Spatial awareness

Organisation

• Organise a long, narrow pitch for players to play 4v4
• Ask the players to try to play in a 1-2-1 formation
• Normal game, but to score, a player has to stop the ball on the end line
• Add conditions – e.g. having to play a one-two with a team-mate before stopping the ball on the line
• Alternatively, all four players in a team need to be in the attacking half before the team can score on the line

Ways to make the exercise easier

• The ball can be stopped beyond the line

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Limit the number of touches
• Make the pitch smaller

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you try to maintain your positions on the pitch?
• Can you try to play in a diamond shape?
• Can the defender recognise opportunities to pass to the front player?
• What physical skills did you practise during the game? (E.g. passing, stopping the ball.)
• What soft skills did you use? (E.g. teamwork, communication)

Safety tips

• Create safe zones between each playing area

Organisation

• Organise a team of four (plus two target players) against three
• The two target players play beside the opponents' goals
• The team of four can only score after combining with one of the target players
• Make sure to rotate the target players after each goal scored
• If the team of three wins the ball, it should try to break quickly and score on the counter-attack

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Start with 4v2 in the playing area

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Play 4v4 in the playing area

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you try to play the ball into the target players as early as possible?
• Can you try to time your run to gain a shooting opportunity from a target player's pass?
• Can you try to finish using just one touch when you receive the pass from a target player?
• What physical skills did you practise during the game? (E.g. dribbling, defending)
• What soft skills did you use? (E.g. communication, problem-solving)

Safety tips

• Create safe zones between pitches

Organisation

• Organise two equal teams of up to 7v7
• Normal rules, but let the players decide how to restart the game (e.g. kick-ins instead of throw-ins, etc.)
• Ask the players to referee their own games
• If you have more than two teams, then rotate every few minutes
• Try to use larger goals if possible (two wide goals at each end)
• If you have an odd number, it's fine to play with uneven teams

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Give one team more players

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Give one team fewer players
• Add goalkeepers to each of the four goals
• Add conditions on ways to score, e.g. types of finish

Great questions to ask the players

• Do you want to add any special rules to this game for how to score?
• Which player on your team will be responsible for refereeing decisions if needed?
• Can you organise yourselves into positions on the pitch?
• What physical skills did you practise during the game? (E.g. speed, shooting)
• What soft skills did you use? (E.g. teamwork, communication, problem-solving)

Safety tips

• Watch all pitches from a central position in case of injuries and rotate to give players the opportunity to rest when needed