Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Turning - Change of Direction

Repatition Turning Techniques (5 mins)

Aim: Introductory repetition practice of three different turns/change of direction.

Turns: U Turn, Drag Back Turn, Step Over Outside Front Foot Turn.

Setup: 2 players on 4 outside diamond shape of cones. 1 central cone inside diamond shape (4 x Mannequin Preferred). players at North and south both approach central cone at the same time with the ball and execute the runs as above. after turn simply apply a weighted accurate pass to next player on the cone he started from. Then East and West go.

Tech Key Points: U Turn - slow down on approach, reach with sole of foot(right or left) to top of ball, pull ball back towards your standing foot and pivot your body at the same time to protect the ball, good touch out of feet and accelerate into space after a successful COD.

Drag Back Turn: Slow down on approach, left arm out to balance and protect, place sole of right foot on the top of the ball and pull/drag behind you down the right side (same side as foot used to drag), as ball travels back, pivot your body the same way and then follow travel of the ball with good first touch into space.

Step Over Turn: slow down on approach, whilst ball is in front of you step over the ball with your right leg, immedialty with the same foot flick the ball back with the outside of your right stepping over foot and pivot your body the same way the ball is now in travel, good first touch away and accelarate, eyes up pass back to partner.

Progression: progress all turns into one action - 3 turns each repetition of action of U turn, then drag back turn and after last step over turn accelerate to opposite cone ie: North goes south and east goes west around central cone.

Tip: Technical Quality over speed initially. Analyse and effect individuals but allow self correction. * Demo Well *

4 Goal multi direction Game (15 mins)

Aim: 4 v 4 multi directional gaols and scoring oppertunities.

Setup: 25 x 25 , 4 goals each side of coned square. Coned gates in front of each goal.

Action: keep possesion of the ball with patience and when a goal scoring oppertunity is available you have to enter through the coned gate before finishing. If the defending team get to the gate so as you cannot exit through, then turn and pass or drive to another goal scoring gate. If possesion is turned over then roles reverse.

Adapatations: enter gate from left then you have to score with right foot and vica versa.

coach needs good supplies of balls either side of practice.

key focus: mulit directional giving plentiful oppertunities to practice turning skills.