How's your touch?

Organisation

• Children all have a ball each, or share in groups if not enough balls
• Children copy the coach or follow instructions or use visual cues
• Lots of opportunities for children to manipulate the ball
• If you are not confident about the different moves, ask the children to show you
• Ask the children to listen to you and watch you

 Ways to make the exercise easier

• Children can stand still and practise in the same spot
• Children can move slowly with the ball and try basic movements

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Children can weave in and out of each other
• Children can race against each other to a place or you can place a limit on the number of touches
• Increase the difficulty of the task

 Great questions to ask the children

• Can you feel the ball at your feet?
• Can you treat it like your best friend and keep it close to your body?
• Can you try with your weaker foot?

Safety tips

• Children must be aware of others around them and keep their heads up

Organisation

•  Create mini-pitches for 3v3 with a net or middle zone 
• Play the game like a tennis match
• Players need to ensure the ball touches the ground in the opponent’s half to score a point, after either one or two bounces
•  Players can throw the ball, kick it, volley it, head it, etc.
• First team to ten points wins: when a team wins the point, it serves

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Underarm throw and catch to start with
• One bounce on the ground to score a point

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Players have to play the ball with their feet or body, no hands allowed
• Players have to try and play without the ball touching the ground

Great questions to ask the children

• Can you spread out as a team to defend your half?
• Can you try to ensure the ball hits the ground in the other half?
• Can you show me your tricks and skills to juggle the ball and keep it off the ground?

Safety tips

• Players on each team must remain in their own half
• Create a safe zone between the mini-pitches

Organisation

• Two equal teams – 4v4 maximum
• Impose conditions on the game
• When the player has the ball, see if he/she can touch it at least three times before passing
• See if the player can stay on the ball for at least three seconds
• The ball can only be passed forwards
• Ask players to make runs ahead of the ball to receive it

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Play a normal game with no conditions
• Only impose conditions on some players – not all

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Limit the number of touches
• Ask the players to stay on the ball for five seconds
• They can only score with a one-touch finish

Great questions to ask the children

• Can you show me how to protect the ball when in possession?
• Can you show me how to make runs ahead of the ball?
• How can you make the pitch as big as possible?

Safety tips

• Create safe zones between pitches