AYSA Inter Atlanta FC U5/U6 Curriculum Week 1 Sample Training Session - Mobility Skills Theme Mobility Skills -running forward and backward Pre-Session Game - N minutes Pac Man Warmup Activities - 10 minutes Around the Cones (3 minutes) - Add ball Dogs n Rabbits (5 minutes) Main Activities - 25 minutes Demonstrate proper running form forward and backward (emphasize arm movements) Red Light Green Light (10 minutes) City Game (10 minutes) - forward to 2 cities; backward to 2 cities Small-Sided Game - 20 minutes 3v3 Wrap Up - 2 minutes Ask players to demonstrate proper running form. Clean Up - 3 minutes
Pre-Session Game Pac Man Purpose To improve dribbling, striking the ball with the inside of your foot and agility Themes Ball Mastery, Striking the Ball, Mobility Skills # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player, disc cones to mark off 20x25 yard area This is a good game because it involves passing the ball while on the move. This correlates nicely to the real game of soccer. Use your disc cones to mark an area approximately 20x25 yards. Select two players to be Pac Men. Each of the Pac Men should have a ball. The rest of the balls should be outside of the area. When you say "Go!", the Pac Men dribble around trying to hit the other players BELOW the waist by passing the ball at them. The players, who are not Pac Men, run around dodging the attempts to tag them with a pass. If a player is hit by a ball below the waist, that player becomes a Pac Man, too. The new Pac Man should get one of the balls that is outside of the area and join the game as soon as possible. The last two players who are not Pac Men become the Pac Men to start the next game. T1: Emphasize passing the ball not shooting it, and constantly remind the Pac Men to pass low so that no one gets hurt. Warm Up Activities (10 Minutes) Around the Cones Purpose To improve dribbling at speed in a straight line Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All - in relay teams with 3 or 4 players per team Equipment 1 ball per relay team; 4 disc cones per team Time 2 minutes Relays are a very simple game to use to train dribbling at speed. The competitive nature of relays always means players will give a good effort. Around the Cones is a very simple relay with easy setup and few rules to learn. Relay teams should have three or four players so that players get two or three parts rest to every part of work (2:1 or 3:1 rest:work ratio). If you have an odd number of players, add a parent, sibling or coach. You can also have one player go twice at each distance.
Set up the relay by laying out disc cones in front of each relay team at the following distances: 0 yards (the starting line), 5 yards, 10 yards and 15 yards. When the relay is started, the first player from each relay dribbles around the 5-yard cone and then passes to the second player. The second player dribbles around the 5-yard cone and then passes to the third player. When the ball is passed to the first player, the first player then dribbles around the 10-yard cone and passes the ball to the second player. When the ball is passed to the first player again, the first player dribbles around the 15-yard cone and passes to the second player. The relay is done when the last player dribbles around the 15-yard cone and dribbles back across the starting line. VARIATIONS Instead of just dribbling around the cones, have the players practice an appropriate move (Zico, Spin or Screw) when they reach a cone. You can train sprinting skills by running around the cones instead of dribbling. You can have players run forward, backward, shuffle, etc. - whatever mobility skill(s) you would like to train. T1: Make sure players are dribbling in a straight line. T1: Divide players into relay teams that are equal. T2: Let the players pass to the next player from whatever distance they want. They will soon figure out the correct distance that will be successful and fastest. Dogs 'n Rabbits Purpose To improve dribbling at speed in a straight line Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All - in pairs with 3 pairs at each course Equipment 1 ball per pair, 3 disc cones per course What could give more incentive to dribbling faster than being a dribbling rabbit chased by a mad, drooling dog? In this game, the chaser (the dog) tries to run down and tag the dribbler (the rabbit) before the dribbler can reach the finish line. Set up each course by laying out disc cones at the following distances: 0 yards, 5 yards and 30 yards. Have each pair decide who is the dog and who is the rabbit. The first pair starts the game. The dog stands at the cone at 0 yards. The rabbit stands with a ball at the cone at 5 yards. As soon as the rabbit makes his/her first dribble, the dog is released and chases the rabbit. If the dog tags the rabbit before the rabbit reaches the cone at 30 yards, the dog gets a point. If the rabbit makes it to the 30- yard cone without being tagged, the rabbit gets a point. Once the first pair has finished, the second and then third pairs play the game. When the first pair plays for a second time, switch roles so that the rabbit becomes the dog and vice versa.
The first player to get three points in any pair is the winner of the game and gets to be Bugs Bunny for the day! T1: If the rabbits are not being successful, move the dogs back several yards. T2: Proper dribbling foot position and length of the dribble are crucial to a rabbit's survival. T3: The dogs should be using proper sprinting form. T4: To make the game more fun, have the dogs bark like crazy when they try to chase down their rabbit. Main Activities (25 Minutes) Red Light Green Light Purpose To improve stopping and starting ability Themes Ball Mastery # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player, 10 disc cones Use your disc cones to set up two parallel lines that are 30 yards apart. All of the players line up along one line. You stand at the other line facing away from the players. Pick a dribbling move that all players must do when you say "Green Light". To start the game, you say "Green Light!". At that point, all of the players do the selected dribbling move and start dribbling toward the far line as fast as possible. When you say "Red Light!", all of the players must stop and put their foot on top of their ball. When you say "Red Light!", you also turn around. Any players who are not standing with a foot on their ball have to go back to the starting line and start over. You then turn back around and say "Green Light!" The players do the dribbling move and dribble forward again. First player to cross the line wins the game and gets to call Red Light, Green Light for the next game. VARIATIONS Make the lines 40 yards apart and play without soccer balls. When you say "Green Light", the players must do some mobility skill - forward somersault, push up, cartwheel, sky jump, etc. - and then sprint forward. When you say "Red Light", the players must stop. Any who don't stop in time have to start over. T1: To improve skill with both feet, make players dribble with their right foot during the first game and their left foot in the next game. T2: Since you are not watching the game, it helps to have an assistant watch and make sure the rules are being followed.
