How to Not Run Up the Score in Soccer Games Following are ideas I like from the Premium Forum about how to avoid running up the score against a weak team: Letter # 1: Hi SoccerHelp, How would you advise handling a game in which the two sides are not evenly matched? More specifically, if your side is playing well, what can you do to prevent the kids from running up the score? Obviously you can set limits on what they can and cannot do (must make a certain number of passes, must make a soccer move etc. prior to scoring are things that will keep the score down and help advance their training) but what is the coach's recourse if they don't follow the guidelines? This is particularly difficult for kids in U6 or U8 because they just want to play and often equate success with scoring goals. Thanks, Coach Hi Coach, I had the same experience and found the best approach to be to either:
How to Avoid Slaughtering Your Opponent While Still Playing Good Soccer
Ideas for changing how your team plays so you don't run up the score but also don't change your soccer formation and don't dampen enthusiasm or hustle
How to be a good sport and adhere to rules your league might have about not running up the soccer score without confusing young playersI agree that you don't want to dampen enthusiasm or hustle. And it can be confusing to young players to tell them to try to score 90% of the time, but then to say "don't score". And I agree it doesn't make sense to punish them for being enthusiastic. The best solution for me was to "Play Short". That way my kids still had to play hard. My rule was that if I got 5 goals ahead I would take one player off, if I got 6 ahead 2 players off, etc. It doesn't matter so much at young ages, but at older ages it hurts a team to win too easily because they can get overconfident, sloppy and start to play slow. When everyone starts to score, players start to dribble too much and not play as a team. I noticed that when my team won too easily they would not play well the next game because they thought they could take it easy. For that reason I tried to change things so we didn't have it too easy. Hope this helps and I would really like to hear other ideas. This is a common problem. David at SoccerHelp ------------------- Letter # 2: In my U10 rec league we pull the goalie once one team is up by 5. Another player is taken off if you go up by 6. Usually by that point the other team gets a goal. We've had some games that would've ended 10 - 0 turn out more like 7-3. I've found the losing team doesn't mind getting beat as long as they get to score some goals. I also tell my kids once we're up by 4 that they can only score off a header. Coach Ess David's Comment: I like the idea of pulling the Goalie and one other player a lot. That requires your entire team to play hard and they don't have to change the way they normally would play, and they can't "play Slow or sloppy", which leads to bad habits that can haunt you in future games. David at SoccerHelp ------------------- Letter # 3: My older daughter plays in a U13 league. When they are up by 6 or more, the coach puts in a "3-minute, 1-minute" rule. When he shouts "3 minutes", they have to play keep away for 3 minutes with only 2 touches per player at a time. Then he shouts " 1 minute", and they have one minute to score. If they score or they pass one minute, he calls out "3 minutes" again. The other teams appreciate the obvious attempt to avoid running up the score, and our team appreciates being allowed to still "try", although in a more challenging way. It also helps them learn to score quickly, something that is important in more competitive games. crunchcoach David's Comment: That's a REALLY great idea!!!! Thanks for sharing it....I've never heard it before. David at SoccerHelp ------------------- Letter # 4: The leagues we participate in discourage taking a player off the field in those situations. The suggestions above are good. We have been able to best manage the situation by doing the following: - Change to a formation that works for the situation. Maybe a 3-1 in your situation. - Use the field markings to help control the play. Depending upon your field markings, don't let your players go into the penalty area. - When I haven't been able to pull a player off the field, you can have them run over to you and give them some one-on-one instruction while they are still on the field. Just a couple of thoughts. I guess the bottom line is that you need to experiment while in the situation to find a solution that works. The solution may vary from one game to the next. Dan ------------------- Letter # 5: Our league also won't allow us to play short due to mandatory playing time rules. I have found that having the players pick a small target 5 yards to the side of the goal and 5 yards beyond the goal is an excellent way to avoid running up the score. A vacated lawn chair or advertising signs are my favorite targets. If the players hit the target, they get a reward. I know intentionally kicking the ball out of bounds is illegal, but a strategically placed parent can keep this from causing a long delay. I also ask my players not to celebrate if they hit the target, so the opposing team and spectators are none the wiser. Scott ------------------- Letter # 6: Hi, I would suggest putting some guards and defense in as your forwards. I believe that the whole team, at this age, should learn to play offense and defense. This would be the better time to show them!!! Good for you! Coach Wendel -------------------
- "Play Short" -- meaning to pull a player off the field so you have one less than your opponent, or
- Move players to different positions than they normally play (e.g., move Fullbacks to Forward)