Glucester Dragns Recreatinal Sccer U5-6 Curriculum Guide
Intrductin and Philsphy Our philsphy at this intrductry age is simple, namely t prvide ur yung athletes the pprtunity t get an active start in sccer in a supprtive and rewarding envirnment that emphasizes fun and physical literacy develpment. As such we want t see all f ur players enjying the game thrugh learning, mvement and PLAY, via age apprpriate instructin in a nn-pressure playing envirnment. Caches and parents alike must understand and buy int this cncept! Our best advice t yu is t keep yur sessins simple, rganized and Fun. We trust that this basic Curriculum Guide will help yu accmplish this. Please read and reflect upn the fllwing characteristics f the U5-6 player in rder t help yu better understand the yung students yu will be teaching! Caching at this stage f develpment will require sme patience n yur part, tgether with a small persnal cmmitment f develping yurself as a cach/teacher. With that said, we can assure yu that the rewards that cme with wrking with this age grup far utweigh any effrts n yur part, s enjy the beginning f yur caching jurney! Characteristics f U5 and U6 Players VERY shrt attentin spans!! Can nly deal with ne prblem at a time May understand simple rules if they are explained clearly, simply and demnstrated! The majrity f yung children are visual learners and must see what they are being asked t d. May r may nt understand r remember sme f the fllwing: What lines mean n a field Bundaries What team they are n What directin they are playing in Can be bruised psychlgically very easily s praise, dn t criticize! Need t be able t play withut pressure s extrinsic rewards (trphies, rewards, mney frm Grandpa fr scring gals) shuld nt be ffered. Generus praise will suffice instead! Very selfish / individually mtivated (me, my, mine!). D nt have any expectatin f players this age passing the ball r team play. (Explain this t yur parents s they stp shuting pass the ball all game lng) Are cnstantly in mtin, but with almst n sense f pace. They will chase the ball until they drp s mnitr this. As such, they are easily fatigued, but bunce back quickly! Lve running, jumping, rlling, hpping etc.. all the fundamental mvement skills, s include these in every sessin! Catching and thrwing skills are nt develped at this pint! Can usually balance n their strng ft Are generally tp heavy and fall a lt! Tend t cry almst autmatically when they feel pain. Created: August, 2013 Page 2 f 12
Curriculum Our Basic Training Pririties Technical Dribbling - understanding the fur dribbling surfaces (instep, utstep, laces, sle) Dribbling keep head up and be agile (stay n balls f the feet, NOT yur tes) Kicking, Shting and Basic Passing Technique understanding hw t kick the ball with instep, laces and te (yes, I said te!) First Tuch develping basic cntrl f the ball Basic Turning with the ball (cuts and pull-backs) Basic Catching Techniques (self thrw and catch) Fundamental Mvement Skills Running Balancing Jumping Rlling Hpping Skipping Decisin Making Learning directin (which gal are they attacking/defending) Learning hw field bundaries wrk Hw t deal with balls rlling twards them Hw t deal with balls rlling away frm them Scial Learning hw t play in a grup envirnment Learning Fair Play Learning hw t share Learning hw t deal with parental invlvement (cnfusing mixed messages) Learning hw t deal with emtins Tactical Training The nly tactic yu need t wrry abut is that we are ging this way!! Created: August, 2013 Page 3 f 12
