You are here > Football Tactics & Tips

Get your team flying high

If you want flying wingers you have to be prepared to take risks.

There's no better sight in football than wingers that can run and take on the opposition single handed. But it is a rare sight in youth football and I, for one, want to know why. Yes, more often than not they lose the ball, but the times that they do get through on goal or cross into the box will be times to savour.I'm always hearing coaches shouting at players to release the ball.Why? Players need confidence wherever they play, and wingers need it in heaps. In training and in matches encourage them to run at full backs or midfielders and beat them. You can bet that in training they will beat the defender most times. In a match it is harder. This is down to confidence and you must have patience and help them in matches. A winger who holds onto the ball and beats players is a high-risk high-reward strategy - you have to take risks to create goal scoring opportunities and the sooner you understand that, the sooner you will be able to put unsuccessful attempts into perspective. You can't win the raffle if you don't buy a ticket!! If you criticise your wingers for losing the ball they will be less inclined to try it next time, and your criticism will rub off on their team mates who will be quick to add their own criticism. Not a great way to boost team spirit. Training sessions are ideal for boosting a player's confidence: A winger doesn't always need to dribble to beat a player, they should have a range of skills they can use. Once techniques such as the one-two or stepover are acquired, set up 1v1 games sessions to practice these skills. Things to look for as you coach your wingers

• Comfortable with the ball and able to keep it under close control.
• Playing with their head up so they can see their options.
• Slowing down as they approach the defender.
• Using body feints to unbalance the defender.
• Able to change direction once the defender is unbalanced.
• Exploding past the defender with their head up.