Warm-up: 3v3 on two goals
Organisation
- Organise mini-pitches for 3v3 matches, no goalkeepers
- Let each team play against each other for three minutes
- The team that scores the most goals in all of its matches wins
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Use bigger goals
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Use smaller targets instead of mini-goals
- Limit the number of touches
- Every time someone scores, it has to be a different player to the last scorer
Great questions to ask the children
- Can you try to block the goal as a defender?
- Can you break quickly to score when your team wins the ball?
- Can you try to get between the ball and your own goal quickly when your team loses possession?
Safety tips
- Create a safe playing area
Skill development: 3v3 + 2 target players
Organisation
- Organise two teams of three plus two target players
- The two target players play beside each of the goals and act as servers
- Each team has to combine with target players before it can score
- The servers can play the ball back in different ways
- Make sure you rotate the target players after each goal scored
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Servers can play the ball back in by hand
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Players have to score in the air from the servers
- Players have to score with their first touch from the servers
- Add goalkeepers
Great questions to ask the children
- Can you try to play the ball early to the target players?
- Can you try to time your run to receive a shooting opportunity from the target player’s pass?
- Can you try to finish using just one touch when you receive the pass from the target player?
Safety tips
- Create a safe playing area
Game application: 6v6 + 2 target players
Organisation
- Organise two teams of six plus two target players
- The two target players play beside each of the goals and act as servers
- The target players can play close to the goal, five to ten metres or 15-20 metres away
- Each team has to combine with target players before they can score
- The target players can vary the way the ball is played or crossed depending on the distance from the side of the goal
- Make sure you rotate the target players after each goal scored or every few minutes
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Servers can play the ball back in by hand
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Players have to score in the air from the servers
- Players have to score with their first touch from the servers
- Add goalkeepers
Great questions to ask the children
- Can you try to play the ball early to the target players?
- Can you try to time your run to receive a shooting opportunity from the target player’s pass?
- Can you try to finish using just one touch when you receive the pass from the target player?
Safety tips
- Create a safe playing area