Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Next Level Coaching. Week 5
Session Collective
Peter Sturgess
Description
Week 5 starts with a real "thinking" game as well as a great warm up (Physical Literacy Fun) . It is also great to get your players scanning around looking for a teammate to pass to and to consolidate some key messages from previous weeks.
We then revisit individual ability on the ball with the (Passing Under Pressure) game. Remind the players of key messages relating to shielding and screening the ball effectively.
To finish we play another of my favourite games (Score with Both) which combines individual and teamwork in a fun filled scoring game.
See the guidance at the top of this page to understand why you are not seeing interactive Football/Soccer images.
See the guidance at the top of this page to understand why you are not seeing interactive Football/Soccer images.
Organisation: Grids, areas or sections of the pitch can be used for this and the area size should be appropriate for the ability of the players. Allow it to be challenging but with some success. 10x10m is a good size to begin.
How to play:
One player is designated by the coach to initiate the practice (I do this as I want the opponent to react to this players movement and NOT a whistle or verbal signal). The designated player runs in to get the ball and his opponent from the other side runs in to try to gain possession. In this game, the YELLOW player is the designated player and reaches the ball first. He must keep possession and pass out to his teammate who can move anywhere AROUND the area (not inside).
If the YELLOW player passes out to a teammate who is positioned around their own half, 1 point only is scored. After the pass the player in the middle must then receive the ball back from the teammate and the game continues.
However, if the player in the middle can still retain possession and can manoeuvre the ball so that the ball can be passed to the teammate anywhere around the OTHER HALF (the opponents half) then this pass is worth 3 points.
A further progression would be to challenge the YELLOW player in the middle to try to make a 1-2 pass with the teammate around the defending player. Doing this at any time counts as 5 points (but only if possession is kept).
If the WHITE player gains possession then the game immediately reverses and the other WHITE teammate now tries to open up passing lines wherever possible anywhere around the outside of the area, hopefully, in the other team's half to score the 3 points OR to play a 1-2 pass around the now YELLOW defending player.
The player in the middle will be under constant pressure so be patient with this practice and encourage and support good attempts as well as successful outcomes.
The animation shows the YELLOW (designated player) gaining possession and making a 3 point pass to the teammate who has taken up a good position in the opponents half. The YELLOW player then works hard to receive the ball back and the game continues.
Option 1: Increase the area size to allow for more thinking time.
Option 2: The players can only pass to a teammate if they are in the opponents half (making them play forward)
See the guidance at the top of this page to understand why you are not seeing interactive Football/Soccer images.
This 3v3 game is a great one to use for both attacking and defending.
Organisation: Use an area appropriate for the age and stage of the players. If your players need more thinking time then give them more space. Each team has 3 players and each team has a ball. This area is 20x15m.
How to play:
On "play" each team is trying to score with BOTH balls (the one their team already has and the one the other team has). If they are successful they go 1-0 up in the game.
- If each team scores with their ball then just reset the game with each team having a ball and play again.
If the ball goes out of play dribble or pass your ball back in quickly to keep the game going.
Option 1: Play without GKs but maybe add a scoring zone.
Option 2: Add GKs for each team.
Option 3: Play with balls of different sizes and weights.
Play animation
Play step-by-step
Repeat (toggle)
Full Screen
Pause
Stop
Organisation: This game can accommodate lots of players and is a good physical warm up for young players as it involves the ball in hand and lots of dodging, running, stopping and starting. The game shown is 5v5 but this can be altered depending on numbers.
Make the area appropriate so that it challenges the player’s movement skills and keeps the game competitive. I would start with 20x20m for this number of players.
How to play:
The BLUE team starts with possession of the ball in the hands.
Option 1: Add more players to increase decision making and interference.
Option 2: Make the area size bigger to allow for more thinking time.
Option 3: Say that players cannot move at all whilst holding the ball.