This game is an excellent example of the type of conditioned SSG that develops your players’ creativity and improves their ability to solve problems on match days.
Age group: U8s to U14s.
Set Up: Create a 30×20 yards area with four goals as shown below.
Divide your players into two teams of four plus four goalkeepers.
How to play:
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This is a very simple but very effective way to practice quick passing and supporting play with older or more experienced players.
Experience: intermediate.
Set-up: Two teams of four in an area 30 yards long by 20 yards wide, marked with flat cones.
How to play:
Tip: set up several playing areas next to each other and rotate the teams so that all the teams play each once. Then add up the scores to decide an overall winner.
by Eamonn Dolan (Reading FC Academy manager)
first published on BBC Sport
A good pre-season is a must for all professional players in the Premier League and Football League – but is also hugely valuable for all amateur and junior players.
Here Reading FC Academy manager Eamonn Dolan describes how he would begin to prepare a youth soccer team for the new season.
WEEK ONE – GETTING STARTED
Regardless of age and ability the basic principles of a pre-season stay the same.
Every training session should start with a good warm-up but for the first one of pre-season I would probably make it a little longer than usual, perhaps 20 minutes.
I’d be tempted to lead the first part of this, with five minutes of jogging followed by five minutes of static stretching (which involves holding a position).
Follow this with another five minutes of jogging and five minutes of dynamic stretching (using speed of movement, momentum and active muscular effort to produce a stretch).
The jogging gives the players the chance to have a bit of a catch up if they have not seen each other for a while and allows you to make an initial assessment of the fitness your squad is in.
Running is good for aerobic conditioning but can hit the body quite hard, so I would not do too much of this.
After the warm-up set up a ball circuit. Players are always motivated by sessions with the ball – and not only find it more enjoyable but tend to work harder than drills that do not involve any ball work.
Mark off a square with each side four metres in length and position a player at all four corners. Use two footballs for this drill.
One player dribbles at his own pace from one corner to the next, where a player without a ball takes over and dribbles to the next corner.
Players can regulate themselves during the drill dependent on how fit they are feeling and a coach can see when a player is fatiguing.
There are lots of variations available using this square – for example if the players are looking in good shape you can always get them to dribble to two bases.
Next I’d consider working on basic skills. Split the players into pairs, one serving and the other working on his first touch. Work through all the key surfaces like the foot, inside and outside, both knees, chest and head.
Finish the session with a small sided game, perhaps dividing your players into two sides but using a relatively small area.
When using a smaller area players can naturally take a rest if they are feeling tired.
Ensure the players warm down properly.
During the first week try to make sure that the players do not over exert themselves as their enthusiasm after several weeks off can often get the better of them.
Another key issue is hydration. This is really important. Make sure that all of your players have some kind of water bottle and are drinking water throughout the session. If they do not they will not perform at anywhere near the level they are capable of doing so.
WEEK TWO – DEVELOPING SKILLS
As always, I would start with a decent warm-up and then work on passing technique – which is very important.
I would suggest breaking down the players into pairs. Get them to pull the ball across their body with their first touch and then pass to their mate.
passing drills and games
They should use the side of the foot for accuracy and the instep for power, then bend the ball with the inside and outside of the foot.
Dependent on how well this session is going, incorporate an element of pass and move. This is excellent for conditioning without players actually realising how hard they are working.
I would also think about introducing an element of possession, which is a massive physiological conditioning tool and great for technique.
Use one ball and if, for example, you had 11 players, you could break down the session into seven versus four. Play for two minutes, challenging the four players to dispossess the seven.
The bigger the area, the more difficult it becomes for the four players trying to win the ball. If the four players are winning the ball easily, make it harder by setting two against nine.
Before warming down finish with a game.
If you have 16 players you might consider two four-a-side matches rather than one bigger game with eight players on each team.
The smaller game will give players more touches of the ball and therefore improve their conditioning and be more football specific.
As with many of these drills, you can shape the game to whatever you want. If you think your players are performing well you could even try two against two.
Objective: To practice individual tackling and defensive skills.
Experience: Beginners and upwards.
Set-up: Create a 20-yard square with a normal-sized goal at one end.
Three or defenders stand next to the goal and three or four attackers stand at the end of the playing area opposite the goal.
How to Play: On your signal, a defender passes a ball to one of the attackers. As soon as the attacker touches the ball, the defender runs out quickly and tries to stop the attacker shooting at goal.
The defender is awarded a point if she successfully tackles the attacker or manages to keep the attacker from shooting for 15 seconds.
The attacker gets a point for a shot at goal.
Attackers and defenders change places every three or four plays.
Coaching points:
You can either play this as team game and play first team to 10 points wins or set individual targets.
