While doing my early afternoon browse of the board I thought you guys might be able to help me out. I've started playing 5 aside football every week at Uni and have never really done 5 aside competitively until now. The issue is I am finding it a lot different to 11 aside! I generally play as a CM and depend more on my range of passing and stamina etc than pace and skill. But these traits just seem useless when playing 5 aside! Do you guys have any tips that could help me better my game on the smaller pitch? It's nearly as bad as playing at the Brittannia! This would be a huge help for playing tonight as I was WOEFUL last week. Thanks in advance, HTL!
5aside is largely about first touch and close control as you never have much time. If you like time on the ball playing as a defender is a trick to get a bit more.
Cheers. I did end up dropping back later on last week because as you said I found no time on the ball. Think this will be my best move for tonight, stay at the back and work it from there.
Basically turn your range if passing into a range of shooting. As long as you learn to hit the ball hard and low you will get it on target most of the time. Other than that the things that get me through 5 a side are knowing how to feint a shot and pull it to the side with the outside of my foot before actually shooting, and ten just generally getting the upper body strength to hold up the ball when facing your own goal. That's all I can advise really. 11 a side positions go out of the window in 5 a side.
I'd suggest playing more defensively. You'll see more of the ball and will have more time. You also need to be quicker on the ball, see the pass before receiving it. 5-a-side is hard but is a better work out than 11 which is why I enjoy it. Pace is always helpful. Standing your ground is good as the opposition also don't have a lot of space to move into. Keep the ball close to your feet and just be clever and strong. Do all those things, you'll be the Messi of 5-a-side. Also, make sure your team mates are backing you up, nothing worse than having to defend alone in 5-a-side.
They seriously do haha. I found myself with my back to goal quite a lot, holding the ball up. I think once I get my head up more before I receive the ball there's enough room to get some passing going. Though as you say the best traits seem to be close control, distance shooting and upper body strength on such a small pitch!It's a shining example of why Cabaye was so poor on Monday
I play 5-a-side every other week and I'm absolutely ****e. Like you, it doesn't suit my game either, not that I'm that good anyway. I'd prefer to play on the same size pitch and use the same size goals as they do in Masters football.
five a side is a piece of piss - just have your whole team defend your own box giving the other team no space to play in behind. Then you need one or preferably two quick lads to hit them on the break. this is the only way to make space on a small 5 a side pitch. I think you, from what you say, may be suited to passing the ball to the 2 quick lads on the break.
All i do is get the ball take one touch to set myself another outside the defender and hit it. Got 5 goals the other night. 10 in 4 so far!
As a forward player on 5 a side all I do is go with the first time shot ! just know where your team mates are and where the goal is, the more you play the easier it will get and you'll adapt
Sounds like you're a similar player to me and I found it easiest to keep it simple, try to take only 1 and 2 touches before giving it and keep moving, that and work on your shooting as was suggested above.
Spot on. My team last year were probably the smallest, weakest and most unfit in the league but we managed to win it by playing with this system. The philosophy was to make sure that there were always two at the back when we attacked. Luckily, because we all had a decent touch and a bit of pace, along with one deadly finisher, attackers and defenders were interchangeable so we could hit teams on the break and grab a goal from a couple of well placed passes. Most teams like to show off by pouring forward, trying fancy tricks and dribbling, but there's so little room on the pitch that if you contain the man with the ball and relentlessly mark all other attackers, they're reduced to trying long shots or snap shots; which hardly ever go in. It also means they get frustrated and tired, in turn creating a cycle of long shots, tiredness and frustration so much so that eventually you begin to cane them. It takes a lot of patience and concentration, but we would end winning games 7-0 against "jocks", you might call them, when we'd spent the previous week pissed off our heads and lounging about. We also played in black and white
Played in 5-aside league over summer, played 10 won 9, and won the league ... 5-aside is mainly about being organised if you have 2 who sit back and 1 who stay's up top then you are hard to break down and wont go far wrong, add to that 2 skillful players who are good on the ball and you have a good team... If your first touch isnt your strong point play defence, also allows you to play long balls.
I play twice a week and it gets harder as u get older. Generally i play 1 touch pass and go, moving all the time till my legs pack up (20 mins) and shoot on sight or someone will try and break me leg!!
