Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Session 6 - C Certificate

Technical Practise

Duration 20 minutes

Session Aim:

This session is a passing activation drill. We are aiming to have a high tempo and an increased work rate the longer this drill goes on for. We are looking for players to punch the passes in with the correct weight and accuracy and then the players movement to be well timed. Can the players complete this exercise with the minimal amount of touches possible? Can they use both feet?

Session Detail:

- Drill starts at the pole

- Pass into player 2 (closest to mannequin)

- 1-2 played

- 3rd pass across to far end

- 4th pass to player in mannequin to the player in possessions right hand side

- 5th action is for the player to sprint with the ball round the pole to start the process again.

- This drill is a challenge amongst the two team of who can finish first. 

There will be 4 sessions laid out to accommodate all players, with 4 players left out to wait their turn.

Session Layout:

- 4 poles

- 12 mannequins

- 16 active players

- Many footballs

Coaching Position:

Due to the number of players, It will be hard for me as the sole coach to position myself in a spot that factors each individual into it, however I can do this to the best of my ability by standing away from the session, in a central position between the two areas that the drills are in.

Coaching Interventions:

This would be impossible for me to stop each player individually, therefore I would use the method of stopping two groups at one time whist letting the other groups play.

Small-sided Game

Duration 30 mins

Session Aim:

This session is an adaptation of a basic "rondo". This will be a possession-orientated game beginning with a 6v2 in the centre circle which will then branch out to be a 12v8 in the diamond as shown by the white lines. The session is setup to be a tight area that will really test the ability of all players especially when on the ball, as the tightness and compactness will cause teams to struggle finding space. This is where we hope the fundamentals of our previous technical and skill practise comes into play. 

Session Detail:

- Red team starts out in possession using the centre circle as a rondo.

- 6v2 and after 5 passes the session breaks out using all areas of the diamond where all the 12 reds come into play.

- This is then the trigger for 2 more blue players to join the press in an attempt to win the ball back

- After a further 5 completed passes by the reds, 2 more Blues join the press - causing a 12 v 6

- After a further 5 completed session, the remaining 2 blues join in - 12v8

- If blues win the ball, they try to keep it themselves

Session Layout 

Dimensions are 30m x 50m

- Cones that would be the white lines in this instance

- Balls on the outside of the session area

- 20 players

- red, blue bibs

Coaching Position: 

I will position myself on the outside of the session

Coaching Interventions:

I would use the intervention method of stopping the session as a whole to further reinstate my coaching points