Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Primary School, Teacher Training

Switch, Dynamic Warm-Up

- Area marked out 10x10 or 12x12 dependant upon Age/Ability of Players

- Four Players on the Outside and One 'Opposition Player' within the Centre of the Group

- Ball's prepared ready for Progression of Practice

Aim of Practice is for Outside Players to 'Switch' Positions

To Complete a successul Switch/Movement, Player A must run to Players B cone and Vice-

- Players can Switch Cones/Positions with any of their two partners to their Left and Right (As Highlighted above) Not Diagonal, But ensring both players make the movement similtaneously.

- Player C's role is to remove himself from the middle.

- To do this, Central Player (Player C) is Scanning and aware of Outside Players movement and when outside players look to Switch, simply beats an Outside Player to their cone of their Choice, Allowing Players to rotate, roles and responsibilities.

- If Central Player is unable to 'Get Out' of the Zone, look to rotate after 1-mins - 90-seconds, depending upon Age/Ability

Progression - Once Players become used to movement patterns and understand of game, look to introduce Balls; and players now have to Dribble/Run the ball across during 'Switch', Once Again depending on Age/Ability, Players can 'Switch' balls during movement; Defender can also be provided with a Ball, Once again on the Coaches preference.

Look at Key Players Movement, Communicational Aspects of the Game, Manipulation of Ball and Ability to work as a Four.

Length of Warm-up, 10-15 minutes.

Gates Excercise

Square set-up, 20x20 Area, with two Starter Cones diagonally apposite one another and remaining two-corners supported with a target (3-5 yards) apart, creating a gate/goal for the attacker (Yellow) to attack/attempt to score within.

- Players, with balls start off activity, by moving ball into centre of the grid and passing the ball across to the awaiting players.

- Once, the player recieves the ball, aim/challenge is to dribble/move with ball, between targeted gates and run the ball through to end practice.

(Challenge for the player, in possession to move the ball into identified space (towards the gate) and dictate/judge if there is a requirement to change direction (turn) and move ball towards 2nd Gate, if space is closed off by defender.

- Defenders Aim (Blue Player) is to once the ball has been passed, to attept to win the ball back, (if the ball is won back or, player is forced outside the 20x20 Zone, Again Game is over/ball is dead)

Excerise can be utilised, with ball in hands for younger children to gain understanding or...

to avoid tackling, take the attention off the ball, by attacking players (yellows) placing a bib down the back of their shorts creating a tail and forcing the defender (blue player) to remove bib from shorts, before attacker reaches the gates;

- Rotation (Depending upon age and ability) once players complete activity, they can either return back to their cones (easy understanding) or rotate cones.