Warm-up: Tag game
Organisation
- Divide the group into two teams of equal numbers
- Change the size and shape of the game area
- Ask the players to move in different ways, e.g. hopping, jumping sideways
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Make the space bigger
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Decrease the space available
- Increase the number of taggers
- Make taggers run whilst dribbling a ball
Great question to ask the players
- What do you have to do to avoid the taggers? (potential answers: move quickly, change direction, disguise your movement)
Safety tips
- Players should keep their heads up so that they can see others around them
- The taggers should avoid being aggressive when tagging
Skill development: Target game
Organisation
- Split the players into several teams, if possible
- Challenge the players to shoot the ball between other player's legs
- The players take turns to shoot; make it a race
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Choose a larger target
- Move the target closer to the players
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Choose smaller targets
- Move the target further away
- Establish a time limit within which targets must be knocked down
- Challenge players to shoot the ball between another player’s legs
Great questions to ask the players
- Which part of the foot should you kick with?
- What strategies work best for you?
Safety tips
- Make sure that all players stay behind the ball
Game application: 2v2 End line game
Organisation
- Try to organise teams of equal ability; or
- Let players choose their own teams
- Have two teams at each end and let them take turns to play
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Make the game area larger and add a player
- Any player can take the ball over the end line to score a point
Ways to make the exercise harder
- The ball has to be stopped on the end line to score
Great question to ask the players
- What did you and your team mate need to do to successfully get the ball over the line? (examples: use good ball skills, communicate well, work together, help each other, trust each other)
Safety tips
- Create a safe zone between each mini‑pitch