What Is the Best Formation in 8 V 8 Soccer?
By Doug Pillsbury Often, leagues for 7-11 year olds will play on a smaller field, typically around 70 yards by 45 yards or smaller. The goals are typically 7’ x 21’, and there are only eight players on the field, instead of 11. The fewer players allow for more involvement and touches by the young players. Many youth coaches have only played 11 V 11 and struggle to determine what is the best formation to use at this age group with only seven position players and the keeper on the field. This article looks at one formation, the 3-3-1, and examines how the skills that you need to teach at each position. Building From the Back to the Front – 3 Defenders At the younger ages, keeping the ball from being shot on net is critical component to a team’s success. Most teams will rotate keepers from positional players and don’t spend much time training their keepers to come out and cut down angles on shots. A good shot usually finds the back of the net, so in building your 3-3-1 you start by teachi
