U8/U10 Practice - Area of Focus: Dribling
PLAY SOCCER SESSION STRUCTURE EXAMPLES (1 Hour)
U8/U10 Area of Focus: Dribbling
Warm Up (10 mins)
- Fun game
- Foot speed, Plyometrics and Dynamic Stretching (U10 only)
Dribbling (35 mins)
Drill 1
All players in an area, with a ball each. The coach will get players dribbling with the ball and pointing out the first 4 principals of dribbling:
Lots of small touches (not just passing and running alongside the ball)
Use both feet
ALL parts of the feet
Head up looking for space
Drill 2
Place ‘gates' randomly throughout a large grid. Ensure there is lots of space in-between the gates. Get players dribbling around, seeing how many gates they can get through in a given time.
Progressions:
Þ Players must go through every single gate
Þ If players hit a cone, their score goes back to zero
Þ Add in defenders who try to stop players dribbling through the gates
Coaching Points
Þ When moving from gate to gate, start to open up your stride, taking fewer touches on the ball. Begin to run with the ball, using the outside of the feet to push the ball in front of you.
Drill 3
Players will work in pairs. Player 1 will have a pinny tucked into the back of their shorts. Player 2 will hold on to the pinny. Player 1 dribbles around the area trying to lose player 2. Player 2 tries to stay as close as possible preventing the pinny from coming out of the shorts. Players will go for 2 mins, before switching around.
The game focuses on the last principal for dribbling:
Change of speed and direction
Coaching Points
Þ Keep the ball close to your feet, so that you are in total control of the ball and you have the choice of when to change speed and direction. If you take heavy touches on the ball, pushing the ball forward and running onto it, the defender will know which way you are going. With the ball at your feet, you make the decisions!
Drill 4
All players have a ball each in an area. In the corner of the area are the ‘skill zones'. 2 players are selected as the defenders and must try to get a touch on the balls of the other players. If the defender touches a player's ball, they must enter the skill zone, and can only leave once the chosen skill has been performed (skill level will be decided by the coach)
Progressions
Þ Increase number of defenders
Þ Increase the ‘skill level' in the skill zones
Coaching points
Þ Use your body to shield the ball form the defender.
Small Sided Game (15mins)
Notes:
U8/U10 Area of Focus: Passing
Warm Up (10 mins)
- Fun game
- Foot speed, Plyometrics and Dynamic Stretching (U10 only)
Passing (35 mins)
Drill 1
Players are in pairs, with 1 ball between 2, standing around 10 yds apart. Players will pass balls to each other, and the key principals of passing will be coached:
Þ Inside of the foot
Þ Ankle locked
Þ Strike the middle of the ball
Þ Follow through
Þ Keep ball along the ground
Drill 2
Place ‘gates' randomly throughout the grid. Players will work in pairs dribbling around and passing through the gates to each other.
Coaching points:
Þ Communication with partner
Þ Pass and move
Drill 3
Players work in groups of 3. Players are numbered 1, 2 and 3. To start, each group have ball and all pass and move around in the same area. Player 1 can only pass to player 2, player 2 can only pass to player 3 and player 3 can only pass to player 1.
Progressions
Þ Limit touches e.g. 2/3 touches.
Þ Once a player makes a pass, they must run around a cone on the outside of the grid before returning to receive a pass.
Coaching points
•Þ Players need to be aware that once they've passed the ball, they HAVE to move into a suitable position to receive the ball. Once players have made a pass, they're job is not finished!
Drill 4
Players are split into 2 groups. Half of the players stand in a circle without a ball, and the other half stand inside the circle with a ball each. Players must look to dribble around and ‘pass and receive' to those on the outside of the circle.
Progressions
Þ Use 1st touch to turn out and open up the space
Þ Let the ball run across your body and turn out
Coaching points:
Þ Players on the outside of the circle must stay on their toes ready to receive a pass.
Þ Concentrate on making the most of your first touch. Try not to be content with stopping the ball dead. Start to try to be aware of what is around you and if possible, use that 1st touch to push the ball into the space you want to move into.
Small Sided Game (15mins)
Notes:
U12/U14/U16 Area of focus: Control
Warm Up (10mins)
•· Foot speed, Plyometrics and Dynamic Stretching
Control (35 mins)
Drill 1
To start, players are in pairs with 1 ball between 2. Players take turns to feed the ball to each other. Players must control the ball and pass back to the feeder. All parts of the body that can be used to control the ball will be looked at e.g. insides, sole, outsides, laces, thigh, chest, head.
