4v4 SOCCER

Coaches Preparing for a Successful Sessions, Games and Season:

Connect with your players - Ensure they know your name!
Highlight "Good Behavior & Work Ethic"!
Plan ahead, review activities in advance and make note of what you are going to do (write it down and have a note in your pocket.
Adjust: Don't be afraid to change it, if it's not working.
Community: Connect with families via email.

Age Group Focus: Coaches and children at this age group should be focusing on Fun, Fun, Fun.

Within the Player Development Pathway, children need to be introduced and developing their dribbling skills (running with the ball). Offensively players should be learning to run past defenders with the ball and score goal, while defensively their responsibility is to learn to steal the ball back and then attack and score goals as quickly as possible.

1-2 Grade Game Day Format:

4v4
4 x 10 min periods
Coaches manage games (from the sideline, don't take the players space)
No Goalkeepers.
No Throw-ins:
Players can dribble in or pass it (this will help develop spatial awareness).
Encourage quick decision making. Restart count down; 3, 2, 1, Go!
"RESET" - When the ball goes out, Shout "RESET" - Players then get back into a Diamond formation and get prepared for the ball re-entering the field.

The Play Practice Play Format

We have adopted the Play Practice Play format for coaching and training our youth, we believe that this format allows children to learn, develop skills and also entrust them to become the decision makers on the field. The format is simple and enjoyable for players and coaches and consists of a small sided game, followed by skills based activities and conditioned games followed by a scrimmage at the end of the session. This format is used by all our recreational and select level coaches, players and teams.

Begin training Sessions with Small Sided Games

2v2, 3v2, 3v3, 4v4, etc.

As kids arrive just add them to the numbers and encourage them to manage the games (call outs, fouls, etc) with coaches support.

Snakes & Gates
Create enough games that players are not going towards the same gate. I've put a three cone gate in the middle to allow two exit points, and also made some gates wider than others. Allow the kids to experience going through the gates and then create races:

"Race without balls then add balls"
"How many gates in 20 sec"
" First to go through 20 gates",
"Players need to do the "skill move" as they travel through each gate"
Race Like a Snake...moving the ball with the inside and outside of the foot!

Snakes & Gates with a Friend (passing)

"Relay to Goal"

Split kids into groups of 2-3
Groups should have equal # of soccer balls, allowing each kid to score at least twice per relay race.
Race without any obstacles, then add a few cones for the players to have to run around.
Another option would be to create a small box, where the player needs to attempt the spot light activity on their way to scoring!

4v4 Diamond Games

Kick off from central area)

Teams should play in a diamond formation, then allow the game to develop on it's own.
If ball goes out, tell players to "RESET" (getting back into formation - they can interchange positions).
To get ball back onto field, players can dribble or pass in but encourage them to do it fast (3 second count down).

Encourage player decision making.

Coaches should be positioned at the sides of the field.