http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/football/great-step-forward-as-coaches-taught-the-magic-numbers-1433/2009/07/25/1248457701265.html
Great step forward as coaches taught the magic numbers: 1-4-3-3
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Craig Foster
July 26, 2009
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NEWS of an initiative last week by Football Federation Australia technical director Han Berger should give great heart to those wanting to see our game improved.
It comes in the area of coach education and importantly, selection, which has been in need of radical change for a long time.
Berger brought every National Training Centre coach together during a Joeys' camp at the AIS to be taught the 1-4-3-3 system now being standardised across all FFA-controlled development centres.
Every coach is required to implement what they saw and what they heard at State level.
No ifs, no buts, no maybes.
For those still unable to accept the need for change, when the Joeys - the national under-17 team - were asked at the start of the week who knew how to play 1-4-3-3, not a single hand was raised. This, bear in mind, is a system used widely in Europe for player development and is recognised as the ideal configuration to teach tactical understanding.
The numerous variations of the system were explained in detail over the week, which was undoubtedly the highest level of instruction we have had in this country for a long time, perhaps ever. All suit the underlying principles of the evolving "Australian way" - being possession of the ball, building up play from the back, using creative combinations in attack, using the width of the pitch, fullbacks playing important roles in attack, the keeper being utilised where appropriate, and fast movement of the ball through constant player rotation and collective understanding. And, above all, to attack.
So we have a new national directive towards a proactive style of play, one which suits our cultural predilection to go forward and dominate, to be aggressive in sport, to win any contest.
Now when these coaches return to NTC competitions or take their state teams to national championships, their charges will be expected to play to the system, solve tactical problems on the field and demonstrate a high level of collective awareness and cohesion.
One reason our coaching at development level has been poor is because of a lack of cohesion. With no consistent curriculum adopted and enforced across the country, more than a few imposters have hidden behind a good sales pitch while teaching their young players absolutely nothing of value.
This has been magnified by most appointments being made at state rather than national level, leaving many of our best coaches disillusioned and excluded.
This era is fast coming to an end as accountability becomes the rule.
The old coaching pathway often looked like this: talk the talk, work your contacts, get a job, play politics, survive, appoint your mates to protect you, select players for all the wrong reasons to stay in the job, write numerous reports about how well you are doing, repeat process.
The new coaching pathway looks increasingly like this: undertake new licences, apply methodology in the best interests of the players, undergo regular reassessments, be judged on the quality of play and players rather than results, justify tactical and personnel decisions, be held to the delivery of the national curriculum, repeat process.
Last year it was too easy for poor coaches to blame their players. Next year, our finest young players will either demonstrate they have been coached well or the coach is gone.
No ifs, no buts, no maybes.
4-3-3 is an very good foundation for technical youth development, creates more combinations and specialisation of team positions. it is simply flexible for moving balls from each of the three main blocks of defence, midfield and forward positions and teaches how to attack with three upfront in combination. It is easily transferable to the other formations by moving one player from one block into another block. It is more competitive in the sense of skill development for youths. It is known also to be an highly effective counter formation to the 4-4-2 if used correctly with decent scouting knowledge.AllWhitebelievr2009-07-30 01:48:18
