The difference between fundamental, locomotive, and football-specific movements
The fundamental movement skills are agility, balance, and coordination, known as the ABCs. They are the basis for all other movement skills.
Locomotive skills move the body from one place to another. In other words, running or jumping.
Football-specific movements are refined actions tailored to football. For example, players might spin to receive the ball or jockey to defend.
How to spot if players need help with movement skills
Watch how your players move. Is one player always bumping into others? They might need to work on acceleration and deceleration. Is another player falling over often? It could be a growth spurt or a fundamental movement issue.
As a coach, your job is to spot when players struggle with movement, figure out the cause, and give appropriate support. Look at the big picture. Players with sporty backgrounds may already be good at movement. Others might need extra help.
After an injury or a growth spurt, consider a phased return. That might look like non-contact work for two weeks and then limited game time. Keep players involved during this period with special tasks, like assistant coaching.
How coaches can help players at training
Movement activities in training must match the age and stage of your players.
For players aged 5 to 11, focus on their ABCs (agility, balance, and coordination) and locomotion skills. You can do this by using tag, dodge and chase games – like the ones at the start of the tag and tackle to win session. You can also give everyone a ball and get them to move around an area without bumping into others.
Practices that work on acceleration and deceleration are especially important. They make players more robust and lower the risk of injuries. Try to use moving defenders or targets instead of cones. This helps players learn to judge moving distances.
As players get older, build on these basics by adding strength work and football-specific movements. For example, you could simply get your players to practice receiving the ball with another player. As the passer plays the ball, they press the receiver to put pressure on their first touch. This not only tests their receiving skills, but also their balance, strength and agility as they control the ball and try to evade, or win, a tackle.
Repetition is essential at any age. Get players working on the same movements over and over to embed them – but make it fun to do so. Add variety by changing the pitch size and time limit for the activity. This adjusts the movements that might be needed and the intensity of the practice.
How coaches can help players on matchday
Development doesn’t just happen in training. Try these techniques to work on movement on matchday too:
- Include movement in your game plan. You could focus on different skills in each half or quarter. For example, work on acceleration and deceleration by going after a high press. Then switch to beating defenders out wide to practise twisting and turning.
- Encourage players to change their movement patterns based on the opposition. Facing a team that dominates the ball might call for your side to focus on shuffling across the pitch to stay compact and in shape. Playing against a side that struggles to retain possession might mean you can experience using a high press. So, try to play against a wide range of teams, adding friendlies if needed.
- Let players experience playing in different positions. This lets them practise a wide range of movement skills. For example, a wide player might have to accelerate, decelerate, twist and turn more than a centre-back.
- Use the warm-up effectively before a game. Rather than just shooting at the keeper, try a movement activity like tag to get players to work on movement skills.
