Football/Soccer Session (Difficult): Phase 1 Combo: Create Gaps, Skip Lines and Interchange Positions

Fitness Warm Up

There are seven skills stations designed to improve the player's athleticism.

Any of these can be done solo, in pairs to make it competitive, and with or without the ball. For ideas on activities for each skill, go to YouTube, there is plenty there. Vary the activity each session to keep it engaging and challenging. Be sure to work the mind and both the right and left side of the body. Grid size varies with a minimum of 20X20 for older players and 15x15 for younger players.

The continuous nature of the circuit builds endurance. Build to a single 12 minute period for older players and 8 for younger. In the beginning, if you need to break into multiple periods of three or four minutes per period, then do so.

For younger kids, you could have a circuit of 3 or 4 of these skills one session and the rest of them in the next session.

Here are the seven skills:

1. BALANCE: "the ability to control or stabilize the body when a person is standing still or moving."

2. COORDINATION: "the ability to use the senses together with body parts during movement."

3. SPEED: "the ability to move your body or parts of your body swiftly."

4. REACTION: "the ability to move the body parts swiftly while applying the maximum force of the muscles."

5. POWER: "the ability to reach or respond quickly to what you hear, see, or feel."

6. AGILITY: "the ability to change and control the direction and position of the body while maintaining a constant, rapid motion."

7. FLEXIBILITY: "the ability to move joints or groups of joints effectively through a complete range of motion that includes stretching to lengthen the muscles"

Over the River (20 mins)

Game Objective: Play a precision pass through the line to the correct foot at the correct pace.

Topic: Play between lines and through gaps.

Phase: Attacking - Unbalance the defense

Problem: Defenders are preventing the advancement of the ball

Who: 8,9,10,7, 11,6

Where: Middle third

When: space between the defenders.

What: (1) Attackers must separate from defender (2) Move behind and between the defenders (3) Play precise pass.

Why: to advance the ball

Layout: 30x45; three zones no goals

Restrictions: two touches; 3:5

Scoring: one point for successful pass

Game: Players are split into 3 teams and placed 1 team in each zone. Team in the middle send 2-3 defenders with remaining player in front half of middle zone (may prevent pass across).

After pre-determined number of passes, attacking team (blue) plays ball to opposite grid for 1 point. Defending team (red) remains defenders.

If defending team (red) intercepts and completes a pass to players in the middle, the ball is played to opposite grid (yellow). Yellow team becomes attackers. Blue team defends. Red team replaces blue team.

Coaching Points: Players without the ball must continually scan field | create depth and width | draw defenders | high - low movements.