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Developmental Academy Coaching Sessions

Week 1 - Dribbling
by Darren Beesley, (USSF A / UEFA A)

Warm Up - 5 mins

Each Player has a ball. Set up the correct amount of gates required based on the amount of players you have. Each player dribbles through the gates focusing on keeping the ball under control and close to their feet.  

Coaching Point - Encourage each player to use both feet whilst using various parts of their feet, Inside, outside, the sole.

Make it fun - Time the players. Have a competition who can dribble through the most.

Dribbling (Gates).png

Advancement - 5 mins

Add in an additional cone to each gate now making them Triangles. This time the players should focus on a change of direction with a change of speed.  Enter the gate slow keeping the ball close to their feet, accelerate out of either side of the triangle at speed.

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Coaching Point - Add in a move, scissors, inside/outside, Step over.

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Make it fun. Once again time the players to add an element of competition, extra points if they incorporate a move/turn.

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Dribbling Triangle Gates.png

Advancement - 5 mins

Add in defenders. Players now try to dribble in and out of the triangles opposed by defenders. Start with one defender and then increase the amount of defenders based on the level of success. Players count how many triangles they can dribble through consecutively until the defender touches the ball.

Coaching Point - Keep the ball under control, change of direction, change of speed, head up to see where the defenders are.

Make it fun - Defender touches the ball, switch with the attacker.

Dribbling Triangle Gates _Defenders.png

1v1s (Multi Directional) - 10 mins

Two Small Goals/Gates. Defending player passes to the attacking players 1v1 to start. Attacking player can score in either goal (multi-directional). Emphasize changing direction, changing speed, Player must dribble through the gate and have the ball under control, incorporate moves/turns. Defender passes the ball back to the coach.

Coaching Point - First Touch/Control. Change of direction, change of speed. Pass from the defending player weighted correctly and on the surface.

Make it Fun -  Defender wins the ball, they can score.

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1v1 (Two Goals).png

2v1s/2v2s Advancement - 5mins

Advance the 1v1s to 2v1s. Players should be encouraged to lift their head up, teammate moves away from the ball to create space. Advance the exercise to 2v2s. 

Coaching Point - Decision making, when to pass, when to dribble. 

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2v2 (Two Goals).png

1v1s/2v2s/3v3s/4v4s - 10 mins

1v1s all the way up to 4v4s to small sided goals (directional). Encourage the players to demonstrate whats been emphasized in the previous stages of the practice, change of direction, change of speed, decision making when more than 1v1. This exercise can be overloaded where it's 2v1, 3v2 or kept to 2v2/3v3. 

Coaching Point -  3v3 encourage triangles, 4v4 emphasize a diamond shape.

Make it fun - Sprint or race around the end cone. Quickest receives the ball to attack.

1v1_2v2 to Goal (Directional).png

4v4 Game - 20mins

4v4 Game. Try to play 4v4 whenever possible to reinforce the shape of a diamond whilst playing 4v4. If need be, rotate players in and out to allow them to get used to game days on a Saturday.

Coaching Point - Diamond Shape, Spacing. Encourage all aspects of the session/Dribbling.

Wk 3. 4v4 Diamond Shape (Game).png
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