City Game Purpose Multi-faceted game that can be used to improve dribbling, dribbling at speed and agility Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All - divided equally among the four cities Equipment 1 ball per player, 16 disc cones Time 10-15 minutes The City Game is adapted from the Dutch KNVB training game of the same name. It can be used in the training of a variety of skills. Set up four cities in a square grid with each city being 10 yards apart. Use four cones (about three yards apart) to mark the corners of each city. Name the cities (or have the players name them) and divide the players among the cities Agility Variants (No Balls) 1. When you say "Go!", each player must run in a counterclockwise direction around the grid passing through each city. When they return to their home city, they go down on one knee to show they have finished. First city with all of its residents back is the winner. 2. Game is the same except when you run from City A to City B, you must run forward. From City B to City C, you must run backward. From City C to City D, you must shuffle sideways. From City D to City A, you run forward but must do a somersault in the middle. 3. Make an obstacle course with different obstacles between each city. Put hula hoops between City A and City B and make players run around the hoops. Put hurdles between City B and City C. Put bars between City C and City D and make players shuffle sideways around the bars. Hold hoops on their edge between City D and City A and make players dive through the hoops. Dribbling Variants (Every Player with a Ball) 1. When you say "Go!", each player must dribble in a counterclockwise direction around the grid passing through each city. When they return to their home city, they need to stop the ball by placing their foot on top of it and wait in that position until all the other residents of their city finish. First city with all of its residents back is the winner. 2. Between each city, you have to do a certain dribbling move or sequence of dribbling moves. For example, between City A and City B you must do a Spin. Between City B and City C you must do two Zicos and so forth. 3. Make an obstacle course similar to that described above. For hurdles, have them pass the ball to the end of the hurdles, jump over all of them, get their ball and continue. For the hoops on their edge, make them pass the ball through the hoop. VARIATIONS
Have half of the players from each city go in a clockwise direction. Have the other half go in a counterclockwise direction. Now the players will also be obstacles as they run/dribble around the course. Place a fifth city in the middle of the grid. Players must visit the four other cities (including the one in the middle) and return to their home city. How they do that is up to them. T1: Have the players pick the city names. Some "cities" will have an interesting names like "Mexico" and "Japan" T2: To make the game more fun and a learning experience, have players yell out a word appropriate to their city when they finish. For example, if the city is Madrid, they must yell out something in Spanish. If it's a city for which you don't know a word, let the players make up a word that sounds like the city's language! Small Sided Game (20 Minutes) 3v3 Purpose Small-sided game to train all basic aspects of soccer play. Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players 6 - in two teams of 3 Equipment 3+ balls, disc cones to lay out a 15x20 field, 2 Pugg goals, 3 pinnies Time 10-20 minutes This is the standard 3v3 game with each team attacking a goal. It teaches directional play toward a single target just like in 7v7 and 11v11 soccer. Use your disc cones to set up a 15x20-yard field. Place one Pugg goal halfway along each 15-yard line. Have one team put on pinnies. Select a team to kick off from the midfield and let the fun begin. If the ball goes over a touch line (the 20-yard lines), restart play by having a player kick the ball in instead of a throw in. Use corner kicks, goal kicks and kickoffs as in a normal game. No goals can be scored directly off a restart. Play a short 3-5 minute game and have a water break. You can then divide into new teams or just start a new game. T1: If you have 8 players, divide into teams of 4 with one substitute. With 10 players, divide into teams of 5 with two substitutes. Rotate players so that all players take turns being substitutes. Substitute frequently - watching is boring! T2: Let the players play. You should be relegated to the role of big cheerleader. Only stop the game if the players repeatedly make the same mistakes. T3: Discourage players from being goalies and standing right in front of the goal. T4: Scoring a goal should be a big deal. After each goal, devise some sort of celebration that involves the players from both teams. Let the goal scorer pick a silly word and have everyone yell it aloud. Count off the total number of goals that have been scored so far (in Spanish!). Just do something so that all the players know that scoring a goal is what it's all about.
