CONTACT ROBERT GREEN Tel 0141 585 4437                                                      

                                  SOUTHSIDE UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

Started up on Aug 02 with just 7 children and has grown to a membership of over 120 children, it is a voluntary run club which was started to provide children with the opportunity to channel there energies into a more positive direction through the enjoyment of football. The club aims to break down religious and cultural barriers within the communities. We also aim to get teenagers involved by helping with football coaching and putting them through SYFA coaching courses not only do the children and teenagers benefit but the community as a whole.

 SOCCER    ACADEMY   click here to view our new training program, were children will be taught various soccer skills to gain our graded soccer certificates.

Volunteers required                       

SOCCER ACADEMY

 End of this season seen us setting new grounds in youth football development with the only football club in the UK to introduce a grading system. Each child will be trained to pass a grade starting with a basic G grade working there way up to a much more advanced A- grade which will cover all aspects of football skills and tactic's. If a child should be lucky enough to be picked for a professional pro youth club this will give them a fantastic start. With most other sports judo, martial arts etc children get something to show for their hard work which can be used to their advantage in latter years on job applications os C-Vs . In football children who don't become professional leave with nothing to show for their hard work this is why we have put in place a training system with graded certificates showing achievements. The Southside training programmed will not only support children wishing to pursue a career in pro football but more important help and encourage many more children to become involved in football and sports - coaching for the future

Check out  what is required to pass each grade  

GRADE  G

GRADE  F

GRADE  E 

GRADE  D

GRADE  C

GRADE  B

GRADE  A  

 GRADE. G    MOVES TO DEVELOP TOUCH

 Toe tap , Inside and outside roll, Drag back,  Push forward, Boxing Pull back and push forward,  Inside and outside cuts ,The v,

Hat-Dance (toe-tap)

Lightly tap the top of the ball using the front sole of the foot, alternating taps with either foot. Try to keep the ball from moving by tapping gently from the top. When the ball can be kept still, try "Around the World" by taking slightly larger steps as you come down from each tap so that you manage to circle the ball.

Inside roll

Roll the ball to the inside of your body, using the sole of one foot. Try to position the sole of the foot on the ball towards the outside edge, so that the ball rotates just enough to allow you to put your rolling foot down briefly so that you can keep moving in the same direction. Repeat, going in the opposite direction with the other foot.

Outside roll

Roll the ball towards the outside of your body, using the sole of one foot. Try to position the sole of the foot on the ball towards the inside edge, so that the ball rotates just enough to allow you to put your rolling foot down briefly so that you can keep moving in the same direction. Repeat, going in the opposite direction with the other foot.

Drag Back

Alternating feet and using a skipping-type step, pull the ball backwards with light touches.

Push Forward

Alternating feet and using a skipping type step, push the ball forward with light touches.

Tic-Toc (Boxing)

Using the inside front edges of the feet, knock the ball back and forth rapidly between the feet, so that the ball is in constant motion and the ball is redirected with every touch. Basically, the ball is being "boxed" from one side to the other, then back again.

Pull-Back/Push Forward

Use sole of foot to pull ball back, then immediately use front of same foot to push it forward. Alternate feet.

Inside/Outside Cuts (Snake)

Do a series of easy cuts/taps with the inside, then outside, of the same foot so that the ball "snakes" across the field as you move along. Repeat with opposite foot. As they progress, encourage the players toexaggerate the moves so that they must stretch and reach to cut the ball back.

Vee

Make a V-shaped pattern, starting at the top of the V, pulling the ball down towards the center of the body, then pushing the ball back out to the other leg of the V. Variations include switching legs after each Vee, and alternating inside or outside start of the Vee.

