Hey Coaches! It has been great getting to watch all of you work with your teams the first 2 weeks. This week we are doing stations. Every team will have one activity to run for the entire session. You will still meet and start at your team's numbered flag. One coach will stay at this spot to run the activity, and the other coach will take the team around to each station. If you are a lone coach today, then you would run the activity and appoint a willing parent to take your team around.
The horn will go at 4:00 pm to signal that it is time to start. Your team will do your activity to start as their first station. There is 7 minutes at your first station with your team to allow for player arrival, instruction and to get things sorted. After that, each station is 5 minutes long, and the horn will blow to signal that it is time to move. We will rotate in a clockwise direction, so just follow the numbers. Remember that 5 minutes isn't very long, so get them off and moving quickly at the end of your time, and then get started right away once your next team has arrived. There are no scheduled games today.
Any extra equipment I will have for you. If you drills requires a grid, you will use your own cones for this. Your name is is beside the station you will run. I will have flags out marking each station (1-7).
1. INDY 500 (Brier Caden / Jaculan Robinson)
Create an oval-shaped "racetrack" with your cones.
Players start from “Pit Row”. Player starts by exiting the pits and dribbling the ball in a clockwise direction around the track. If the ball exits the track they must make 3 toe taps on the ball to restart the engine. Encourage players to make “Vroom! Vroom!” car sounds while driving!
Easier – run the track first with no balls.
Easier – players carry ball in hands and run around track
Harder – Switch directions and have drivers go counter-clockwise.
Harder – Change direction before completing circuit on coach's command
***NOTE: This activity is in the Active Start section of your coach binder
2. OBSTACLE COURSE (Joel Asher / Isabella McGrath-Beruschi)
Create 2 small obstacle courses with cones, rings, ladders and hurdles; start by running it without a ball, carrying the ball, then dribbling; incorporate a pass or a shot on goal if you can....
Extra equipment will be waiting at your spot for you to create a course with when you arrive. I will have some things set up for you before hand.
3. RED, YELLOW, GREEN & BLUE + GO SCORE! (Naomi Ford / Krystal Symons)
There will be extra cones in the above colors and nets for you to use. Make a grid that has a different color in each corner, and 4 nets on the outside. When you call out a color, players dribble their ball to that color. You could have them do something fun or silly when they get there if you want. When you should "Go Score!" they shoot in the closest net. Or more than one net, you can decide. This is a bit of an experimental game as I have put two games together and want to see how it works!
4. MONSTER INVASION (Kelsey Mclaren)
Every player has a ball that is their "pet". (You could have them name if if you want, but that might take too much time?) The game is that a Monster is coming and they must keep it away from the Monster by dribbling it around the field. Remind them that they must stay INSIDE the field too. You get to be the Monster. Some ideas are drag your leg like Frankenstein, make monster noises and faces, etc. Don't actually take their ball away or scare them though!
5. SUPERHEROES (Harley South/Beth Brodie)
Yes, we played this one in the first week, but kids love repetition and this one is so cute that I just had to include it again. Here are the instructions in case you have forgotten.
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!)
6. WHAT TIME IS IT MR. Bear? (Julia Gauer/Noah Overwater)
Although we played a similar game last week, it is a good one for enforcing little touches on the ball at this stage.
7. Mini Game (Sergio Spataro/Alyssa Spataro/ Kamryn Sharpe)
Create a mini game field (field size 15x20 yards). Split kids into 2 teams (if possible, you may need to play or have a parent step in and play). Allow them to play without too much coaching, you only have 5 minutes. Encourage them to not bunch up, and to pass the ball
