The one v one battle

In reading the earlier post on the Barcelona Youth Academy one little point struck me

"we want to be LESS aggressive, and still more skillful."

It got me thinking about our rewarding aggressive movements around the ball. It was interesting and surprising that the three best in the world this year were taught to be LESS aggressive , while we (here in this country) want more. (see my earlier post on how Barcelona grows talent). In many ways because they were taught under this philosophy they were allowed to flourish and thrive, and I am not the only coach who wonders if in our current system players like Xavi and Iniesta would ever have been given the chance to develop.

There is an old saying "never wrestle with a pig, you will only get dirty and the pig enjoys it."

A famous Brazilian coach once said that most of the rest of the world uses military analogies to describe tactics: flank, attack, destroy, defend, battle, shoot, Brazilian coaches favor more artistic and stylized analogies, create, imagine, rhythm, beauty.

The definition of technique under Brazilian methodology: "completing a task as fast as possible with as little effort as possible."

In soccer you want the kids to want the ball. Those kids that go for the loose ball, that dribble at the goal and take chances. You want them active. But coaches will often ask for and reward aggression encouraging a constant turnover game. In girls soccer especially this has become a huge tactic.

I was coaching the State Womens Select team. At tryouts a highly rated player could not directly beat anyone on one on one dribble challenges, but she was able to win them. She had no moves, she was rough with the ball, so she would take the ball uncomfortably up to the defending player and let them have it. When the defender tried to dribble past her she would counter with a ferocious tackle and come away with the ball easily moving forward. Her best play on the ball was to give it away and then go win it back. While this worked for her, it was really complicated and a lot of work. It was not simple. And it was indicative of the system she was brought up in. Where the ball is always loose, winning the ball back becomes important.

We are developing a generation of these types of players. Players that crash into each other, and if they are not the coaches and parents are calling for it!

Barcelona's attitude is more than just clean soccer, it is a way of life and teaching. Barcelona was able to develop players because of a singular belief in the philosophy of Cruyff and that it's important to stick with it long term. Cruyffian Ideas like the "most difficult thing is to play simple," becomes more than a silly saying, it becomes a call to action. Keep working on our technique! more, use technique, get it done simply. If you have the ball then, well, you don't have to fight for it.

When there are no fights the big kids don't always win. More kids are encouraged to develop.

When skillful teams can get drawn into these kinds of games, they spend all their effort fighting for the ball, meanwhile the other team, like the pig, is enjoying this, after all that's waht they do game after game.

Working out the problem of winning the 1 v 1?

1. Figure out what you believe and commit to it long term. What are they traits you want in a player? Creative, assertive, problem solvers. Start with the idea and dream it possible. Then get to work.

2. Encourage effort directed more clearly at solving the problem of winning the ball back. Battling through a one on one challenge is important at the college level, but while the kids are learning they should be taught other ways around the aggresive ball attack. Can they artfully skip away (taught in Brazil in technical train phase called 'Anticipation'), can they Get the job done cleanly and quickly, elegantly solutions to the right questions.

3. Build comfort on the ball as a part of keeping it. comfort dribbling on the attack, and clean and inventive ways to dispossess with as little effort as possible. Put them in situations where these skills are needed, tight spaces, low emotional pressure with encouragment to try things.


Repeat a million times!


So don't fight, but get the job done, keep it simple and never wrestle with a Pig.

TK