GRADE .F      PASSING THE BALL

Push pass , outside of foot pass , driven pass

PUSH PASS -The instep or push pass is a common pass used in soccer. To do a push pass, you use the inside of the foot (along the arch) to push the ball forward. As a result, the hip and leg/knee must rotate outwards to allow contact with the ball. Taking these elements in sequence, you will:
1 Turn the pass foot outward, locking the ankle so that the foot will not wobble. The knee of the passing leg will be slightly bent to allow the foot to come into contact with the middle of the ball.
2 As you are turning the pass foot outward, you will be stepping up to the ball with your plant foot, so that it is about hip-width away from the ball. If you stand too close, your hip will not swing smoothly. If you stand too far to the side, your angle will be awkward and the ball will not be struck smoothly. Your plant leg should be slightly bent, and the toe of the plant foot should be pointed at the target.
3 The ball is struck in the middle. If struck towards the bottom, it will go airborne. As the ball is struck, the plant leg should continue thru a natural swing of the hip, which will transfer additional power to the pass and also help to make it more accurate.
4 The arms will be held somewhat out from the body, especially on the follow-thru, so improve balance.

Driven pass   

Outside of foot pass

GRADE .E    TACKLING , The knock out,bump,block shoulder charge ,side and slide tackle  SHIELDING  THE BALL - step over ,pull back , circle turn

Knock-Out

The easiest tackle to learn is the knock-out tackle, which is used to hit the ball away when the attacker gets the ball too far in front. Teaching tackling is usually begun right after basic work on First Defender skills and the defensive stance.

The next tackle, which is also very easy to learn, is the bump. To do this, quickly move into the attacker from a slight angle, lifting your lead foot over the ball so that your lead foot will end up between his legs. At the same time, turn into him with your shoulder/hips so that you can bump the him off the ball with your backside and take the ball away with the outside foot.

The -Bump

Once you commit, the key is to pounce aggressively and go in hard. The lead foot comes across the ball just when your shoulder/hips are firmly against the attacker. Try to time the move in so that the attacker is momentarily looking down at the ball and is standing on his dribble foot so that he is temporarily frozen.

Block Tackle

The next tackle is the front, or "block", tackle. The purpose is to block the ball into the attacker's foot, then to drag/lift the ball over the attacker's foot. Body weight must be over the ball to prevent the attacker from getting any leverage.

Key coaching points are: ankle of blocking foot locked, to make foot into an L-shape (hoe-shape) to use as a drag; keep body weight over ball; put support foot well to the outside.

Shoulder Charge

The Slide Tackle

Most sliding tackles are made from behind. The defender must make sure he does not make contact with attackers leg first or he will concede a free kick .The defender will have more chance of making a clean challenge if he tackles with his outside leg , the one furthest away from the player in possession. This also gives a stronger tackling position .Try to hook your foot round the ball and cradle it there throughout the tackle

SHIELDING BALL -

When should you shield the ball?

Common reasons to decide to shield the ball instead of trying to take the defender on by dribbling are that your opponent is bigger/faster or there is so much traffic past him that it doesn't make sense to keep going ahead (so you need to stop and find one of your teammates who is facing less traffic) or you are in your defensive third where it is too risky to dribble when you could lose possession.

How do you shield the ball?

By using various techniques to put your body between the opponent and the ball, so that you can gain time to give the ball to a teammate or take advantage of a mistake by the defender to get past him.

What are the basic rules of shielding?

The first rule of shielding is to avoid turning your back on the incoming defender if at all possible. It is much harder to hang onto the ball if you cannot see what your opponent is doing - so try to keep one shoulder pointed at the defender at all times. About the only time that you want to turn your back on an opponent is when you know that you have back support and you will be able to play the ball back to a teammate very quickly.

The second rule of shielding is to take control of the situation yourself. If the opponent is coming in hard, it is generally a good idea to be the one to make the first contact.

The third rule of shielding is to be aggressive in holding onto the ball. It is okay in soccer to use your arms, shoulders, body and legs to keep an opponent from getting the ball (you just cannot push with your hands or kick/push with your feet), so don don't be afraid to hold your ground or to use your body to push the opponent away.

Step Across

This is the most basic shielding move - but is amazingly useful. The player simply steps over the ball to put either one or both legs between the ball and an incoming opponent.

There is a trick to it, however. In stepping across the ball, the player usually wants to end up being positioned to face the direction where there is the best chance of finding support players (i.e., toward the open field- not the touchline). In general, the only time that you want to turn towards the touchline is when it makes sense to kick the ball off of the opponent's shin guards to get a throw-in.

