on the field. (Diagram 1)

Length, Width and Depth within a Team Shape

Whenever shape is discussed the three most common principles mentioned should be length, width and depth. Length refers to stretching the field vertically as much as possible. Width refers to stretching the field horizontally as much as possible and depth refers to the passing options existing for a team within the structure of the shape. To create the best possible team shape the team must be able to create proper width and length as well as depth in all areas of the field.

The creation of length and width spreads the field for the team in possession. More space between players means more distance for the defense to cover. More space leads to more time for the attacking team. Spreading the defense will also force the defense to work harder as the ball moves due to the larger space they must cover. Additionally as the defense is spread apart seams are created which the attacking team can move into and play through. This is also referred to as showing to the ball in the seam. As these seams are created and exploited, the attacking team now has the ability to move the ball both horizontally and vertically such that they are passing and dribbling on diagonals enabling possession of the ball.

A team that is not playing on diagonals must then be playing balls flat (on a straight horizontal across the field). Any team that is not a professional team, which is all of them at the youth stages should never play flat balls. Though never is a fairly strong word it is pretty accurate. There may be a rare occurrence where playing flat is acceptable but most of the time flat balls lead to a player stuck in the corner with few passing options surrounded by many defenders or worse, a turnover and counter-attack goal. A team should be trained to rarely play flat. Instead play on diagonals. Once the majority of passing and dribbling is on diagonals, then occasionally a flat ball in the middle or attacking thirds of the field will be all right. This should happen rarely if ever in the back third. It is important to understand that the habit should be balls on diagonals and not flat. It is not a one hundred percent certainty that balls should never be flat, however it is fairly close to it. They are just too dangerous and rather unnecessary.

Once the players understand how to create length and width it is important to emphasize that length and width are not created simply for the sake of having them. Length and width are used to separate a defense. Once the space is created this allows the players to check to the balls in seams letting the ball move with ease. As the players learn to be long (length) and wide (width) to spread the field, then they need to show to the ball in the seams that have been created to effectively possess.

After length and width are established it is time to develop an understanding of depth. This simply means that whenever a player is in possession there is more than one option (themselves) of attacking. A player in possession should always have at least two players supporting on good angles so he can play the way he faces. There should also be passing options behind him if indeed he decides to turn away from pressure and players showing in the seams. A team that continually, regardless of where the ball is, has these options is a very dangerous team as they can attack with multiple options in a myriad of ways making play unpredictable and scoring likely.

Finally, a team that can establish length, width and depth, show to the ball in seams, and pass and dribble on diagonals has the ability to possess the ball. A team that does this and plays the way they face then has the ability to play balls to the feet of a player running forward towards the goal which creates very dangerous opportunities for the attacking team. This now is a team well on their way to learning the proper way the game is to be played and when this comes winning will follow

Diagram 2

In terms of team play, it can be seen the the blue represents the defenders, the orange are midfielders and the green are forwards while the red is defense.

The left and right midfielders and fullbacks create width and the forwards create length for the team. The center fullbacks create depth as do the center midfielders. It can be seen by the grey arrows as the ball moves diagonally that possession is the result of the space made by good shape.

Combination Play