Thoughtful Soccer - The Whole Package

The Book
Book Basics
Table of Contents
Sample Chapter
Book Review

The Practice
Practice Format
Feature Skill Games
Feature Scrimmage

The Clinics
Coaching Clinics
Coach's Pal Series
Team Clinics
Player Training

The Controversies
One Size Fits All?
The Triangle Three
Bunch Ball Cure

Meet Russ
About Russ
Russ' Resume
Future Projects

Find the Book
Links
Contact Russ

Feature Scrimmage

What's a Thoughtscrim?

In Thoughtful Soccer, scrimmages with special rules that get players thinking together are nicknamed Thoughtscrims. Why the flaky terminology? It's easier than saying "scrimmages with special rules that get players thinking together."

There are Thoughtscrims for every part of soccer. The basic Thoughtscrims develop the Possession Part of soccer, and can be included in every practice (see Practice Format). There are also Thoughtscrims for defending, attacking, and taking free kicks.

Why not just play Keep-Away to work on possession? Thoughtscrims are better, because they always utilize goals. That forces players to choose between north, south, east, and west, and allows them to score goals. You might say that Thoughtscrims are like Keep-Away with goals.

Here's an example:

Three-and-a-Drop

In Three-and-a-Drop, players are limited to one, two, or three touches at a time. Also, teams must complete at least one drop pass before scoring. The scrimmage works best with three to seven players per team. In the scene below, the teams are playing 3 v 3 with Keepers. Other goal setups eliminate the need for large goals and Keepers (see the book).

drop pass A drop pass in Three-and-a-Drop

Official Rules for Three-and-a-Drop 1

Field Lines The field requires touch lines, goal lines, and goals.

Three-Touch Rule Each player may use one, two, or three touches on the ball. If a fourth touch occurs, the other team gets a free kick at the spot of the violation. After using three touches, a player may not shield the ball from opponents. The consequence, again, is a free kick for the other team.

Drop Pass Rule Before scoring, a team must complete at least one drop pass, defined as a pass that goes backward at any angle. Once a team completes a drop pass, two consecutive touches by the other team erase the accomplishment. A single touch by the other team does not. A corner kick is considered a drop pass, and may result in a shot on goal.

Three-and-a-Drop gets the ball moving quickly. Teams are forced to use the backward direction. And players behind the ball become more involved, yelling "Drop!" when possession is endangered. What a great way to practice possession!

1 from Carrington, Russ, Thoughtful Soccer: the Think-First Approach to Playing and Coaching (Spring City, Pa.: Reedswain Publishing, 2002)