Obviously, the direction that the player will end up facing will depend on which foot is used to lead off. Let's say that the open field is to his left. He will want to step across the ball in the direction of the defender, starting with his right foot - and then lifting his left foot so that it rests on the ball or comes over beside his right foot. Some coaches recommend that the player get in the habit of swinging the lead foot around the face of the ball, instead of stepping directly over the ball, so that the ball is shielded at all times. However, this may be an extra complication for young players (who can get confused with multiple decision), so you can leave this for later if it seems like a good idea.

After learning the basic step across, the player needs to know when/how to use the move. However, give the players some time to experiment on actually doing the move before you get into this.

Put two players at opposite ends of a small grid. Have one player pass to the other player, then walk towards the receiver to start shutting him down. Have the receiver step across the ball to put himself between the opponent and the ball - and end up with his back foot (the foot farthest from the opponent) resting on top of the ball. Once they have this basic idea down - and have learned the mechanics, it is time for the next step - which is to make actual contact with the opponent.

The basic shielding posture is:

• Knees bent and bottom down to lower center of gravity;

   

• Body in a fencer's or boxer's stance (turned sideways with weight balanced on both feet);

   

• Arm/elbow of side which will make contact tucked well in to protect ribs;

   

• Other arm spread out for balance;

   

• Time the step-across so that shoulder aggressively makes contact with opponent (bump him slightly), transferring weight to front foot so that back foot is free to pass/control ball.

   

Rolls

When in the basic shielding position, the ball is moved around either with the side of the foot or the sole of the free foot. The way to move it with the sole of the foot is by rolling the ball back and forth, periodically putting the foot down to movement of the plant foot.

There is a knack to doing this successfully, which is only gained by practice. Allow the players some time to work on this in the grid - and also suggest to players that they can work on this at home by pushing one shoulder against a wall, and simply rolling the ball back and forth to move in a circular fashion. After some experimentation, play a game where the defender gets 1 point if he can steal the ball or kick it away before the count of 5, while the attacker gets 1 point if he can hold the ball to the count of 5. Increase the holding time to 7 or 9 as you get success.

Pull-Back

The pullback move is used when an opponent is coming in so quickly that it will be hard to step across the ball in time to shield it, so the ball is basically snatched to one side using the sole of the foot. Once the ball is snatched back, the basic shielding posture is used to lean into the opponent - but the player will need to be more braced for the contact, as he likely will not have time to initiate the contact himself.

Circle Turn

There are two types of circle turns - one by using the inside of the foot and one by using the outside of the foot. The latter is the one which is most commonly used - although both can be practiced. In an outside circle turn, the foot used to turn the ball is cocked outwards and somewhat back, and the ball is tapped 3-4 times to allow the player to make a complete circle.

Usually, a circle turn will be used in a pressure situation to spin off of an opponent and explode away on the last tap. Therefore, when practicing circle turns, add an explosion to the last tap so that the ball is pulled with the foot in the new direction. Note that it is fine to do partial circles (and, in games, most "circle" turns actually are about _ of a full circle). The key to using circle turns well is to be able to look up as the taps are being made, so that the ball can be laid off to a teammate if close support is available - as the ball almost always should be laid off in such situations, since the natural position of the first player will serve to obstruct the opponent.

GRADE .D     TRAPPING THE BALL  Wedge, Thigh ,Elevation , Chest , ,Outside of foot trap

1.     Wedge Trap

   The key coaching points for a wedge trap are:

   1. Plant foot is turned slightly outward, with knee bent;

       

   2. Receiving leg is bent and foot is turned sharply outward with heel dropped down, so that lower leg/foot makes an "L" shape;

       

   3. Lift receiving foot off of the ground about 4-5 inches, so that contact with the incoming ball is made just below the top of the ball.

      Relax the foot/leg as the ball makes contact, so that the ball is cushioned to a stop.