AYSA Inter Atlanta FC U5/U6 Curriculum Week 2 Sample Training Session - Mobility Skills Theme Mobility Skills -running forward and backward Pre-Session Game - N minutes Pac Man Warmup Activities - 10 minutes Around the Cones (3 minutes) - Add ball Dogs n Rabbits (5 minutes) Main Activities - 25 minutes Demonstrate proper running form forward and backward (emphasize arm movements) Red Light Green Light (10 minutes) City Game (10 minutes) - forward to 2 cities; backward to 2 cities Small-Sided Game - 20 minutes 3v3 Wrap Up - 2 minutes Ask players to demonstrate proper running form. Clean Up - 3 minutes
Pre-Session Game Pac Man Purpose To improve dribbling, striking the ball with the inside of your foot and agility Themes Ball Mastery, Striking the Ball, Mobility Skills # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player, disc cones to mark off 20x25 yard area This is a good game because it involves passing the ball while on the move. This correlates nicely to the real game of soccer. Use your disc cones to mark an area approximately 20x25 yards. Select two players to be Pac Men. Each of the Pac Men should have a ball. The rest of the balls should be outside of the area. When you say "Go!", the Pac Men dribble around trying to hit the other players BELOW the waist by passing the ball at them. The players, who are not Pac Men, run around dodging the attempts to tag them with a pass. If a player is hit by a ball below the waist, that player becomes a Pac Man, too. The new Pac Man should get one of the balls that is outside of the area and join the game as soon as possible. The last two players who are not Pac Men become the Pac Men to start the next game. T1: Emphasize passing the ball not shooting it, and constantly remind the Pac Men to pass low so that no one gets hurt. Warm Up Activities (10 Minutes) Around the Cones Purpose To improve dribbling at speed in a straight line Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All - in relay teams with 3 or 4 players per team Equipment 1 ball per relay team; 4 disc cones per team Time 2 minutes Relays are a very simple game to use to train dribbling at speed. The competitive nature of relays always means players will give a good effort. Around the Cones is a very simple relay with easy setup and few rules to learn. Relay teams should have three or four players so that players get two or three parts rest to every part of work (2:1 or 3:1 rest:work ratio). If you have an odd number of players, add a parent, sibling or coach. You can also have one player go twice at each distance.
Set up the relay by laying out disc cones in front of each relay team at the following distances: 0 yards (the starting line), 5 yards, 10 yards and 15 yards. When the relay is started, the first player from each relay dribbles around the 5-yard cone and then passes to the second player. The second player dribbles around the 5-yard cone and then passes to the third player. When the ball is passed to the first player, the first player then dribbles around the 10-yard cone and passes the ball to the second player. When the ball is passed to the first player again, the first player dribbles around the 15-yard cone and passes to the second player. The relay is done when the last player dribbles around the 15-yard cone and dribbles back across the starting line. VARIATIONS Instead of just dribbling around the cones, have the players practice an appropriate move (Zico, Spin or Screw) when they reach a cone. You can train sprinting skills by running around the cones instead of dribbling. You can have players run forward, backward, shuffle, etc. - whatever mobility skill(s) you would like to train. T1: Make sure players are dribbling in a straight line. T1: Divide players into relay teams that are equal. T2: Let the players pass to the next player from whatever distance they want. They will soon figure out the correct distance that will be successful and fastest. Dogs 'n Rabbits Purpose To improve dribbling at speed in a straight line Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All - in pairs with 3 pairs at each course Equipment 1 ball per pair, 3 disc cones per course What could give more incentive to dribbling faster than being a dribbling rabbit chased by a mad, drooling dog? In this game, the chaser (the dog) tries to run down and tag the dribbler (the rabbit) before the dribbler can reach the finish line. Set up each course by laying out disc cones at the following distances: 0 yards, 5 yards and 30 yards. Have each pair decide who is the dog and who is the rabbit. The first pair starts the game. The dog stands at the cone at 0 yards. The rabbit stands with a ball at the cone at 5 yards. As soon as the rabbit makes his/her first dribble, the dog is released and chases the rabbit. If the dog tags the rabbit before the rabbit reaches the cone at 30 yards, the dog gets a point. If the rabbit makes it to the 30- yard cone without being tagged, the rabbit gets a point. Once the first pair has finished, the second and then third pairs play the game. When the first pair plays for a second time, switch roles so that the rabbit becomes the dog and vice versa.
The first player to get three points in any pair is the winner of the game and gets to be Bugs Bunny for the day! T1: If the rabbits are not being successful, move the dogs back several yards. T2: Proper dribbling foot position and length of the dribble are crucial to a rabbit's survival. T3: The dogs should be using proper sprinting form. T4: To make the game more fun, have the dogs bark like crazy when they try to chase down their rabbit. Main Activities (25 Minutes) Red Light Green Light Purpose To improve stopping and starting ability Themes Ball Mastery # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player, 10 disc cones Use your disc cones to set up two parallel lines that are 30 yards apart. All of the players line up along one line. You stand at the other line facing away from the players. Pick a dribbling move that all players must do when you say "Green Light". To start the game, you say "Green Light!". At that point, all of the players do the selected dribbling move and start dribbling toward the far line as fast as possible. When you say "Red Light!", all of the players must stop and put their foot on top of their ball. When you say "Red Light!", you also turn around. Any players who are not standing with a foot on their ball have to go back to the starting line and start over. You then turn back around and say "Green Light!" The players do the dribbling move and dribble forward again. First player to cross the line wins the game and gets to call Red Light, Green Light for the next game. VARIATIONS Make the lines 40 yards apart and play without soccer balls. When you say "Green Light", the players must do some mobility skill - forward somersault, push up, cartwheel, sky jump, etc. - and then sprint forward. When you say "Red Light", the players must stop. Any who don't stop in time have to start over. T1: To improve skill with both feet, make players dribble with their right foot during the first game and their left foot in the next game. T2: Since you are not watching the game, it helps to have an assistant watch and make sure the rules are being followed.
