1. Warm up 5 Minutes: (Use the Following Motions)

Session ­ 5 October 7, 2017

SCHOOLYARD/U5

1. Warm­Up ­ 5 Minutes: (Use the following motions)

Coach stands in one place and announces each action to perform. Players are allowed to roam free but must stay within listening distance of the coach. These movements prepare players for “soccer­type” movements.

Please make sure you spend a moment explaining the benefits of a good warm­up. Mix it up and make it fun.

○ Jogging forward, skipping, toe-touches, back-pedaling, sprints, dribbling the ball,etc.

2. Technique ­ Passing­ 5 Minutes

○ Passing

■ Spend a couple of minutes describing that keeping possession of the ball for your team is an important part of soccer. One of the ways we do this is to pass the ball to a teammate to keep it away from the other team.

■ Pair up two players and their parents with only one soccer ball. Have them form a square. Have the four­somes pass the ball in one direction around the square.

○ Build­Up

■ Encourage the players to control the ball then quickly make the pass to the next person.

■ It is proper and encouraged for the player to use ANY part of the foot (except the toe) to make a pass.

■ VARIATIONS

■ Reverse direction of play to encourage left foot and right foot passing.

■ Slowly increase the size of the square.

■ Slowly increase the pace of the passing.

■ Have one of the parents drop out of the square to form a triangle.

● Explain to the players (and the parents) that the triangle is the most basic and important shape in soccer.

3. Training Game ­ Circle Keep­Away Passing Game ­ 15 Minutes (In soccer – these are called RONDOS)

○ See attachment

○ Please use the following coaching points when playing Circle Keep­Away Passing game

■ Clean, crisp passes.

■ Good first touch into space or towards the next pass.

■ Good communication.

■ Have fun.

4. Prior to the Small­Sided Match ­ Refresher (5 minutes)

○ Discuss briefly again the rules for Throw­Ins and Goal Kicks

■ Describe when a throw­in is done

● When one team kicks the ball over the touchline (the sideline), play is stopped and the opposing team restarts the game with a throw­in.

● At this age, players should be introduced to the proper technique

○ Feet together ­ throwing the ball over their head using both hands ­ toward a teammate ­ in the direction of the goal they are trying to score in.

● Demonstrate and then have each player make one throw­in.

■ Describe when a goal kick is done.

● When the offensive team kicks a ball over the end line (the goal line) ­ but not into the goal ­ the opposing team restarts the game with a goal kick from inside the goal area.

● In U5, place the ball on the goal line approximately half­way between the goal and the corner flag.

● Have one player attempt to make the kick to an open teammate.

● Throughout the scrimmage, rotate players making goal kicks so that everyone has a chance.

5. Small­Sided Match ­ 25 Minutes

○ Discussion Point: Talk briefly about when the ball is in/out of play. Instruct the players that when the ball goes out of play, or when they hear the whistle, they should stop, pick up the ball and return it to the referee (field coordinator).

○ Divide up teams into two groups and play two 5 minute quarters with a water / substitution break in between. Take a 5 minute half­time. Play two more 5 minute quarters with a water / substitution break in between. Make substitutions at the quarter break. Provide minimal technical instruction only, let them play!

○ Make sure you are using the whistle during the game.

○ Your small­sided matches should now be running with the following aspects of the game:

■ Kick­Offs ­ At the beginning of each half and after each goal.

■ Throw­Ins ­ To restart play after the ball goes over the touchline

■ Goal­Kicks ­ To restart play after the offensive team kicks the ball over the goal line, but not in to the goal.

○ Encourage Passing!!!!!

Circle Keep­Away Passing Game

This is a fun passing game for younger players that allows them to focus on the passing game while playing keep away.

Setup

With cones, mark off a circle. Have each of the players position themselves just inside the circle, with 2 designated players in the middle holding a penny in their hands.

Instructions

1. The two players in the middle will act as defenders while the rest of the players around the circle will play keep away from these defenders.

2. Start with the first pass being free, then as the defenders win the ball, they switch places with the player that lost the ball to the defender. In this case, the current defender would just drop their yellow penny and join the attackers. The new defender will grab the yellow penny and hold it in their hand.

3. If the pass goes outside of the circle, the player that made the bad pass, or the player that did not properly trap the ball will take the place of the defender that has been in the middle the longest.

4. If the attacking players are able to put together 10 passes make the defenders do a quick lap around the circle or some other form of quick and fun consequence

5. The attacking players can move about the circle.

Variations

● Change the size of the circle to fit your players age and skill level. Make the grid smaller to make the game harder for the attackers to keep possession, or make the grid larger to make the game a bit easier for the passers.

● Make the circle smaller for tighter and quicker passing.

● Limit the number of touches.