      THIGH TRAP

      The next trap to introduce is the thigh trap. In this trap, the player simply catches the ball on the thigh (as in juggling with the thigh), but immediately lets the thigh collapse so that the ball falls to his feet. This is a very nice trap to use for awkward balls coming in a bit below waist level, so rather low to try a chest trap (even with really bent knees), but too high to do an elevator and perhaps a bit too straight on to allow a instep trap

      ELEVATION TRAP

      Another trap which is related to the elevator trap is the instep trap. This trap is used to catch balls which are coming in at a flatter angle (or somewhat ahead of the player) so that it will be impossible to catch on the foot. Thus, the player puts the foot out to block the ball - and permits some slight give in the leg so that he can drop the ball at his feet.

               OUTSIDE OF FOOT TRAP

   The next trap which will be taught is the outside of the foot trap. This is the most often used trap in soccer, because it can be used quite effectively when moving. Basically, the object of this trap is to simply slow the ball down, and then redirect it.

   Key coaching points are:

   1. Point the toe down and roll the foot over so that the outer edge is pointing toward the ground, bending the knee and pulling the foot towards the opposite side of the body. Experiment so that you can turn the front of the foot into as flat a surface as possible to receive the ball.

       

   2. Turn slightly away from the ball, so that the knee of your receiving leg can point towards the incoming path of the ball.

       

   3. Make contact with the ball, catching the ball so that the middle of the foot is vertically centered on the ball and the foot basically wraps around the ball (with the toes at the lower edge and the heel at the upper opposite edge of the ball).

       

   4. As the ball meets the foot, relax the knee so that the lower leg can swing freely inward ("give"), which allows you to take speed off the ball and allows the ankle to aid in trapping the ball as your leg "gives" backward.

       

   Chest traps

    Are pretty easy to learn to do, and most players can get moderate success in just one session. Key coaching points are:

   1. Put the feet about shoulder width apart or a bit wider, knees bent, pull arms/elbows back to flatten the chest as the ball arrives.

       

   2. The chest is quickly collapsed inward to make a tunnel by bringing the arms forward quickly - which causes the ball to channel down to the feet.

       

   3. As the channel is made, take a step forward with one foot which will help to redirect the remaining momentum of the ball in the new direction

   Elevator traps

   . This is nothing more than catching the ball with the top of the foot and then lowering it to the ground in front of you. The trick is that, if the ball is coming in at a high arc (and will have lots of speed), it is going to need a lot of cushioning to take this speed away - so you need to lift the leg/knee fairly high to make the first contact and then let the thigh go almost limp to cushion the ball to the ground.

   GRADE .C     HITTING THE BALL    Lofted kick , Instep drive , Cross the ball ,Volley  

   Lofted kick

   1. Plant foot to the side and slightly behind the ball with knee slightly bent;
   2. Kicking foot turned outward and locked so that the foot forms a shovel;
   3. Strike the ball so that the big bone on the inside of the foot will hit on the lower half of the ball which causes the shovel to come under the ball and fling it upwards.

If a player wants to keep the ball low, toe of the foot must be pointed at a downward angle when contact is made. The upper leg (thigh) must be the prime muscle group moving the lower leg through the ball on this kick.

Instep Drive

Some of the key technical points for the instep drive are:

• support foot beside the ball and pointed at the target
• kicking foot pointed down and locked throughout the shot and follow through
• body weight is moving forward and through the shot, landing on the kicking foot

 The Volley  the power volley -your head should be over ball toes pointed down, strike the ball centrally using the instep. Follow through .Body position is crucial. If you are leaning back and stretching for the ball you will get underneath it and wont be able to keep it down   Side Volley Make sure you are well balanced on standing leg ,strike centre of ball or slightly below with instep higher than middle will sent ball to high

The Chip

The non kicking foot should be close to the ball, knees slightly bent. The instep of the striking foot stabs down under the ball .It should make contact with the ball and the ground at same time with minimal follow -through . The chip is much easier with a stationary ball or one rolling towards you

GRADE  .B   TAKE ON SKILLS   Basic chop , Checking the ball ,Straight ahead dribbling, fakes and faints , Inside of foot cut -Dribbling moves , football tricks

BASIC CHOP

The basic chop is a rapid downward cut across the forward face of the ball as the ball is going forward, in order to stop the ball quickly. It is an effective way to quickly reverse direction while your opponent is already moving at speed in the original direction.

