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In Positional Play, individual habits matter and they affect collective performance. At early ages, we need to focus on players developing good individual habits, so that as they grow, they’ll be able to play within a collective.

📹 APFC NEXT Language in a team isn’t only verbal. Players can communicate through decisions. Against a low block, skipping a player (or not) in ball circulation tells a teammate what comes next, since how the ball arrives in that zone can decide whether you break a line.

When we protect the ball, we need to take it toward the free space so we can lift our head and pass it away to another zone with less opponents.

One cue we need to read when applying the Penetration Run is whether the ball is pressed or not. If it isn’t, it means the player on the ball has time and space, so they can break lines with the pass.

Passing doesn’t mean you stop participating. If your teammate is pressured and you’re behind the ball, offer an emergency lane. The key: your support speed must match the pressing defender’s. If not, you won’t receive with enough time and space.

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A common error is passing the ball to the wrong foot. When we want to Speak Through the Ball, we need to pass to the foot that helps the receiver in his next action, based on the open space and the position of nearby defenders.

APFC Coach's Playbook | Collective Principle Limiting space is also a way to work on a Collective Principle. This drill works The Center First: the finishing zone can only be reached through the central lane. You're working on a Collective Principle + concepts (4v3) at once.

One of the main ideas we introduce in the 9v9 course is finding a free player so we can then attack the space behind the defensive line. It's a format where you don't see as many in-in passing sequences that let you dominate the game, for some reasons.

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Understand what the game demands. Moving closer to the ball isn't always wrong. Neither is moving away from it. Understanding positional play means understanding my role and moving accordingly. Does the player on the ball need me to come closer? Not in this clip. In this clip, I'm offering a progression lane to the teammate who's about to receive the ball because he has space in front to play me.

The First Attacker: Decision Making and Execution Too-fast dribbling doesn't allow the player to perceive correctly what is happening surrounding him

Look far first. When a player receives the ball with space and time, they should look far first. Do we really teach players how to look?

The free player is rarely the same player. Teams adjust, and the free player is always changing. With young players, we have to help them learn the concepts (head up, body profile, break the lines) that will allow them to recognize and exploit this advantages in the game.

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Play What You See | Universal Offensive Concept The role of Second Attackers is important when we talk about the play what you see concept. These are often the players who allow us to have fluidity with the ball and to play passes that beat pressure and compact structures.

A common error when it comes to provide a Progression Lane is that players merely stand in the place awaiting the ball without assessing the situation