Playing back to goal (turning)
Forward players need to be encouraged to turn, and not always take the easier option of laying the ball back.
Turning with the ball requires practice - as much as possible so that a player can take a pass and turn with total confidence knowing his initial touch on the ball will be good enough.
Practice (1)
In this practice, stage one, a player receives the ball, turns to his left (particularly if he is right footed) and then moves on towards a target as in diagram (1).
So (A) and (B) (10 metres apart) serve to (S) who comes forward collects and turns to his left and then sprints between two cones (5 metres away).
The two cones should be no more than 2 metres apart.
Practice (2)
Exactly the same as practice (1) only this time (S) turns to his right, using either the outside of his right foot, or more ideally his left foot (if it is his weaker foot) to control turn and sprint through the two cones.
COACHES SHOULD AIM FOR A SHARP TURN (NOT A WIDE ARC) SO THAT PLAYERS ARE UNDER PRESSURE TO TAKE GOOD CONTROL OF THE BALL. THE BALL SHOULD BE CLOSE TO THE ATTACKING PLAYER FROM THE MOMENT HE HAS HIS FIRST TOUCH.