The basic mechanics of a chop (which is a sharp inside of the foot cut angled across the front face of the ball) can be illustrated while standing still. However, as quickly as possible, get the players moving so that they can learn the body mechanics necessary for the change of direction.

The key coaching points of the chop are:

1. As you prepare to do a chop, the body is going to be turned almost perpendicular to the direction of the ball, with the knee of the plant foot sharply bent inward and the weight transferred almost entirely to the plant leg. To achieve the rapid change in direction, it is helpful to do a quick hop as you come down on the plant foot, which allows the plant foot/body to turn more easily.

    

2. Reach around the outside front of the ball with the chopping foot, with the foot/ankle turned inward (heel is towards the outside), and the knee/hip slightly bent inward.

    

3. Bring the chop foot down sharply, so that the laces skim across the front surface of the ball. The stance at the moment of the chop is almost knock-kneed.

    

4. As quickly as possible after contact is made with the ball, drag it back across the body towards the plant foot. With significant forward momentum, it may be necessary to briefly put weight on the chopping foot in order to reverse direction. At lesser speeds, weight can remain on the plant foot as the turn is made.

    

Work on dribbling the ball in one direction, and then chopping it back in the other. Begin by working with the dominant foot as the chopping foot, then progress to using the non-dominant foot. Encourage the kids to use an exaggerated hip swivel as they execute the chop, so that they appear to be heading in one direction and then quickly hop/chop to bring the ball in the other direction.

CHECKING THE BALL

This is a very useful move to be able to do in order to keep the ball in bounds, or to do a quick turn when you are in a footrace with another player. In order to be able to learn this move, your players must be developmentally able to skip. Players who are younger than age 8 may not be able to skip - and, if so, will be too young to learn this move yet.

The key coaching points in teaching the check are as follows:

1. With the ball moving forward at a slow roll, put the plant foot (usually the non-dominant foot) beside the ball and do a quick hop on the plant foot as soon as it comes down.

    

2. While you are airborne with the hop, lightly tap the top of the ball with the opposite foot (which will naturally be coming over the ball in the normal stride). DO NOT put any weight on the tapping foot - a very slight tap on the ball will cause it to stop.

    

3. Continue forward to land on the tapping foot, then turn back to get the ball. Older players will be able to turn in the air and do a "rooster-tail" type of hockey stop (landing with the foot already turned sideways so that they can immediately push off in the opposite direction).

    

STRAIGHT AHEAD DRIBBLING

The first step in learning to dribble is learning how to "carry" the ball by dribbling it straight ahead. The technique is very important to get down correctly. Done properly, this technique allows a player to propel the ball forward by "feel", without needing to look down to see where the ball is. This technique should be practiced constantly.

The key coaching points are as follows:

1. The knee of the dribbling leg is bent and the toes are pointed downwards and slightly inwards, so that the front of the foot comes into contact with the ball.

    

2. Contact with the ball is made with the laces of the shoe, with the big bone of the arch slightly below the top of the ball at about the center of the ball.

    

3. The knee must be over the ball when contact is made, so that the gait itself is very similar to prancing.

    

4. As contact is made with the ball, the ball is dragged/pulled along by the dribbling foot, so that it comes to rest beside the dribbling foot when you step down again. Short steps are used, and the ball stays in front of the torso at all times

   FAKES AND FAINTS

   Probably the easiest feint to learn is a simple step-fake. To do this, the player has the ball on the front of the right foot; takes an exaggerated step to the R as if intending to do a sharp cut toward the R with the inside of his L foot; then immediately explodes to the left, dragging the ball with him on the outside of his L foot. This fake obviously also can be done (and should be practiced) going to the L and then exploding to the right. In their beginning take-on work, players learned to imagine that they are exploding through an open doorway to escape the monster, and then they are cutting back to slam the door on the monster. Initially, you may want to eliminate the slamming door phase so that they can concentrate on the feint itself. However, as soon as possible, you will want to remind them to slam the door on the monster.

