Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): WEEK ONE - FITNESS + TECHNICAL (Start Time: 2022-09-07 16:35:00)

Screen 1 (5 mins)

Players form 2 lines at end of a 5x20 yard area marked with six cones. In pairs they jog the length of the 20 yard area performing various warm-up exercises which include:

WITHOUT A BALL

• Slow jog up and down.
  
• Gentle skip and jog back.

WITH A BALL EACH

• Hold the ball in two hands, skip with the ball being lowered and then raised above the head with each skip. Jog on return.
• Rotate the ball around your trunk, passing it from hand to hand whilst skipping. Jog back on return.
• Hold the ball two handed against chest and then push it out as far as you can whilst skipping (alternating on each skip). Jog back on return.

Screen 3 (10 mins)

Now the players work in pairs but in line, both facing the same direction a few yards apart. When the server calls "TURN" the receiving player quickly turns (alternating left and right) to volley back into his partners arms. They switch roles when returning to the start.The player doing the volleys must use his left foot when turning to the right, and vice versa.They should be slightly on the half turn in order to volley (cannot perform it properly if square/face-on). It is key for players to be able to turn both ways (most will favour turning one way all the time)

To progress, the players face each other and the server feeds to their chest for a chest/volley alternating between right and left-foot volleys. Once they have both had a chance to serve/volley, change their positions so that the server is now the opposite side to previous and continue with chest/volleys.It is a slightly different skill going forwards or backwards.

Screen 5 (10 mins)

Players all inside a 10x10 area, inside a larger 20x20 square. Each player given a number 1,2,3,4 etc. and we start with one ball (player 1) who throws to player 2. After throwing to the next numbered player, each player must quickly sprint around two outside orange cones before returning to the inside 10x10 red area. Player 2 throws to player 3 etc. and the last player throws back to player 1.

To progress, add a second ball (if you have 20 players, the second ball goes to player 10). This time your turn in the middle 10x10 is going to come around quicker, so it encourages the players to sprint around the outside a lot quicker to get back in to receive. Add a third ball, but if it is too quick then make them just do one outside cone and back in.

Go back to one football, this time the players are allowed to use their left-foot only, maximum of two touches, and after passing to next numbered player they must run around two inner red cones before coming back inside the area. Do the same with right-foot only touches. To progress you can add additional footballs, or minimize the number of touches - can they play one-touch?

This is a good early season session for new players/teams, as they have to start communicating with each other and knowing where their pass is coming from (as they return to the inner 10x10) as well as scanning the area for their own next pass (encourage them to open up their body and receive on the back foot ready to play on second touch)