Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Heading and Volleying Practice (Start Time: 2018-11-13 17:05:00)

Technical (15 mins)

Technical Practice

Time - 14 minutes with significant coaching intervention to avoid excesssive repetition.

Organisation

16 Cones are arranged into 8 stations as shown. One player from each bib colour to take position at each station.

Safety

Heading is alternated with volleying to avoid excessive head impact

Practice

Players in red bibs to serve (underarm) the ball to blue bibs for return by header. Players to head the ball as they like. Roles are rotated every 30 seconds and players asked to focus upon accuracy of delivery rather than number of deliveries to avoid excessive repetition and breakdown of session..

Mechanics to be introduced using coaching process - approximately every 2 minutes.

Heading to be focus of first 7 minutes with volleying mechanics brought in for 2nd 7 minutes.

Variation - Headers: Attacking and Defensive Headers, Volleys: Side of Foot and Laces

Progressions

Mechanic - "Eyes open and use forehead"

1) To introduce an element of realism and limit repetition, players are now asked to move to a different deliverer after every header - thus introducing multi-directional movement and 'looking ahead'.

Mechanic - "Position yourself Sideways on and Use neck muscles for increased power"

2) To further break up repetition, players are now asked to dribble the ball to a deliverer who will collect the ball, throw for the player to head (volley), catch and roll back to the feet - player dribbles to another deliverer and so on.

Mechanic - "Use arms for balance and stay on toes" (Heading AND Volleying)

Rest

3) Players now asked to aim for middle to bottom of ball (attacking headers) and alternate between attacking headers and defensive headers (middle to top of ball)

Middle bottom of ball for controlled volleying.

SSG (15 mins)

SSG Layout

As shown above

SSG Rules

Players play 8 a side to start with no conditions

TIME

15 minutes

Conditions

Players then play and try to pass the ball to a teammate in the side channels. Teammate controls and rwb to corner box, then picks ball up and throws into the box (underarm) to create heading opportunity for defenders and attackers.

Challenges 3 points for a clean header, 1 point for a good heading attempt, 5 points for a headed goal and one point for a volley, 5 points for a volleyed goal (3 points for any volley from players wearing spectacles)

Progressions - limit time for players in side channels and corner boxes

Progressions - consider introduction of goalkeepers to increase space, increase realism and make scoring more difficult.