Match moments / Set pieces
Our kick-off
A kick-off is the only time every player is exactly where we want them. In mini-soccer it can go any way, and you cannot score straight from it, so we use it to keep the ball and start an attack.
In the match
- Decision 1Striker
- Decision 2Midfielder
- Decision 3Winger
You are 9, taking the kick-off.
What is the first pass?
Play the build-up, then choose.
Best choice
In mini-soccer the kick-off can go any way, so a short pass to a teammate facing forward keeps the ball and lets us start the attack properly.
It can work
It moves the ball forward, but usually straight to one of their defenders.
Costly
In mini-soccer a goal cannot be scored straight from a kick-off, so even a perfect shot would not count. It just gives them the ball.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 8, with the ball.
Their striker is coming to press you. What do you do?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
Their striker has come out of position. The space is out wide, and 7 is already running into it.
It can work
Safe, but we lose the chance to go forward while they are still getting into shape.
Costly
Their midfielder comes to help, and we lose it in the middle of the pitch.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 7, on the right with space ahead.
What do you do with it?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
Running at their defender draws them out. As soon as they commit, 9 is free in the middle.
It can work
Early balls can work, but nobody is in the box yet.
Costly
The space is gone in a few seconds. Their winger gets back and we are crowded out.
How you know it is happening
- A goal has just been scored, or it is the start of a half.
- Everyone is in their own half.
- Their players must be at least five yards away until the ball is kicked.
Why it works
Most kick-offs get kicked long and lost. A planned first pass, and players who know where they are running, turns the kick-off into the start of an attack.
The tactics behind it
Your job, by position
- STStriker
- Pass to a teammate facing forward.
- Run forward straight after the kick.
- CMCentral midfielder
- Face forward. Look for the wide run first.
- WWinger and wide midfielder
- Start wide. Run as soon as the ball is played.
How to explain it
- Walk through the first three passes slowly before a match.
- Remind players of the mini-soccer rule: you cannot score straight from the kick-off.
On the training pitch
- On your ownNeeds a friend or the teamIt is about reading other players, so there is no honest way to practise it alone.
- The practiceTriangle passingThe same decision, over and over, with a little pressure.
- The gameThe gameA small-sided game set up so the moment keeps happening.
Set the game up so it keeps happening
- Every restart is a kick-off.
- A goal within four passes of the kick-off counts double.
Three things to say
- Short first pass.
- Wide runner goes early.
- Draw them, then pass.
On Saturday
Tick them off on the day. Nothing is saved: print the page if you want to keep it.
After the whistle
Ask yourself
- Did we keep the ball from our kick-offs?
What to look back on
- How many kick-offs ended with us losing the ball in our own half?