City Game Purpose Multi-faceted game that can be used to improve dribbling, dribbling at speed and agility Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All - divided equally among the four cities Equipment 1 ball per player, 16 disc cones Time 10-15 minutes The City Game is adapted from the Dutch KNVB training game of the same name. It can be used in the training of a variety of skills. Set up four cities in a square grid with each city being 10 yards apart. Use four cones (about three yards apart) to mark the corners of each city. Name the cities (or have the players name them) and divide the players among the cities Agility Variants (No Balls) 1. When you say "Go!", each player must run in a counterclockwise direction around the grid passing through each city. When they return to their home city, they go down on one knee to show they have finished. First city with all of its residents back is the winner. 2. Game is the same except when you run from City A to City B, you must run forward. From City B to City C, you must run backward. From City C to City D, you must shuffle sideways. From City D to City A, you run forward but must do a somersault in the middle. 3. Make an obstacle course with different obstacles between each city. Put hula hoops between City A and City B and make players run around the hoops. Put hurdles between City B and City C. Put bars between City C and City D and make players shuffle sideways around the bars. Hold hoops on their edge between City D and City A and make players dive through the hoops. Dribbling Variants (Every Player with a Ball) 1. When you say "Go!", each player must dribble in a counterclockwise direction around the grid passing through each city. When they return to their home city, they need to stop the ball by placing their foot on top of it and wait in that position until all the other residents of their city finish. First city with all of its residents back is the winner. 2. Between each city, you have to do a certain dribbling move or sequence of dribbling moves. For example, between City A and City B you must do a Spin. Between City B and City C you must do two Zicos and so forth. 3. Make an obstacle course similar to that described above. For hurdles, have them pass the ball to the end of the hurdles, jump over all of them, get their ball and continue. For the hoops on their edge, make them pass the ball through the hoop. VARIATIONS
Have half of the players from each city go in a clockwise direction. Have the other half go in a counterclockwise direction. Now the players will also be obstacles as they run/dribble around the course. Place a fifth city in the middle of the grid. Players must visit the four other cities (including the one in the middle) and return to their home city. How they do that is up to them. T1: Have the players pick the city names. Some "cities" will have an interesting names like "Mexico" and "Japan" T2: To make the game more fun and a learning experience, have players yell out a word appropriate to their city when they finish. For example, if the city is Madrid, they must yell out something in Spanish. If it's a city for which you don't know a word, let the players make up a word that sounds like the city's language! Small Sided Game (20 Minutes) 3v3 Purpose Small-sided game to train all basic aspects of soccer play. Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players 6 - in two teams of 3 Equipment 3+ balls, disc cones to lay out a 15x20 field, 2 Pugg goals, 3 pinnies Time 10-20 minutes This is the standard 3v3 game with each team attacking a goal. It teaches directional play toward a single target just like in 7v7 and 11v11 soccer. Use your disc cones to set up a 15x20-yard field. Place one Pugg goal halfway along each 15-yard line. Have one team put on pinnies. Select a team to kick off from the midfield and let the fun begin. If the ball goes over a touch line (the 20-yard lines), restart play by having a player kick the ball in instead of a throw in. Use corner kicks, goal kicks and kickoffs as in a normal game. No goals can be scored directly off a restart. Play a short 3-5 minute game and have a water break. You can then divide into new teams or just start a new game. T1: If you have 8 players, divide into teams of 4 with one substitute. With 10 players, divide into teams of 5 with two substitutes. Rotate players so that all players take turns being substitutes. Substitute frequently - watching is boring! T2: Let the players play. You should be relegated to the role of big cheerleader. Only stop the game if the players repeatedly make the same mistakes. T3: Discourage players from being goalies and standing right in front of the goal. T4: Scoring a goal should be a big deal. After each goal, devise some sort of celebration that involves the players from both teams. Let the goal scorer pick a silly word and have everyone yell it aloud. Count off the total number of goals that have been scored so far (in Spanish!). Just do something so that all the players know that scoring a goal is what it's all about.
