U5-U6 Practice Week 3 Players at this age cannot control winning and losing. Emphasis on winning will create stress, and cause players to not enjoy their experience. Development leads to enjoyment, learning and improving, mastering skills, and later to control winning. Philosophy is to develop skill - 1 with a ball. At this age, children need a movement education approach to soccer practice. They need to be able to experiment with different foot surfaces, and participate in activities that enhance foot surface use, skill, body awareness and control/coordination. Practices should be FUN, lively and engaging. Players must have shin guards to play in contact situations. The progression of practice goes from SIMPLE - > COMPLEX. Equipment needed: cones and pinnies. Each player should bring a ball. Some players may see passing moments, most may not, that’s ok. When they gain experience and insight, they will see them. Allow them to experiment with the ball, judging and dealing with rolling, still, and gently bouncing balls. U5 prepare to play 3v3. U6 prepare to play 4v4. NO HEADING. THE NETWORK Organization: STAGE 1. Players use variety of movements to go from cone to cone. STAGE 2. Same with dribbling. Coaching Points: foot surfaces – guide ball with insides, outsides, and soles (NOT toes!), changes of direction, changes of speed, attacking spaces, defending strategies, avoiding traffic, alertness, vision.
ALLIGATOR ALLEY Organization: Dribblers with balls. Alligators without balls in the alley. On coach signal, dribblers try to cross the alley without a Gator stealing ball. If they do they steal the ball and dribble it across the alley, becoming a dribbler. Coaching Points: foot surfaces – guide ball with insides, outsides, and soles (NOT toes!), changes of direction, changes of speed, attacking spaces, defending strategies, avoiding traffic, alertness, vision. Add timing, pace and direction of touch to attack space and keep possession.
TAKE AWAY A BALL DUAL 3V3/4V4 Organization: Place teams on end of field with you as Boss of the Balls. (If you have another coach, you can each take a team). Each team starts with all players with a ball, dribbling to stop ball in opposite endzone. Every round remove a ball, and develop habits with and without the ball. Facilitate touches for all levels of players. Coaching Points: foot surfaces, dribbling and shooting (NOT toes!), changes of direction, changes of speed, shielding, attacking spaces, defending strategies, avoiding traffic, alertness, vision, composure.
U7-U8 Practice Week 3 The theme for this age group is to reinforce “1 with a ball”, and introduce effectively “working in pairs”. Shin guards are mandatory for contact participation. Practice must be FUN. Players need to work on taking dribbling to the next level of performance, changing direction, changing speed, and starting to learn moves to unbalance opponents. Start to address behavior of the teammate with and without the ball – angle and distance of support. Practice progresses from SIMPLE -> COMPLEX. Practice time should not exceed the amount of time they play in games. NO HEADING. PAINT THE FIELD Organization: Can do with individuals with ball, or pairs. They try to use the ball as a paint brush to pain the field, to encourage movement and mobility with and without the ball. Coaching Points: foot surfaces for dribbling, passing and receiving – insides, outsides, sole, and laces (no toe kicking or dribbling), vision, redirecting pass on 1st touch receiving, reading cues of movement of player(s) and ball, communication.
1V1 AND 2V2 Organization: U7 play with small goals, no GK. U8 play with small goals or larger (game appropriate) sized goals with goalkeepers. Coach positions to be able to serve balls for both games. Play 1v1, then 2v2. Set scoring objectives, which team scores where. Coaching Point: dribbling, passing/receiving and shooting techniques, placing shot, dribble at optimal times, pass when it makes sense, score when they have the moment, help them read cues to enhance game situation understanding.
DUAL 3V3/4V4 SCRIMMAGE Organization: Do not play in larger formats than they play in games. Smaller games, like 3v3 and 4v4, will provide more ball contact, and opportunities to practice decision-making. Coaching Points: Technique in dribbling, passing, receiving and scoring, same points as previous stages, more group organization, immediate support of ball, team shape, transfer the skills from stage to stage. DUAL 4v4 SCRIMMAGE If numbers and time permit. Do not play in larger formats than the kids play at games.
U9-U10 Practice Week 3 The theme for this age group is to reinforce “1 with a ball” “working in pairs” and enhancing “group play”. Shin guards are mandatory for contact participation. Practice must be FUN. Players need to work on all essential skills: 1v1 (dribbling, tackling, shielding), passing, receiving, striking with laces. Address movement of the teammates without the ball – angle, distance, and timing of support. They learn how to play in overloads starting now. Practice progresses from SIMPLE -> COMPLEX. Practice time should not exceed the amount of time they play in games. NO HEADING. PAINT THE FIELD Organization: Can do with individuals with ball, or pairs. They try to use the ball as a paint brush to pain the field, to encourage movement and mobility with and without the ball. Address turns and moves while dribbling, 1st touch and passing quality while passing. Coaching Points: foot surfaces for dribbling, passing and receiving – insides, outsides, sole, and laces (no toe kicking or dribbling), vision, redirecting pass on 1st touch receiving, reading cues of movement of player(s) and ball, communication.
1v1 ENDZONE GAME Organization: 2 players in middle play 1v1 against each other to dribble to stop ball in endzone. Can progress to combining the group and playing 2v2 and 3v3. Coaching Points: dribbling, passing and receiving, and dribbling for passing, as well as moving “off the ball” productively, and body shape and quality of first touch on receiving.
