Hear Coach Gentile describe how dividing the soccer field into thirds - defensive, middle and offensive - can help youth players understand expectations and their role on the field.

1. Thirds of the Field
Coach Dina Gentile

2. What to do at different spaces on the field?
• The field can be divided up into thirds to
effectively explain what players should do at each
positional area on the field.
• Showing the players what you expect equates to
a better understanding of the game.
• From defense to midfield to offense, we must
spend time teaching players how they can
maximize their performance (as an individual and
as a cohesive unit).

3. Teaching: Thirds of Field
Use cones to designate three areas of the field:
defensive third, midfield, and offensive third.

4. Teaching: Defensive Third of Field
• What do we expect players to do?
• What terms will we use to teach?

5. Teaching: Middle Third of Field
• What do we expect players to do?
• What terms will we use to teach?

6. Teaching: Offensive Third of Field
• What do we expect players to do?
• What terms will we use to teach?

7. Teaching Activity
• In each of the grids, create situations:
( 2 v 3, 2 v 2, 3 v 2).

8. Progressing:
Teaching Activity
• Set-up
• Play in the grids to start, stop to teach.
• Add bonuses, up and back allows players to go to next grid.

9. Thirds of Field
• Build off of concepts you have already instructed
( 1 v 1, give and go, up back through, defensive
principles, throw-ins, create channels on the
outside alleys)
• Create situations for your players to learn from
playing with a player down in the offensive third,
to playing with a player up in the middle third of
the field.
• Have fun with this!!!

10. Elevate the game
on and off the field
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