Do you coach the player who loses it to chase immediately?

Question

A lot of ours lose the ball then stop for a second because they are annoyed. In 3v3 that second is basically the whole counter-attack. Would you start using a simple 'lose it, react' message at U7, or is that already getting too tactical?

Verified Coach · Accepted Answer

Yes, I’d start introducing that idea.

“Lose it, react” is not too tactical for U7 if the message simply means stay in the game after something goes wrong.

I would not demand an immediate tackle every time. The useful reaction might be chasing, getting between the ball and goal, helping a teammate or simply turning and recovering.

In training, 1v1 and 2v2 games teach this really well because losing the ball instantly changes the job.

The emotional bit matters too. Some children stop because they are frustrated with themselves. Praise the recovery attempt even if they do not win it back.

You want them to learn that losing the ball is not the end of their action. The next action starts straight away.

Mark17 · Answer

At U7 the one-second sulk is normal. The useful habit is learning they can still affect what happens next.

Aisha58 · Answer

I really like praising the reaction even if they never get the ball back. Otherwise they only hear praise for successful tackles.

LR_23 · Answer

We use 'next job' rather than 'win it back'. Sometimes the next job is chase, sometimes recover, sometimes cover the goal.

Do you coach the player who loses it to chase immediately?

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