   This move is very easy, and can be mastered by even very small players. To avoid having players running into one another as they explode, try putting them in a line (queue) or widely space them to that they each are facing a cone (which serves as a defender). Then, simply allow them to experiment on learning to fake one way and then explode to the other. Encourage them to turn their shoulders/hips in the faked direction, which will help to "sell" the fake. After working on step-fakes in one direction, switch feet and work on going in the opposite direction.

   After the step-fake, one of the easiest feints to learn is one involving the use of a single scissors (Barnes) move. This next move should be added after doing some individual and small group work with the first move. Particularly with younger kids, you want to give plenty of time for the first move to "set" into their brains and muscles before adding a new move, so don't rush things too quickly. Besides, it is no big deal to wait for another practice to introduce the next move.

   In the single scissors, the player comes directly at the attacker, moves his left foot around the front of the ball and plants it to the side of (and slightly behind the ball), while swiveling his hips as if he plans to take the ball to the left with the inside of his right foot. As soon as his right foot is moving over to the ball, he quickly brings his right foot behind the ball (so that he can carry the ball on the outside of his right foot), then explodes forward to the right while dragging the ball on the outside of his R foot. The primary difference between this feint and the simple step-fake is the movement of the faking foot to go in front of the ball before being planted. This is an important difference (both because it protects the ball better and because it confuses the defender mo

   DRIBBLING MOVES  - FOOTBALL TRICKS

   GRADE A - COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING

   1. Head a fairly gentle ball (they shouldn't even think of attempting teeth-rattlers until around U13 or so).
   2. Be able to execute a decent chest trap (and decide whether to use the head or chest as the ball is coming in).
   3. Know the basic rules for a first defender (delay/deny), and be able to successfully mark/hold an attacker of similar size/speed/skill for a count of about 7-8.
   4. Execute a basic standing tackle and shoulder charge.
   5. Be able to pass a stationary ball thru cones 1 yard apart at distances of 6 yards with dominant foot. Be able to pass accurately with non-dominant foot at the 3 yard distance.
   6. Be able to receive/control with 2 touches/then push pass a moving ball thru cones 1 yard apart at a distance of 4 yards (2-3 yards with non-dominant).
   7. Be able to execute a laces kick with some power and accuracy.
   8. Be able to execute a lofted kick/chip which will clear an average-sized player in their age bracket.
   9. Understand the basic rules on throw-ins, and be able to execute them properly.
   10. Be able to dribble/beat an unskilled defender by use of simple cuts and changes of pace.
   11. Be able to shield the ball and hold in 1v1 situation to count of 8.
   12. Understand basic principles of keepaway (talking, taking the ball where the defenders aren't, basic rules of support triangles, planning your reception to take ball into space/away from pressure).
   13. Understand usual game rules (restarts, fouls, fair play, ref signals, basic offsides if applicable).
   14. Understand/follow the team rules (paying attention, bringing proper equipment to practice, cleanup, subbing, calling if late/missing, no hassle of teammates, etc.).
   15. Be able to juggle the ball with the foot or thigh at least 5-10 times.
   16. Be able to pass the ball appropriately to a teammate who is 10 yards or more away, both when teammate is stationary and when moving (i.e., understands the concept of leading a moving player so that he does not overrun the ball).
   17. Be able to receive a well-struck ball passed with the inside of both feet, and with at least the outside of the dominant foot.

    

Can you spare a few hours a week to help

W are looking  for volunteers to help us develop, and expand our club. We plan to allow more children into the club by starting up new teams .

As a volunteer you could assist with an existing team , or run your own team , how much you would  be involved would be down to you .,all volunteers will be police checked by the club

As a volunteer you will be offered the chance to attend  SYFA soccer courses to gain qualified certificates

  .There are many other positions within the club you could assist in ,for more information please contact Robert Green 0141 585 4437

TO check out our future plans click onto future goals button above.