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SESSION OBJECTIVES Weeks 1, 6 & 11 Weeks 2 & 7 Weeks 3 & 8 Weeks 4 & 9 Weeks 5 & 10 Traveling with the Soccer Ball Ball familiarity Understand the boundaries of the playing area Experience traveling within the area with a soccer ball Dribbling & Control Be able to dribble keeping the ball at a close distance Be able to stop soccer ball with the sole of foot Introduction to scrimmaging- multiple goals Ball Mastery: Turns & Moves Experience changing direction with the ball Demonstrate the ability to do a drag back turn Demonstrate a change of pass when dribbling Introduction to Short passing Demonstrate a push pass with inside of the foot to a target Use correct weighting for the pass Begin to recognize when to dribble, & when to pass Shielding the Ball Use inside of foot to turn around in a circle. Use outside of foot to turn around in a circle. Recognize when use body as a shield to protect ball from players 2
TOP TIPS At the beginning of every session whilst players are arriving encourage player to work on their soccer skills. For the first 3 weeks, players should be Thigh Juggling as they arrive. For the remaining weeks the coach should progress this to Feet Juggling. Thigh Juggling All players with a ball in their hands. Using knees/thighs to juggle players hold ball in 2 hands, right knee catch, left knee catch. Complete 10 times. Once complete try two juggles and catch right left catch, left right catch. Complete 5 times If you can successfully do above tasks and catch, don t catch and continue to juggle. Additional combinations involving feet, head, shoulder (fun & safety) Walking up high stairs Give soccer ball a flat surface on thigh to juggle Should not be able to see foot when lifting knee up towards ball Feet Juggling All players with a ball. Players feed to themselves up in the air and allow the ball to bounce to about head height. Kick ball up using laces to allow ball to bounce once again. Use both feet and allow a bounce between juggles. Progression 2 juggles and bounce : Point toe away Bend knee/leg Watch ball onto foot Ideally players should juggle ball around waste height or lower but for BEGINNERS height is important to allow players time to reposition themselves after each juggle. 3
PROPOSED PLAYER SET UP 3v3 Triangle: 1 Sweeper Keeper 1 Left Side 1 Right Side 4
Session Topic Traveling with the Soccer Ball WEEK ONE / SIX / ELEVEN WARM UP Touches on the Ball The whole group start in one corner. Coach puts all their balls into spaces, inside the soccer field. Coach tells them that we are going to run around see who can touch the most balls (with their feet). Coach then quizzes the children how many balls they touched? Touch each ball twice (left foot, right foot) How many can they touch in a timed activity : Stay inside the outlined area Stay on their toes Controlled touch on the ball Countdown Freeze Players start in a space within the area. Players dribble around the area, until they hear coach start counting down from 5 to 1. Players have to find spaces quickly and be stopped in a space by the call of number 1. Players cannot stop on any number but 1, however they can start slowing down and looking for spaces as the countdown starts. Head up Looking for spaces FUNDAMENTALS Candy Shop/ Fast Food Frenzy (Corners) All players with a ball. The coach is hungry. The players have to move around the square until the coach calls out their favorite food. Name one corner/side at a time of the area as four different restaurants/foods. Only add 1 at a time so as to not confuse your players. The players go to the designated corner stop their soccer ball and bring back food for the coach. The coach has to eat any food that the players bring back to them. Add cones with the square with soccer balls (sticky gum) in top, players should try not to hit these. 5
: Traveling within the area Looking for the space (head up) GAME RELATED Hungry Hippos (Scrimmage) Hippos (pug goals) have come into Squirts Island and are very hungry. Spilt the children into 2 groups, and assign each a set of colored pinnies to wear. Place all the balls (food) in the middle of the Island; one group feeds one Hippo and the other group the other Hippo. Which team can feed their Hippo the most food? Progression When there are only 2 balls remaining encourage passing and tackling Coaching Point Hang the colored pinnies on the pug goal, to ensure the children know which goal they are trying to score in. E.g. Red Pinnie on top of the goal that the red team is to score in. Treasure Island Squirts Island has lots of hidden treasure (soccer balls). The players are to try and collect all the treasure and put it into there treasure chest (pug goal). However, Captain Hook also lives on the island and wants to try to steal the treasure, and put it into his chest (other pug goal). Ensure children do not guard the chest and keep collecting one piece of treasure at a time. Eventually one or two balls will remain- coach versus players. Get the players to try and steal Captain Hooks treasure from his feet (tackling). Encourage players to move into the space away from Captain Hook, or pass the ball to another player so Captain Hook can t steal it. 6