Sessin Planning There is n utility in planning t have a highly structured sessin as it will nt wrk at these ages. As such, my best advice is t keep things really simple. In fact, I wuld encurge yu t repeat large parts f yur sessins frm week t week as repetitin fr children at this age helps them t learn and kids will be eager frm week t week t shw yu what they can nw d. Shw me are wrds we shuld use ften! Als, please understand that at this stage yur rle is nt s much t be a cach fr the children t learn sccer, but rather t be mre f a facilitatatr in getting them as many tuches n the ball as pssible in a fun and rewarding envirnment. Once yu realize this and hw easy it can be, it will be smth sailing! Sme basics t every sessin Every child MUST have a prperly inflated size 3 ball Every child shuld have apprpriately sized shin pads! T ften kids get hand me dwn shin pads that lk like hckey galie pads, making it impssible t develp any tuch n the ball! Every child shuld be present with a parent, r ther relative fr the Mm/Dad and Me prtin f sessins Plan fr 3-4 breaks in the hur! Please N running laps (kids at this age d nt need any warmup) Please N Line-ups whatsver (it leads t bredm and fewer tuches) Please N Lectures they wnt digest them anyway, s just let them play! Please dn t lk t cntl the players just lk t guide them. All sessins shuld Fllw this basic frmat 1. Bring all players in and say hell! Get them excited abut playing! 2. Mve t the Square Dance-Ball Mastery Grid (See belw) t wrk n the fllwing. a. Dribbling, stpping and turning with the ball using all 4 dribbling surfaces (10 Minutes) b. Fundamental Mvement Skills (Get creative) 5 Minutes 3. Mm/Dad and Me Sessin OR Play a Small Side Game that is VERY simple t explain (sme examples belw) 4. Mve t 3 v 3 Game Play Created: August, 2013 Page 4 f 12
Sme suggested Ball Mastery Exercises 4 surfaces Dribbling can yu try and use yur instep, utstep, laces, sle? Animal Dribbling can yu dribble like a cheetah, an elephant, r trtise!! (Allw the players t chse a few animals) Bdy Part Dribble cach calls a bdy part and the player tries t stp ball with that bdy part (get creative!) Turning with Ball Can yu dribble and turn with the ball using yur instep, utstep r sle (pull back/drag back)? Simn Says (but always have them mving when playing). Created: August, 2013 Page 5 f 12
Intrduce Cnes Int The Grid Hw many cnes can yu dribble t in 30 secnds? Hw many gals can yu scre (between cnes marked like gals) in 30 secnds? Can yu try and pull back at each cne? Can we try and turn arund the cnes? Put extra balls n tp f each cne and ask the players t knck the balls ff with their wn balls by kicking them (like Marbles) Hw many cnes can yu pick up (r flip ver) while yu dribble yur ball? Spread cnes int lines f 3 and d sme dribbling circuits Created: August, 2013 Page 6 f 12
Intrduce Nets n the Sides (r in Crners r even utside the grid) Dribble and when whistle ges g scre a gal! Turn arund tw cnes then g scre a gal! 60 secnds can yu scre a gal n each gal (assistance needed by facilitatr t get balls ut f each net quickly) Dribble make a mve then g scre n parents (in nets passive resistance) Bunce the ball and, n cach s cmmand, thrw the ball int a net! Sme Suggested Fundamental Mvement Skills (Feel free t incrprate the ball) Can we hp n ne leg? With tw like a kangar? With tw but with ball between ur ankles? Can we balance n ne leg? With ball in ur hands? Can we bend and try and tuch the grund while n ne leg? Can we spin arund n leg? Can we run really slwly? Mre quickly? Run ut f the square as fast as we can and cme back? Tuch all fur crners f square and meet in the middle? Can we shulder rll n the grund and get up quickly? Can we thrw the ball up in the air clap and catch it? Clap twice? Can we thrw the ball high up in the air, let it bunce, and then catch it? Can we tuch as many cnes as pssible in 15 secnds? Same but alternating yellw and red cnes? Can we skip frm cne t cne? Can we skip and try and bunce the ball? Can we skip and high 5 the ther players? Can we try t carica ur feet as we mve sideways? Can we balance the ball n ur necks (hard but dable when they spread arms ut like airplane and have sme help frm a parent) Created: August, 2013 Page 7 f 12