AYSA Inter Atlanta FC U5/U6 Curriculum Week 3 Sample Training Session - Mobility Skills Theme Mobility Skills -running forward and backward Pre-Session Game - N minutes Pac Man Warmup Activities - 10 minutes Body Part Dribbling (5 minutes) Dogs n Rabbits (5 minutes) Main Activities - 25 minutes Demonstrate proper running form forward and backward (emphasize arm movements) Capture the Flag (10 minutes) Freeze Tag (10 minutes) Small-Sided Game - 20 minutes 3v3 Multiple Balls Wrap Up - 2 minutes Ask players to demonstrate proper running form. Clean Up - 3 minutes
Pre-Session Game Pac Man Purpose To improve dribbling, striking the ball with the inside of your foot and agility Themes Ball Mastery, Striking the Ball, Mobility Skills # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player, disc cones to mark off 20x25 yard area This is a good game because it involves passing the ball while on the move. This correlates nicely to the real game of soccer. Use your disc cones to mark an area approximately 20x25 yards. Select two players to be Pac Men. Each of the Pac Men should have a ball. The rest of the balls should be outside of the area. When you say "Go!", the Pac Men dribble around trying to hit the other players BELOW the waist by passing the ball at them. The players, who are not Pac Men, run around dodging the attempts to tag them with a pass. If a player is hit by a ball below the waist, that player becomes a Pac Man, too. The new Pac Man should get one of the balls that is outside of the area and join the game as soon as possible. The last two players who are not Pac Men become the Pac Men to start the next game. T1: Emphasize passing the ball not shooting it, and constantly remind the Pac Men to pass low so that no one gets hurt. Warm Up Activities (10 Minutes) Body Part Dribbling Purpose To improve technical dribbling ability Themes Ball Mastery # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player, disc cones to lay out a 20x25 area Time 5 minutes A fun, short dribbling game with lots of ball touches for the amount of time spent. Use your disc cones to set up a 20x25-yard area. Each player has a ball and must stay inside the area. Pick out a move that the players should be working on while dribbling. When you say "Go!", players dribble around the field freely. Players should do the suggested move as often as possible. While the players are dribbling, call out a body part. All players must stop and
touch the ball with the specified body part. Get them started again and then call out another body part. Thumb, ear, nose, elbow, butt, etc. - all make great choices. You can even start teaching left from right by saying right elbow, right thumb, etc. Change the dribbling move frequently and have fun with the game. Call out multiple parts - left foot and right thumb. Call out impossible combinations: both ears, right foot and back, etc. VARIATIONS Instead of calling out the body part, simply point to it. This will encourage players to dribble with their heads up. Last player to comply has to do some silly task. T1: Make sure players keep moving, keep dribbling, and keep working on the selected dribbling move. T2: To promote skillful use of both feet, tell players they can only dribble with their right foot. On the next round, players can only dribble with their left foot. Dogs 'n Rabbits Purpose To improve dribbling at speed in a straight line Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All - in pairs with 3 pairs at each course Equipment 1 ball per pair, 3 disc cones per course What could give more incentive to dribbling faster than being a dribbling rabbit chased by a mad, drooling dog? In this game, the chaser (the dog) tries to run down and tag the dribbler (the rabbit) before the dribbler can reach the finish line. Set up each course by laying out disc cones at the following distances: 0 yards, 5 yards and 30 yards. Have each pair decide who is the dog and who is the rabbit. The first pair starts the game. The dog stands at the cone at 0 yards. The rabbit stands with a ball at the cone at 5 yards. As soon as the rabbit makes his/her first dribble, the dog is released and chases the rabbit. If the dog tags the rabbit before the rabbit reaches the cone at 30 yards, the dog gets a point. If the rabbit makes it to the 30- yard cone without being tagged, the rabbit gets a point. Once the first pair has finished, the second and then third pairs play the game. When the first pair plays for a second time, switch roles so that the rabbit becomes the dog and vice versa. The first player to get three points in any pair is the winner of the game and gets to be Bugs Bunny for the day!
T1: If the rabbits are not being successful, move the dogs back several yards. T2: Proper dribbling foot position and length of the dribble are crucial to a rabbit's survival. T3: The dogs should be using proper sprinting form. T4: To make the game more fun, have the dogs bark like crazy when they try to chase down their rabbit. Main Activities (25 Minutes) Capture the Flag Purpose To improve dribbling and problem solving skills Themes Ball Mastery # of Players All - in 2 teams Equipment Lots of balls, 8 disc cones This is a soccer version of the classic children's game. Instead of trying to capture the flag, each team tries to capture as many soccer balls as possible. Use your disc cones to create two 10x10 squares that are approximately 20 yards apart. Place half of the balls in each square. Place all of the players from one team in one square; all of the players for the second team in the other square. When you say "Go!", players from both teams run to the other square and take a ball. They dribble the ball back to their square and then get another ball. No passing is allowed - only dribbling. Play for 1-2 minutes. At the end of the game, the winner is the team with the most balls in their square. VARIATIONS Let players defend the balls in their square. Now each team needs to decide who will attack and who will defend. Only legal soccer defending tactics can be used - no holding, tripping, etc. Play just like a real game with defenders, passing, etc. all allowed. Play with more than two teams. This makes the problem solving part of the game much more intriguing. T1: Work on both feet by playing one game with the right foot only and the next game with the left.
Freeze Tag Purpose To improve general dribbling skills as well as particular dribbling moves Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All (one is Mr./Mrs. Freeze) Equipment 1 ball for each player (except Mr./Mrs. Freeze), disc cones to mark off 20x25 yard area This fun tag game utilizes a dribbling move to make a player "safe". This makes the players work on this particular dribbling move over and over as they try to prevent being tagged. Use your disc cones to mark an area approximately 20x25 yards. Choose a dribbling move that will keep a player safe from being tagged (a Zico in this example). For the first round, you are Mr./Mrs. Freeze. When you say "Go!", all players start dribbling around the marked area trying to avoid being tagged by Mr./Mrs. Freeze. If a player is doing the selected move (e.g., a Zico), they are safe and can not be tagged. If they are tagged at any other time, the player is frozen. When frozen, the player stands with his/her legs spread apart holding his/her ball overhead. To be unfrozen and back in the game, an unfrozen player must pass the ball between the frozen player's legs. For the second round, pick a new "safe" move and a player to be Mr./Mrs. Freeze. T1: Just attempting the "safe" move makes the player safe - it doesn't have to be successful. T2: To promote skillful use of both feet, pick a one-footed move for the "safe" move and tell players they can only dribble with their right foot. On the next round, players can only dribble with their left foot. T3: Make the area smaller/larger to make the game more difficult/easier. Small Sided Game (20 Minutes) 3v3 Multi-Ball Purpose Small-sided game to train all basic aspects of soccer play Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players 6 - in two teams of 3 Equipment 3+ balls, disc cones to lay out a 15x20 field, 2 Pugg goals, 3 pinnies Time 10-20 minutes This game helps break up the 6-player pack when playing 3v3. By introducing additional balls into the game, you create more 1v1 duals and more opportunities to score. Set up is the same as the standard 3v3 game.