Coaching points
Þ When controlling the ball on the floor, try and use the first touch to shift the ball out of your feet, rather than taking 1 touch to stop the ball, another to get it out from your feet, and a 3rd touch to pass. Don't be content with just trapping the ball; try to use that 1st touch to your advantage.
Þ When receiving the ball in the air, your body should act as a cushion, allowing the ball to then gently drop to your feet.
Drill 2
Players are split into 2 groups. Half of the players stand in a circle with a ball, and the other half stand inside the circle without a ball. Players on the outside of the circle feed the ball into the middle of the circle and players must control it, and then pass back to the feeder. Players are constantly on the move in the circle looking for ‘spare' feeders to receive the ball from. Start with the feeders passing the balls along the ground.
Progressions
Þ Thigh, then volley back to feeder
Þ Chest then volley back to feeder
Þ Chest then head back to feeder
Þ Feeders on the outside of the circle feed the ball in and ‘call out' what they want the player to do e.g. thigh, then volley. This gets players in the circle thinking, and reacting quickly.
Drill 3
Players work in groups of 3. Players are numbered 1, 2 and 3. To start each group have ball and all pass and move around in the same area. Player 1 can only pass to player 2, player 2 can only pass to player 3 and player 3 can only pass to player 1.
Progressions
Þ Limit to 1 or 2 touches
ÞAlternate 1 touch, then 2 touch, 1 touch, then 2 touch and so on. This gets players thinking and playing close attention to the player they are receiving the ball from.
Þ Try and keep the ball in the air (allow 1 or 2 bounces depending on ability of the group)
Coaching points
ÞTry to keep the ball moving all the time. Avoid stopping the ball dead and then looking up to find a player to pass to. Be aware of where your pass needs to go as you receive the ball, so you can use your 1st touch to move into the desired direction.
Small sided game (15mins)
Notes:
U12/U14/U16 Area of focus: Passing
Warm Up (10mins)
- Foot speed, Plyometrics and Dynamic Stretching
Passing Drills (35 mins)
Drill 1
Players are split into 2 groups. Half of the players stand in a circle without a ball, and the other half stand inside the circle with a ball each. Players must look to dribble around and ‘pass and receive' to those on the outside of the circle.
Progressions
Þ Use 1st touch to turn out and open up the space
Þ Let the ball run across your body and turn out
Þ In the circle, there is 1 defender and one attacker. All players on the outside of the circle have a ball each. The attacker in the middle must make runs to act as a ‘target' to receive the ball from the outside, and make a pass straight back.
Þ Possession: 3 attackers v1 defender or 2v1 in the middle of the circle and players on the outside play on the attacking team and try to keep possession of the ball.
Coaching points:
Þ Players on the outside of the circle must stay on their toes ready to receive a pass.
Þ Concentrate on making the most of your first touch. Try not to be content with stopping the ball dead. Start to try to be aware of what is around you and if possible, use that 1st touch to push the ball into the space you want to move into.
Drill 2
Players split into 3 teams all inside a large area. 2 teams start with the ball and try to keep possession. The other team must try to get a touch of the ball. If they do, they receive a point. Play for 2 mins before switching teams around. The team with the most points wins
Progressions
Þ Limit to 1 or 2 touches
Coaching Point
Þ Don't have too many touches on the ball. Shift it quickly. "Take the amount of touches you need, not the amount of touches you want". So if it only takes 2 touches to control the ball and pass to another player, then take 2. If you take more touches on the ball than you need to, it allows the defenders to close down, both the player in possession, and the surrounding space.
Þ 9/10 the first pass you see is the best one to make, so "play it when you see it". Don't waste time thinking about which past to make, because before you know it you will have a defender on you!
Drill 3
3 grids of equal size are arranged alongside each other. 1 player in the middle grid and the remaining players split into the other 2 grids. The player in the middle grid is the defender. The ball starts in one of the end grids and all players must touch the ball, and then look to switch the ball across the center grid to the other team. The other team then does the same. The defender in the middle must try to intercept the pass.
Progression
Þ The ball must not stop moving at any time
Þ Introduce 2 defenders
Þ 1 defender is allowed into the outside grid to put pressure on the team in possession
Small Sided Game (15 mins)
Notes