Trolley races and small-sided games

Organisation

• Simple to organise – class warm-up activities to raise the heart rate and practise physical movements
• Be creative and fun with physical movements
• Ask the players to suggest their own movements
• Give the players the chance to lead the group
• Develops confidence and personalities

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Put the players in pairs and only one of them has to go at a time, so they have a rest in between

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Increase the complexity of the movements – focus on agility, balance and coordination
• Make it a race

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you see the coach/leader?
• Can you show me a different way to move?

Safety tips

• Make sure that the players have some personal space to move in safely

Organisation

• Ask the players to organise their own teams
• Make multiple pitches, which can be the same size or different sizes
• On each pitch, place a different size or type of ball
• Rotate pairs, so they also play against pairs on other pitches
• Create a tournament format – winners accumulate points

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Use bigger goals or targets, and larger balls or soft balls

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Smaller goals or targets
• Use small balls like tennis balls

Great questions to ask the players

• Which ball do you like playing with most and why?
• What do you need to do to be successful?
• What benefits do you get if you practise with different-sized balls or on different types of pitches?

Safety tips

• Create a safe zone between each mini‑pitch

Organisation

• Pick equal teams and make one or more pitches. Two teams play and after three minutes or goals, one team rotates with another team
• This is a chance for the players to now play matches using the different-sized balls to practise their skills
• Rotate the goalkeepers every match or after each goal 

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Use the normal ball for players who need more help
• One team can have extra players to make it easier for them

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Ask the better teams to play using the smallest ball
• A team can play with fewer players than the other team
• Limit the number of touches per player

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you organise yourselves into positions?
• Can you try to spread out as a team?
• What can you do as a team when you lose the ball?

Safety tips

• Create a safe zone between each pitch
• Give players a short rest between each mini‑match, and drinks breaks if needed