Look for the 1v1

Organisation

• Form groups of no more than 12: one player starts as the tagger
• Once he/she tags someone else, they form a chain by holding hands
• Every time someone new is tagged, the chain gets bigger
• The last player to be tagged is the winner
• If you have more than 12 players, set up additional areas

Ways to make the exercise easier

• To make it easier for the taggers, challenge the players who have not been tagged to move in different ways (e.g. hopping, skipping), but do not allow them to run
• Alternatively, do the opposite and challenge the taggers to move in specific ways to make it easier for the others

Ways to make the exercise harder

• All or some of the taggers and/or the other players can play with a ball at their feet

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you be clever and think about where you move to?
• Can you hide behind others?
• As you run around, what movements do you make that you would also make in a match?

Safety tips

• Make sure the area is large enough for the number of players you have
• If the area is small, reduce the number of players and rotate them

Organisation

• Organise a square with four teams of up to five players in each corner. In the middle of the square, place cones or balls
• Players from each team successively run/dribble to the middle to collect a cone or ball and return it to their team corner (base)
• The winners are the team with the most, once all the cones or balls have gone
• Ask the players to move/dribble in different ways
• Progress so that players can also take cones or balls from other corners once they have all gone from the middle

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Make the square smaller

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Make the square bigger
• Limit the ways that players can run with the ball: e.g. dribbling with their left foot only, having to take a minimum of ten touches between the middle and reaching their corner, or having to keep the ball in the air

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you move as quickly as possible to cover the space?
• Can you show me ways to dribble the ball using both feet?
• Can you play as a team and recognise where to collect other balls/cones from in order to win the game?
• What did you find challenging in this activity?

Safety tips

• Only one player from each team should go at a time, and the players should slow down as they reach the centre or other corners

Organisation

• Organise two equal teams of 6v6, including goalkeepers
• Try to use large goals if possible
• Normal rules, but let the players decide how to restart the game (e.g. starting with the goalkeeper after each goal)
• Ask the players to referee their own games
• If you have more than two teams, rotate every few minutes or set up more pitches
• If you have an odd number of players, it’s fine to play with uneven teams
• Ask the players to dribble past an opponent before they can pass the ball. Then progress to allowing free play and see if the players can recognise opportunities to dribble

Ways to make the exercise easier

• The requirement to dribble past an opponent only applies before shooting, not before passing
• Give one team more players

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Give one team fewer players
• Require the players to keep the ball for at least five seconds before they can pass it

Great questions to ask the players

• When you receive the ball, can you be positive and try to dribble past a player?
• Can you show me your dribbling tricks to go past a player?
• Can you decide the best time to dribble and the best time to pass?
• What did you find challenging in this activity?

Safety tips

• Create a safe zone between pitches if you have more than one, and encourage the players to get their heads up when dribbling