Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Turning

Warm up (20 mins)

Dribble and Turn
Objective: 

Develop ball control while incorporating different turning techniques.
Setup: 

Players dribble freely inside a grid (20x20 meters). On the coach’s whistle, players must stop and perform a specific turn (e.g., drag-back, inside hook, outside hook) and continue dribbling in the opposite direction. Demonstrate all turns.
Progression: 

Increase difficulty by adding defenders who try to take the ball, encouraging players to use turns to evade them.

Equipment

Footballs

SSG (20 mins)

3v3 Small-Sided Game
Objective: 

Apply turning skills in a game context, encouraging players to use turns effectively to evade defenders and create space.
Setup: 

Set up a small pitch (20x15 meters) with two goals. Divide the players into two teams. The game rewards turning by giving double points for any goal scored after a player performs a successful turn to evade a defender.
Progression: 

Limit the number of touches allowed to encourage quicker decision-making and turning.

Equipment

Footballs

Cones to mark area

Mini Goals

Bibs to divide teams