Football/Soccer Session (Beginner): Parent and Me week 6

Shark Attack (10 mins)

Objective: To improve dribbling skills (especially keeping close control of the ball and playing with the head up), turning with the ball and shielding the ball from pressure.

Set up: Every player has a ball and goes inside the playing area except for two players – the Sharks – who don’t have a ball and stay outside the area.

How to play: Players dribble around inside the area and the two Sharks jog around the perimeter.

On your signal, the Sharks enter the area and have 10 seconds to kick as many balls out of the area as possible.

Any players who lose their ball leave the area and join the Sharks for the next attack.

The last two players left dribbling are the winners and they become the Sharks at the start of the next game.

Treasure Hunt (10 mins)

Objectives: To improve dribbling and defending skills.

Equipment required: Flat cones, at least 10 to 15 balls.

Set-up: Divide your players into two, uneven teams. Recommend a ratio of 2-to-1 (i.e. 4v2 or 6v3 etc.)

Place six cones at the end of the field. Balance a ball on top of these cones. These balls are the treasure.

The team with the most players are the attackers. They line up at the end of the playing area furthest from the treasure. Each attacker has a ball.

The team with fewest players are defenders. They line up just in front of the treasure, facing the attackers.

How to play:

On your command, the attackers dribble towards the treasure.

Their objective is to get past the defenders, kick their ball at the treasure and knock it off the cones.

If an attacker succeeds she picks her treasure up and carries it back to their end of the playing area while dribbling her ball.

If an attacker is tackled by a defender or allows their ball to go out of the playing area, she must go back to the starting point and try again.

When all the treasure is stolen, change the teams around.