Playing 5-a-side football may be great fun, but it can also create a lot of bitterness if you’re not playing correctly or if you’re not winning enough or producing sufficient scoring chances.
When playing 5-a-side football, attackers may not always be successful in getting on the score sheet due to the smaller goal and shorter pitch than in a normal football game, with a bigger pitch and 11 players for each team.
Below, is our advice on how to ensure your team can produce greater chances and score higher.
-
Attack as a unit
The first rule of astro football is to play as a team, whether you are attacking or defending. Your primary role can be as an attacking player; however, if you don’t support your team in the back and defend, you won’t have many chances in attack afterwards because you are likely to suffer a goal or don’t have possession of the ball at all.
Before the game, think about your game plan and stick to it. Everyone must be on the same page in order to be closer to victory.
-
Don’t even think about dribbling from one box to another
In 5-a-side football, you don’t have time or the space to be a ‘skiller’.
With just a few moves, you should go past the opposite player and save your tricks for practising and warm-up.
While your stepovers may get the audience’s attention, they won’t help you produce anything special on the pitch.
-
Quick passing
The key to being successful in 5-a-side are quick, accurate passes. Learn how to pass appropriately and accurately, short or long distance. Playing one-two passes, making triangulations, holding tempo and always having solutions to receive your pass is essential for your team to dominate the game by producing more goal scoring opportunities.
To catch your opponent’s off guard, make sure you can pass with both feet and develop back heel passes and flicks. Receive and pass the ball with both feet at different speeds to your teammates.
-
Work on your first touch
A solid first touch may fool any defender or goalkeeper while also preparing you for a shot on goal. A great first touch helps attackers to stay one step ahead of the defence while also allowing teammates to pass from long distances at speed.
-
Shooting power and accuracy
In 5-a-side football, a powerful shot comes in handy, but if you aren’t accurate in front of the goal, it won’t help you find the net. Missing chances will only get your teammates frustrated with you.
Learn how to shoot accurately and with power from a distance. Practice hitting towards the goal’s corner, as goalkeepers typically struggle to end those attempts, as well as low strikes that can catch goalkeepers off guard.
-
Perform well in front of goal
When confronted with a one-on-one situation with the goalie, it’s critical to be cool and calm. As with any other ball game, it’s about winning a quick-thinking battle with the goalkeeper. After he makes a move, or after observing an area that he’s left exposed, read him and immediately place or shoot the ball with power and accuracy.
Keep an eye on your surroundings to check if there are any opposing defenders close by and outsmart them with a fast feint and shoot.
-
Create Space
In a 5-a-side game, even a few meters of space are enough for a competent attacker to exploit and score a goal or generate a chance to score.
Run away from your marker and make quick movements to catch the opposition off guard. Don’t repeat the same runs again and again since you’ll become easy to mark.
Communicate with your teammates and signal to them where you intend to make a run or where you want the ball to be played.
-
Shoot more
Because of the smaller astro pitch size, you will have more opportunities to position into the opposition’s box and shoot.
Give yourself permission to shoot more and do it confidently. Make sure you’ve got your basic techniques right and keep your cool in front of the net.
However, when other teammates are in better position on the pitch, instead of aiming from a long-distance shot, play cleverly.
