21 Feb 2017

Pool Soccer

Pool Soccer is a different, fun, enjoyable and competitive game designed to improve players’ spatial awareness, passing and support skills. it also encourages the defending team to get organised and to defend as a team whilst they are outnumbered.

Organisation

• Area 40 x 30 yards or size to suit numbers, age and ability of the players
• 6 x 5 yard gates, like pockets on a Pool table
• 2 x teams of 3 v 3, 4 v 4, 5, v 5 or 6 v 6 on the pitch
• 2 x teams of 4 players on the outside of the pool table
• Balls, bibs, cones and discs to mark the playing area
• Rotate players so that all players have the opportunity to perform different roles

Start

• One of the teams on the pitch start with the ball (the attackers)
• The other team on the pitch are the defenders
• The four players on the outside of the pitch who have the same colour bibs as the attacking team must start moving to support their team mates on the pitch so that the ball can be passed through any of the pockets to them and then passed back through the same pocket to score a point.
• Only the four players on the pitch can defend, not the other four players on the outside

Objective

• The objective is for the team in possession to create an opportunity to pass the ball through any of the gates (pockets) to a supporting team mate, who then passes it back onto the table to a team mate to score a point / goal.
• Once this has been achieved, the game continues.
• Scoring – like Pool, the first team to score 8 points wins.

How to score a point

• To score, the team must pass through a pocket to a supporting team mate, so team mates on the outside must move to get behind the pockets to receive the ball.
• The supporting team mate must then pass back to a team mate on the “table” to score a point.
• Scoring – like Pool, the first team to score 8 points wins

Possession changes hands or the ball goes out of play

• If possession changes hands or the ball goes out, the teams swap roles, like in a game – defenders now attack and try and score, attackers now have to defend
• The teams on the outside also change roles, remember only the 4 players on the pitch are allowed to defend
• If there is a foul or cheating / interference the attacking team get a free pot from the middle of the pitch – which they must pass through a pocket to a team mate to score
• If the ball goes out of play, the coach or server feeds a ball back into play

Coaching Tips

• Players to play with their heads up and “Picture the pass” before passing, either to a team mate or through a pocket
• Encourage the players to use the side foot passing technique for greater accuracy
• Accurate and well timed / weighted passing
• Movement to find space and support the player on the ball – particularly the outside players to get to the other side of a pocket to receive the pass
• Switch play if one pocket is guarded by the defenders, there are 5 other pockets to score in!!
• Be composed and patient on the ball
• Good communication, both verbally and with hand gestures between the players: Pass now: Pass to space
• As soon as possession is lost, players quickly change roles and change their mentality.
• Rotate players after 8 points are scored.