WEEK TWO / SEVEN Session Topic Dribbling & Control WARM UP Red Light, Green Light Players use their soccer balls as cars and dribble/drive around the area/manhattan. Emphasize players keeping their balls/cars under control. Slowly add different commands as the game progresses. Do not overload the players with too much information: Red light for stop, green light for go. Highway - players have to go faster, and remain in control of their ball Soccer Ball Switch Players dribble around area, on coach s command players have to stop their ball and go find another ball and dribble it away. After a couple of commands add a different variation (see below). This is a simple warm-up but encourages players to stop their balls with sole of foot. Stop their own soccer ball, go to a different ball and do # of step-ups, go to a different ball, do # of side to sides, collect a different ball, perform # of scissors movements. Right knee, left knee, head, butt. Progression 3 Players have to dribble to a point far away designated by the coach (running with the ball). FUNDAMENTALS Mine Field Spread discs anywhere around your area. All the discs are mines, and players have to dribble their soccer balls inside the mine field avoiding the mines. If they dribble into a mine they have to go outside of the square and do # of juggles to get back in. Add in defenders (Maybe coach) Players are able to diffuse mines by doing a designated move to get around each mine (scissors, Matthews, drag back push etc.). 7
: Keep head up and ball close Use as many parts of feet to dribble as possible Use both feet Points for dribbling around mushroom 360 Dribbling Awareness As players dribble around the area the coach walks through and around the area raising their hand holding up a colored pinnie/ # of fingers. Players have to call out either the color of the pinnie held or how many fingers the coach is holding up. Players dribble in central area. Upon coaches command soccer players have to dribble to the outer area as fast as they can, keeping the ball under control. If coach sees a player s ball out of control (not close) then coach can kick ball away. : Keep head up When players have space in front, take bigger touches taking the space but always keeping the ball under control. In tight & confined areas take smaller touches keeping ball close Use as many parts of feet as possible when dribbling in confined areas GAME RELATED Jurassic Park Organize your players into equal groups of 3, 4 or 5. Place all the soccer balls into the middle of your square and place a group in each corner. Each group is a type of dinosaur e.g. T-Rex, Pterodactyl, Brontosaurus etc. On the coaches command one player from each group runs into the middle to collect a dinosaur egg/ball and dribble it back to their dinosaur den. When they are safely back in their den the next person collects a ball. Only one person is allowed to leave the den at a time. As soon as all the eggs/balls have gone the game is over. Count how many eggs each group has. To get all the eggs back into the middle each dinosaur group holds hands making a circle around their eggs. Players are not allowed to break the circle and use their feet to move the balls back into the middle. 8
Player Showcase Players are placed into two teams and numbered (e.g. 1 to 5). Players start spread out down both sides of the field. Coach stands with all the balls to one side, and kicks a ball into the middle a calls a number e.g. Number 2 both of the number 2 s run into the field and play 1v1. Call 2 numbers e.g. 1 s and 4 s Numbers and Goalkeepers, e.g. 2 s, with 3 s in goal. Progression 3 Players not called must kick the ball into the field if it comes to them. Progression 4 Progress to a full scrimmage, by calling all numbers. When the ball goes out players should freeze, and the coach throws a new ball to the person in the biggest space. Control soccer balls and keep close to feet. 9
