Warm-up: Shooting circuit
Organisation
- Organise an area with four goals on the outside
- Players work in pairs to move clockwise and try to score in each goal
- Each goal has a goalkeeper
- Start four pairs at once and they race to complete the circuit and see who scores the most goals
- Rotate players with any resting players
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Allow players to have a go without racing to start with
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Limit the number of touches between each goal/shot
Great questions to ask the children
- Can you work together as a pair to create the best shooting opportunities?
- Can you follow up any rebounds?
- Can you try different types of shots?
Safety tips
- Make sure players all rotate in the same direction
Skill development: 7v7- diagonal goals
Organisation
- Organise two equal teams of 5v5/6v6/7v7
- Position two large goals diagonally opposite each other
- Start with normal rules; let the players decide how to restart the game
- Ask the players to referee their own games
- If there are more than two teams, then rotate or make multiple pitches
- If you have an odd number, it’s fine to play with uneven teams, or one player can be a floater and play for both teams
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Give one team more players
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Make one team play with fewer players
Great questions to ask the children
- When your team has the ball, can you spread out as quickly as possible?
- Can you look to get the ball out wide as soon as possible?
- In which areas of the pitch can you take risks on the ball?
- When your team loses the ball, can you try to get between the ball and your own goal as quickly as possible?
Safety tips
- Create safe zones between pitches
Game application: 11v11 with wide channels
Organisation
- Organise two teams on a big pitch and make two wide channels
- You might play 9v9, 10v10 or 11v11, depending on the size of the pitch
- Each team nominates two players who will play only in the wide channels
- Teams can play a normal game but should try to pass the ball to the wide players at every opportunity
- The wide players have no opposition, allowing them to travel with the ball and deliver a cross or combine with players infield
- Make sure the pitch is not too wide and that players can cross the ball into the goal area
- Encourage the attacking team to meet the crosses and try to score either in the air with headers or with shots from the ground
- Award two points for each goal scored with the head
- Swap the players in the channels regularly
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Make the pitch narrower
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Ask players to score from headers only or with one‑touch finishes from crosses
- Let the player in the channel be chased by his opponent in the channel
Great questions to ask the children
- Can you try to play a wide pass to the free player in the channel at the earliest opportunity?
- Can you time your run to meet the cross?
- Can you be brave and try to be the first player to meet the cross?
Safety tips
- Make sure the players have practised heading a ball before trying to head from crosses