Philosophy

Our philosophy is based on the Dutch Football idea of ‘total football’. The goal is to develop players
who can seamlessly fit into each others roles. Total football depends on the individual player’s skills,
their ability to beat their defender and most importantly the ability to switch positions depending on the
demands of the situation. ‘Total Football’ is also ‘African football’, it is played in almost all of Africa.
It is based on possession and dribbling skill, in Africa when kids play ‘street soccer’ there are times
when they have no goals and their way of scoring is based on how they beat their defenders or they
string some passes together.

“The system's key requirements, such as position switching, the utilisation of space and creative
individualism, are underpinned by the defence and the ability of defenders to think and operate
like attackers because it is from the back that offensive movements are born.” (Rinus Michels,
Totaalvoetbal)

Our style of play will focus on three main moments in the game, in possession, opponents in possession
and the change of possession stage (transition).

In Possession- when we are in possession, we have to strive to play possession football. The player in
possession of the ball has a problem (the defense) and it is up to her teammates to help her out by
moving into space.
Opposition in Possession- when the opposition has the ball we have to immediately press the ball, we
have to press the two closest passes to the player in possession thereby forcing the player in possession
to look for a harder, more difficult pass.
Change of Possession (Transition) - when we get the ball off the opposition, the very next pass has to
go forward, forcing the opposition on their back-foot. When the opposition takes the ball off us the
very first thing that we need to do is press the ball, pressing the ball while it is in transition creates
problems for the attacking team. If a player is function effectively within this system they need to have
the following skills as a foundation. These skills are merely a foundation and they can and will need to
be expanded on as the players develop.

Ball Mastery

It is important that the players develop a mastery of all fundamental movement skills before we start to
focus on the sport specific or tactical skills. The players must feel comfortable with the ball at their feet
before they are taught tactical placement and movement. The focus with these skills needs to be on
(successful) repetition and reinforcement.
Dribbling- Players should be encouraged to dribble at a younger age. Dribbling is the most
fundamental skill that the players need yet it is often overlooked. From a young age players are told to
pass the ball when they really should hold onto the ball, they are taught to shy away from one on one
situations instead of embracing them. Players should be allowed to take risks and learn from their
mistakes. In order to reinforce the children’s sense of adventure and creativity, parents and coaches
should yell and cheer when their children beat a defender with a move as much as they would when the
child scores a goal.

Beating the defender - every player should have an arsenal of moves which they can use to beat the
defender. The most basic of these skills are ;

1. The inside / Outside cut – this should be done on the move and in a stationary position.
2. Pullback
3. Cruyff
4. Step-over – stationary and on the move
5. Scissor- stationary and on the move
6. Rollover
7. V Cut
8. Drag and Push

These moves are the building blocks of many other moves. If a player can execute these skills
effectively they can add more elaborate moves to their repertoire. Players must be reminded to take
risks and try their moves as often as possible. Coaches should also stress that the players attack the
space on either side of the defender as this sets up the defender.

Passing and Receiving

Players should be taught the basic passes. They should also be taught the importance of body shape
when receiving the ball, how to receive the ball and how to set up the next move. There are three basic
passes
1. Driven – inside of the foot and outside of the foot
2. Chipped
3. Bent

The driven pass is the most important pass because the driven pass is the one that most players will use
for a large amount of the game. Variations may be that they use the inside or the outside of the foot.
The same principles should be stressed when working on most passes, ‘knee over ball’, ‘lock your
ankle’, ‘follow through’ and ‘head over ball’.
Players should also be taught how to receive a pass, they have to be aware of the space around them
and to move the ball in the direction they want to go to with an effective first touch. Emphasis should
be placed on body positioning ( players should try to be parallel with the sidelines when receiving the
ball on the move).

Movement off the ball

As mentioned earlier, when the player is in possession of the ball they have a problem. The dribbler’s
team-mates have to help her by moving into space. These movements are based on the positioning of
the ball.
There are five basic movements
1. Crossing or Lateral Run- Sideline to sideline
2. Penetrating – Goal line to goal line
3. Diagonal- Corner run
4. Checkback
5. Overlap/ Underlap
 Movement off the Ball

There are five types of runs players can make off the ball on attack. It is critical to know what each type
is and the circumstances when it's likely to be most effective.

Crossing or Lateral Run: Sideline to sideline- the attacker runs from left to right (or vice versa). This
run is most effective when someone can't run deeper without becoming offside or when the attacker
wants to clear space for a teammate (because if the defender follows the run, the original space the
defender was in becomes open for someone else to dribble into).

Penetrating Run: goal line to goal line- the attacker heads straight downfield. This tends to work best
either on the flanks, against a defense that has pushed up the field and may be playing an offside trap
(but there is space behind the last line of defenders) or when the attacking team is deep in their own end
of the field. If the defending team has a sweeper then the goal is to get the ball to the target player’s
feet (who should be playing with her back to the goal) and then making a penetrating run into the
spaces to the right/ left of the sweeper. In all cases, the attackers have some space to work with.

Diagonal Run: corner to corner- the attacker goes from left to right (or vice versa) but at an angle or
diagonal. This is a perfect run for forwards looking to get into space. By going wider and deeper in a
consistent line (the diagonal), it punishes defenders who are ball watching, it allows forwards to sneak
into defensive zones and can improve passing angles. It doesn't require as much space as a penetrating
run (so is more usable on any other part of the field). Finally, it's a superb clearing run - any defender
who follows a forward making a diagonal run is pulled badly out of position, the defense loses its'
shape and there is space for another attacker to run into and receive a pass (but now with no defender in
it)

Checkback Run: in this the attacker comes to the teammate with the ball. This makes sense when
space is tight (near the opposing goal), when there is a poor passing angle to the attacker or the passing
lane is blocked (but moving closer to the ball creates an open passing lane) or the player with the ball
doesn't have the skill to make the pass to the attacker unless he/she checks back. The Checkback run is
also a superb way of creating space for a teammate, if a player checks back to the ball and the defender
follows, there is now a hole that another attacker (making a diagonal run) can move to and receive a
pass.

Overlapping Run: A teammate (usually a defender) runs behind the player with the ball and then up
the sideline. There is also another type of the overlap which is sometimes referred to as the underlap.
The defender or runner makes a run on the inside instead of the outside

Finishing
Players should be taught how to finish effectively. There are a number of shots that an effective finisher
needs.
1. Driven shot- off the laces/ inside of foot
2. Finesse shot – to the corners
3. Chipped shot
4. Bent shot
5. One touch shot