Improve your walking football in 3 easy steps!

 

I wrote this with my coaching head on rather than as a team mate - but having played with, and observed, the games over many weeks I have come up with three easy ways to improve your game and that of your team! It was aimed at my own club's walking footballers, rather than any form of elite coaching.

Please don’t take this as criticism, it’s not intended that way!

So, the three things I want you to focus on are:

·        Passing

·        Calling & moving

·        Trusting/Listening

 

Here is what you should do!

PASSING

We are too slow in our passing (though this may be down to being too slow to control the ball or too many players in a small area), and because we, as a group, defend well and get back in shape really quickly, so this slow passing means that often we do not get the ball to team mates in a way that allow them to attack the goal!

It also means we attempt the really tricky pass rather than the simple one, increasing the chance of being intercepted and counter attacked!

 

So, always try to get a short, quicker pass to a team mate, rather than wait until you are closed down and your intended recipient is marked!

 

MOVING AND CALLING

As well as the pressure on the passer to move the ball quicker, there is a responsibility on players to help them more than is currently happening. 

It is no good calling for the ball when a player cannot get it to you, or you are 40 metres away, so you HAVE to move into a place where a team mate can pass it to you.

However it is still vital that you call for the ball as this helps your team mates know where you are!

Too many times I see team mates in good positions not call for the ball (wasting their own effort and not helping their team mates)!

 

Often, in walking football, a player who wants to pass a ball is concentrating on controlling it before making a pass so relies on hearing your call, as well as seeing where you are!

(I know many of you think “sneaking” into a position where defenders can’t see you is clever, it’s not!! 

Because if a defender/opponent cannot see you, nor back your team mate!!)

 

TRUSTING AND LISTENING

Finally, to make things work above, you must start to trust your team mates and if they call for the ball (and they are in a position to receive it) they can, in all likelihood, see more of the pitch than you (because your are controlling the ball) so pass it to them!

 

BUT, if they don’t call for the ball, don’t pass it to them!!

 

SUMMARY

The most important thing in football, especially Walking Football, is communication (not skill or speed) as it makes the game easier!

So, remember, pass the ball quicker, listen to people calling for the ball, trust them!

If a team mate has the ball, move to a position to receive an easy pass AND THEN CALL FOR IT!