Session Topic Ball Mastery; Turns & Moves WEEK THREE / EIGHT WARM UP Pirate Ships All the players are pirates with their very own ball. The children dribble their ball around the area/ ship, and the captain (coach) calls the orders: Captain s coming: Children put their foot on the soccer ball, shouting eye, eye, Captain Scrub the Decks- Put foot on the soccer ball, and move in back and forth Climb the Rigging- Toes taps, and arms pretend to climb also Introduce Cannon Ball - players are to fire there ball at the passing ships (pug goals) For more advanced players introduce 2 areas of the grid as North and South. When the coach calls these out, children are to run to the designated areas. Coaching Point: Encourage the children to use the space, by balancing the boat- you don t want it to tip. Touches Players dribble around area using both feet & all parts, counting in their heads how many times they touch the ball. Encourage players to experiment. On coaches command stop players must stop ball using sole of foot within one second. Coach calls out turn, players must perform a drag back or stop turn. Progression 3 Every time players touch the ball the soccer ball must change direction. Progression 4 Combinations: Favorite Foot Only: Inside outside inside outside repeat (Zig Zag) : Keep the ball close/under control Keep your head up Change speeds 10
FUNDAMENTALS Pirates All the children have been stranded on Treasure island after being washed up after there ship has been wrecked in a storm. All the children have managed to rescue one piece of treasure from the storm (soccer ball) which can be anything they like. The children have to protect the treasure from the Pirate (coach) who is looking for Bounty after also being shipwrecked. This is a good game to get the children protecting their balls. As they get better get them to try and collect treasure from around the island while keeping the balls away from the pirate. : Show the children how much more difficult it is for the Pirate to get the ball if the children shield it properly getting their body between the pirate and the ball. If players do a drag back the pirate cannot steal the ball Three Little Pigs Choose three little pigs who stand in their own little house (a disc for each corner) without a soccer ball. All other players are the big bad wolves and attempt to get into the little pigs houses. They have to perform a drag back turn to get in and out the little pigs houses as quick as possible to score a point. Pigs score a point every time they kick a wolf s ball. Pigs must stay in their houses. Switch pigs around every few minutes. Use alternate feet, once right foot next time try left foot. If they can go in one side of the house and come out a different side of the house they get 2 points. Soccer ball must be under control. Progression 3 Take away pigs houses. Pigs have to try and kick out any of the wolves soccer balls. If wolves are able to do a drag back turn in front of little pig, pig has to freeze for 3 seconds. This encourages them to do the turn and have time to escape the pig (the defender). 11
GAME RELATED Player Showcase Players are placed into two teams, and numbered (e.g. 1 to 5). Players start spread out down both sides of the field. Coach stands with all the balls to one side, and kicks a ball into the middle a calls a number e.g. Number 2 both of the number 2 s run into the field and play 1v1. Call 2 numbers e.g. 1 s and 4 s Numbers and Goalkeepers, e.g. 2 s, with 3 s in goal. Progression 3 Players not called must kick the ball into the field if it comes to them. Control soccer balls and keep close to feet. Scrimmage Play 4v4/6v6 and begin the game with whoever is in the biggest space will get the ball. Encourage players to spread out and not crowd the ball. Play the game with throw ins. Do not over complicate: hold ball behind your head with two hands & keep both feet on the ground simple! Encourage players to imagine the soccer field as a ship. What will happen to the ship if they all stand together on one side? Encourage them to balance their ship to stop it from tipping over and sinking. Drag back turn or stop turn counts as a goal!! 12
WEEK FOUR / NINE Session Topic Introduction to Short Passing WARM UP Soccer Ball Exchange Players dribble around the area; on the coaches command players must exchange their soccer balls with another player using a short pass. Players pass the ball using the inside of their foot and must try to control their partner s incoming ball. Encourage players to increase distance between partners. Use different foot, and different parts of foot. Use as an introduction to shooting-laces. : Use the i/s of the foot to pass Use player s names to ensure they are ready for the pass Bumper Cars Players dribble around area using both feet & all parts. Encourage them to experiment. Upon coaches command players are allowed to try and hit their soccer ball against other players soccer balls (control!). Players must use the inside of the foot/feet. The weight of the pass is critical. Use other foot (players of a young age should not have a weaker foot) Points for every direct hit. Lose points every time your soccer ball goes out of area : Non kicking foot at side of ball pointing at target Use inside of foot, pointing toe up and heel down, locking ankle Follow through with your kicking foot 13
