Activity 1 (10 min): Paint the Field
Activity 2 (15 min): Shadow Dribbling
Activity 3 (15 min): Moving Bridges
Activity 4 (15 min): Small-Sided Games 4v4
Activity 1 (10 min): Paint the Field
Setup: Area of game field. All players have a soccer ball.
Instructions: Coach helps players to imagine that their soccer ball is a paint brush. When it rolls, it paints the field. Ask the players to imagine that they are painting the soccer field with different colors.
1. How fast can you paint the whole field? It only paints if we keep the ball close and on the ground.
Coaching Points: Keep the ball close. Dribble to paint soccer field.
Water Break (2-3 min)
Activity 2 (15 min): Shadow Dribbling
Setup: Area of game field. All players start with their soccer ball. Coach divides players up into groups of two. In each pair, one is the Leader and the other is the Shadow.
Instructions: Leaders will dribble the soccer ball around the area, the shadow will follow and copy what the leader does. Play 1 minute rounds. Swap leader and shadow after a few rounds.
1. Encourage the leader to be tricky and change directions and speed to try to lose their shadow.
2. Encourage the leader to dribble with one or both feet, shadow has to copy what leader does.
Coaching points: Use guided discovery questions and encourage the kids to use their imagination. Change dribbling speeds and directions to trick the shadow.
Water Break (2-3 min)
Activity 3 (15 min): Moving Bridges
Setup: Area of game field. All players start with their soccer ball. Select several pairs of parents to act as bridges (two parents will hold out a vest between them). Scatter bridges around area.
Instructions: Players will dribble their soccer balls around area while trying to go under the bridges. How many bridges can you get? Play 1 minute rounds.
1. Encourage players to “beat” their last score….get more bridges than they did last round.
2. Bridges will now be moving around the soccer field. Players must move with them to go under.
3. Bridges will now randomly open and close…Parents will simply stand close to close and stretch out to
open. Players can only go under open bridges.
Coaching points: Have fun and encourage the players to dribble under control while going under as many bridges as they can get. Help players to find the open bridges and avoid the closed ones.
Water Break (2-3 min)
Activity 4 (15 min): Small-Sided Games 4v4
Setup: Entire soccer field, divide players up to form teams of 4.
Instructions: Coach tells players which direction the are going and which goal they are trying to score on.
Play 4v4 soccer. No goal keepers, not throw-ins, no keeping score. Keep the ball in play with quick
restarts. Minimize instruction to players but always give lots of praise for good attempts to dribble and
control the ball.
Coaching Points: Let the kids PLAY and have FUN