Instructional Coaching Sessions
Week 8 -
Warm Up - 10 mins
Sleeping Cones - Tall cones are scattered around the field, players will aim to lift up cones using their toes to wake them up. No Soccer ball. This exercise is about movement, balance and coordination.
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Coaching Point - Encourage each player to alternate feet as you wake the cones up.
Make it Fun - Competition by setting a time and seeing who can wake the most cones up, Have the players shout how many are left. Play against the players, The coach tries to help the cones fall back asleep whilst the players wake them up.
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Storm the Castle - 10 mins
Storm the Castle - Next all players need a soccer ball & will aim to knock the cones down using their ball.
Coaching Point - Encourage each player to alternate feet as you storm each castle (tall cones).
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Make it Fun - Competition by setting a time and seeing who can storm the most castles. Have the players shout how many are left or how many they have stormed. Play against the players, The coach tries to rebuild the castles whilst the players continue to storm them or have two teams, one team storming the castles the other team defending them.
Cross the River - 10 mins
Two Islands where players start with the ball. Coach or a volunteer defender is in the middle. Players with a ball try to cross the river/dribble by the coach/defender/(shark) from one island to the next without being tagged by the coach/defender (shark). If a player gets tagged he will freeze in in the middle with the ball over his/her head until his teammates unfreeze him by touching him when they cross for a second time.
Coaching Point - Close control of the soccer ball, big touches when the defender/shark is not close by.
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Make it fun - Instead of being frozen you become a shark/defender. Last player left wins.
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Treasure Island - 10 mins
All players are gathered in one area with a ball each. In the other area there are cones scattered around which represent (Treasure: Coins, Gold, Jewels) The coach acts like an angry pirate who does not want his treasure to get stolen so he walks around his boat but when he goes away then the players with the ball quickly go after the treasure returning it back to their island. Only one cone at a time.
Coaching Point - Keep the ball close and under control when approaching the treasure, Big touches to go fast when taking the treasure back. Can you stop the ball before the treasure area without losing control or going too far?
Make it Fun - To begin with each player has to do two toe taps to resume if tagged. They then become a pirate/defender and help the coach.
4v4 Game 20 mins
4v4/5v5 Game. Try to encourage them to touch the ball as many times as possible.
Coaching Point - Diamond or Triangle Shapes, No GK. As the coach have a handful of balls ready to feed in once the ball goes out of play. Try to say to the players "whoever is in the biggest space I will roll the ball to". Also ensure when rolling the balls in that its not the same players receiving the ball. Players that may not be as involved receive the ball to ensure maximum touches.
Encourage all aspects of the session and have fun.