U10 Week 1

Free Dribble

  • ✅SMALL TOUCHES

    You can control the ball better with small touches so it doesn’t get away from you

    ✅HEAD UP

    Keep your head up so you can see where you’re going and you don’t bump into teammates

    ✅BE BRAVE

    Try new skills, challenge yourself to go faster and you will get better!

  • ✅20 x 25 yd area for 10-15 players - make larger for more - field size can be used throughout the whole session

    ✅ 1 x ⚽ per player

    ✅Each rep lasts 2mins - ask guided questions in a quick break - e.g. ‘why do we use small touches?’

  • As with FREE DRIBBLE in week 1, players use the whole area to practice dribbling. This exercise introduces new skills and turns to help players become more efficient turning and changing direction

    LEVEL 1 - 🕜 90 secs - FREE DRIBBLE

    Players dribble around the area, allow them to express themselves. You can call out a couple of commands, like toe-taps ‘freeze’.

    IN BETWEEN SKILLS, TAKE A MINUTE TO TEACH THE SKILL

    LEVEL 2 - 🕜 2 mins - PULL-BACK

    While dribbling, plant one foot on the turf while placing the other on top of the ball with the sole. Then drag the ball backward … while pivoting and keeping an eye on the ball the whole time. Dribble with speed into space

    LEVEL 3 - 🕜 2 mins - INSIDE/OUTSIDE CHOP

    While dribbling, plant one foot on the turf while in a quick chopping motion on the side of the ball, moving the ball to the side to change direction

    The inside-chop uses the inside of the foot on the ball, chopping the ball across the body.

    The outside chop uses the outside of the foot on the ball to move the ball away from the body.

    Both moves should be done with a quick motion and body feint to ‘fake-out’ the defender.

    LEVEL 4 - 🕜 2 mins - SCISSORS

    The aim of the scissor move is to feint one way and go the other, fooling the defender by using one leg as a decoy and a quick body feint.

    While dribbling the player brings one leg over and around the ball. As they bring this leg around the ball from the inside to the outside of the ball, they should feint that way. As that foot is planted, the other foot should be used to knock the ball in the opposite direction with the outside of the foot.

    💡TIP - at varying age and skill levels it’s important to let them have a go themselves. If you’re confident, jump in and help if a player is really struggling. With the scissors, you can take another minute or two to practice or teach.

  • ✅Make the area smaller for more challenge/larger to make it easier

    ✅Challenge the group or particular individuals to speed up, change direction, challenge themselves with a skill, or use their non-dominant foot.

    ✅Add cones or obstacles to make more of a fun challenge

  • Soccer is full of 1v1 matchups against the opposition, so ball manipulation is very important to keep possession. There are 100s of skills and tricks to help players more adept in 1v1s, but these 3 are perhaps the simplest and give a foundation for other skills and ball mastery.

    It’s important to focus on individual technique at a young age and adding skills to help the players become more efficient and quicker can help them become more adept in 1v1 situations against an opposition player.

    With a lot of the skill moves, the emphasis is placed on quick changes of body movement, feints and quick footwork to help the moves become more effective.

Knockout

  • ✅SMALL TOUCHES

    You can control the ball better with small touches so it doesn’t get away from you

    ✅AWARENESS

    Keep your head up to see where the opponents are

    ✅BE BRAVE

    Try new skills, challenge yourself to go faster and you will get better!

  • ✅15 x 20yds field size

    ✅1 x ⚽ per player

  • ✅Dribble around the area and try and kick your opponent’s ball out of the playing area!

    ✅10 toe taps outside the playing area to re-enter play after a knockout

    ✅Non-contact - encourage players to poke tackle

    ✅The player must keep their own ball within reach when knocking out another ball

    🏆LEVEL 1 - 🕜 2 x 1 min rounds

    Use Hands - Players hold the ball, palm-up, while opponents try and knock it out of their hands. This allows players to understand the concept of awareness

    🏆LEVEL 2 - Use feet - keep a count of how many you knock out.

  • ✅Make the playing area smaller

    ✅Points - 1 for knocking an opponent out and -1 for getting knocked out.

    Suggestion - don't follow the points too strictly and allow the kids to be creative with points scoring.

    ✅If a player is knocked out, they must stay out until the end of the round

  • There are many opportunities to for 1v1 in knockout - just like a game. Encourage to be brave, and practice skills the player would use in a game. Also to be aware of things that are happening around them.

    Shielding is an important skill to start to learn. It means using the body as a shield in between the defender and the ball. Understanding the concept of protecting the ball is very important within a game.

Sharks and minnows

  • ✅DRIBBLE SPEED

    A change of speed can confuse defenders

    ✅AWARENESS

    Defenders go for the nearest attacker! Attackers try and dribble away from minnows - head up and don’t bump into other players

    ✅TEAMWORK

    Sharks can come up with a plan when the group gets larger.

  • ✅ 20 x 25 yd area

    ✅1 x ⚽per minnow - sharks 0 x ⚽

    ✅Choose one or two Sharks to start in the middle of the area. You can have a center line sharks should start behind to give the minnows more time to dribble

    ✅The minnows line up with a ball on one of the end lines

  • ✅On the coach’s command, minnows dribble across the playing area without getting caught by the shark. They are ‘safe’ at the other side and the shark can’t leave the area.

    ✅If the shark kicks a ball out of the playing area, the minnow become a shark on the next turn.

    ✅When all remaining minnows are ready to go, the coach commands to go.

    Tip - The coach starts as the shark and allows them to cross a couple of times, to build confidence - coach as the shark can also pressure the more advanced players more.

  • ✅Minnows can only use their left foot to dribble.

    ✅Start the game with more sharks

    ✅When minnows lose the ball they can become sharks straight away to introduce the transition from attacking to defending concepts

    ✅Move or take away the center line to allow defenders to start where they want. This makes the game potentially harder for the minnows

  • Dribbling with speed and purpose is key to getting nearer to the goal. Also, understanding when to change speed and manipulate the ball under pressure.

    Defenders can learn to communicate or understand spatial awareness in relation to their teammates.

GAME TIME!

What you need:

✅ 1 x⚽

✅ 2 teams (different colors)

✅ 2 goals

✅ All the rules of the game - throwins, goal-kicks, corners, kickoffs and fouls. So they can practice for the weekend!

TIME TO PLAY! ⚽ Allow the players to have fun, be competitive, and express themselves. At this age, don’t impose too much structure. Don’t force passing or stop the play. Encourage and give positive comments on the goal of the session (dribbling) and coach sporadically as the game goes on.