Can we run /shuffle with ball in between ur knees? Yga can yu try sme kids yga mves? Players n the grund can yu balance ball in between yur feet and lift legs ff grund? Can rllver with ball in between yur feet? Again get creative and challenging. They will surprise yu!! Mm/Dad and Me Activities Bringing in Mm and Dad is an excellent time t d ne r mre f the fllwing: Intrduce sme basic passing and receiving activities Basic pass and receive with n restrictins Pass ball between Mm/Dad s legs, run rund and get it! Insist player stp the ball and take a clean up tuch befre passing it back (plant ft beside ball pass with instep) Have Mm/Dad and player each set up a mini gal and have a shting cmpetitin. Relays Maximum f tw players and tw parents per team t maximize number f tuches n the ball Relays can include: Dribbling the ball Running with the ball (in hands) Rlling r buncing the ball in frnt f yu Skipping, Running, Hpping, Crawling! Using sme ther aid (hula hp, tennis ball, etc.) Incrprate fundamental mvement skills withut the need t always have a sccer ball fr each relay (Or cmbine bth) Piggy backs and Fireman Carries Sme Small Sided Games British Bulldg (Mdified) Players try t dribble ball acrss grid withut having ball kicked Parents can be substituted in each rle frm time t time D NOT make these eliminatin games! Keep kids invlved at all times Sharks and Minnws Player dribble within grid and sharks try and kick the ball ut Keep rati f apprximately ne shark per three minnws Player can retrieve ball and re-enter grid Play it fr 60-90 secnds (then ask Sharks hw many minnws they ate ) Reverse rles Tag While dribbling the ball have players try and tag thers (withut leaving their wn ball) After set time ask hw many players they tagged Avid Freeze tag unless yu cnditin it s the frzen player gets mving again quickly (e.g. must d 5 step-ns t unfreeze yurself) Created: August, 2013 Page 8 f 12
Hspital Tag Same as tag in that each player dribbles a sccer ball and that they try t tag each ther with their hands. In this game, each time a player is tagged he/she must place their hand n the spt n their bdy at which they were tagged. Obviusly, if tagged a third time, players have n mre hands t cver thse spts, s they must g t the hspital t see the dctr. The cach acts as the dctr and perfrms a magical task (pretend) t heal all the little sccer players s they can cntinue playing the game. Traffic Lights All players dribbling in Grid (d nt play this game static!) When cach says red light players must stp ball and put ft n tp f ball. When cach says yellw light, players must dribble very slwly. When cach says green light players dribble fast. Cach cntrls this game with frequency f light changes and variety f changes. Once players catch n t this game, add light f ther clrs and affix different actins t them. (i.e. purple light = hp back and frth ver ball, range light = run arund the ball, black light = dance, blue light = hide behind the ball etc. etc.) Freeze Tag (and Variatins) Break up the grup int tw teams. Everyne must dribble his r her sccer ball, but ne team tries t tag (freeze) the ther team. If they d tag a player n the ther team, that player must freeze, place their ball abve their head and spread their legs. Anther player n their team must kick his/her ball thrugh the frzen player s legs t unfreeze the teammate (Cach can magically unfreeze anyne t ensure they d nt stay frzen fr lng). If all players are frzen, game ends and the frzen team becme the taggers. Otherwise, stp game after a few minutes and have team reverse rles. (NB: The Cach can be als the freeze mnster) Kangar Jack (and variatins) All players except tw r three begin with a ball. Players withut balls are kangar jacks and must hp like a kangar and try t tag players. If a player gets tagged, he/she becmes a kangar as well until all players are turned int kangars Ball Tag Similar t ther tag games except players try t tag thers with their sccer ball instead f their hand. Have them keep cunt f hw many times they kick their sccer ball and tag anther persn (Instruct them nt t kick the ball t hard) Capture the Balls (Generally played in a square grid) Set up three r fur hme bases (squares) in crners with cnes rughly 2-3 yards wide. Break up the players int teams and have each team get tgether in their hme base. Place all the balls in the center f the space between the hme bases. On the caches cmmand the teams are free t gather as many sccer balls as they can int their hme base. Players cannt use hands and there is n pushing each ther r sitting/laying n the balls. Teams try t gather as many balls as pssible int their hme bases. Teams can steal balls frm each ther s hme bases. Cach calls time and cunts up hw many balls are in each space t determine a winner. Variatins include using hands nly, mandating skipping etc Created: August, 2013 Page 9 f 12
