Why We Build Out of the Back

November 1, 2018

Punt it! Get it outta here! Be Safe and Clear it! How many times during any given gameday do we hear coaches and/or parents instructing the younger soccer players to Get It Out! Within Spokane Sounders and SSC Shadow we are asking for our players to NOT do that. We are asking them to build, to connect, and to keep possession. Well… why? Why are we building of the back?

As young players join and play for our club one of our missions is to develop soccer players. We believe we have done well in this avenue – check out Ray Serrano getting another game with the U17 National Team, goalkeeper Alisa Crooks headed to University of Alabama, or… getting my drift! We want to continue to develop many more soccer players at whatever level each player can achieve.

Playing out of the back provides one of many elements in the development process for youth soccer players. Even at the senior level, the world’s game is heading more and more in this direction. Being cutting edge and on top of the leading method of instruction for the development of soccer players is something to be proud of with your club.

Playing out of the back builds confidence; leads to success on a team level and an individual level; and ultimately is a long-term development plan versus using a daily, monthly, or yearly development process. How does building out of the back accomplish all of these and more?

– Players learn early how and when to open up, reading the transition early to provide the proper support, what movement to create space and what angle to provide that support…
– When the ball is played to them – they should know how to receive the ball: what foot, how is one’s body position, where is their first touch taking the ball, do they dribble, do they connect…
– What is the next player’s movement to provide us the ability to continue to build?
– If the other team is pressing high, can we clip in a ball to a teammate to skip the pressure or can we quickly connect short passes to another area of the field.

These above are a sample of areas that our club’s players learn and continue to learn by building out of the back. By just punting the ball or clearing the ball, this developmental phase goes out the door. If the goalkeeper or a player just boots the ball forward to any space – who is going to win the ball? The probability is more than likely 50/50. By smashing it forward others are relying on mistakes from the opposition, only trusting a few players, narrowing the strategy of success, is quite predictable, and ultimately avoids the development of skill under pressure.

Our club builds, and we in turn learn different ways of keeping possession and many ways of having success going forward. We are learning to trust each and every player on our team. We are learning to be unpredictable in how we go forward, and we are vastly developing skill under pressure. Our club firmly believes in long-term development and how we ask our players and teams to play support the plan.

If you come out to watch any of our teams please take note of our teams building out of the back and hopefully each can understand more of why we build out of the back. Also, understand that does not mean we will not clip in a 50-yard ball at the older age groups when the players have the ability to strike a ball at that distance. This is important too! We must be able to find a front-runner at feet with a well-placed ball. Or a ball played behind the opposition back line, to a player running in behind. These are important elements too! What we all should not be seeing is just punting with no purpose or just get it outta here! 🙂

Enjoy the weekend, enjoy watching your child play! Please feel free to ask any of the directors or your coach any more questions you may have about building out of the back.

Yours in the Spirit of the Game,

Abbas Faridnia
Technical Director