Theme: Introduction to basic body and manipulative control
Physical Literacy: Collision Avoidance, Object Manipulation – Feet

pdf of Session #4: 2019 U5-U8 Player Development Sessions #4

Warm-up : Everybody’s ‘IT’ Game (10 min)
Purpose: To get players ☺ , sweating and to work on the skill of dodging (feinting).

– Everyone is ‘it’ and play occurs in an area 10 yards by 10 yards.
– If you are tagged, you go down on one knee.
– When on one knee you can free yourself by 1) reaching out and tagging someone else as they run past, or 2) reaching out and high fiving someone who is on one knee freeing both of you.

Advanced Dribbling (10 min)
Purpose: To introduce specific techniques to players.

Dribbling Techniques (Stop Turn / Whoop Turn!)
– As the players dribble / skip/gallop with the ball, within a defined area, they put one foot on top of the ball, rolling it behind them and then running bodies around.
– Encourage them to roll the ball, bend their knees and jump over the top of the ball.
– The players can be told that this is called a Whoop! Turn and every time they turn they should say “Whoop!”, loudly (Whoop ! will add novelty to the technique)

Before a Drink
Player place the ball between their feet, jump with the ball still tightly held and then release it while they are still in the air
“Who can catch the ball before it hits the ground 10 times in a row?”

Octopus Game (10 min)
Purpose: To practice dodging while dribbling a soccer ball.

– Divide the team into two groups.
– Half of the players will be taggers (octopii) and they must spread out from each other at arms length inside a 15 metre by 20 metre area.
– Their formation should be staggered so that there is enough room for other players to weave through.
– Taggers must stand perfectly still but can try to tag oncoming players (with their tentacles) by reaching out as far as possible.
– Other players have a ball and start at one end of the area.
– They try to dribble through to the other end without getting tagged by an octopus.
– If successful, they turn and dribble back along the outside of the area to the starting line again.

Scrimmage (30 min)