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Monday 8 May 2017

U5 Week 2

Hey Coaches! Our first week went great, and kids seemed to have fun! I enjoyed coming around to each team and seeing the giggles and smiles on your player’s faces. Every week our goal is to have fun, and to encourage our players. The more fun they have, the more they will learn -even if that’s just how to run around within a square, or kick a ball to their friend. These are the building blocks of strong players.
As your team shows up give them a ball and have them play pass with each other, or with a parent.
When you change to a new drill, send the team for a REALLY quick water break (30 seconds) or have them working on their juggling, passing between each other, or be creative in how to keep them occupied. If you give them time to goof off, they will do just that and you will struggle to get their attention back.


Get the players to warm-up with their ball.
• Toe-taps - Place the bottom of their foot on top of the ball and alternate feet doing this faster and faster.
• Tick-Tock - Place the ball between their feet and have them knock the ball back and forth between their feet.
THEY WILL HAVE TROUBLE WITH THIS….IT’S OKAY. LET THEM KNOW THAT IT IS HARD AND SHOW THEM YOU HAVE TROUBLE TOO!
• Run in place.
• Jump up and down and act silly.
The idea here is to get them going a little bit and get used to “getting ready” to practice. If you do the same warm-up exercise every week the players will actually start the warm-ups themselves when you call them over to start warming up. Have them touch their toes and stretch up to the sky as far as they can. Stretching at this age is not recommended other than the token stretches above.


1. Coach Says
Played like Simon Says. Anything that gets those little guys moving goes. Use the whole body. Start without soccer balls for movement and stretches.  Jog around the area, one foot hopping on each foot, high knees, skipping, kick your butt, etc.  
2. Monster Tag
Just like freeze tag (the exact same actually…), but kids love running, and repetition is a good way for certain movements to be learned and remembered. Start without soccer balls.  Players run around your grid (make sure you emphasize that there is a boundary to this game) and you can start by being the tagger. Remember, you are a monster, feel free to act like one (a gentle monster of course ;) ).  When a player is tagged, they must freeze until someone comes and unfreezes them by running under their arms. (Show them how to freeze with legs apart and arms up and out)  Then move to playing with soccer balls and have players dribbling around until they get tagged. To be unfrozen now, someone must pass the ball between your legs.  (Demo this)
3. Steal the Bacon
In your grid, place the balls in the middle in a straight line. Spit your team into 2 groups and have them line up on either end.
When you say “GO” the goal is to run to the middle, and get a ball. Start with having them pick the balls up with their hands and carry the ball back to their end. Once they get the hang of it, get them to DRIBBLE the ball back to their end, once all the balls are at both ends, the game is over.
  • Change things up by having the players start with laying down, and getting up when you say go or sitting facing the opposite direction. This will work on their coordination and ability to get up quickly.
  • Another way to change it up is to number the players (1 to ?) and call out numbers, I suggest calling out 2 numbers at a time. Only these number can go and get a ball. Once each number has gotten a ball, call out another number. Keep going until all balls are gone


4. Musical Soccer Balls
Use cones to make a circle large enough for your kids to run around. Place the soccer balls in the middle of the circle and make sure you have one less soccer ball than you have players. The players start on the outside of the circle and they are not allowed to go into the circle until the whistle blows. On the whistle, the players can sprint to the soccer balls. Because there is one less soccer ball, one player will be left without a ball. The player without the ball is then removed from the game. Every round you will need to remove one soccer ball.
See this link for full video and diagram:


5. Superheroes
Have all players move around by dribbling in the grid.  When you shout different superhero names, there are different things to do for each.  Start simple with only one or two, and add as you go.  Feel free to add some new superhero moves to this if you want too!
"Superman" = everyone dives on the ball and lies with it under the chest with arms out like Superman
"Batman" = put foot on the ball and pretend to fly
"Spiderman" = put foot on the ball and pretend to shoot webs
"Hulk" = pick up the ball and squeeze it and roar like the Hulk!
(Don't forget to demonstrate what these all look like!)


Game time:
Check the game schedule, if you are the first team listed you are the “Home Team” and will stay where you are. If you are the second team, you will pick up your pop-up net and take it to the team you are playing. Click here for the schedules