Characteristics of U9 & U10Soccer Player

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Stephen Mason
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1 Psychomotor Development Characteristics of U9 & U10Soccer Player 1. Gross and small motor skills becoming more refined 2. Boys and girls begin to develop separately 3. Ability to stay on task is lengthened 4. Greater diversity in playing ability and physical maturity, physically mature individuals demonstrate stronger motor skills 5. More prone than adults to heat injury 6. Accelerated heat loss, increased risk of hypothermia Cognitive Development 1. Some children begin moving from concrete operational to formal operational stage (Piaget) 2. Lengthened attention span, ability to sequence thought and actions 3. Pace factor becoming developed, starting to think ahead 4. More inclined toward wanting to play rather than being told to play 5. Demonstrates increased self- responsibility 6. Starting to recognize fundamental tactical concepts, such as changing direction of ball 7. Repetition of technique very important, must be dynamic not static Psychosocial Development

2 1. May initiate play on their own 2. Continued positive re- enforcement needed 3. Explanations must still be brief, concise and indicate purpose 4. Becoming more serious about their play 5. Still intrinsically motivated 6. Peer pressure starting to be a factor 7. Prefer identification with team, i.e. uniform, balls, equipment 8. Adult outside of the family may take on added significance Season Structure and Checklist In accordance with the JKYSC Player Development Philosophy and US Youth Soccer our approach to coaching and the season structure will be as follows. For players in the U9 & U10 age brackets we will teach several techniques: 1. Passing 2. Dribbling 3. Finishing 4. Receiving 5. Heading 6. Defending 7. Small Combinations 2v1, 2v2 For players in the U9 & U10 age bracket we will teach several tactical aspects:

3 1. Width and Depth 2. Team Shape 3. Systems of Play 4. Transition Week one training activities Theme: Short passing and receiving the pass: Games: 1. Pass and Receive to Score: Setup: Procedure: Practice Tips: Improve passing and receiving skills; improve one- on- one marking; develop endurance Using markers, outline an area about 40 by 40 yards. Use cones or flags to represent five small goals 2 to 3 yards wide randomly positioned within the area. Colored scrimmage vest differentiate teams. One team has the ball. Do not use goalkeepers. Begin with a kickoff from the center of the area. Teams can score in all five goals and must defend all five goals. Players attempt to pass the ball through a goal to a teammate. The ball may be passed through wither side of a goal, but not twice consecutively through the same goal. Play is continuous. Change of possession does not occur after each goal. Other than the method of scoring, regular soccer rules apply. Team gets 1 point each time a player completes a pass through a goal to a teammate. Team scoring the most points wins. Prohibiting consecutive scores through the same goal encourages players to constantly switch the poin of attack to attack the goal area with the fewest opponents. Require one- on- one marking to reduce the space and time available for players to pass and receive the ball. 2. Activity- Gates : The object of the game is to score thru any of the 4 corner goals.

4 Setup: Divide into two teams of 3-4 players each. Make a goal with flags, cones, etc in the corners of the field, but they are diagonal. Procedure: Practice Tips: Coach has a supply of balls in order to keep the game flowing. When a goal is scored or the ball goes out, the coach plays in a new ball. The only way to score is to pass the ball through the goals. At first allow the players to score at any of the 4 goals, then tell them that one team has two goals to score on and 2 to defend. 3. Pass and Support (3 vs.1): Develop the support movement used to create passing options for a player with a ball: improve passing and receiving skills. Setup: Using markers, outline a square area about 12 by 12 yards for each group. Designate 3 players as attackers and 1 as defender. Each group has a ball. Procedures: Attackers attempt to keep the ball from the defender by passing amongst themselves. If the defender steals the ball he or she immediately returns it to an attacker to continue the game. Paly for 5 minutes, then designate a different player as a defender. Continue playing until all players have taken a turn as a defender. Attacking teams gets one point for five consecutive passes without loss of possession. Defender gets one point each time they steal the ball or causes the attackers to play the ball out of the area. Team scoring the most points after 5 minutes wins. Practice tips: Attacking players must continuously adjust their position to provide clear passing lanes for a teammate with the ball. Place restrictions on players to make the game more challenging. For example, limit the attackers to a maximum of three touches to pass and recive the ball. For beginning players increase the playing area and reduce the number of consecutive passes required to score a point. 4. Passing by numbers: Setup: Develop passing and receiving skills and improve endurance Using markers outline a rectangular area about 30 by 40 yards for each group and position each group in a area. Number the players in each group, beginning with the #1 and continuing up through the number of players in the group. Give two players in each group possession of a ball to begin the game.

5 Procedure: All players begin jogging within the area, the two with a ball dribbling it. Those with a ball locate the teammate numbered directly above and pass to him or her. (The player with the highest number passes to #1.) All players should move continuously during the exercise as they pass to the teammate numbered above them and receive passes from the teammate numbered below them. None Practice Tips: Encourage players to pass and receive the ball in a smooth, controlled manner. The ball should never be completely stopped; rather, it should be received and controlled in the direction of the player s next movement. Make the game more challenging by placing restrictions on players (for example, require them to pass only with their weakest foot, or pass only with either the outside or instep surface of the foot).

Joseph Luxbacher, PhD Director of Coaching USC Travel Soccer Week #4 Curriculum. Small - Sided Games to Reinforce All Fundamental Skills

Joseph Luxbacher, PhD Director of Coaching USC Travel Soccer Week #4 Curriculum Topics: Small - Sided Games to Reinforce All Fundamental Skills The focus this week will be on reviewing the fundamental