Introduction To Positional Play Part 1: Introduction to a Positional Structure

Introduction

Perhaps the most commonly accepted playing styles has been Positional Play in the last 5–10 years. There have been many articles written about it and about the concepts, mindset, philosophies, etc. that are changing within this much larger concept of Positional Play. Despite the variations that can come within this overall style their are certain characteristics or principles that remain constant. In any positional play game model teams look to systematically advance the ball past defensive lines with control by using a clear structure with primary and alternative concepts. Defensively I have noticed that teams who use positional play in attack typically prioritize positional superiority when defending higher up the field and space orientation when defending deeper. This is just a trend I’ve noticed not something I have researched. What I will look at with this is the consistencies with positional play in the offensive phase: Structure, Routes to progress the ball, and Reference points. These three things maybe be consistent through out the game in general, but for positional play there are key aspects that must be fulfilled with intentional actions.

Structure:

The main pieces of this structure we will look at are Depth, Height, Width, and Connections into the defenses block. These aspects in structure always remain the same. The piece that changes is how teams fulfill them. First, Let’s look at Depth. Depth in our…