Different field sizes

Organisation

• Organise the players into a circle and assign each of them one of two colours
• Call out a colour and perform an action that the players in that colour group have to copy
• Use a range of actions and movements and always say one of the two colours or both to encourage the players to listen carefully before reacting
• Using the same circle, the players take turns to dodge a soft ball thrown by players on the outside. If a player is hit on the leg by the ball, they swap places with the player on the outside who threw the ball 
• Encourage lots of movement amongst the players in the middle to dodge the balls
• When you spot that a player is distracted, ask them to choose the next movement (e.g. moving arms up and down) to be performed by the team-mates of the same colour

Ways to make the exercise easier

• All of the players copy the coach every time an action is made

Ways to make the exercise harder 

• Instead of shouting out the colour, hold up a bib of that colour
• Increase the number of balls outside the circle during the dodgeball game

Great questions to ask the players 

• Could you do the action performed by the coach? What helped you to get it right?
• Can you suggest an action for the other colour to copy?

Safety tips 

• The players must roll the ball along the ground in the dodgeball game

Organisation

• Organise mini-pitches for games of 2v2 and mark out a halfway line on each pitch
• The players have to stay in their own half and try to score by throwing or kicking the ball into the opposition’s goal
• The players take turns with their partner to try and score and alternate between shooting and saving. Rotate the players every few minutes so that they get to play against other players

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Remove the halfway line

Ways to make the exercise harder 

• Make the pitches slightly bigger so that the players have to shoot from further away
• Challenge the players to shoot using their weaker foot only

Great questions to ask the players

• Which parts of your foot can you use to shoot?
• Can you aim for the corners of the goal?

Safety tips

• Use soft balls if available

Organisation

• Organise the players into teams of 4v4 and create mini-pitches
• Rotate the teams so that winners play against winners and losers play against losers each time you rotate or ask the players to find a new team that they are yet to face
• Allow the players to learn through play and the different challenges posed by new opposition
• Let the players referee their own games

Ways to make the exercise easier 

• Give a team one or more extra players if you have uneven numbers or a weaker team

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Give one team fewer players

Great questions to ask the players 

• Can you try to support your team-mates when they have the ball?
• When your team doesn’t have the ball, can you get between the ball and your own goal as quickly as possible?
• Can goalkeepers roll the ball out to restart play instead of kicking it?

Safety tips

• Create a safe space to play