Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): HSC 2011GW (U9) - Week 10: Static 1v1 defending (the poke tackle)

Introduction (15 mins)

Organization:

- Set up gates 2 meters apart as shown below.

- 2 players per gate, facing each other with a ball each.

Instructions:

- Both players facing each other, play against each other.

- One of the players is a 'starter', the other a 'follower'.

- Both players face each other in between the gate equidistant to each cone. Starter choses which cone to go to in each gate. Once he/she chooses he/she commits to that cone and if he/she stops the ball at the cone without the opponent doing it first, he/she gets a point.

- Starter is supposed to have the advantage since he/she chooses which cone to go to. This means that he/she will collect more points. A 'follower' can steal a point if they react to the starter's decision and stop the ball at the cone first.

- Move quickly through activity.

Coaching Points/Questions:

(1) Player reacting: Can wek keep eyes on the opponent's ball?

Conditioned Activity (30 mins)

Organization:

- Same set up as prior activity. Now players start at opposite side of the channels.

Instructions:

- Players start at opposite of the channels. Attacker starts witht he ball and if he/she gets to opposite endline, he/she gets a point. For defender: (1) If defender steals the ball in its own half of the channel, he can dribble all the way back for a point (2) if he steals it on the opposite side (opponent's half) he gets an automatic point without having to dribble back, but could get an extra point if he/she dribbles back.

Coaching Points/Questions:

(4) Can we enggae the opponent quickly? (sprint and pressure).

What ifs: If we miss the tackle and opponent goes by, we can still chase and get a touch on ball and/or we can reengage and put pressure on them again!

Regressions/Progressions:

(1) Slowly take away restrictions and make into a 1v1 without any restrictions.