13: Grow Coach Newsletter
Football Coaching: The benefits of the 1v1 duel
A warm welcome from JustCoachMD. We are happy to have you on board.
Here is What to Expect:
The Benefits of 1v1 Activities.
Session Share: You could try 3 x versions of 1v1 with your players.
Session Commentary: Focus on the BDA coaching process.
Coach Project: Design a 1v1 activity.
Football Coaching: Dominate the 1v1 Duel
Football is a sport that requires a lot of skill and strategy. Whether you’re playing as an attacker or a defender, you need the right skills to perform well on the field.
One way to improve your skills is through 1v1 activities. From improving technique to better decisions, these activities are a must.
Why 1v1 Activities?
1v1 activities involve two players in various positions on the field. The objective is for one player to get past the other and score a goal or escape the pressure. These drills help players develop their dribbling, attacking, and defensive skills. They also help players improve their speed, agility, and decision-making abilities.
1v1 is where players learn players to dominate their duel. A benefit of 1v1 is that each duel can be practised from a variety of angles, distances, and positions.
When players get familiar with the 1v1 duel they are faced with they start to develop the tools they need to take control in these situations. The repetition of the actions brings composure and control.
The best 1v1 activities are realistic and specific to the game. It is the coach’s responsibility to design drills that recreate the decisions and pressures of the game. Every position on the field has slightly different versions of 1v1.
Part of your job is to recreate these pressures in a training environment. The coach must observe the modern game and identify the player’s needs.
Benefits of 1v1’s
Enhances attacking skills: Dribbling is an essential skill. It allows players to practice dribbling against a defender in a realistic game-based scenario. This helps players improve their dribbling and ball control whilst under pressure from a defender.
Learn a variety of moves to beat the defender: The players develop skills such as stops starts, turns, changes of pace, and dragging moves. These moves are useful for planting the defender’s feet and allow the attackers to create a space to escape the pressure of the defender.
Creating Space: Players learn how to create space for themselves by beating defenders, and scoring a goal or getting an end product on whatever skill occurs after a dribble. These activities encourage players to take on defenders and make quick decisions in high-pressure situations.
Improves defensive skills: 1v1 can help players improve their defensive skills. They learn how to anticipate their opponent’s moves, block shots, tackle, and intercept effectively. Positioning and timing are 2 additional defensive qualities that are enhanced as a result of 1v1 duels.
Defensive shape and positioning: Players learn to position themselves to force play in specific directions or to protect certain spaces. They learn to delay attacks and make attempts to win back the ball at the right time. The defender learns to read the triggers so that the ball can be won back.
Triggers to win back the ball: A loose touch, a big touch, or an attacker that turns back where they came from helps to inform the defender that the time is right to take back the ball.
Psychological Benefits
Increases confidence: When a player can beat a defender in a 1v1 duel successfully, it boosts their confidence and motivates them to keep improving. The exposure and repetition of such drills ensure that players are confident to try out new skills or keep going against a tough opponent.
Promotes ownership: When players practice in duels that involve lots of touches of the ball they have no choice but to take control of the situation. The familiarity of 1v1 activities from a variety of distances, angles, and positions ensures that the player can learn how to cope.
The exposure to pressure does not seem as intense and the player becomes quietly confident that they can find a way to dominate the opponent they are up against.
Develops decision-making skills: 1v1 activities require players to make quick decisions on the field. They need to decide whether to pass, dribble, or shoot the ball. These on-field choices help players improve their decision-making under pressure.
Physical Benefits
Enhances fitness levels: 1v1 duels are an excellent way to improve your fitness levels. These activities involve a lot of running, sprinting, and changes of direction. They help players improve their endurance, speed, and agility.
The intense bursts of activity mean that they are an excellent way to mirror the demands of a game. An additional benefit is that these drills maximise contacts on the ball.
Speeding up and slowing down: The attacking and defending elements of the 1v1 duels mean that players get lots of opportunities to accelerate and decelerate. These are important skills for players to learn. The footwork involved in speeding up and slowing down develops strong, powerful muscles.
Better recovery: Recovery time improves as a result of a 1v1 duel. The repeated nature of the activities means that players perform short intense periods of work. These are followed by short periods of recovery.
Exposure to this interval-like training is a great way of improving fitness. It enhances the player’s ability to perform repetitive actions over and over.
Types of 1v1 Football Activities
Further benefits of 1v1 activities include their adaptability. The 1v1 can be performed from different angles and formats to mirror various moments of the game. For example:
Pressure from in front: The attacker is facing the defender when trying to beat them.
Pressure from the back: The defender is behind the attacker trying to win the ball.
Sideways pressure: The defender is at the side of the defender.
Directional: This means the 1v1 duel has a direction for each player.
Multi-directional: This duel does not typically have a direction of play, players have the freedom to roam.
Skill-based: The drill is set up with a focus on skills such as shooting, turning, and crossing.
Coaches should use different variations of 1v1 when coaching players. This allows the players to develop the skillsets required to deal with the demands of the game. These activities can be incorporated as arrival activities, as a part of the training session, or as stand-alone sessions.
Common Mistakes of 1v1 Activities
If you plan on using 1v1 activities then it might be useful to look out for some of the following common errors.
Missing the chance to use changes of speed. Ideally, an attacker should only have to beat the defender once. If the attacker has to keep beating the same player over and over it suggests they are not using a change of pace following the skill.
No end product. Players need to strive for an end product in their 1v1 moment. A shot, a cross, or a pass preceding the skill is vital. Too often players produce a 1v1 moment then mess up the next part or lose the ball.
