Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Monkey Cages

Monkey Cages (20 mins)

Setup

•Three square grids, arranged in a triangle that fills most of half a field.

•Four attackers/grid, each stationed outside grid along one side (not corner).

•One defender inside each of two of the grids. The third grid is undefended.

Explanation

•You have heard of monkey in the middle. This game is “monkey in a cage.”

•The invisible lines connecting the four cones are the cage.

•The attackers on each side of the cage are visitors to the zoo.

•The player(s) inside the two defended cages are the monkeys.

•Visitors cannot enter the cage (the monkey will bite your face off), and

•Visitors must move only along their own side of the cage.

•Visitors tease the monkey by tossing bananas (passing) to one another through the cage bars.

•Monkeys must remain inside the cage until visitors lose control of the banana.

•When visitors lose the banana, the monkey takes the place of the last visitor to touch the ball

•In the 4v2 version, the monkeys replace

•And the replaced visitor runs to the empty cage where she becomes the monkey.

•Visitors to the empty cage pass to one another while they wait for a monkey to arrive

4v2 Variation 1

•Two cages have two defenders. The third cage is empty

•When attackers lose control, defenders take the places of the two players who lost the ball—(the passer and receiver), who in turn then run to become monkeys in the empty cage.

4v2 Variation 2

•Before the game, every player should partner up and and move w/their partner throughout the exercise.

•When attack loses the ball, defenders replace the last player to touch the ball and her partner, who then run to the empty cage where they become monkeys.

Teaching Tips & Player Pointers

•Size the grids small enough that attackers passing to one another through the grid can complete most of their passes, even when defended.

•Players should play “sided,” requiring 180 degree field of vision.

•Older players should try to imagine the direction of play as opposite the first attacker.

•Best but riskiest option: killer through-pass across that splits the defense.

•Pass if possible to the foot furthest from the defender.

•Side receiver support angles: “ready to attack and ready defend:“

⁃In constant motion to create passing lanes

⁃Neither square with passer in the event of interception

⁃…nor beyond the “line” created by the first defender

•Two touches: first with foot furthest from defender to receive across body, second with near foot to pass on to the far attacker. Right-left right-left.

•If support has space, right right can work.

•If defense is too close, then near foot pass may be required.

Notes from 05/06/2015

•The drill did not run smoothly, We began with < min 14 players and younger players had trouble completing passes, even when undefended, on any sized grid.

•I improvised by beginning with three separate cages, adding defense in stages starting w/myself as passive defender.

•U8s and U10s both seemed to grasped this game much better when I began explaining it as above—with characters in a zoo.

•I demonstrated this drill by first playing first the role of the monkey, and then, as with any drill, the attacker. The young ones especially liked the idea of the coach as the monkey.

Monkey Cages 2

Explanation

•You have heard of monkey in the middle. This game is “monkey in a cage.”

•The invisible lines connecting the four cones are the cage.

•The attackers on each side of the cage are visitors to the zoo.

•The player(s) inside the two defended cages are the monkeys.

•Visitors cannot enter the cage (the monkey will bite your face off), and

•Visitors must move only along their own side of the cage.

•Visitors tease the monkey by tossing bananas (passing) to one another through the cage bars.

•Monkeys must remain inside the cage until visitors lose control of the banana.

•When visitors lose the banana, the monkey takes the place of the last visitor to touch the ball

•In the 4v2 version, the monkeys replace

•And the replaced visitor runs to the empty cage where she becomes the monkey.

•Visitors to the empty cage pass to one another while they wait for a monkey to arrive

Monkey Cages 4

Teaching Tips & Player Pointers

•Size the grids small enough that attackers passing to one another through the grid can complete most of their passes, even when defended.

•Players should play “sided,” requiring 180 degree field of vision.

•Older players should try to imagine the direction of play as opposite the first attacker.

•Best but riskiest option: killer through-pass across that splits the defense.

•Pass if possible to the foot furthest from the defender.

•Side receiver support angles: “ready to attack and ready defend:“

⁃In constant motion to create passing lanes

⁃Neither square with passer in the event of interception

⁃…nor beyond the “line” created by the first defender

•Two touches: first with foot furthest from defender to receive across body, second with near foot to pass on to the far attacker. Right-left right-left.

•If support has space, right right can work.

•If defense is too close, then near foot pass may be required.

Notes from 05/06/2015

•The drill did not run smoothly, We began with < min 14 players and younger players had trouble completing passes, even when undefended, on any sized grid.

•I improvised by beginning with three separate cages, adding defense in stages starting w/myself as passive defender.

•U8s and U10s both seemed to grasped this game much better when I began explaining it as above—with characters in a zoo.

•I demonstrated this drill by first playing first the role of the monkey, and then, as with any drill, the attacker. The young ones especially liked the idea of the coach as the monkey.