Creating to Win: Attacking in the Final Third

Brent Ridenour, the winningest coach in Ohio Northern Men's Soccer history, teaches you how to create a dominant offense with stronger midfielders and forwards.

In this on-field instructional DVD designed for intermediate to advanced-level players, Coach Ridenour shows exercises for training players to receive the ball, maintain possession, and make a positive play for their team. These drills will help create more chances on goal and will quickly wear down your opponent's defense.

Possession with Pressure
Coach Ridenour provides exercises to train players to receive the ball with their backs to the goal and maintain possession. These exercises will help condition players to:

• adapt their first touch to avoid a defender on their back and a midfielder coming toward them from the front
• hold the ball and allow the attack to move forward until there is a good opportunity to distribute a pass
• shield properly to keep defenders from stealing the ball while your players wait for support

Target & Support
See how your players can work their way through the opposition's defense by providing penetrating passes to teammates. Playing through-balls will help them get the ball to the forwards, and so will passes played to a checking forward. Teach forwards to receive and hold the ball to give the midfielders and wing-backs a chance to push up into the attack. The ability to check the ball's location will also create space between the attacker and the defender, which makes for an easier distribution pass and enables the player to turn and take on a defender.

Combination Play & Filling Space
Learn how to be creative and make it difficult for the defense to read your team's next move. These exercises will help teammates get on the same page when distributing the ball to each other. Discover how your players can make off-the-ball runs and get into open space to receive a ball. They will learn how to avoid making the same runs and being caught off guard or "flat-footed" by a teammate's pass.

Players love to just play. These exercises simulate the decisions they will face in games. By letting your players work together in small groups during practice, they will master the techniques and skills they need to create more chances on goal on game day.

60 minutes. 2013.