Football/Soccer Session (Difficult): Checking Shoulders

Warm Up (15 mins)

An intenstive perceptive exercise with elements of passing, receiving, turning skills while working on awareness and dismarking.

Set up a circle of 25x25, with a center zone of 5x5. Distribute blue Jokers on the perimeter, along with balls (several fewer balls than players, ie perhaps 5 balls for 8 players as shown.) Use your judgement as to placement/coverage based on your numbers. Allow 2 or 3 players (Red) to remain inside the grid.

Action:

-Reds scan the area looking for an outside blue Joker with a ball, and receive a pass. Upon receving, they must return the ball to a different Joker who does not have a ball. Reds are free to play one touch to adjacent Jokers in the beginning (ignore inside zone).

Continue for 1-2 minutes of intense repetitions. When finished, swap out the inside players. Repeat until everyone has been inside.

Coaching points:

-Awareness (which Jokers have a ball, and which don't) before, during and after the receipt of a pass

-Receving player should orient body appropriately to suggest where he wants the pass. If he does not do so, the passer should help by passing to a certain foot or at a certain angle.

-Attacking player should use various methods to dismark, such approaching a Joker with a ball, but quickly changing direction to another before asking for a pass. Be creative and deceptive!

Progression 1:

-Reds MUST dribble through center "zone" (outlined with 4 cones) before returning the ball to a Joker (adds chaos and eliminates easy one-touch play). Instruct each Red to check their shoulder and identify the inner square before receiving to get a preview of where they are going.

Progression 2:

-Add equal number of Yellows, and pair each with a Red. Repeat activity, with Yellow acting as defenders. Reds must focus on dismarking, receiving and playing to an outside Joker as before. If a Yellow steals/intercepts a ball, they must complete a pass to a Blue to receive a point, and Red must try to win it back. Even if Yellow successfully completes the pass, the roles do not change: Red continues to be the attacker and Yellow must quickly transition back to defender.

Continue as before, making sure everyone participates in all roles.

Progression 1 (30 mins)

1v1+2, Progression of exercise 2.

Red and Yellow are now opponents, Red the attacker, Yellow the defender. Both start in Zone 2.

Action:

-Red checks into Zone 1, Yellow does NOT follow. Red checks shoulder, identifies his Yellow opponent, receives from Blue 1, turns and attempts to play Blue 2. Yellow stays in own zone. Blue must enter Zone 2 before passing to Blue 2, at which point, Yellow can engage and tackle or cut out the pass.

Progression:

-Yellow can follow/mark B at his own discretion into Zone 1.

-As Red checks his shoulder, he receives/turns or bounces ball back to Blue 1 depending on his shoulder check and evaluation.

-If he receives, he must beat Yellow, get into Zone 2 and attempt to play Blue 2. Play repeats whether successful or not.

-If he bounces back to 1, he immediately checks to 2 and attempts to receive/turn from there, again depending on his shoulder check/intent.

Progression:

-Add a 3rd Blue inside the grid that attempts to help Red with a wall pass if needed.