PSV Eindhoven: the ‘box’ method helping the club’s U8-U12 players develop game-realistic skills
Practice | Sessions| Peter Glynn | 04.06.21
PSV Eindhoven academy coach, Joop Oosterveld, provides an insight into the ‘box’ method used to develop the club’s U8 – U12 players.
Learning:
• Simplifying the game to inform practice design
• Developing position-specific skills
• Solving game problems in a variety of ways
PSV Eindhoven use a development programme based on pitch ‘boxes’ in order help young players in the U8-U12 age-group develop game-realistic skills, explains Joop Oosterveld, lead coach for the Dutch club’s younger age-groups.
“Whatever level of the game, you see football is played in a really small box,” explains Oosterveld, who developed the methodology after years analysing the game at both senior and junior level.
“It’s around 25x25 yards in the foundation phase or 35x35 yards in the 11v11 game.
“If you play 8v8 game on Sunday, you sometimes see 14 people in one box,” adds Oosterveld.
“We look at which skills you need in each box: it might be passing, dribbling, but also defending in the box”
