Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): HYSC Game day warm ups & team shape

Warm-Up: Dribbling Foundation (5 mins)

Organization:

12 Players with a ball each in a 20x30 yard (open) grid.

Instructions:

The Coach will inquire, with his players, about the dribbling characteristics of three of the top players in the world: Messi, Xavi and Ronaldo iniesta. The Coach will use these three players to paint the picture and build the foundational dribbling characteristics that the RDS curriculum is built upon.

Coaching Points:

"Painting the Picture" of each one of the player's characteristics:

* MESSI: Head up looking to get into the gaps using small, quick touches with the Pinky Toe (outside of the foot).

* XAVI: Head up to recognize when there's no gaps/space, then change of direction (12 o'clock to 6 o'clock), ball comes out of your feet, and then head and eyes up getting into the new space.

* RONALDO: Head up to see when there's a lot of space in front of you, then big touch to accelerate and get your head/eyes up and attack the space.

*INIESTA : Head up to recognise small tight spaces ,using the inside/outside surfaces of the foot to unbalance defenders to make the space big enough to penetrate.

Progressions:

Spend a few minutes covering each Foundational Player's characteristics seperately and ensure the players have a good picture of the characteristics during each scenario.

Touch and pass warm up M,X,R,I,N? (10 mins)

Organization:

30x20 grid

5players on the out side 5 on the inside of the grid but adjust based on numbers

Instructions:

-players on the outside must receive a pass from the players on the inside of the grid

- take a first touch towards the player on the inside and pass it back to the space ahead

- the inside player has to check there shoulders and signal to were they want it into space , then run through the middle square to another server with a ball and repeat the process.

-when the players are dribbling after the combination they must then xavi turn into space dribble like messi or ronaldo depending on the size of the space around then play a pass back to an outside player without a ball then repeat the process, rotate the players from the outside to inside after 3 mins.

Coaching Points:

communication

scanning the area

Quality & Quckness of 1-2 passing combination

* MESSI: Head up looking to get into the gaps using small, quick

touches with the Pinky Toe (outside of the foot).

* XAVI: Head up to recognize when there's no gaps/space, then

change of direction (12 o'clock to 6 o'clock), ball comes out of your

feet, and then head and eyes up getting into the new space.

* RONALDO: Head up to see when there's a lot of space in front of

you, then big touch to accelerate and get your head/eyes up and

attack the space.

*INIESTA who dribles using outside inside from right foot to left foot to unballance players to get past them into space.

Progression

have 4 on the inside and 4 on the outside and 2 defenders in the middle to try and steel the ball as the players are passing or dribbling throught the inner sqaure.

Team shape

Organization:

team shape 1-2-2-1

Instructions:

with this team shape it will allow for the team to get use to the core positions of the game this will also allow for great team ballance aswell as mobility to create wide play,simple passing lanes when both attacking and defending.

encourge your players to take risks and have fun in the game try to set a goal using the criteria from the session topics we use in the development program each week e.g messi touches in small spaces ronaldo touches when the space opens up . at this age all players should rotate positions and get equal playing time giving them chance to get to understand all aspects of the game from all over the pitch.

Coaching Points:

Progressions: