FIFA Futsal Coaching Course

Nicosia (Cyprus), 29/6-3/7/2009

Instructor: Mico Martic (Croatia)

Offensive Tactical Actions

Offensive Tactical Actions
CONCEPT OF OFFENSIVE TACTICAL ACTIONS
TYPES OF OFFENSIVE TACTICAL ACTIONS
Marking actions
Losing your marker
Sweeping or displacement
Blocking
Cross-over
Curtain
Back-up actions
Splitting or relief
The wall pass
Overlapping or super-positioning
Play change actions
Play controll actions
Change of pace
Taking time of the clock
External match control actions
Concept of offensive tactical action
Tactical offensive action is the set of technical and tactical attack actions performed to
advance the ball toward the opponent’s to achieve futsal’s ultimate aim: to score a goal

to be able to carry out an offensive tactical action your team has to have possession of the ball,
which is the opposite situation of what occurs when you have to defend.
Types of offensive tactical actions
Marking actions – have the main objective of beating or destabilizing defenders’ marks

Losing your marker (1/2) – losing your marker is the action trough which
an attacker who does not have the ball bits his marker, facing an individual defense, or moves to
occupy position free from marking, against a zone defense. The objective is th achievea good
position to be able to receive a pass.

You can lose your marker trough:

- support – when you try to beat close marking of defender with intention of helping
the teammate who has the ball
- rupture – when the opposing defender is beaten to achieve a position more
advanced than the teammate who has the ball, to be able to receive the deep pass
- floating – you may lose your marker by floating, or separating yourself from the
defender a short distance when, in a given position, you want to keep a pass line open. That
way, it is possible to impede the defender’s anticipation and readjust one’s body position for
proper ball reception if the pass is finally made.
Types of offensive tactical actions
Marking actions – have the main objective of beating or destabilizing defenders’ marks

Losing your marker (2/2) –

You can lose your marker trough:
- support –
- rupture –
Types of offensive tactical actions
Marking actions
Sweeping or displacement – is the action with which a dfender is picked
up and taken from his/her marking area to create an empty space that can be exploited by an
attacking teammate. The teammate who performs it must offer himself and give the impression
of wanting to play the ball. That way it will be more probable that the defender follow him.
Types of offensive tactical actions
Marking actions
Blocking – consist of placing oneself between teammate who has the ball
and the defender that can come to mark him and cut of access. This prevents the defender’s
action and your teammate can keep advancing.
Blocking can be:
- direct – if performed on the defending partner of the atacker who has the ball
- indirect – if performed on any other defender
- frontal – when placed directly in front of defender (who faces or has his back to it)
and cuts off all his escape angles.
- diagonal – when placed latteraly, leaving an angle open for the defender to escape,
so he must take a longer route and therefore be unable to intercept your teammate.
Types of offensive tactical actions
Marking actions
Cross-over – is the combined action between two players, one with the
ball, who advances, and another without, who loses his marker and moves in front of or behind
the ball, to occupy a more advanced position diagonally opposite from his original one.

This triggers uncertainty in the defenders, who may not know whether to follow their partner or
exchange marks.
Types of offensive tactical actions
Marking actions
Curtain – is the action performed by an attacker who does not have the
ball and passes in front of the defender who is marking the player with the ball. That way he gets
the defender to mamentarily lose the close marking over his teammate, in addition to triggering
uncertainty.

This is a distraction move that can turn into sweep.

Types of offensive tactical actions
Back-up actions – are those in which two or more attackers intervene in coordinated fashion,
one playing as the offensive support of the other, with the aim of throwing the opponent’s
defense off balance.
Splitting or relief – is the action in which a player moves to occupy the
position left by a teammate who has advanced his position during ttack. If the switching of
position is mutual, it is an exchange (just like in defense).
Types of offensive tactical actions
Back-up actions
The wall pass – is a combine actions in which two players intervene: the
one execute it and the teammate who of supports him (acting as the “wall”).

The player who performs it passes the ball to the supporting teammate and quickly loses his
marker in rupture. The teammate immediately returns the ball with the single touch. With a wall
pass, a team can achieve clear positions of superiority (if the defender was the last defensive
line, the attacker who performs the wall pass can directly face the goal).
Types of offensive tactical actions
Back-up actions
Overlapping or super-positioning – is similar to wall pass, but the player
performing it does not receive the ball from the support but, with a change of pace and losing his
marker in rupture he moves toward the sideline and advances his position, forcing his marking
partner to move so as not to lose him.

The attacker who has the ball can take advantage of the empty space left to pass toward the
opposite sideline. Additionaly, it can trigger miscues among the defenders, if they decide to
change their markings.
Types of offensive tactical actions
Play change actions – the change of orientation (or play) consist of making a single pass to
take the front of the attack from one part of the pitch to the other where there is an empty space
or defensive imbalance.

This forced the defense to swing toward the area where the ball has gone to readjust and
reposition, increasing their physical effort and triggering uncertainty.
Types of offensive tactical actions
Play controll actions – are the internal or external actions with which it is meant to set or
change the pace of play, either to make it more intense and quick, or to slow it down. It also
includes the stoppages in play (fouls, substitutions, time-outs etc.)

Change of pace – is the action trough which a slow pace of play is taken
to a quick one, or vice versa, with the intention of changing the dynamics of the match.
Acceleration of the pace, to more lively and intense, must be done quickly and in the coordinated
fashion, to surprise opponents defense.

Change of pace work to physically and mentally tire defenders, but they also require a team to
have proper training.
Types of offensive tactical actions
Play controll actions
Taking time of the clock – when your team is ahead in the score, and
there is a little time left in the match, you can carry out stalling actions to help you take seconds
of the clock.
Types of offensive tactical actions
Play controll actions

External match control actions – you can change or maintain the

dynamics of the match with external actions that are the coach’s responsability.

For example, you can cut off the opponent’s pace or take time off the clock trough player
substitutions. Calling time-outs is also an external action to change the pace of the match.
Thanks for your attention !