Football/Soccer Session (Beginner): FUNdamentals Session: Children's License

Warm up (15 mins)

Organization: 

+ set up a 15 x 20 area for players

+ mark area out with cones

+ have mini balls & size 3's available 

Description:

+ Upon arrival, players will begin with a game of banana tag

+ 1 or 2 players are designated as it and will look to tag other players

+ If a player gets tagged they must place their hands together above their heads to mimic a banana 

+ a teammate can save their teammate by peeling the banana 1 side at a time

+ If you leave the game area, you must come back in but are stuck as a banana until peeled

+ swap players that are it every 2-3minutes 

General Movement: 

- Coaches will guide players through various movements to promote physical literacy

Animal movements:

+ crawl like a bear

+ crabwalk

+ skip / trot like a horse

+ slither like a snake

+ fly like a bird

+ tall like a giraffe

+ hop like a bunny

+ hop on 1 foot

+ balance like an airplane (can you touch your toe?)

+ Throw & catch (miniball)

+ Bounce & catch (miniball)

Banana Tag (with ball):

+ revisit banana tag but add a ball with each player 

+ players that are it must keep their ball with them to tag others (no ball = no tag)

+ if a player dribbles out of the area - they must return to the grid as a banana waiting to be peeled 

+ swap who is it each round

Coaching points: 

+ players are asked to keep their ball close to them (smaller touches)

+ players are asked to consider surface areas to move the ball (sole, laces, inside, outside)

+ how can we immediately get control of our ball if it's rolling away? (sole to stop / turn)

Technical Repitition (15 mins)

Organization:

+ set a 10x10 box within a 15x20 area 

+ use cones to mark the boundaries and also the corners of the inside box (larger cones preferred)

+ each player with a ball

Description:

+ players work in pairs, focusing on dribbling to the cone closest to their assigned corner

+ they must dribble around the cone and then return to their starting position where the next player will go 

Progression:

+ add a defender into the middle square that looks to block players from dribbling into the square and around the cone

+ defenders aren't looking to steal the ball - but block them from their cone. IF the defender can get to the attackers cone and face them before they make it to the cone, they must use a turn to go back 

+ each time the attacker can successfully dribble around the inside cone they get 1 point

+ swap the defender after 90sec

Coaching points:

+ When dribbling straight - can you use your laces (toe pointed down, knee over ball contacting the back middle of the ball)

+ Using outside / inside of foot to dribble around cones (big toe vs pinky toe)

+ smaller touches as we approach the cone 

+ closer to the cone will result in a quicker turn around the cone 

+ change of speed (where is the defender)

+ introduce turns: pull back, inside/outside cut