Performance and Practice of Soccer

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Welcome to class! 

In today’s class, we will be talking about the performance and practice of soccer. Enjoy the class!

Performance and Practice of Soccer

• Possession (%):

This measures the amount of time a team controls the ball as a % of game time. Usually, camera systems track the seconds each team is in control of the ball. Analysis has proven that possession % does not correlate to winning games. This metric is therefore only useful if your game philosophy and strategy is to dominate possession. Then you should establish a target of possession % (say > 65% +) and practice how to play a possession game.

• Scoring chances & shots taken:

Shots taken is what you see on TV and it is a simple measure. Any shot from anywhere deemed to be in the direction of the goal counts as a shot taken, regardless of whether or not it hits the target. So a shot going up into the rafters counts as a shot taken. There is very little subjectivity. The metric is to count the number of shots taken by the team during a game.

Scoring chances are more subjective, but in my opinion more relevant. A scoring chance is defined as a play that offered a good chance of scoring a goal, even if the final shot isn’t taken. The metric is to count the number of scoring chances your team generates in a game.

To illustrate the difference between these two measurements:

A shot taken from 30 m out that goes 5 m wide of the net is counted as a “shot taken”, but wouldn’t qualify as a scoring chance.

A cross into the box to an open player 5 m in front of goal is a scoring chance, even if the player slips and never gets their foot on the ball – no shot is taken.

• Shots on goal:

This metric goes with both of the previous metrics – scoring chances and shots taken. You count the number of shots on goal. A useful statistic would be to calculate the % shots on goal as a percentage of shots taken AND as a percentage of scoring chances. A low % of shots on goal indicates that shots that were taken need accuracy improvement or scoring chances need finishing improvement (determination, timing, etc.).

Ultimately goals scored as a % of shots taken or scoring chances generated gives you an idea of the efficiency and effectiveness of your team’s attacking plays.

• Getting by opposing players:

This is a more recent metric. There are two ways to get by an opposing player – a 1 v.1 move or a pass. Furthermore, it is of significance which players you get by, any player or defenders. So, the metrics are, for each player and aggregated to team total for a game (or practise drill)

The 4 Elements of Improvement

1. Commitment: The first element of improvement is commitment. Just saying you want to improve is useless unless you have a plan for what exactly you want to improve and what exactly you need to do to achieve your desired objective. For example, if you want to improve conditioning, you might schedule an agility session and a long-distance run into your weekly training.
2. Effort: Great improvement requires great effort on a consistent. Giving half effort in drills or going through the motions in practice will not advance your game very far. In continuing with the example, improving your conditioning requires more effort than a long-distance jog or running a few agility ladders at half speed.
3. Focus: The third element of improvement is the focus. When you are tired or practice becomes monotonous, you need to have some type of practice goal that can keep you focused on your main objective or the specific area of your game that you want to improve.
4. Mental Toughness: This is the most important element of the four.  Mental toughness will keep you pushing forward when you don’t see immediate results, when you regress slightly during the season or when you have a bad game.

 

In our next class, we will be talking about Basic Skills and Moves in Contact and Non-Contact Sport.  We hope you enjoyed the class.

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