Switch of play

Organisation

• Organise teams with no more than six players each and they race in pairs to score a goal
• The pairs pass between themselves before taking a shot; the first team to score each time wins two points, while the other team only gets one point if it scores
• The players start each time when the coach says “go”
• Remind the players that they can also score from rebounds
• Encourage the players to show respect to each other and you during the warm-up

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Start with no goalkeepers, so it’s a race to score into an open goal

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Increase the distance of the pass and the shot, or the number of passes required

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you show me how you can work together as a pair?
• Can you play one-touch passes?
• Can you follow up your shot for any rebound opportunities?

Safety tips

• Create a safe space to play

Organisation

• Organise two teams of equal numbers and give the players in both teams the same numbers (e.g. 1-6 for 6v6)
• Create a pitch with four goals (two on each side) and the players start on opposite ends, in between the two goals
• Call a number and the relevant players have to run onto the pitch to play 1v1
• You can also call a second number, so it becomes 2v2
• For variation, call different numbers for each team, so different players face each other (team 1 is the first number, team 2 is the second number)
• Encourage the players to show respect to each other and you during the activity

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Try to match up the players with an opponent of equal ability

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Challenge the weaker players to take on the better players through the numbers you select
• Add goalkeepers to each goal, or floating goalkeepers to cover both goals at each end

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you be the first player to reach the ball?
• Can you be positive and attack?
• If you are second to the ball, can you be patient and try to block the route to goal or delay your opponent until you have a chance to make a tackle or pinch the ball?

Safety tips

• Make sure the area is clear before you call new numbers
• Create a safe space to play

Organisation

• Organise the players into teams of 6v6 and create a pitch with six goals located opposite each other, three on each touchline
• To begin with, each team can score in any of the six goals; after each goal is scored, the ball starts with the team that conceded
• The game can then be made directional, so the teams can respectively only score in three of the goals
• You can introduce a second ball, so two games go on at the same time and teams only score a point if they score with both of the balls
• Let the players referee their own games. Actively encourage the other players to show respect to the referee

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Give a team one or more extra players if you have uneven numbers or a weaker team

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Give one team fewer players
• Teams have to score in a particular goal or sequence of goals
• Add goalkeepers or allow the nearest defender to goal at any time to make saves with his/her hands

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you recognise the best goal to attack?
• Can you take up positions on the pitch that create space?
• Can you react quickly to defend when the other team gains possession?

Safety tips

• Create a safe space to play