Category: Communication

Age range: U7s and upwards.

Set-up: Create an 18×12 yards playing area with two-yard-wide goals made with cones or flags at both ends.

Divide your players into two teams of five.

How to play: Three players from each team play inside the area. The fourth and fifth players on each team work as a support player on the sidelines.

The object of the game is to score by stopping the ball between the cones or flags on your opponent’s goal line.

Players are encouraged to include at least one pass to a supporting player in every move.

A supporting player on the sideline, who receives a pass, dribbles the ball onto the playing area (or passes to a team mate) and the player who passed to the supporting player swaps places with him.

Rules

• Passes to supporting players must be successful (i.e., controlled). If not, the other team gains possession.
• Supporting players cannot interfere with each other or try to intercept passes.

Coaching Points:

Pass and move, pass and move!

Look for and highlight: a good first touch, effective communication, speed of movement, playing a penetrating pass.

Note: The supporting players should be encouraged to move up and down the line, calling for the ball.

Progressions:

1) Have a third team ready to come on as soon as a goal is scored.

2) When a team scores, it retains possession but is now going in opposite direction.

3) Use two goals (each two paces wide) near the corners on each goal line.

Tips: If less than 10 players are available, use neutral supporting players. Inside players can hold bibs/pinnies that they pass to the supporting player as he comes into the game.

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

Objective: to improve short passing, communication and “vision”.

Experience: U10 upwards.

Set-up: play 4v4 in a playing area 30 yards long by 25 yards wide. Place five small cone or pole goals randomly within the area.

How to play: Teams score a point by passing through a goal to a team mate. First team to score 10 points wins the game.

Soccer coaching points:

• The ball carrier should lift their head up to see where the open goals and their team mates are.
• When the ball is passed, the receiver should take a quick “picture” of the playing area so they know who they are going to pass to before the ball arrives.
• The ball should be struck firmly and halfway up so that it stays on the ground.
• The non-kicking foot should be pointing to where you want the pass to go.
• A player’s head and shoulders should be over the ball when it is struck.

This small-sided game, called “Two ball soccer”, will improve your players’ ability to keep the ball as a team. To succeed, they will need to support each other, communicate effectively and pass the ball accurately.

It will also improve their ability to play with their heads up and press their opponents quickly and effectively.

Age range: U8s to U14s.

Number of players: 3v3 (for eight to 10-year-olds) up to 6v6 (11 to 14-year-olds).

Equipment required: Some flat cones to mark out the playing area, four balls, training vests.

Set-up: Create a quarter pitch size playing area, e.g. 20×15 yards for eight-year-olds, 40×30 yards for 14-year-olds.

Divide your players into the appropriate size teams and give them training vests to aid identification.

Each team is given one ball.

How to play:

• Both teams attempt to maintain possession of their ball and, at the same time, try to capture their opponent’s ball.
• When a team has possession of both balls, the game is stopped and the team in possession is awarded one point.
• The captured ball is returned to the team without possession and the game restarts.
• Play for a set time or the first team to X points wins the game.

Note: If your players struggle to maintain possession of the ball, add a neutral player who supports either team or add two “safe zones” – small, coned-off areas where a player under pressure can take the ball and stay for up to five seconds without being tackled.

Progression

Increase the intensity of the game by reducing the size of the playing area.

Reduce the number of touches. Three-touch for younger players, two (or even one-touch) for older players.

Variations

Add two more balls. Now each team must keep and try to steal two balls. Award a point when one team possesses three balls.

Younger players can play Two Ball Soccer as a tag game. If the player in possession is tagged the ball goes to the opposition.

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

I have played Slow Soccer with children aged from eight to 15 but some players couldn’t do it, no matter how hard they tried, and some found it easy.

The one thing it did was make every player really think about what they were doing!

Objective: To play football thoughtfully, to plan ahead.

Age range: U8s and upwards.

Set-up: Play a 4v4 or 5v5 “match” on a small pitch. For U8s, 30×20 yards is a good size.

How to play: Tackling, shooting, scoring and passing as in normal football.

There is only one condition – running is not allowed.

When the ball goes out of play, the game can be restarted in a number of ways:

• A normal throw-in.
• A kick-in.
• With a goal kick.

Note: Speed walking is allowed in Slow Soccer but if anyone breaks into a run, even for a second, a free kick is awarded to the other team.

Progression: After five or 10 minutes, lift the “no running” restriction and allow your players to play normally.

Why this works: Not being able to run to get back in defence or chase after a misplaced pass, makes young players see the importance of accuracy and anticipating what might happen next. And, believe it or not, it’s great fun!

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

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.

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

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:

• One team starts on the pitch and players pass the ball to each other.
• On your command, the second team enters the pitch and try to win possession of the ball and score a goal.
• The passing team try to keep the ball.
• The second team has 30 seconds to win the ball and score.
• If it fails, the passing team earns a “goal”.
• After every 30 seconds, team roles are rotated.
• Play for 15 to 20 minutes. The team with the most goals is the winner.

Variations

• If the passing team can keep the ball for 30 seconds, it can shoot and score.
• Instead of a time limit, the passing team has to make X number of passes to score.
• Vary the number of players on each team. For example, play 5v3 instead of 4v4.
• The second team must win possession then make X number of passes before it can shoot.
• If one of the teams kicks the ball out of play, it loses a point.

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

A mini world cup is great fun but it also gives young players many opportunities to develop their team-working skills and practice all the skills they’ve been working on during the season.

It’s also a good way to prepare for a tournament and get used to any special rules you’re going to encounter.

Experience: any.

Set-up: divide your players into teams of three, four or five.

Ask them to choose a captain and a team name.

Team names can be a country but they could be the name of a favourite animal, their school class or anything else. Encourage originality!

You could also invite one or two neighbouring clubs to send some teams along. If you choose to do that, make sure they understand the games are small-sided, everyone plays (no substitutes) and you’re playing for fun; all the players will be winners.

Don’t coach from the touchlines and don’t have referees – the players can ref their own games.

How to play:

• Set up an area 30 yards long by 20 yards wide for every two teams.
• Every team plays every other team.
• Matches can be between five and 15 minutes long, depending on how old your players are, the weather conditions and how many teams you have.
• Give teams a few minutes between each round of matches to have a rest.

At the end of the day, congratulate everyone and give each team a small prize to share. A bag of sweets is always popular!