Soccer Stopper Formation 8v8

Importance of a Stopper and soccer formations for 8 vs. 8, compares 2-2-1-2 and 2-1-2-2 formations, and how to choose a Stopper.

NOTE: SoccerHelp Premium contains over 60 pages about soccer formations and assigning positions.

Following is a letter SoccerHelp received from a Boys Rec U-13 coach who is a Premium subscriber and our reply. There are also parts of 2 letters at the end from coaches about the importance of a Stopper, and tips for 2-1-2-2 and 2-1-3-1 formations:

Hello,

First of all, thank you for the great practical information on SoccerHelp and SoccerHelp Premium. The information on "Assigning Positions" and "Formations" has been especially helpful. (Note from SoccerHelp: Here are links to these 2 documents and another we think is very important: Assigning Positions, Formations, Most Important Things To Teach and Read)

I am a first time Rec league coach for a U-13 Boys team. My soccer playing experience includes about 7 years of youth soccer and 1 year in high school.

Our league tries to evenly distribute players according to ability across 8 teams. We play 8 vs. 8 including goalies (7 on the field plus a goalie).

The team I coach has 11 players, 2 of which really standout. One is an excellent shooter and dribbler. The other has decent technical skills, but is "dominant" from a standpoint of pure athleticism.

For our first game (which was this week), the hardest decision for me to make was who to play as goalkeeper, the athletic superstar or the second option which was a BIG drop-off in ability.

I decided before the game to put the more athletic player in goal for the first half and the second option in goal for the second half. Listed below is what happened. (By the way, we only had 8 players show up--no subs. The other team had 11.)

FIRST HALF:

Strategy: 2-2-1-2 formation with the excellent shooter as the lone midfielder who played like a center forward when we were on offense. The 2 stoppers stayed in our half of the field. The 2 fullbacks stayed in the penalty box. The athletic player was the goalkeeper.

Results: Our team (4 shots on goal, 1 corner kick & 1 great save) Other team (7 shots on goal & 4 corner kicks)

First Half Score: Our team 1 / Other team 1

Comment: The ball was in our Defensive Third for most of the first half. Our only goal was on a Breakaway by the talented shooter. The other team's goal was an excellent shot on the ground to the far side of the goal.

SECOND HALF:

Strategy: 2-1-2-2 formation with the excellent shooter moved up to forward. The 2 midfielders were permitted to go up on offense, but rarely did. The 2 fullbacks stayed in the Penalty Box. The athletic player played Stopper, and the second option played goalkeeper. The stopper was told he was free to go up on offense, but his first priority was defense.

Results: Our team (12 shots on goal, 3 Corner Kicks & 1 save) Other team (2 shots on goal & 0 corner kicks)

Second Half Score: Our team 5 / Other team 1

Comment: The ball was in our Middle Third and Attacking Third for most of the second half. Our talented shooter had 7 shots on goal and scored 3. The stopper scored one by dribbling down the sideline from the midfield and shooting from far out. Our other forward scored a goal from persistent rebounding inside the goal box. The 2 shots from the other team resulted in a goal that should have been stopped and a ball that was dropped and then picked up by the goalkeeper (this is the one save listed above).

FINAL ANALYSIS:

What a difference it made to have the dominant athlete play Stopper instead of goalkeeper. We were 1-1 at the half, and won 6-2 after changing to a 2-1-2-2 and putting my most athletic player at Stopper.

Goalkeeper is arguably the most important position on the field, but not if you have a field player who can significantly reduce the opponent's shots on goal as well as create more scoring opportunities for your team.

Hope this feedback helps,

Coach Michael, U-13 Boys Rec, AL, USA

SoccerHelp's Reply:

Hi Michael,

Thanks for this excellent analysis. I think you have an excellent grasp of positions. It's very interesting how much of a difference the Formation change made when combined with putting your best athlete at Stopper. This confirms my thought that in Rec soccer the most important position is "Stopper", and 2nd is to have a strong scorer at Forward.

Send me your address and we will send you 30 free Red Soccer Ball Patches for taking the time to write this. Use these to reward hustle, bravery and winning the ball -- my boys called them "Blood Patches" and they were coveted -- they really make a difference. ONLY give them out for hustle, bravery, winning the ball and defensive toughness -- NOT for goals scored unless it involves bravery, hustle and toughness.

Any other feedback would be very much appreciated. You have an excellent tactical grasp of youth soccer.

Here are some tips:

1. Play the "Dribble Across A Square" game 3 times to start EVERY practice (use it as a warm-up) and ask each player his score at the end of each game -- trust me, this really works.

