An introduction to the Global Method of Coaching Soccer

How do modern coaches such as Mourinho, Wenger,Hiddink and others manage to increase performance of players beyond the normal bounds of todays training limits? Limits such as fitness, tactical limits of players restricted training time etc....the answer is in the use of the Global Method of Coaching.

What is the Global Method of Coaching Soccer?

To first understand this method we need to understand the Principle of Specificity. This priciple states that in order to perform in any sport the training given to a performer must be desinged only for that sport and its given demands, taking this a step further training must be specific to the system which will be played by the team. Now lets take that further, those of us of a soccer coaching or training back ground will understand that there are many methods such as patterns, conditioned games, drills and unopposed drills, speed and agility work and also back ground support such as specialised gyms. Loooking at these try and fit these into a game and you will find that non of these can be isolated or seperated during match performance and also that no specific area is soley the reason for a given result i.e winning is not just down fitness, technique etc.Given this shouldnt our soccer training be conducted in a way that ensures that as many of the areas of performance are worked TOGETHER as possible?

This is what Global Training achieves all four areas of performance i.e mental, physical, technical and tactical are conditioned at the same time, in line with how they would be in a game

The main methods of Global training are small sided transition based games and specific strength, speed and resistance training based on the teams model of play. The aim of this article is to provide with four tools to improve your coaching along the lines of the global method. I will provide examples but the main aim will be to give a format so that you as a coach can use your own imagination this is most important!

This will focus on four areas:

Small sided global games
Adjustments to the games
Adjusting training from the model of play
Effectively ordering the weekly cycle of sessions between games

Small sided global games

Small sided global games are training games which include all four moments of play i.e attacking, defending, transition from attack to defense and transition from defense to attack. Included in these games is technique conditioning, tactical conditoning and decision making ensuring a Global work focus.

In order to do this games should be set out in a specific format as follows:

2v2 -4x2min, 2 min rest,30x20 yard grid(80%HR)
3v3-4x4 mins 30 secs,1 min 30 secs rest,40x25 yard grid(90%-100%HR WITH MAN MARKING)
4x4-4x4mins,2 mins rest,40x30 yard grid(90%HR)
5v5-4x6mins,1min 30secs rest,45x30 yard grid(80%-90%HR)
6v6-3x8mins,1 mins 30 secs rest,50x30 yard grid(80%HR)
8v8-4x8mins,1 mins 30 secs rest,75x45 yard grid(80%HR)

This format for each of the game set ups above will provide a foundation for meeting fitness objectives whether aerobic or anerobic. Even doing a keep ball sessions with this basic format would increase your players fitness beyond traditional methods depending on the intensity of the game set up you choose. But in order to make these games fully effective we need to consider our objectives and the adjustments we can make.

Adjusting the games

The basic format has already been outlined but in order to make these more effective we have to consider fine tuning the conditions.

A note about transition, I have not stated above that each game must have goals as attack and defense are not the only form of transition. The moment of gaining and losing the ball is also a form of transition. So it is this area we will be looking at also within the conditions.

There are three main adjustment areas for the global method:

Adjusting the area size/shape
Adjusting the number of touches on the ball
Numbers up/Numbers down

Why change only these three? This is a good question to ask, the answe is again specificity of training. If you watch any match three aspect will change all of the time 1) the space which can be played in, 2) the number of player at different times of the game both supporting and pressuring the player with the ball,3) as a result of both of the other two changing the number of touches a player can take on the ball in any given space of time will change. During these changes we do notput a limit on which technique must be used during play as the technical solution to each problem players face will not be the same all of the time, we need players that can think and play with a range of technique!

Adjusting the areas size/ shape

Changing the size of the area will adjust the focus onto two main aspects, firstlt the larger the area the more choice of decisions and so tactic which are open to the players, making the area smaller will place the focus on speed of thought and action increasing the skill needed to make a decision and put this into action. This will also increase the number of skill repetitions performed by a player in a space of time giving a more intense individual cardiovascular work out.

The third of the pitch such as defensive,midfield or attacking third will also give the area more effectiveness, for example if the area is the attacking third the tactical focus is attacking. If you keep one goal and change the size you can see how more skill is needed to attack in a smaller area at a faster work rate.

