Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): 5U-7U Week 7 Session

Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club

Alana Chubb

Profile Summary

Name:	Alana Chubb
City:	Westminster
Country:	United States of America
Membership:	Adult Member
Sport:	Football/Soccer

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Arrival Activity(15 min) Castle Knock Down

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Arrival Activity(15 min) Castle Knock Down (15 mins)

Set-Up: 20x20 area. Tall cones or short cones with balls sitting on top to make "towers." Spread them out across the pitch. Determine how many towers you will want. More towers will take longer rounds. Divide the team into an attacking team and a defending team.

Instructions: The attacking team scores a point by knocking down the towers. See how many towers they can knock down within 3 mins. Then switch the attacking team to defending.

Progression: Coach counts down from the first touch to speed up the play. If they fail to score, the attack is over and its the other team's turn to attack.

Coaching Points: When we’re on defense, how do we stay ready to stop the other team from scoring?

Defensive Stance-

Feet apart! We want our feet to be a little wider than our shoulders, like we're standing on train tracks. This helps us balance and move side to side really quickly.
Knees bent! Bend your knees a little. It’s like you're sitting down on a tiny chair. This makes you faster and ready to move!
Hands up! Keep your arms out a little, like you're a goalie, but not too close to your body. It helps you stay balanced, and you can use your hands if the ball comes near your face!
Eyes on the ball! Always look at where the ball is! Don’t take your eyes off it, so you know what the other player is going to do.
Stay close, but don’t touch! We don’t want to get too close and bump into them. Stay a little bit away, but close enough that you can step in if they try to go past you.
Move with them! When the other player moves, you move too! If they go left, you go left. If they go right, you go right. Always follow them with your feet ready to stop them!"

Coaching Tips: If the defending team is just guarding the towers and not moving around, the defending team can gain a point by getting possession of the ball and score in any of the outside goals. Can play the game without boundaries.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Activity 1(15 min): Pirates

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Activity 1(15 min): Pirates (15 mins)

Set-Up: 20x20 area. Set up cones in a few places to act like ‘islands’ where the ‘treasure’ (balls) will be. A goal on one end of the area.
The Pirates:
Some players will be pirates (defenders), whose job is to protect the treasure. You’ll stand near the ‘islands’ and try to stop the other players from getting the treasure.
The Adventurers:
The rest of the players are adventurers (attackers), and their job is to dribble the ball from one ‘island’ to the goal without letting the pirates steal it from them! You want to move the ball around and try to collect the treasure from the islands.
The pirates will try to steal the treasure by tagging the adventurers while they’re dribbling the ball. If the pirates tag you, you must freeze and wait for another adventurer to come and ‘rescue’ you by tagging you back.
After a few minutes, switch and the adventurers become pirates, and the pirates become adventurers!
The goal is to get as much treasure as possible by dribbling the ball from one island to the goal without getting tagged by the pirates."

Coaching points: Defensive Stance, communication, and Movement: Encourage players to stay on the move and be quick.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Activity 2(15 min) Sharks and Minnows

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Activity 2(15 min) Sharks and Minnows (15 mins)

Set Up: 20x20 Playing Area: This will be the area where the sharks (defenders) try to tag the minnows (attackers).
Instructions:
Sharks: A few players (1 or 2) will be the defenders (sharks).
Minnows: The rest of the players will be the attackers (minnows). Each minnow has a ball.
The minnows (attackers) need to dribble their ball from one side of the field to the other without getting tagged by the sharks.
If a minnow gets their ball kicked out of bounds, it becomes a shark in the next round.
The sharks try to steal their ball by getting in front of them and blocking their path.
The minnows start with their balls on one side of the field, and the sharks are on the other. When you say "Go," the minnows start dribbling their balls toward the other side of the field.
The sharks try to stop the minnows from reaching the other side by kicking their ball out of bounds. The last minnow standing, or the last minnow to successfully dribble across, is the winner.

Variations: If the kids are familiar with the concept, you can make the game more challenging by adding in “Safe Zones” (like small cones or areas in the middle of the field) where minnows can stop and rest for a moment. The sharks can’t tag them when they’re in these areas, but the minnows can only stay for a short time before they must keep moving.

Coaching Points:
Defending The sharks need to use their body to get in front of the minnow's path and prevent them from dribbling past.
As a defender, they should stay low and move side to side, making it difficult for the minnow to get past them.
Encourage the sharks to stay between the ball and the goal (imaginary or real) and to keep their arms out to help balance.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Scrimmage(15 min)

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Scrimmage(15 min) (15 mins)

Set-Up: 20x30 area. Two or four goals, one ball, two teams.

Instructions: 3v3 scrimmage with halftime to switch defending goals. With a defensive Emphasis.

Coaching Points:
Here's how you can start getting the players to have a defensive mindset during the scrimmage:
"Alright, team, we're going to play a 3v3 game. But today, we’re going to focus on defending. We’ll play a game where you get to practice how to stop the other team from scoring! Here's what I want you to remember as defenders:"
Stay Close to the Ball (Marking):
"When the other team has the ball, you want to stay close to them. This is called marking. You don’t want to let them get too close to your goal."
Tell the players to "stay with their person." If they're guarding an attacker, they should follow them around and not let them get too close to the goal.
"You’re like a shadow. Wherever they go, you go!"
Get Between the Ball and the Goal:
"When defending, always try to get in front of the ball. We want to make sure that the other team can’t get a shot at our goal."
Emphasize the idea of positioning:
"You should always be between the player with the ball and your goal. This is how you stop them from scoring."
If the ball is coming toward the goal, defenders should step up and get between the ball and the goal.
Use Your Feet to Block the Ball:
"If the other team tries to pass or shoot, you can use your feet to block the ball and stop them from scoring!"
Teach them to stand with their feet wide and bend their knees a little. This helps them stay balanced and ready to move quickly to block the ball.
"Put your body in front of the ball and use your feet to stop it!"
Don’t Be Afraid to Step Up:
"If you’re closer to the player with the ball, you can step up and try to take the ball away from them! This is called pressuring the ball."
Explain that they should be brave but still careful. They don’t want to dive in or make a foul, so they should be smart and try to take the ball without using their hands.
Work Together as a Team:
"If you’re not near the ball, don’t just stand around. Help your teammates by staying close to your goal and keeping an eye on other players."
Encourage them to "talk" to each other:
"Tell your teammates when you need help or when they should step up!"
Don’t Chase the Ball:
"If you're a defender, don’t chase the ball all over the field. Stay in position and stay ready to help your teammates."
Remind them that good defenders don’t get too far from the action, but they don’t need to run after every player with the ball. They should stay smart and stay focused.
Adjust the Game Based on the Kids’ Understanding.

Keep it Positive:
Praise their efforts when they make a good defensive play, like blocking a shot or getting in front of a player to prevent a pass.

Let Them Play:
Keep the game flowing and make sure the kids are having fun. It's more important that they stay engaged and enjoy playing than they get everything perfect.

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