2. Teach Coaching Rule No. 3 (at "Coaching Rules" in Premium) -- it's worth 1 or 2 goals per game.

3. Play games that involve dribbling and maintaining possession, such as "Double Dare Attack/Defend" and "Dribble Turn and Shoot".

4. Try the "2 Team Keepaway Game" -- it combines 1v1, team play and teaches fast transitions.

5. Be sure ALL your players can make a "Lofted Pass" -- this is especially important for your defenders to be able to clear the ball, but also so your Stopper and Midfielder's can send Lofted Passes into the open space toward the opponent's goal. Our "Chips/Lofted Passes Game" is a good way to teach this.

I'll bet you have a great season. The parents and kids will love having a good coach and being successful as a team.

David
SoccerHelp

U-14 Boys 11v11 3-1-4-2 Formation Letter:

Hi David...Wanted to follow up as promised with regard to the 3-1-4-2 you recommended and we played this weekend...what a difference! We ended in a shutout...a 0-0 tie, which was a definite victory for us against a bigger and stronger team. The 3 Fullbacks stayed home and were patient throughout the match, shutting down almost flawlessly anything that came their way. The real show-stopper though was putting my strongest player at the single stopper position as you recommended. He played unbelievably and my only worry was when I had to rest him and have another player fill in for awhile. It really pays off to play your dominant player in the Stopper spot.

Letter From U-12 and U-14 Rec Girl's Coach:

I can't tell you enough how playing with a "Stopper" has improved our play and changed our style of play. WOW! Because of adding a stopper (I use 1-2 stoppers for U-12 and 2 stoppers for U-14 girls) our attack is now ACTUALLY AN ATTACK! And our defense is stout, which creates a lot of transitional play and counter attack opportunities.

Through the first 3 games we have out-shot our opponents on average 4 - 1. My U-12 team has won 2 games and tied the other (against a much bigger opponent) by a combined score of 16-5. My U-14 team has won all 3 games by a combined score of 10-1.

Importance of Stopper, Patches and Coaching Rule No. 3; Letter from U-10 Coed Rec Coach Playing 9v9:

Hi SoccerHelp,

We had 1 win and 4 narrow losses until I put into place your tactics for playing a stopper, marking on throw-ins, goal kicks, punts and free kicks (Coaching Rule No. 3) and using patches as incentives to motivate players. The team we played today would have normally beaten us, but we beat them 3-0 !! The number of assists and striking in the goal box was amazing, lots of far post positioning by our team, I changed the Stopper half way thru first half. My first choice at stopper ended up having no real energy, the second choice was amazing - he went like a steam train. I told him the whole field was his, as long as he ran back to position each time the other team went on attack - he did this - and performed incredibly well. Our defenders did see some action but it was more clearing type work.

As you recommended, I played our best goalie in the field because he’s a great athlete and our second choice goalie was in goal - I was nervous at commencement of game. But the other team hardly got near our penalty box!!!

Marking improved all thru game, I gave out patches at half time for marking and assists. This really got my team going. Me yelling out to player as he/she went by – "you've got a patch for marking Logan".... or "Jack, you're patched for hard attack!" You should have seen the kids faces then watched them react on the field!!

The parents were screaming their heads off - they couldn't believe the change in our team. All the kids came off the field heads held high and smiling. They knew they'd achieved something great.

SoccerHelp - I am raising a glass to you guys this evening - I think the team is starting out on a great path. You've made the difference today mate!

All the best and have a great weekend. The start of ours has been awesome.

--Coach Chris, New Zealand

8v8, 2-1-2-2, Importance of Controlling the "Center of the Field", Attacking Plan

Hi SoccerHelp,

I've been a Soccer Help Premium member for a few months now and I enjoy the site though I find the amount of information here to be overwhelming at times. One thing I expected to see relates to soccer formations. While you have a ton of info on various formations for various leagues (6v6, 7v7, etc) I would like to see some diagrams of how to line kids up in a 2-1-2-2 or whatever. Do they all stand in a row or do the 2 mids in, in this case play out more as wingers or what. Seems silly to have everyone down the middle of the field when we teach kids to move the ball up the touch line.

So, formation diagrams would be helpful. Thanks.

P.S. I intend to try the soccer patches this year and will be ordering a bunch shortly.

