Warm-up: 2v2, passing and finishing
Organisation
- Organise teams with no more than six players each and they race in pairs to score a goal
- The pairs pass between themselves before taking a shot; the first team to score each time wins two points, while the other team only gets one point if it scores
- The players start each time when the coach says “go”
- Remind the players that they can also score from rebounds
- Encourage the players to show respect to each other and you during the warm-up
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Start with no goalkeepers, so it’s a race to score into an open goal
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Increase the distance of the pass and the shot, or the number of passes required
Great questions to ask the players
- Can you show me how you can work together as a pair?
- Can you play one-touch passes?
- Can you follow up your shot for any rebound opportunities?
Safety tips
- Create a safe space to play
Skill development: 1v1, 4 goals, no goalkeepers
Organisation
- Organise two teams of equal numbers and give the players in both teams the same numbers (e.g. 1-6 for 6v6)
- Create a pitch with four goals (two on each side) and the players start on opposite ends, in between the two goals
- Call a number and the relevant players have to run onto the pitch to play 1v1
- You can also call a second number, so it becomes 2v2
- For variation, call different numbers for each team, so different players face each other (team 1 is the first number, team 2 is the second number)
- Encourage the players to show respect to each other and you during the activity
Ways to make the exercise easier
- Try to match up the players with an opponent of equal ability
Ways to make the exercise harder
- Challenge the weaker players to take on the better players through the numbers you select
- Add goalkeepers to each goal, or floating goalkeepers to cover both goals at each end
Great questions to ask the players
- Can you be the first player to reach the ball?
- Can you be positive and attack?
- If you are second to the ball, can you be patient and try to block the route to goal or delay your opponent until you have a chance to make a tackle or pinch the ball?
Safety tips
- Make sure the area is clear before you call new numbers
- Create a safe space to play
Game application: 6v6, 6 goals, no goalkeepers
Organisation
- Organise the players into teams of 6v6 and create a pitch with six goals located opposite each other, three on each touchline
- To begin with, each team can score in any of the six goals; after each goal is scored, the ball starts with the team that conceded
- The game can then be made directional, so the teams can respectively only score in three of the goals
- You can introduce a second ball, so two games go on at the same time and teams only score a point if they score with both of the balls
- Let the players referee their own games. Actively encourage the other players to show respect to the referee
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
- Teams have to score in a particular goal or sequence of goals
- Add goalkeepers or allow the nearest defender to goal at any time to make saves with his/her hands
Great questions to ask the players
- Can you recognise the best goal to attack?
- Can you take up positions on the pitch that create space?
- Can you react quickly to defend when the other team gains possession?
Safety tips
- Create a safe space to play