Different ways to score

Organisation

• Organise pitches for 5v5 or 6v6, with one goal
• Players play handball in the area but can only score into the goal with a header – the ball can be teed up by a team-mate or players can throw the ball to themselves to head
• Players can defend attempts at goal using their heads, but not their hands

 Ways to make the exercise easier

• Do not let the defending team defend the header

 Ways to make the exercise harder

• Add a goalkeeper to each team

Great questions to ask the children

• Can you tee up a team‑mate in a position to head for goal?
• Can you show me the best techniques for attacking headers?
• Can you be brave and score with a diving header?

Safety tips

• Create a safe playing area

Organisation  

• Organise two teams of 4v4 or 5v5 and create a pitch that has several small gates
• Each team has to try to score by passing through a gate to a team‑mate
• The defending team tries to win the ball and also to block the opportunities to pass through a gate
• The first team to pass through five gates is the winner
• You can also colour the gates and ask teams to play through certain colours to score a point
• You can also alternate ways to score, e.g. ask the players to dribble through and then pass through

 Ways to make the exercise easier

• Increase the number of gates available

 Ways to make the exercise harder

• Decrease the number of gates or make them smaller

Great questions to ask the children

• Can you find positions behind a gate ready to receive a pass?
• When you have the ball, can you lift your head up and recognise which gates are available to pass through?
• Can each player in your team pass through a gate to win the game?

 Safety tips

• Create a safe playing area

Organisation

• Organise two teams of 8v6 and divide the pitch into three zones
• Ask the team with eight to decide how many players they want to put in each zone – then ask the team of six to do the same
• After a few minutes, give them a chance to review and change formations
• Teams have to play through the zones to score
• Players are restricted to their own zone
• Rotate players through each zone after a goal is scored

 Ways to make the exercise easier

• Allow teams to score from any zone
• Let them play straight to the end zone if it’s possible

 Ways to make the exercise harder

• Give both teams eight players

 Great questions to ask the children

• Do you have to always play forward from the middle zone?
• Can you try to find positions in your zone to support the player on the ball?
• Which zone do you prefer to play in and why?

 Safety tips

• Create a safe playing area