Coach Pat, PA USA

Hi Pat,

We don't show diagrams of formations because the specifics depend on coaching preferences and the ability of the players -- anything we showed would apply to some teams but not to others, and would do more harm than good. Also, where players should be depends on where the ball is, whether they are on offense or defense, and whether their coach "Pushes Up" on the attack or "Defends Deep". The important concepts are “shift and sag”, “first defender/second defender”, “first attacker/second attacker”, and that positions are “relative” to each other and generally when on Defense, the "left" side players should stay on the left side of the field, the "right" side players on the right side of the field (left and right are as you face the opposing Goalie), Fullbacks should be closer to their Goalie than their Midfielders are, and Midfielders should be closer to their Goalie than their Forwards are. (These guidelines also apply when a team is on offense, but not as strictly. Offense is more creative than defense and players may "overlap" in order to advance the attack; this is particularly true with Midfielders and Forwards, because most coaches may want their Fullbacks to be conservative and stay in a defensive position in case there is a counterattack by the opponent).

Regarding how to get the most out of Premium, start with "Most Important Things" and go from there.

3 Tips: Read "Stopper Importance" (worth 2 goals per game), teach Coaching Rule # 3 (worth a goal or 2 per game) and play "Dribble Across A Square" and "Dribble Around Cone and Pass Relay Race" a lot, which will help your players hugely.

If you have a Rec team I recommend you:

Defend Deep (read "Defending Deep Basics" on Premium). Teach "First Defender/Second Defender" and "Shift & Sag"

Control the "Center of the Field" (the area between the 2 goals). You MUST control the "Center of the Field" (between the 2 goals) or you will probably lose; let your opponent have the "wings" (in fact, encourage them to attack down the wings, they will run twice as much as your players, your players will have plenty of time to "recover" by dropping back into a defensive position, and most opponents can't score from there; just DON'T give up the “Center of the Field” and allow easy goals). If you need to "hide" some weak players think about a 2-1-3-1 formation and put the weak players at RMF or LMF, and leave a strong player at CMF.

An attacking plan that works better for most Rec teams: Why do you teach your players to attack down the sidelines? Is it because they can't attack down the Center? If you can attack the Center, do so; it's a more direct path to goal; only attack down the wings (the sideline aka touchline) if you can't attack the Center. For most Rec teams, we don't recommend a short passing style of attack except in the Attacking Third. Instead, we recommend "clearing the ball" from the “Defensive Third” by kicking it hard straight ahead and teaching Midfielders and Forwards to "shift and sag" with the ball so they are in position to win the cleared balls; this way everyone knows what to expect and where they should be and what their "job" is. The MF's and Forwards know that the Fullbacks and Stopper will "clear" the ball by kicking it hard straight ahead if it's in their "Defensive Third" (or, if you want to keep it simpler, tell them to clear it if it's on their Defensive Half, which is the half their Goalie is on). Thus, when the ball is in your Defensive Third, the MF's and F's should expect their Fullbacks or Stopper will kick the ball straight ahead, and the MF's and F's should have shifted with the ball so they are in position to win the ball when it's kicked straight ahead. When positioning to win the ball they expect their FB's or Stopper to clear, the MF's and F's should be a pass apart from each other (which is about 10 of their steps), the MF's should be a pass away from the ball, and the Forwards should be a pass farther out than the MF's; this will give you good field coverage in the area that the ball should be cleared to; make adjustments to this if necessary (for example, if your FB's can't kick it far, your MF's will need to stay closer to the ball so they can win it when the FB's clear it). Teaching this style of attack teaches players to: "pass the ball to space" (which is much more effective than just "passing to feet"; it may seem like the Fullbacks are just "booming" the ball, but they aren't, they are really passing it to a space where they know their MF's and Forwards will be waiting; this is very different from just kicking the ball to the opponent; even some national teams play a similar style of clearing the ball from the Defensive Third), the concept of a simple "attacking plan" and how to implement it, to "shift and sag" with the ball so they are in position to win it, the importance of keeping a proper amount of space between MF's and Forwards, that every player must do his job and trust his teammates to do theirs (for example: Forwards must NOT come back too close to the Fullbacks or no one will be there to win the cleared balls), and that MF's and Forwards MUST fight to win the ball or their team will almost certainly lose the game.

If you try this, I think you will score a lot more goals. Thousands of coaches now use this style of play. You can read the Testimonials to see the results.

David
SoccerHelp

Importance of Stopper, Patches and Coaching Rule No. 3; Letter from U-10 Coed Rec Coach Playing 9v9:

Hi SoccerHelp,

The parents were screaming their heads off - they couldn't believe the change in our team. All the kids came off the field heads held high and smiling. They knew they'd achieved something great.

SoccerHelp - I am raising a glass to you guys this evening - I think the team is starting out on a great path. You've made the difference today mate!

All the best and have a great weekend. The start of ours has been awesome.

--Coach Chris, New Zealand