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Get your head up!

Objective

Younger players will learn why they need to keep their heads up when they have the ball. At the end of the game, they will also have practised turning with the ball and they will understand when to push the ball ahead of them and run after it and when to keep it close to their feet.

Set-up

This is a very simple game to organise and to play.

All you need to do is cone off an area about 20 yards square.

Your players line up a long two sides of the square with a ball each.

How to play

On your command, players dribble across the area towards the opposite cone, turn and dribble back. Then stop with their foot on the ball.

Coaching points

To begin with, watch your players dribble across and back without any instruction or guidance from you.

Note which players keep their head up to avoid collisions.

And how do they move the ball – do they keep it close or push it ahead and run after it?

After a minute or two ask the players why they need to keep their heads up while they dribble across the grid.

Then ask them to have another go.

Next, demonstrate the difference between keeping the ball close and pushing it ahead and running after it.

Ask: Which is the quickest way to get across the grid?

Now make the game competitive. See who can get across the grid and back five times in the shortest time.

Progression

Use this game to practise the different ways to turn with the ball.

For young ones, a simple drag back turn is probably the easiest. Older players could try the inside hook.

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Side supports

Objective: To improve possession play and to use the full width of the pitch.

Age groups: U10s and upwards (but can be used with better-than-average younger players).

Set up: Use a 60×40 yards playing area with normal-sized goals on the end lines. Divide your squad into three equally matched teams, wearing bibs.

How to play: Two teams play “normal” football. The third team acts as side supports. Players of the third team spread along both side lines and can receive passes from the teams on the pitch. When they do receive a pass, they cannot be tackled and must pass back to the team that passed them the ball. They should move up and down the line, calling for the ball if the player in possession is running out of options.

You can encourage wall passes by restricting side supports to one touch.

Switch the teams around regularly or play “one goal, winner stays on”.

Progressions

Side support players must return passes in less than four seconds.
Restrict players on the pitch to two or three touches.
Goals only count if the move that leads up to them includes a pass to a side support player

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Rattle

This game is named after the great English conductor, Sir Simon Rattle.

This is a short warm-up game that you can use with any age of player.

You play the role of a conductor and your players, who are the orchestra, must concentrate and pay close attention to what you are saying or doing.

How to play Rattle

All your players stand facing you in a semi-circle or straight line. They should be about 10 yards away.

Their objective is to listen (and watch) for instructions and carry them out immediately.

Call sequences such as:

Sidestep left.
Sidestep right.
Jump.
Touch the grass.
Run on the spot.
Run forwards.
Run backwards.

Commands should start slowly then increase in tempo until you’re changing the instruction every two or three seconds.

Variation

Make some of your instructions visual rather than spoken. Point to your left or at the ground instead of saying “go left” or “touch the grass”.

Stand in front of your players, perform the moves and tell your players to copy what you do. Then ask them to do the opposite: if you sidestep left, they sidestep right.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

Shooting for U9s

Equipment: Cones, pinnies, one ball per player

Warm up

Instep Warm Up – Start with players sitting down and kicking the ball out of their hands. Look for good technique – ankle locked, toe pointed, strike ball with laces, plant foot facing target, leaning forward, no spin on ball, head position.

Progression

Sitting
Two insteps in a row
Kick ball, stand up and catch it.
While standing (moving), kick ball and catch it.
Have the ball bounce in between touches, keep ball going.
Two touches without ball hitting ground.

Body

Instep Passing – In pairs, players make instep passes back and forth.

Progression

Start with ball being kicked after a bounce, dropped from hands..
Ball kicked from the ground.
Increase distance.
Restrict player to 2 touches.

Instep Squares – Two squares are set up with two players in each square who are teammates. The more skilful the players, the smaller the squares are and the further apart they. are. The game starts when one team kicks the ball into the others’ square. The receiving team must control the ball without it going outside of their square. Each player is allowed to play the ball with one touch. The team has 3 touches to get the ball into their opponents square. The ball may not stop at any time. Play stops when a shot misses the other teams grid or is not controlled. Decide beforehand how high a ball may be played to be considered fair.

Coaching Points

“Drive” the ball into the other teams grid to make it difficult to control. Good shooting technique, Encourage an aggressive shooting mentality” To receive the ball, get in the line of flight, taking the first touch to “kill the ball” for your partner. Prepare the surface that will receive the ball early Keep the body balanced, weight on toes.