The game is played the same as the standard 3v3 game except that you play with more than one ball at a time. As goals are scored or balls go out of play, throw in another ball to keep the game lively. Experiment with playing with two, three and even four balls at the same time. T1: See the standard 3v3 game. T2: Send the ball into players who are relatively inactive to get them more involved in the game.
AYSA Inter Atlanta FC U5/U6 Curriculum Week 4 Sample Training Session - Mobility Skills Theme Mobility Skills -running forward and backward Pre-Session Game - N minutes Pac Man Warmup Activities - 10 minutes Body Part Dribbling (5 minutes) Dogs n Rabbits (5 minutes) Main Activities - 25 minutes Demonstrate proper running form forward and backward (emphasize arm movements) Capture the Flag (10 minutes) Freeze Tag (10 minutes) Small-Sided Game - 20 minutes 3v3 Multiple Balls Wrap Up - 2 minutes Ask players to demonstrate proper running form. Clean Up - 3 minutes
Pre-Session Game Pac Man Purpose To improve dribbling, striking the ball with the inside of your foot and agility Themes Ball Mastery, Striking the Ball, Mobility Skills # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player, disc cones to mark off 20x25 yard area This is a good game because it involves passing the ball while on the move. This correlates nicely to the real game of soccer. Use your disc cones to mark an area approximately 20x25 yards. Select two players to be Pac Men. Each of the Pac Men should have a ball. The rest of the balls should be outside of the area. When you say "Go!", the Pac Men dribble around trying to hit the other players BELOW the waist by passing the ball at them. The players, who are not Pac Men, run around dodging the attempts to tag them with a pass. If a player is hit by a ball below the waist, that player becomes a Pac Man, too. The new Pac Man should get one of the balls that is outside of the area and join the game as soon as possible. The last two players who are not Pac Men become the Pac Men to start the next game. T1: Emphasize passing the ball not shooting it, and constantly remind the Pac Men to pass low so that no one gets hurt. Warm Up Activities (10 Minutes) Body Part Dribbling Purpose To improve technical dribbling ability Themes Ball Mastery # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player, disc cones to lay out a 20x25 area Time 5 minutes A fun, short dribbling game with lots of ball touches for the amount of time spent. Use your disc cones to set up a 20x25-yard area. Each player has a ball and must stay inside the area. Pick out a move that the players should be working on while dribbling. When you say "Go!", players dribble around the field freely. Players should do the suggested move as often as possible. While the players are dribbling, call out a body part. All players must stop and
touch the ball with the specified body part. Get them started again and then call out another body part. Thumb, ear, nose, elbow, butt, etc. - all make great choices. You can even start teaching left from right by saying right elbow, right thumb, etc. Change the dribbling move frequently and have fun with the game. Call out multiple parts - left foot and right thumb. Call out impossible combinations: both ears, right foot and back, etc. VARIATIONS Instead of calling out the body part, simply point to it. This will encourage players to dribble with their heads up. Last player to comply has to do some silly task. T1: Make sure players keep moving, keep dribbling, and keep working on the selected dribbling move. T2: To promote skillful use of both feet, tell players they can only dribble with their right foot. On the next round, players can only dribble with their left foot. Dogs 'n Rabbits Purpose To improve dribbling at speed in a straight line Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All - in pairs with 3 pairs at each course Equipment 1 ball per pair, 3 disc cones per course What could give more incentive to dribbling faster than being a dribbling rabbit chased by a mad, drooling dog? In this game, the chaser (the dog) tries to run down and tag the dribbler (the rabbit) before the dribbler can reach the finish line. Set up each course by laying out disc cones at the following distances: 0 yards, 5 yards and 30 yards. Have each pair decide who is the dog and who is the rabbit. The first pair starts the game. The dog stands at the cone at 0 yards. The rabbit stands with a ball at the cone at 5 yards. As soon as the rabbit makes his/her first dribble, the dog is released and chases the rabbit. If the dog tags the rabbit before the rabbit reaches the cone at 30 yards, the dog gets a point. If the rabbit makes it to the 30- yard cone without being tagged, the rabbit gets a point. Once the first pair has finished, the second and then third pairs play the game. When the first pair plays for a second time, switch roles so that the rabbit becomes the dog and vice versa. The first player to get three points in any pair is the winner of the game and gets to be Bugs Bunny for the day!
