Shaping the team into a cohesive unit is probably a coach's biggest challenge.  There are a number of ways of doing that.  In this month's practice section for the older players we look at Shadow Play. 

Shadow Play 

Former Liverpool coach Ronnie Moran, once said, with a twinkle in his eye: "They ruined the game of soccer when they introduced opposition. Until then it was easy." 

No doubt about it.  Opponents have a nasty habit of upsetting the game plan. 

Although opponents are a necessary fact of life in soccer, there is still a good case for practicing patterns of team play without opposition.  The method is called Shadow Play. 

Shadow Play in its purist form is 11 vs. 1.  The "1" is the opposing goalkeeper.  Patterns of play are developed on the field so that players can begin to appreciate the types of passes to make, the positions to take up and the timing of runs to coincide with the passes (and cross balls) in order to produce a successful attack. 

The absence of opposition allows the practice to flow and the patterns of play to become understood and established.  Great care must be taken to avoid unrealistic play which would break down in an opponent's presence.  Bad habits established in practice will be punished later in 11 vs. 11 play.  The players ─ and in particular the coach ─ must use their imagination to appreciate what will work in a true game circumstance, and what will not. 

We have a comprehensive section on Shadow Play both in the manual Coaching the Team and on the Byte Size Coaching website (www.bytesizecoaching.com ), but for the purposes of this newsletter we will summarize Shadow Play as succinctly as we can.  Nevertheless, we would highly recommend this methodology for developing your System of Play - with certain provisos.

Let us first look at the illustration below to see how Shadow Play is organized and how it operates. 

Starting Organization 

• Two goalkeepers are in opposite goals with a supply of balls in each goal net.
• The goalkeeper of the 11-a-side team starts with a ball in his hand.
• The field players deploy themselves for a kick or throw from the goalkeeper.
• The coach can direct the goalkeeper to kick or to throw.  For practice purposes it is better to throw more often than kick. 
  

Play has begun with a throw from the goalkeeper to the left side defender. 

The player with the ball, as depicted in the illustration above, has several options - depending on the way you want your team to play: 

Play with the ball wide to the flank player - 1 

Play the ball forward into the feet of the first front striker - 2 

Play a lofted ball over the top of the opposition into the attacking space for a second striker making a run from a center field position - 3 

Play a pass inside to the supporting midfield player ─ who can then set up a pass to either the wide player or the front players - 4 

On the instruction of the coach, the ball can be played backwards or returned to the goalkeeper ─ as it might be in a game if the other options are closed off ─ for the back player or goalkeeper to start again ─ with a pass to the opposite side - 5 

Play continues in a realistic way until a strike on goal ends with a goal, or the ball goes out of play ─ or the opposing goalkeeper secures the ball. 

Sometimes the ball goes over the sidelines through a misplaced pass. Play should be re-started with a throw-in or free kick pass-in. 

This is the basic method of Shadow Play.  However, there are many developments which will add interest and life to this practice method.  We have covered those in detail in the book and on the website.  

As well, on the website and in the book, we suggest ways of getting from one end of the field - after an attack - to the other with various methods that add interest to the practice.  And we give advice on ways to avoid the practice becoming monotonous.  

We know from personal experience just how valuable Shadow Play can be in establishing and further developing a System of Play, but we also know that players need to be motivated and enthused to ensure they enjoy the practice in a positive way. 

Without some form of Shadow Play (other than playing 11 vs. 11 practice games), it is extremely difficult for a team to get a realistic appreciation of team play ─ the combination plays; the different runs, the quality of the passes and crosses and the distances involved in passing and supporting.  In the heat of a game - even a practice game - with the spoiling tactics of the opposition, the strategy you are seeking to implement has less of an opportunity of being "patterned."  Time and experience ─ trial and error over an extended period of time ─ may help establish a team pattern.

But how many coaches (and players) can wait 10 years?