Learning from Horst Wein - a simplified game approach to introduce hockey and soccer to young players.

 Horst Wein was pioneer in game-based coaching junior territory field sports – hockey and football-soccer. His Simplified Games approach for Hockey argued for the replacement of a default plan of drills to develop prescribed skills to a default of small-sided game scenarios that create the opportunity for young players to “read" the game. The core philosophy of his simpliied games approach is that intelligence cannot be taught through drills, players learn it in and through play. Maybe not surprising then, one of his best known football-soccer books was Developing Game Intelligence.

The Hockey Development Model

Wein’s ideas for simplified games can be applied to a long-term game development model consisting of 5 levels.

Level 1: Games for basic abilities and capacities

Level 2: Games for Mini-Hockey

Level 3: Games for 6-on-6 Hockey

Level 4: Games for 8-on-8 Hockey

Level 5: Games for official 11-on-11 Hockey

These levels provide a progressive sequence of game experiences to expose players at an assumed readiness to learn of what Wein considered the most common game situations for this level. Player game development thus becomes a progressive process of gradually increasing demands.

A core game in Wein’s simplified games compendium is 4-Goal (a pitch with four goals - two on each end). Wein suggested that his experience indicated that a problem with traditional hockey drills is that it often led to 'tunnel vision' where players learn only to look and run toward one central ‘corridor’. By this, I take it to mean that young players don’t develop understanding of the width of the game, that is, how to use the width of the field. I also see a connection here with Memmert’s (2015) argument about ‘marker to marker’ drills developing inattentional blindness. Inattentional blindness is a term for where an individual fails to perceive an unexpected stimulus that is in sight because their attention is focused elsewhere (Kreitz et al., 2015). In other words, repeatedly following a fixed path or determined path as drills often do, damages a player's ability to "see" the game. The Solution: By having two goals to attack, players must constantly "scan" the field. If the right-side goal is blocked by a defender, they must use their game intelligence to switch the point of attack to the left goal.

Soccer Game Intelligence

Horst Wein’s application of hockey ideas to football includes FUNiño, a 3v3 game played with four goals.

In Horst Wein's simplified games approach, the art of teaching lies in knowing for what activity (a technical move, a tactical behaviour or a complex competition) the player is prepared for at a particular stage of physical and mental development.

Play with Purpose

When I coached junior and youth football-soccer for many years, I incorporated many of the games from Wein’s Developing Game Intelligence in soccer (2004) into my practice session design based on the Play with Purpose model aimed towards developing the players game sense. In a sense, Wein provided guidance to the right game for the players level of readiness to learn, while Play with Purpose provided the pedagogical loop.

Here is a coaching episode example of what using a FUNiño a 3v3 4-goal game in a Play with Purpose sequence might be:

• 1. Play the Game: Play a round of 3v3 4-goal games.
• 2. Initiate Reflection): Pause the game. Use questioning with the players to get them thinking about the game. For example -
• Question: "When the defenders blocked the right goal, where was the most space?"
• Question: "How can you and your teammate use the second goal to space the defenders apart?"
• Optional Purposeful Practice: If players struggle with the technical execution of a long pass to switch play, do a drill on passing technique, then return to the game to test it.
• 3. Play the game: Play a new round of 3v3 4-goal games

 Using Wein's ideas about simplified games in a Play with Purpose model, in more detail, it might look like this. 

Session Overview: "The Thinking Attacker"

• Target: Field Hockey (adaptable to Football).
• Ages: 8 to12yo (Level 2-and-3 of Wein’s model).

Game 1

• Setup: 25m x 20m pitch with four goals (two on each baseline, positioned in the corners).

Rule: Score in either of the two goals your team is attacking.

Coach observes game play for how often a player with the ball runs or hits “into traffic" versus looking for a pass to the open space.

Purposeful Break in Play (Reflection) - The "tactical timeout" moment:

Coach calls a huddle after a player loses the ball by trying to force it forward through ‘traffic’.

Questioning:

“When you had the ball there, what did the defenders do?” (Expected: "They all blocked the space in front of the goal in front of me.")

“If the front is blocked, is there another option?” (Pointing to the second goal).

“What do we need to do with our heads before we receive the ball to find that other option?” (Answer: "Scan/Look around.")

Options:          Return to Game 1

                             Depart to practice activity on scanning

                             Elevate the challenge point to Game 2

Game 2. 3v3 + 1 "the Wildcard"

Add a neutral player (the Wildcard) who always plays for the team in possession of the ball. This can create a more often 2v1 or 3v2 numerical advantage, making it easier to find a pass to open space or shot to the open goal.

Coaches Post Session Notes

To ensure players are moving forward with their learning, I reckon coaches should keep notes on their observations during practice, so they have data to inform opinions rather than subject opinions.

The coach can use the scouting sheet data to focus players thinking at the start of the next practice session. For example:

"I noticed that as a team, from the players I tracked last session we scanned the field 12 times, but we only switched to the open goal twice. Why do you think we are seeing the space but not moving the ball there?"

Periodically, the coach should provide feedback to the player about their learning progress.

Player progress sheet

Game Intelligence Metric	Developing	Consistent	Mastered	Coach’s Play with Purpose Note
Perception				Are they "scanning" the field before the ball arrives?
Decision				Do they switch play to the "open side" when blocked?
Execution				Is their first touch directed into open space?
Transition				Do they react quickly when possession changes?

As I illustrate above, when you combine Wein’s simplified games within Play with Purpose  you follow a specific pedagogical loop in your training session.

Thanks for stopping by and reading this post. If you would like to connect with me about a project to do with this blog or any of the other ideas that I have blogged about, you can contact me by the email link available here 

Related blogs

Teaching soccer (football) using play with purpose here

TGfU Special Blog: Horst Wein: Developing Game Intelligence here

References

Kreitz, C., Furley, P., Memmert, D., Simons, D.J. (2015). inattentional blindness and individual differences in cognitive abilities. PLoS One. 10(8):e0134675.

Memmert, D. (2015). Teaching tactical creativity in sport: research and practice. Routledge.

Wein, H. (1981). La clave del éxito en el hockey published in English 2000, The key to better hockey by International Educational Management Systems.

Wein, H. (2004). Developing game intelligence in soccer. Reedswain.

*If you would like a PDF of my resource Play with Purpose: The Game Sense Coaching Approach for Football (Soccer) email me and I will reply with a copy of the resource.