1 v 1 Chas/Get Outta Here The Game It is integral t understand that the gal f the game is t prvide all players with an pprtunity t play and succeed in a slightly mre structured envirnment. As such, a chat with the facilitatr/cach f the squad yu are playing against is always in rder s that yur can cllectively find ways t ensure that each child has an pprtunity t be successful each night. Needless t say, success has nthing t d with which swarm f five year lds happens t scre mre gals than the ther n a given night, but shuld be measured in many ther ways. Each game I wuld ask yu t ask yurselves a cuple f questinss and reflect n sme f the fllwing s that we cntinue t create the envirnment weekly that we all want ur kids t be part f. Did each player manage t get tuches n the ball during the scrimmage? Did we help in that respect by creating pprtunities fr that t happen? Created: August, 2013 Page 10 f 12
Did we ensure that all the players get maximum time n the field? Did we make the envirnment psitive in allwing the players t make mst f the decisins? Or did we tell them what t d with each tuch f the ball? Did we sit idly by and allw the parents t play the game fr their children with their sideline jysticks r did we ask them t get n bard in allwing their children t play the game themselves? Did we keep the flw f the game ging t ensure maximum tuches r get caught up in allwing balls t g ut f bunds t ften and wasting time n dead ball situatins (kick ins, gal kicks etc.) Did we adapt games t ensure ur envirnment prvided mre pprtunities fr success? In that regard, here are a few suggestins that might help achieve sme f ur primary gals at this age grup. Always have a chat with yur clleague frm the ther squad in rder t agree n things prir t the game. Als, tell the parents what yu are ding as, sadly, sme will be n the sidelines wanting their team t win and may get cnfused when the rules f sccer are nt being fllwed. Can we keep the ball mving as much as pssible during the curse f the game? Caches can act as bumpers and knck the ball back in play when it is ging ut f bunds. Caches may chse t actually keep the ball in play and change the pint f attack t get an therwise disengaged player invlved in the play. A ball may g ut n ne side and the cach n the ppsite side may play a ball in frm that lcatin t help disperse the swarm. Can caches play the ball back in and help create breakuts t allw players t run mre freely with the ball ut f the pack frm time t time? Can we create bigger nets n ccasin t allw fr mre gals and celebratins? Can we balance ur squads ut when it is bvius that ne is quite dminant? Can we alter the way kids scre? Tw nets instead f ne? Hitting a rw f cnes with the ball? Kncking a ball ff f a cne n the end line? Running the ball acrss the end line and stepping n it? Having parents stand acrss the line with legs pen t act as live nets? Use yur imaginatin as the pprtunities are endless. Again, as cach-facilitatrs use yur creativity t create an envirnment that will be fun and challenging t all, but that will als maximize the pprtunity fr all players t succeed. After all, this is a recreatinal activity and we will lse children frm the sprt it they are cnstantly n the utside lking in, and nt being given the pprtunity t succeed! Enjy yur summer and thanks fr giving yur time t ur mst precius resurce, ur children Michael D. Lans, BA. LL.B, CLU, CFP, MST, DAD Ottawa Glucester Sccer Club - Club Head Cach and Technical Directr NSCAA Premiere, Canadian Natinal B License, NSCAA Advanced Natinal, NSCAA Directr f Caching Ontari Sccer Assciatin Learning Facilitatr "A hundred years frm nw it will nt matter what my bank accunt was, the srt f huse I lived in, r the kind f car I drve...but that the wrld may be different because I was imprtant in the life f a child. Created: August, 2013 Page 11 f 12
NOTES Created: August, 2013 Page 12 f 12