Application

Steal The Bacon – Two teams, each player is designated a number. The coach calls out the numbers of the players. These players then run out from the endline to play the game. The coach serves balls from the sideline if the ball goes out of bounds or into a goal. Each group should play for a minute and a half of continuous action.

Players waiting to come on should return loose balls to the coach, or act as “support” players, returning passes back to the team who made them. The number of players playing at one time depends on the coach’s objectives. This game is best played 2 v. 2 or 3 v. 3.

Shooting for U8s

Equipment: Cones, pinnies, 1 ball per player

Warm up

Link Tag – Create pairs of players and have them link arms, break one of the pairs apart and give one of them a penny, the player with the penny is it and will chase the other player until they link up with one of the pairs, the player on the other side of the link must now leave the link and run

Body

Punt & Catch – Get players in pairs again, one ball per pair, one player punts the ball up in the air and the other tries to catch it after it bounces once. They then trade off. Add restrictions such as player must sit down and get back up before catching the ball. Can they catch it without the bounce?

Keep your yard clean – Split team into two groups setup a dividing line in the middle of the field. Every player has a ball. On signal from coach the players kick their ball into the other half of the field. The players keep kicking balls out of their area until coach stops the game. Count up how many balls are on each side of the grid.

Capture the cone – Now set some boundries up with a 4 – 6 taller cones on each end line. Play 4v4 game where players can get point for either shooting the ball across the line or get extra point for knocking down a cone.

Application

Scrimmage – 15-20 mintues, two 20×30 yard grids, create small goals on either endline and allow the players to play without any coaching

Shooting for U10s

Equipment: 1 ball per player, cones, pennies

Warm up

Math Dribble – Players dribble around in the are when the coach calls out a math problem the players must get in groups matching the answer, finish with a math problem that results in 2. A useful activity to get the players into groups without them always picking the same people!

1v1 tag – have one gate per pair setup, players are without the ball and attempt to get through the gate without being tagged, encourage the players to use body fakes and change of speed

Body

Ring of fire – Only half of the pairs will work at a time now, each pair has a ball and plays 1v1 for 1 minute, the players score by dribbling through any of the gates, they can not attack the same gate twice in a row, if they lose the ball to the other player they are on defence, the pairs that are sitting out are assigned to keep score, switch out the pairs that are resting

Next progression is to have the players work in pairs playing 2v2. Watch how the game changes

2v2 to goal – Have two 15×20 yard grids setup, with small goals on the end line, play 2v2 for 3-4 minutes and then switch the players that are resting, score two points for dribbling through the goal and one point for shooting through the goal

Application

4 goal game – goals are on each side of the grid, each team defends two goals, create teams for 3v3 or 4v4

Look for changes of direction of attack

Scrimmage – 15-20 minutes, two 20×30 yard grids, create small goals on either endline and allow the players to play without any coaching

Shoot, head, shoot

Objectives: To improve heading and shooting technique.

Age group: U9s and upwards.

Set up: Use a normal sized goal and penalty area marked by lines or cones. Divide your squad into two teams (X and Y) including two goalkeepers. The outfield players wait in two lines about 20 yards away from the goal.

Two coaches (C1 and C2) stand in the penalty area with a supply of balls.

How to play: The first player in team Y dribbles and has a shot on goal from beyond the penalty area.

The player then moves towards coach C1 who passes a ball for a one-time shot on goal.

The player then moves towards coach C2 who serves a ball for the player to head towards the goal.

Rules:

If you…

score no goals from your three shots, you wait on the end of the line to be freed (see below).
score one goal you stay in the game. Go back to your team and wait for your next turn.
score two goals you free up a team mate who is waiting on the end line.
score three goals you free all of your team mates!

The team that lasts the longest wins.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

Shark attack!

I played this game with a group of U6s last week.

They enjoyed it so much, it was hard to get them to anything else!

Shark Attack is simple, easy to explain, every player is involved and it teaches lots of essential skills.

What more could you ask for?

Objective: To improve dribbling skills (especially keeping close control of the ball and playing with the head up), turning with the ball and shielding the ball from pressure.

Set up: Mark a playing circle appropriate to the size of the group. For a group of twelve 10-year-olds, 20 yards across is ideal.

Every player has a ball and goes inside the circle except for two players – the Sharks – who don’t have a ball and stay outside the circle.

How to play: Players dribble around inside the circle and the two Sharks jog around the perimeter.

On your signal, the Sharks have 10 seconds to kick as many balls out the circle as possible.

Any players who lose their ball leave the circle and join the Sharks for the next attack.

The last two players left dribbling are the winners and they become the Sharks at the start of the next game.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.