U8 Week 3

 ISLAND HOPPING

  • ✅BE AWARE

    Keep your head up and scan to find the open space and the defenders

    ✅USE BODY FEINTS

    Quickly move your body in a different direction to evade the shark!

    ✅CHANGE SPEED

    Change your speed from slow to fast to trick the shark

  • ✅ 20x25yd area up to 15 players - make it larger for more players

    ✅No ⚽ until level 4

    ✅Pinnies for sharks

    ✅3 cones for triangle islands

    ✅Ensure there are 1 or 2 more triangles than players

  • Island hopping is a movement and tag game, without a ball, with the goal of developing awareness, thinking one step ahead, and soccer-specific movement.

    ✅Cone triangles are set out around the playing areas. The players can be explorers or pirates visiting islands.

    ✅Within the 10-minute warm-up, you can split the exercise into 4 Levels

    🏆LEVEL 1 - Warm-up - 🕜90 secs

    Players move freely around the playing area, jogging to each triangle. The aim is for them to start thinking 1 or 2 steps ahead. Ask them to see if they can think of which triangle they’re going to in 2 moves, so they move fluidly and efficiently without stopping and thinking. You can add a ‘hop or jump to the next island’, or a fast and slow command.

    🏆LEVEL 2 - Soccer-specific movement - 🕜2 mins

    Players jog around the area, when they enter a triangle, they should enter the triangle slower, feint to go one way - get low, drop a shoulder to go one way, and accelerate out of the triangle in another direction as if they are trying to trick an opponent.

    🏆LEVEL 3 - Shark feeding time! 🕜3 mins

    1 defender per 4 players. Sharks try and tag the attackers. Attackers need to be aware of moving defenders while still trying to find space. Pirates can stay on a triangle island for 3 seconds before moving on. If tagged, the players have to perform 10 toe taps of a ball on the side of the field. Change the sharks after 1 minute

    🏆LEVEL 4 - Cannonballs! 🕜2 mins

    In addition to defenders, the coach rolls a ball into the area trying to ‘tag’ players. If tagged by a defender or ball, 10 toe-taps for the hit player!

  • ✅Make triangles smaller.

    ✅Add more sharks (defenders)

    ✅Take away or add islands

    ✅Add the goal of seeing how many islands players can visit

  • Decision-making and awareness when dribbling and movement into space are vitally important in being able to move the ball and get away from defenders in the game.

    Awareness has been often overlooked in soccer coaching but is now important to the success of developing the individual, so fun tag games can help with that.

    Playing without a ball helps players develop and be coached on their awareness and soccer-specific movement without thinking about keeping control of the ball.

Island hoppIng 2

  • ✅BE AWARE

    Keep your head up and scan to find the open space and the defenders

    ✅USE BODY FEINTS

    Quickly move your body in a different direction to evade the shark!

    ✅CHANGE SPEED

    Change your speed from slow to fast to trick the shark

  • ✅ 20 x 25yd area up to 15 players - make it larger for more

    ✅1 x ⚽ per pirate, 0 x ⚽ for shark

    ✅Pinnies for sharks

    ✅3 cones per triangle island

    ✅Ensure there are 1 or 2 more triangles than players

  • Island hopping 2 is a dribbling and tag game, with ball, with the goal of developing awareness, thinking one step ahead, and soccer-specific movement.

    ✅Cone triangles are set out around the playing areas. The players can be explorers or pirates visiting islands.

    ✅Within the 15-minute exercise, you can split the exercise into 4 Levels

    🏆LEVEL 1 - Warm-up - 🕜3 mins

    Players move freely around the playing area, dribbling to each triangle. The aim is for them to start thinking 1 or 2 steps ahead. Ask them to see if they can think of which triangle they’re going to in 2 moves, so they move fluidly and efficiently without stopping and thinking. You can add a toe-taps and turns as fun, ball mastery commands.

    🏆LEVEL 2 - Soccer-specific movement - 🕜3 mins

    As before, players dribble around the area. As they enter a triangle, they should slowdown, feint to go one way - get low, drop a shoulder to go one way and accelerate out of the triangle in another direction as if they are trying to trick an opponent. Can they do a scissors move in a triangle?

    🏆LEVEL 3 - Shark feeding time! 🕜5 mins

    1 defender per 6-8 players. Defenders try and tag the attackers. Attackers need to be aware of moving defenders while still trying to find space. Pirates can stay on a triangle island for 5 seconds before moving on. If tagged, the players have to perform 10 toe taps of a ball on the side of the field. Change the sharks after 1 minute

    🏆LEVEL 4 - Cannonballs! 🕜2 mins

    In addition to defenders, the coach rolls a ball into the area trying to ‘tag’ players. If tagged by a defender or ball, 10 toe-taps for the hit player!

    TIP - If players are having difficulty dribbling and changing direction, make them ‘un-taggable’ and work with them, getting them to slow down and focus. Ensure they are using all parts of the foot to manipulate the ball and keeping it close

  • ✅Make the area larger so it’s easier for the attackers to find more success

    ✅Introduce more defenders to make it more difficult for the attackers

    ✅Shorten or lengthen the time attackers can be ‘safe’ on the island.

    ✅Challenge the players to see how many islands they can make it to within the time limit

  • Decision-making and awareness when dribbling and movement into space are vitally important in being able to move the ball and get away from defenders in the game.

    Awareness has been often overlooked in soccer coaching but is now important to the success of developing the individual, so fun tag games can help with that.

1v1 to goal

  • ✅ATTACKING

    Head up, ball close, and BE BRAVE! Awareness - is the goal open?

    ✅DEFENDING

    Close down the space quickly between the attacker and the grass in front of the player, eye on the ball.

    ✅BOTH

    Keep on trying! If they get beat, go again next time!

  • ✅10 x 15yd zones

    ✅2 mini-goals 🥅 (2 cones work too, if no goal)

    ✅6 players per zone - Attackers at one end, defenders at the other (no more than 3 waiting in line)

    ✅1 x ⚽ per attacker

    ✅2 mins per repetition and then change attackers and defenders

  • 1v1 to goal is a chance for players to attack and defend against each other and score goals!

    1 attacker and 1 defender play at a time until the ball goes out of play or a goal is scored. Then the next pair go.

    ✅Attackers (with the ball) attempt to dribble and score in the opponent’s goal

    ✅Defenders attempt to stop them by tackling, gaining possession, and, if they can, score in the goal

    ✅If the ball goes out of play or a player scores, the players rejoin the line and the next pair go.

    ✅After each player has been an attacker & defender, switch the teams (attackers from a different group switch zones) so they have different matchups)

    POINTS

    🏆Attacker dribbles past defender = 1 point

    🏆Attacker scores a goal = 1 point

    🏆Defenders tackles = 1 point, an extra Defender scores in attacker’s goal = 1 extra point

    🏆Don’t take the scores too seriously!

    After 2 mins, change attackers and defenders

    After each player has been an attacker & defender, switch the teams (attackers from a different group switch zones) so they have different matchups)

    💡TIP - pick players that are similarly matched to go 1v1 against each other

  • ✅Make the zone larger for more attacker success

    ✅Give extra points for the 5 points if the defender steals and scores in the opposite goal

    ✅Give the defender a head start! Bring their start a yard closer

  • All 4 moments of the game of soccer are practiced in 1v1s - attacking, defending, and attacking and defending transitions.

    Playing to goals can be fun as players automatically want to score goals. But in the context of the game, the player is now developing the understanding of choosing the best option to score - do they shoot early or try and create the space by dribbling and beating the opponent? The goal can also be seen as a teammate in a game.

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.