T1: If the rabbits are not being successful, move the dogs back several yards. T2: Proper dribbling foot position and length of the dribble are crucial to a rabbit's survival. T3: The dogs should be using proper sprinting form. T4: To make the game more fun, have the dogs bark like crazy when they try to chase down their rabbit. Main Activities (25 Minutes) Capture the Flag Purpose To improve dribbling and problem solving skills Themes Ball Mastery # of Players All - in 2 teams Equipment Lots of balls, 8 disc cones This is a soccer version of the classic children's game. Instead of trying to capture the flag, each team tries to capture as many soccer balls as possible. Use your disc cones to create two 10x10 squares that are approximately 20 yards apart. Place half of the balls in each square. Place all of the players from one team in one square; all of the players for the second team in the other square. When you say "Go!", players from both teams run to the other square and take a ball. They dribble the ball back to their square and then get another ball. No passing is allowed - only dribbling. Play for 1-2 minutes. At the end of the game, the winner is the team with the most balls in their square. VARIATIONS Let players defend the balls in their square. Now each team needs to decide who will attack and who will defend. Only legal soccer defending tactics can be used - no holding, tripping, etc. Play just like a real game with defenders, passing, etc. all allowed. Play with more than two teams. This makes the problem solving part of the game much more intriguing. T1: Work on both feet by playing one game with the right foot only and the next game with the left.
Freeze Tag Purpose To improve general dribbling skills as well as particular dribbling moves Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All (one is Mr./Mrs. Freeze) Equipment 1 ball for each player (except Mr./Mrs. Freeze), disc cones to mark off 20x25 yard area This fun tag game utilizes a dribbling move to make a player "safe". This makes the players work on this particular dribbling move over and over as they try to prevent being tagged. Use your disc cones to mark an area approximately 20x25 yards. Choose a dribbling move that will keep a player safe from being tagged (a Zico in this example). For the first round, you are Mr./Mrs. Freeze. When you say "Go!", all players start dribbling around the marked area trying to avoid being tagged by Mr./Mrs. Freeze. If a player is doing the selected move (e.g., a Zico), they are safe and can not be tagged. If they are tagged at any other time, the player is frozen. When frozen, the player stands with his/her legs spread apart holding his/her ball overhead. To be unfrozen and back in the game, an unfrozen player must pass the ball between the frozen player's legs. For the second round, pick a new "safe" move and a player to be Mr./Mrs. Freeze. T1: Just attempting the "safe" move makes the player safe - it doesn't have to be successful. T2: To promote skillful use of both feet, pick a one-footed move for the "safe" move and tell players they can only dribble with their right foot. On the next round, players can only dribble with their left foot. T3: Make the area smaller/larger to make the game more difficult/easier. Small Sided Game (20 Minutes) 3v3 Multi-Ball Purpose Small-sided game to train all basic aspects of soccer play Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players 6 - in two teams of 3 Equipment 3+ balls, disc cones to lay out a 15x20 field, 2 Pugg goals, 3 pinnies Time 10-20 minutes This game helps break up the 6-player pack when playing 3v3. By introducing additional balls into the game, you create more 1v1 duals and more opportunities to score. Set up is the same as the standard 3v3 game.
The game is played the same as the standard 3v3 game except that you play with more than one ball at a time. As goals are scored or balls go out of play, throw in another ball to keep the game lively. Experiment with playing with two, three and even four balls at the same time. T1: See the standard 3v3 game. T2: Send the ball into players who are relatively inactive to get them more involved in the game.
AYSA Inter Atlanta FC U5/U6 Curriculum Week 5 Sample Training Session - Ball Mastery Theme Ball mastery Pre-Session Game - N minutes Retriever Warmup Activities - 10 minutes Ballnastics (2 minutes) Foundation, Step Ups Tail Tag (4 minutes) Cars (4 minutes) Main Activities - 25 minutes Demonstrate Spin Freeze Tag (10 minutes) - Spin as move to be made Get Outta There (10 minutes) extra point for a successful Spin move Small-Sided Game - 20 minutes 3v3 Line Soccer - award extra point if player does a successful Spin! Wrap Up - 2 minutes Review Spin - ask players to demonstrate Clean Up - 3 minutes
Pre-Session Game Retriever Purpose To improve dribbling moves Themes Ball Mastery # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player Time 5 minutes Players love this silly and fun game. It's also fun for you especially if you re a little tired of your players (just throw the ball further away!). There is no set up necessary for this game - simply select a dribbling move to be practiced. Each of the players brings his/her ball to you. You throw it or kick it in any direction. The player chases after the ball, retrieves it, and dribbles it back. The player should do the selected move as many times as possible. After the ball is returned, you throw it or kick it away again. After several retrievals, pick a different move to be practiced. VARIATIONS Instead of practicing dribbling moves, you can practice speed dribbling by having each player dribble back their ball as fast as possible. You can practice striking the ball by calling out a number. Each player must return the ball in that exact number of touches. You can even do Retriever in pairs and the players need to do the selected number of passes while returning. Work on agility and problem solving by calling out different ways to bring the ball back dribbling, one hand only, one hand and head, head only. T he possibilities are endless. T1: To make the game more fun, have the players bark and act like Black Labs when they run out to retrieve their ball. Warm Up Activities (10 Minutes) Foundation Purpose To develop balance and foot quickness # of Players All Equipment 1 ball per player Time 20-30 seconds Start with your feet shoulder width apart and the ball directly under you. Push the ball back and