Emphasise the need for defenders to close down attackers quickly and for attackers to shoot as soon as they can.
Progression:
1. Award two points to defenders who can keep an attacker away from goal for 15 seconds without tackling.
2. If a defender wins the ball, he can shoot at goal.
3. Play two attackers against one defender.
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Objective: To practice dribbling and passing skills.
Age range: U5s to U8s.
Number of players: Whole squad.
Equipment required: Some flat cones, one ball for every two players plus some spares.
Set-up: Create a playing area that is big enough for all your players to dribble in comfortably. For 10 five-year-olds, I would use a 20-yard square.
Create two three-yard squares as “jails”, using flat cones or corner flags just outside the playing area.
Place all the spare balls on one side of the playing area. This is the bank.
Pair up your players and give each pair a ball except for one pair of players who are the policemen.
The policemen stand in the middle of the playing area, facing the rest of the players who wait on the end line opposite the bank.
How to play:
Begin with a story “It’s midnight – we are going to rob a bank… ”
Tell your players that the balls in the bank are worth £1,000 each!
Coaching notes
When a player captures a ball, he or she has a decision to make: Do I dribble or pass it back to my partner? Ask your players how they come to their decision.
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Objective: To improve your players’ ability to keep possession, take possession and score goals.
Age group: U8s to U12s.
Set up: Set up a 30×20 yards pitch with a goal at each end.
Divide your players into two teams four plus goalkeepers.
How to play:
Variations
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Warm up
Pass and Chase – Groups of 6 in circles, each circle with one ball. Player with ball passes the circle to another player, chases pass to pressure passer into one or two touch pass. Play continuously.
Two Balls – Two teams in medium size space (like 30 x 40 yards for U14 boys playing teams of 6) each start with a ball. Each team works to maintain possession of one ball, win possession of other team’s ball. Point for every success, play to 3 or 4 points, move on. For 18 players, use up to 4 balls. Encourages small group play, decision making in support of possession.
Basic Possession – 1 v 1 Game
The following game allows players to practice shielding, cushioning and change of direction.
Start by making a field about 20 yards long and 15v wide. Goals are placed at each end. Players are placed in each goal. These players cannot leave the goal. Two players and one ball are on the field.
The object of the drill is for the field players to complete 2 successive passes to either goalkeeper. They need to shield the ball from the defender and then cushion the defender away from the area where the pass is coming from. If the defender beats the cushion and enters the area they need to change direction quickly and head for the other side of the field.
Two complete passes = 1 point and every additional pass beyond 2 in a row is another point.
Basic Possession – Keep Away
The next game also incorporates shielding, cushioning and spin away moves. The field in this case is short but very wide. This helps to teach the concept of width.
The game can either be played with four goals that the players have to dribble through or can be played strictly as keepaway where points are given for proper shielding and spin away moves.
Divide the field in half and play 3 on 3. Allow only 2 players from any team within any half of the field. This discourages bunching up. Take the ball away when they forget.
Coaching Points:
1. Defenders get low and stay low
2. Defenders do not dive in
3. Shield the ball, attacker is low and arms are away from the body.
4. Support player close but not right on top of the player.
5. Switch the field often
6. Discourage just kicking the ball away. If players do this continually, penalize the team by having them perform an exercise like 5 pull back Vees before they can rejoin the play.
Shielding – 4 Corners – Match Related
The following exercise was suggested by a coach, who remains nameless, from the soccer-coach-l mailing list.
This exercise teaches shielding, checking back, blind side runs and aggressiveness.
4 corners
Set up the field as shown with a player at each of the four corners. One player at
one corner has a ball. Two players are in the middle, one is the attacker, one is
the defender.
Playing Shielding Four Corners
Pass comes from the corner man to the attacker. The attacker has to make a run, or a check to the ball to shake the defender. She then has to control the ball, under pressure, and shield the ball from the defender.
The attacker then has to get the ball to another corner person. She is not allowed to give the ball back to the original passer.
Count how many passes are made before the defender wins the ball. If the defender wins, she passes the ball back to a corner player immediately and the game restarts.
Switch players often. This is an exhausting drill.
Objective: To improve players’ peripheral vision, fitness and speed of transition.
Age group: U8s to U14s.
Set-up: Mark out a 30×20 yards playing area with a goal at each end and a centre line.
Divide your players into two teams, wearing bibs.
How to play: Play normal rules with the condition that for a goal to count, all the attacking team’s players must be over the halfway line.
If they are not, the goal does not count and a goal kick is awarded.
First team to five goals wins.
Progression: When your players are comfortable add a second condition: When a goal is scored, the defending team must have all their players in their own half. If not, the goal counts double.
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