SCRIMMAGE Organization: Do not play in larger formats than they play in games. Smaller games, like 3v3 and 4v4, will provide more ball contact, and opportunities to practice decision-making. Coaching Points: Technique in dribbling, passing, receiving and scoring, same points as previous stages, more group organization, width, depth, team shape, transfer the skills and concepts from stage to stage.
U11-U12 Practice Week 3 The theme for this age group is to reinforce “1 with a ball” and “group play”, add combination play, higher expectations on tactical use of skill, since it’s viewed as the “dawn of tactical awareness”. Shin guards are mandatory for contact participation. Practice must be FUN. Players need to work on all essential skills: 1v1 (dribbling, tackling, shielding), passing, receiving, striking with laces, AND various small-sided formats. Address movement of the teammates without the ball – angle, distance, and timing of support. Practice progresses from SIMPLE-> COMPLEX. Practice time should not exceed the amount of time they play in games. NO HEADING. DRIBBLING WARM UP Organization: 1. Each player with a ball working on dribbling, turning and changes of speed, and unbalancing moves. 2. Progress to MATH DRIBBLE – coach calls out simple math problems, like 1+1, and players group themselves in the amount, 2 in that case. Coaching Points: foot surfaces for dribbling – insides, outsides, sole (no toe kicking or dribbling), alertness, vision, changes of direction, speed, moves.
TARGETS POSSESSION GAME Organization: 2v2, 3v3 or 4v4 in middle area, with target players positioned on endlines. 1- players per team on ends as targets. Players pass to targets, targets dribble in, and passer becomes the target. Targets allow for having numbers up situation, and more flow and success in applying skills. You can play for points, for example 5 consecutive passes = 1pt. Coaching Points: passing and receiving, and dribbling for passing, as well as moving “off the ball” productively, and body shape on receiving.
NUMBERS OUT Organization: Coach positions teams on opposite endlines, in single file lines. When a coach calls a number, that many people come out to play. Coach can call 1, 2, 3 or 4, as long as space accommodates the number of players. You will notice that they will be able to handle one, two, and three better than four. Try to help them recognize where they need to be, width and depth for larger numbers, triangles and diamonds shape. Coach should serve the ball toward one team, for safety, so they do not run at each other at fast pace and collide. Coaching Point: techniques, dribble at optimal times, pass when it makes sense, score when they have the moment, help them read cues to enhance game situation understanding. Organize off the ball. SCRIMMAGE Organization: Do not play in larger formats than they play in games. Smaller games, like 3v3 and 4v4, will provide more ball contact, and opportunities to practice decision-making. 4 goal games allow for creating width and spreading out. You can play with a single goal on each endline with or without goalkeepers. Coaching Points: Technique in dribbling, passing, receiving and scoring, same points as previous stages, more group organization, width, depth, transfer the skills and concepts from stage to stage.
U13-U19 Practice Week 3
The theme for this age group is to reinforce “1 with a ball” and “group play”, enhancing play in overloads and with more complex aspects of attacking and defending principles. ALL STAGES OF TRAINING SHOULD BE ECONOMICAL – INCLUDE THE BALL! (so it can include technical, tactical, physical and psychological elements of play). Shin guards are mandatory for contact participation. Practice must be FUN. Players need to work on all essential skills: 1v1 (dribbling, tackling, shielding), passing, receiving, striking with laces. Address movement of the teammates without the ball – angle, distance, and timing of support and group/team shapes. Practice progresses from simple to complex. Practice time should not exceed the amount of time they play in games. WARM UP INTERPASSING Organization: STAGE 1. Passing and moving, dribbling only if needed, but try to pass the ball quickly, then get a pass connected to you. STAGE 2. Add combination play, high-low passing sequences. STAGE 3. Number each team and pass in numerical order. Coaching Points: foot surfaces for dribbling, passing and receiving – insides, outsides, sole, laces, alertness, vision, changes of direction, speed, support, moves, support in “off the ball”, when ball should be released.
TARGETS KEEPAWAY Organization: Players start with 3v3 inside, pass to target of same shirt color then switch. Passer becomes target. Target dribbles in to play. Teach principles of attack (width, depth/support, mobility, penetration, improvisation). Coaching Points: passing and receiving, technical speed, angles of support/passing, team shape, dribbling for passing, movement “off the ball”, decision-making, combination play, and body shape on receiving, 1st touch on field and as target entering. 6V4/7V5 FUNCTIONAL SCRIMMAGE Organization: ORGANIZE PLAYERS IN POSITIONS and play 6 attackers vs 4 defenders plus GK and plus 2 targets. Attackers will keep possession and try to keep scoring. Defenders must try to pass to their target players (3 times, for example), then teams can switch roles. 6v6 SCRIMMAGE can be added if space and equipment permit. (Numbers can be revised and adapted as each team’s numbers attending can vary). Coaching Points: same points as previous stages, more group organization between lines of play, transfer the skills and concepts of principles of attack from stage to stage. LARGE GOAL SCRIMMAGE (2 large goals with GK’s) (If time and space permit. The earlier stages of practice help allow for more touches and more opportunities for decision-making, and reading cues - all crucial for development, learning, and fun! In the larger 11v11 format, the coaching should be to enhance individual performance, collaboration in groups around the ball, and in lines of play).