forth with the inside of the feet. Foundation resembles a game of Ping Pong played with the insides of your feet. T1: Players should be light on their feet moving the ball back and forth as fast as possible. When done properly, the heels of your feet never touch the ground. T2: Knees should be slightly bent, and players should try to develop a rhythm moving the ball back and forth. Players should NOT look like stick figures with straight legs and an awkward flow to the ball movement. T3: Excitement is not this exercise's strong point so keep it short. It helps if you have players make video game noises every time they touch the ball o r some other suitable distraction to make it more fun. You can also time them for 15 seconds and see how many touches they can make in that time. See if they can beat their first score on the second try. Tail Tag Purpose To improve general dribbling skills Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All in 2 equal groups (Tigers and Hunters) Equipment 1 ball for each player in the Tigers group, 1 pinnie for each player in the Tigers group, disc cones to mark off 20x25 yard area This is another fun, continuous action tag game. Use your disc cones to mark an area approximately 20x25 yards. Each Tiger starts out with a ball. Give each Tiger a pinnie and have them tuck them into their shorts as tails. When you say "Go!", the Tigers start dribbling around the marked area. The Hunters try to tag the Tigers by pulling out their tails. If successful, the Hunter calls out Got your tail!. The Hunter now becomes a Tiger, tucks the pinnie in his/her shorts and starts dribbling the ball. The original Tiger is now a Hunter. Play for one minute and see who will be the Tigers at the end of the game. You can also see which original group has the most Tigers in its group at the end of the game. T1: Get the Tigers to recognize where open space is so that they can dribble away from the Hunters. Cars Purpose To improve general dribbling skills Themes Ball Mastery # of Players All Equipment 1 ball for each player, disc cones to mark off 20x25 yard area In this simple and fun game, players get to do their best car impersonations.
Use your disc cones to mark an area approximately 20x25 yards. Each player has to dribble around the marked area according to the following traffic conditions that you will call out: Green light go (normal speed) Red light stop First gear slow Turbo as fast as possible Reverse dribble backwards Horn sit on the ball Accident try to hit another player (below the waist!) with the ball Make sure the players are making appropriate car noises as they play the game. Once they get the hang of it, have one of the players call out the traffic conditions. VARIATIONS Make the game into an agility game without a ball by adopting traffic conditions for running. T1: To promote skillful use of both feet, tell players they can only dribble with their right foot. On the next round, players can only dribble with their left foot. Main Activities (25 Minutes) Freeze Tag Purpose To improve general dribbling skills as well as particular dribbling moves Themes Ball Mastery, Mobility Skills # of Players All (one is Mr./Mrs. Freeze) Equipment 201 ball for each player (except Mr./Mrs. Freeze), disc cones to mark off 20x25 yard area This fun tag game utilizes a dribbling move to make a player "safe". This makes the players work on this particular dribbling move over and over as they try to prevent being tagged. Use your disc cones to mark an area approximately 20x25 yards. Choose a dribbling move that will keep a player safe from being tagged (a Zico in this example). For the first round, you are Mr./Mrs. Freeze. When you say "Go!", all players start dri bbling around the marked area trying to avoid being tagged by Mr./Mrs. Freeze. If a player is doing the selected move (e.g., a Zico), they are safe and can not be tagged. If they are tagged at any other time, the player is frozen. When frozen, the player stands with his/her legs spread apart holding his/her ball overhead. To be unfrozen and back in the game, an unfrozen player must pass the ball between the frozen player's legs. For the second round, pick a new "safe" move and a player to be Mr./Mrs. Freeze.
T1: Just attempting the "safe" move makes the player safe - it doesn't have to be successful. T2: To promote skillful use of both feet, pick a one-footed move for the "safe" move and tell players they can only dribble with their right foot. On the next round, players can only dribble with their left foot. T3: Make the area smaller/larger to make the game more difficult/easier. Get Outta There Purpose To impro ve 1v1 skills Themes Ball Mastery # of Players All - in two or four groups Equipment Lots of balls, disc cones to lay out a 20x25 field, 2 Pugg goals Time 10 minutes This game with the harsh-sounding name is a fast-paced game of mano-a-mano. Use your disc cones to create a 20x25-yard field. Place a Pugg goal halfway along each goal line. Line half of the players up at one corner and the other half up at the diagonal corner. Roll a ball onto the field without saying anything. When the ball enters the field of play, the first players in each group run down their goal line, around their goal, and onto the field to play a 1v1 game. If the ball goes out of play, all the remaining players yell "Get Outta There!" The players on the field must leave immediately. You (silently) roll another ball onto the field for the second player from each group to play. By rolling the ball onto the field silently, you are forcing players to really pay attention. If a player scores a goal, that player stays on the field. If Super Annie gave up the goal, all of the remaining players should yell "Get Outta There Super Annie!" Super Annie must then leave the field, and the next player in her group plays as soon as you put the ball into play. Leaving the goal scorer on the field helps break up pairs so players don't have to play against the same players. You can have players keep track of their goals and the first to three goals is Ronaldino for the day! variations Place goals in each corner so players have two goals on which to score. This will emphasize changing directions. Roll two balls onto the field and have two separate 1v1 games going on at a time. T1: Change of speed and change of direction - stress it repeatedly. Encourage players to take chances by attempting attacking dribbling moves instead of taking a defensive posture. T2: If there are many players, make the field smaller so the ball will go out of play more often. Small Sided Game (20 Minutes)