Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Lesson 1 plan

Screen 1

Organizational / Instructions

WARM UP - Everybody stands on a circle with a ball and which each clap the coach makes they must bounce the ball and catch it. Once participants have the hang of this we move on to a throw in the air with each clap and catching it. This helps focusing on the balls movements and gaining more control overall with the ball.

DRILL 1 - In pairs players will stand opposite each other at a cone and bounce a volleyball to each other at around 1.5meters using teamwork and communication. We then move onto a straight chest pass with no bounce but when participants find this to easy we gave them an option of using a basketball to make it a bit more challenging. However a pair was struggling to chest pass so we made the decisions to place cones closer together so they could still participate.

DRILL 2 - There is 4 cones in a zig-zag pattern with a person standing at each cone and a mini goal at the end. The ball starts with the player furthest from the goal and throws it diagonal which is repeated until it reaches the last person who then aims to throw the ball into an open net using a chest pass or bounce pass. When players understand we introduced following your pass each time so everybody manages to have a shot into the goal.

COOL DOWN - Everybody stands in a circle with one player holding a ball they then wait for someone to put their hands up when watching the ball. The ball is then thrown to them which is repeated until everybody has caught the ball at least 3 times

Coaching Points

• Create a W with your 2 hands in order to control the ball with more grip when throwing 
• Focus on who the ball is going to by saying names before passing

Progressions / Adaptations

• As some participants struggled to throw far we made the cones closer together so there able to take part with no worries.
• When players got more confident we offered to use a basketball instead of volleyball as its bigger and heavier making it more challenging.
• In drill 2 when players got the hang of it we progressed by players following their pass each time with a jog