Making the right decisions

Organisation

• Each player has a ball and dribbles in the area
• When the coach shouts the magic word, the players have to leave their ball and race to put their foot on top of another ball
• Each time the players change, the coach also removes one ball, so that one player is left without a ball; that player is eliminated
• The first two or three players that are out can help the coach to remove balls to keep them involved, or you can select two or three players at the start to have this special job

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Stick to having only one person removing the balls
• Make the area smaller

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Have three players removing balls
• Make the area larger

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you identify a free ball quickly and race to it?
• Can you dribble the ball and keep your head up?
• Can you think about the best way to be the winner?
• How did you feel when you couldn’t find a ball?
• How did it feel when you were the last three players competing to win the game?

Safety tips 

• Encourage all the players to dribble with their heads up
• Create a safe space to play

Organisation

• Organise three teams of four or five in an area and create  small “gates” in each area
• Each team tries to complete ten passes through the gates; the first team to do so is the winner

Ways to make the exercise easier

• The players can start by playing throw and catch through the gates

Ways to make the exercise harder

• One team play as blockers and move to as many gates as possible, so that the other two teams have to find the empty gates to score
• The coach can move a gate or pick one up to make it harder for the players to find a gate to pass through
• One team play as defenders so that the other two teams have to dribble past them in the gates to score each point (defenders can only tackle in between the gate)

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you find a position behind a gate to receive the pass?
• Can you find an empty gate without a blocker?
• Can you dribble through a gate and beat the defender?
• How did it feel when you were racing against other teams?
• How does it feel when the coach moves the gate?

Safety tips

• Ask all the players to move around the area with their heads up and to try to avoid the other players
• Create a safe space to play

Organisation

• Organise three teams of four players within a square playing area. Two teams play inside the square; each member of the other team positions him/herself in a different corner as a target player
• Each team starts with a ball and races to complete a set number of passes to the target players; start with throw and catch and then progress to use of the feet
• Then reduce to one ball between the teams, with points being scored per successful pass to a target player or by passing to all four and back without losing possession
• Making the pitch bigger or smaller will influence the types of passes played
• Rotate the team in the corners after each game

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Do not progress to one ball between the two teams – let them continue with a ball each throughout

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Require all passes to the target players to be one-touch
• Instead of passes, the ball has to be dribbled to the target players

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you choose the best time to pass to a target player?
• Can you change the direction of play to find a bigger space?
• Can the target players try to make themselves available by moving within their corner to create angles to receive the ball?
• How does it feel when the other team has possession of the ball and you want it back?

Safety tips

• Create a safe space to play