A poor balance between attacking and defending. The defending quality needs just as much emphasis as the attacking.
Are the defenders closing down quickly enough?
Are they tough to beat?
The coach should challenge the defenders to make it as difficult as possible for the attackers.
Poor use of the first touch. The attacker’s first touch should be out of their feet towards the space they want to travel or at the sides of the defender. Players often take their touch into pressure or towards the defender. This makes it easier for the defender to steal the ball.
It is a joint effort between the player and the coach to fix these errors. The player needs to self-correct if they are experiencing a problem. The coach needs to check for errors and offer fixes.
Session Share: 1v1 Football Activities
Players can begin to achieve the benefits of 1v1 football activities using these practices. They will allow players to get the returns they need to become better in attacking and defending moments. Here are three different drills that may be of some use.
1v1 Drill with Back to Play
Organisation: A rectangle pitch with 4 target goals is needed. Add an end zone in front of each pair of goals. Arrange the players in pairs, 1 attacker and 1 defender. Split the group into pairs of attackers and place them diagonally, at opposite ends of the pitch. Place a target player between the goals at each end of the pitch.
How it works: The first attacker dribbles around between the goals. A defender follows the attacker. The ball must be passed to the target player between the goals. The attacker must get turned and score in the goals behind them. The defender must regain and score in the goals that are in front of them.
Progression: To add a little more traffic two pairs of players could go at the same time. This might mean that the attackers need to adjust their movements and positioning if another pair of players is in the way.
1v1 Inner and Outer Goals
Set-Up: On a square pitch, line up 4 goals through the centre of the pitch. The outer goals face into the practice and the inner goals face out of the practice. The attackers start on one side of the square and the defenders start on the opposite side of the square.
Run the drill: The defender dribbles the ball onto the pitch and passes to the attacker. The attacker tries to beat the defender and score in any of the inner goals. The defender must win the ball and score in any of the outer goals.
Progression: This activity could allow two pairs of players to go at the same time. This means four players would be on the pitch at the same time. More traffic means players have to manipulate the ball to avoid the other pair. The drill could also be played as a 2 v 2.
Around the Goals 1v1
Run the duel: On a rectangle pitch set up 4 mini goals. Place players on each corner of the pitch. One team (blacks) has a ball each and the other team (reds) acts as defenders. Players must run around the goal and then onto the pitch. There is an endzone in front of each pair of goals (dashed line).
Play: Four players run around the goals and then enter the pitch at the same time. 2 players have a ball (attackers) and 2 players (defend). This means that two 1v1s are happening at the same time.
Each 1v1 must be played until a finish. Either the attacker scores, the ball goes off the pitch, or the defender wins the ball and scores. The scorer must be beyond the dashed line to score.
As soon as a ball goes out. The attacker and defender from the game that has just finished can help the other attacker/defender. This means that the game can become a 2v2 with the same rules and conditions.
Progression: A coach could serve in a second ball to the red defenders once the initial two 1v1s have ended. This means that the defenders would get the chance to attack in a 2v2 and there would be lots of gamelike transitions within the activity1.
Session Commentary:
When coaching 1v1 activities it can be useful to develop a coaching process. The process will help the coach to provide logical steps to aid the player's understanding.
For 1v1 moments the before, during and after process is very helpful.
Before: Observe the player’s actions before the ball arrives, are they scanning ahead? Do they prepare themselves to receive the ball? This is something the coach can help the player with to develop composure.
During: Once the player has the ball, check out the technical execution of the skills they use to overcome the defender’s pressure. Do they get their touch right? Are they performing the skills correctly? Help the players when they have the ball.
After: How does the player react once they have beaten the defender or won back the ball? Do they just stop or do they need to react to the movement of the ball?
Coach players this detail especially for 1v1 duels. It will help them to become consistent and composed, with clear plans of action.
“If you train badly, you play badly. If you work like a beast in training, you play the same way’’.
P. Guardiola
For each of the 1v1 moments above some key coaching points could be:
Before the ball:
Scan and Plan: What action will the player take and what body position do they need to take up to be successful?
During the ball:
Speed, Skill, Strength: What asset will the player use to be successful? They must pick the correct one to help them win the duel.
After:
Show, Share, Score: What happens now they have acted? Does the player need to do anything else? Show for the ball, Give the ball to a teammate or score a goal.
It is important to think about this detail before you coach. It will help you to provide clear ideas for the players and clarity in the message that you want to share with the players.
Conclusion
1v1 activities are essential in developing a player’s skills. Here is a summary of the key points provided in the text.
The 1v1 helps players to improve their attacking and defending skills. They also help players improve their decision-making, confidence, and fitness levels.
By incorporating 1v1’s into your team’s routine, they will become better players and improve their overall game.
1v1 activities should be performed from a variety of angles and distances. This will place different pressures on the players. It will create problems that the attackers and defenders have to solve.
The various types of 1v1 drills each one will develop different skills that players have to master and create pressures that they have to overcome.
There are common mistakes that occur in 1v1 moments. Not using changes of speed to beat the defender or a lack of end product are two examples.
As coaches, we should be observing our players and try to help them fix or overcome the problems that occur in 1v1 moments.
Practice Design: Design a 1v1 activity to practice a type of 1v1 that is most relevant to your team.
Coach Task :
Design a practice activity for 6 – 12 players to work on dominating 1v1 duels. then develop the session detail to share with the players:
•Keep it SIMPLE
•Ensure it is REPETITIVE
•Include a COMPETITION
Note Down:
•The rules and organization
•Progressions and regressions
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