FUNDAMENTALS Funky Chicken All the children gather together in the middle of the area. The funky chicken (coach with feathers/ pinnies) cannot stop dancing; players have to stop the chicken from dancing by kicking their soccer balls at the chickens legs. The coach drops a pinnie each time they are hit by a soccer ball. Use inside of foot to kick the ball Point the non-kicking foot at the target Harry Potters Quidittch Passing Everyone in the group finds a partner, one ball between two. The players stand a small distance apart. Players pass the ball using the inside of their foot through their partner s legs. If they get the ball through their partners legs they get 1 point. How many points can you and your partner score? Increase distance between partners. Use different foot. Use inside of foot turning to make an L shape Point toe upwards (locked ankle) Non kicking foot pointing at target 14
GAME RELATED: Player Showcase Players are placed into two teams and numbered (e.g. 1 to 5). Players start spread out down both sides of the field. Coach stands with all the balls to one side, and kicks a ball into the middle a calls a number e.g. Number 2 both of the number 2 s run into the field and play 1v1. Players must make one pass to those players on the sideline Call 2 numbers e.g. 1 s and 4 s Control soccer balls and keep close to feet. Scrimmage Play 4v4/ 6v6 allowing players to understand diamond shape and spreading out. Corner kicks, when are they taken? Who takes them, where should other players stand? Allow younger players to place ball on cone so they can loft ball in to the air. 1 Sweeper Keeper 1 Left Side 1 Right Side 1 Top (If needed 1 Centre, 2 Sweepers) Balance ship Interchange positions but maintain diamond shape Demonstrate knowledge of the rules Encourage players to pass to every person on their team before scoring 15
WEEK FIVE / TEN Session Topic Shielding the Ball WARM UP: Red Light, Green Light Players use their soccer balls as cars and dribble/drive around the area/manhattan. Emphasize players keeping their balls/cars under control. U-Turn & Circle (roundabout), on the coach s command players have to stop and perform a U-turn or a circle and drive/dribble of in the right direction. Coach players individually to turn the same way as the ball. Allow children to keep moving and don t over talk/coach. Tornados Players dribble around area. Upon coaches command players have to turn in 1 full circle (360 ) with the ball and carry on dribbling in the direction they were traveling in. Begin using I/s of 1 foot only (see variations for complete development). Use I/s of r/foot only. I/s of l/foot only Use o/s of r/foot only. O/s of left foot only : Turn in a tight circle Keep ball close to standing leg when turning Do not look down at ball, be aware of surroundings FUNDAMENTALS: King of the Ring/ Knockout Players dribble around the area, trying to protect their ball. Whilst protecting their own ball players also try and kick out the other player s balls out of the area. Once players have been knocked out they have to do a soccer specific task to get back into the game, or stand on the edge of the area attempting to kick out any stray or uncontrolled balls from those in the Ring. Reduce the size of the area Shadow dribbling/ Sonic & Tales In pairs, both players have a ball. One player has to try to tag their partner to score a point, if tagged 16
change over. Repeat with different partners. Tagger must be in control of their own ball to tag partner. On coaches command the tagger has to leave the person they are chasing and find another free person to chase & tag. : Keep head up (awareness of partner/opponent) Shield the ball away from an opponent using body The ball should be kept as far away from the defender as possible, using the furthest foot. GAME RELATED: Player Showcase Players are placed into two teams and numbered (e.g. 1 to 5). Players start spread out down both sides of the field. Coach stands with all the balls to one side, and kicks a ball into the middle a calls a number e.g. Number 2 both of the number 2 s run into the field and play 1v1. Players must make one pass to those players on the sideline Call 2 numbers e.g. 1 s and 4 s Control soccer balls and keep close to feet. Scrimmage Play 4v4/ 6v6 allowing players to understand diamond shape and spreading out. Corner kicks, when are they taken? Who takes them, where should other players stand? Allow younger players to place ball on cone so they can loft ball in to the air. 1 Sweeper Keeper 1 Left Side 1 Right Side 1 Top (If needed 1 Centre, 2 Sweepers) Balance ship Interchange positions but maintain diamond shape demonstrate knowledge of the rules Encourage players to pass to every person on their team before scoring Players should be encourage to shield the ball (give extra points to those that do) 17