Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Practice Plan (Start Time: 2016-03-03 09:00:00)

Transition Rondo (10 mins)

Set Up: Size of field and umber of players, but players are divided into two even teams. Dependent upon desired outcome, you can adjust for your needs and level. Balls, pinnies and cones needed.

Organization: Team in possession [black] have all players inside the box. Team without the ball will have at least 2 players on outside of box, and the remainder of players defending inside box. The attacking team maintains possession and gains a point for every 6 consecutive passes. If the defending team wins the ball, they look to play out to one of the players on outside, and that signals full change of psession, and those players come into the box, and at least 2 players from team who lost ball exit the box and get ready on side.

Variations: [1] neutral player, [2] touch limit in possession, [3] change numbers on outside of box.

Coaching Points: Defensive pressure, decision making, accuracy of passes, quick transition, mentality, raising core temperature.

8 v 9 (25 mins)

Setup: In an area, roughly 45 - 50 x 20 - 30, divided into 3 zones. Team size can vary, in this case, we have 8 on defensive team, and 9 on offensive team, one GK in big goal, one GK behind the goal made from poles. [balls, pinnies, cones, poles, goal]

Organization: We play 8 v 9, with the defense getting in their defensive shape, and the attackers assigning themselves 3 to each zone. The back 4 push up to line, that also serves as an offside line. The attacking team tries to penetrate the back line and if successful, they attack the goal, and the defensive team recovers. Attackers cannot move from zone to zone, they must stay in their zone, keeping possession, and looking to penetrate the back line. The defenders can move freely, and are encouraged to move in accordance with desired defensive shape and tactics. If the defensive team wins the ball, they look to score in the counter goals. If they play the ball through the counter goals, and into the waiting keeper's hands, it is worth 3 points. The defensive team looks to outnumber the attacking team in the 3 zones [4 v 3] and win the ball back.

Progressions: [1] attacking team can move freely from zone to zone, [2] add forward players who play behind counter goals, and if played, shadow play to goal.

Focus: team shape, communication, recovery runs, squeezing the field, individual defending technique, pressure/cover/balance, pressure vs no pressure.

Scrimmage (25 mins)

Set Up: 9 v 9 including GK's on approx 3/4 of an 11 v 11 field

Instruction: No restrictions, allow theme of the training session to come out naturally in the flow of the game

Coaching points: Players ability to connect passes through good support angles (play in 3's) and recognize moments to play forward/change tempo and get numbers forward to support target striker and creare numerical advantages. Timing, distance, angle of support runs. Ability to convert high percentage of goal scoring opportunities