Football/Soccer Session (Beginner): Technique building for possession dribbling U8

Dribbling Relay

Focus: Practice dribble technique with multiple reps in a game like environment. Working on turns and cuts to keep a ball

Setup: Same as warmup, but remove all center cones from the fences and make them gates. Add a blue cone to the center to effectively make four squares.

Game: This is a race like warmup, but now the first player on team has a ball. First team to do 3 times win. Players now perform a dribble move or turn that must go through gate. Have to do move on two different gates in two different squares before returning to partner.

Dribble moves to do: 1) outside touch through cones 2) inside touch through cones 3) "L" turn (make sure they go to far cone to perform move through gate) 4) Go to far cone and pull back then cut through gate 5) Roll over through gate (Try roll-tap) 5) Fake going through a gate with scissor and then explode (speed dribble through another gate) 6) Same as 5 but with stepover 7) pull back v through gate

Coaching:

- Correct technique and part of foot

- pull back moves should be performed at far cone

- speed up after going through gate

- Lace dribbling for speed dribbling. No toes. No inside

- remind them of the race to speed them up

- Scissors and stepover are faking to go through a gate and then going to a different one. Don't go through the gate with that move.

Possession game with dribbling

Focus: Now can we use dribbling moves to keep ball and score, while introducing pass.

Setup: Same as previous games, but add more cones if needing to make squares more prominent (blue squares). Now one team starts with 2 attackers in each square. Other team has 1 defender in each square. Defending team has players waiting, if there are extras. Set up for 13 playing at once. If less players, reduce to 1 per grid (1 floater) and only 3 defenders who can travel from square to square (5v3).

Game: Team gets a point by dribbling through a gate in their square. After moving through gate, they must transfer ball to a different square by pass. If defender wins it, they try to dribble through any gate. If they do, their team is on offense now. (i.e. 2 reds in each square and 1 blue.) Try to get 5 points without being stolen. They are allowed to pass to teammate in square as well.

Scoring/Duration: 5 points wins. Restart game every 5.

Coaching:

- If passing from grid to grid is too tough, let them dribble

- If easy, make them make a pass in the grid or a turn move before scoring.

- Can they look up to find teammate or see an open gate to dribble towards?

- Are they only trying to dribble? Can they pass?

- Can they use turn or dribble to get out of trouble?

- Can they use fake pass (or stepover etc.) to fake defender and get to gate?

- Are they remembering moves they can use? and speed dribble technique?

- Can defenders quickly turn away once they win the ball?