Why no end zones or curved/ daigonal sides? Although usefull to traditonal training methods the use of areas other than tight areas or areas which are not one of the above tactical thirds is counter to what takes place during a game. For example training in a circle is not specific to the game, during one of the games phases the team may be tighly spaced into one of the three thirds but always in the area of the whole rectcangle pitch therefore there is only a need to use variations of square/ rectangle zones, half or full pitches. We can also use three third pitches in line with specificity. The way players think about space in training must be how they think of it during a game.

Adjusting the touches on the ball

Adjusting the touches on the ball is very good condition to adjust, this should be done with the training aim of being able to play skillful soccer with as few touches as possible when needed or to be able to hold the ball 1v1 when needed.

Adjustments to touches should be made as follows in order of priority:

1v1 holding the ball
3 touch
2 touch
1 touch

The rational for this is as follows, before players can hold the ball as a team they need to be able to do so as individuals, before the team can play fast one touch soccer they need to be able to hold the ball as a team playing 3 or 2 touch soccer with good control.

When you add this to different area size and shape/ format as listed above you get a realistic pressure thus giving a realistic tool for adding the global aspect of technique. Thus far we have looked at the main ways to adjust fitness, technique and decision making in a global way but what about tactics?

Numbers up/Numbers down

This is the first of two areas where tactics come into to play the second will be discussed later.
When we adjust this conditon we adjust the tactical problem to be solved, for example take a 6v5 keep away and we have 6 with an advantage conditoning the 6 to solve the problem of how to keep the ball in when they have numbers up, flip this around and we can have five 5 learning to keep when outnumbered. When we add the above adjustments it is possible to adjust our training globally to any situation or principle of play we can think of.

We can also run double themed games, for example we can coach the 5 to press. We can work on how we press? When do we press? The structure of numbered up/numbered down games is best done in the way of tactical problem solving.

Adjusting training games to the model of play

When trining we can make our Games more Globally specific by focusing them onto the model of play.

For example if we play 4 in midfield we can work on varitions of 4v4 using only our midfield players,for example 4v3 in case we come up against a system of 3 midfielders or we could use 4 defenders v 5 attackers. In order to adjust or games for the playing model we need to ask the following basic question what qualities do my players have? I will work through an example using a 4-4-2.

Our model is the 4-4-2, our players are 2 strikers, 4 mids including 2 wingers, and 4 defenders.

With this decided you wil need to discuss how you will defend and you attitue to ball possession and movement. This example lets work on ball orientated defending and mostly 2-1 touch play.

You will then need to define how each segment (def,mid and attack) will play as a unit then in relation to each other. We will go with a back four which plays zonaly and midfield which presses as a 4 infront of the back four when we dont have the ball and when we do have the ball wide players join the attack giving effectively 4 strikers, we will ask for constant movement from our 2 strikers. Thus giving us a basic model which we can use to outline a basic format from the method above. I will outline the example format below.

4-4-2 Example format

Primary training themes
-possesion
-1/2 touch play in small spaces
-shooting
-penetration/width

Secondary themes
- movement of the stikers as a pair
-wing support
-midfield defending
- back four

These are the themes which we would use to develope or global training, we take the above adjustments and decide on a bank of drills which would globally train the above tactical themes with the specific fitness to perform these themes.

A word of warning before you plan this is that when you have developed what you need for your system the drills cant be used or another system as specific needs between systems vary, it is no good trying to globally condition a 4-4-2 then playing a 4-3-3.

Once you have decided the system work backwards from this, this is called reverse performance coaching. You would then work back to create you global games in line with the specific demands.

You would then adjust the above format of games and adjustments to condition the end results as they would be played in a match thus giving you a specific training model, I advice you practice adjusting the principles to the above outline to gain an understanding.

Effectively ordering the weekly cycle

To do this work as follows:

Low to high intensity

As an example lets say you have a game every weekend and train every day you would work as follows:

Game>>>recovery intensity>>>>>low/medium intensity>>>>medium>>>>>high intensity>>>match

Remember that each sessions you are working your primary themes more intense every sessions and working the sub themes on a roation basis.

Once you have done this for pre-season you would then alter your games to globally train your team to play against the weakness of the opponent thu developing a game plan.

I hope this has given you a basic insight into this method or sparked your thinking enough to do more learning.