Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Possession through Home Balls (Def/GK) (U15)

Passing Warmup with footwork

Focus: Build Technical Skills needed for possession (passing, opening movement, touch on ball)

Setup: Passing square (outside) and Dribbling square (inside) setup

Passing Square = 16x16 with yellow/red/blue cones on all corners

Dribbling Square = 8x8 Box + center cone

Passing Square Game: All players start on yellow cones. Player A has only ball to start. 2 touch game. Every first touch by passer is signal for receiver to break off of yellow coneon arcing run to receive with open hips and good first touch to next target. Then pass on second touch. (example: player a takes touch to start, player b sprints out to receive pass from A. As player B, takes touch towards C, C breaks off of cone to open hips to B and D. Play continues)

Dribbling Game: Players dribble in "X" pattern to practice multiple turn and attack moves. One at a time, in alternating fashion, players dribble from orange cone to green cone. At green cone, they perform a turning move ("L" turn, outside hook, inside chop, etc) towards the middle black cone. When nearing black cone, they perfom an attack move (roll-tap, scissors, feint-and-go, step over, etc). They then continue to end of line. (Example: E begins and performs "L" turn at green cone. F begins once E has hit green cone. E is about to perform roll-tap in middle and explode to end of line.)

Duration: 5 minutes and switch inside and outside players. 20 total.

Coaching:

- Passing: open hips to next target

- Passing: Set yourself up for one touch and pass

- Passing: Rolling, Accuracy, and Pace on all passes

- Passing: Give lots of room from triangle of cones (away from defender)

- Passing: Wait until last possible second and explode off yellow cone. Try to time movement so arrive with ball

- Dribbling: Good technical touch on all moves

- Dribbling: Explode after move

Home Ball Mini Game

Focus: Functional game-like scenario in chasing ball, playing home ball, and attempting to work it out of the back through possession.

Setup: Half-field or 30-40 yds. 4 mini goals as shown. GK in goal. Teams split up to have 3 defenders and 2 attackers. Teams wait in center circle.

Game: Blue is defense. Red is offense. All balls start in the middle with coach. Coach passes a ball attempting to play the ball into the shaded area. To start game, red attackers must make a "1, go" count to take off (progress to simultaneous movement once ball in play.) The "4", "5", "2", "3", and "6" provide chase. "4" or "5" will make the home ball pass to keeper and both split wide. "6" will fill gap in middle. "2" and "3" will provide longer deeper angled options for keeper.

Blue defenders will attempt to play home ball and then possess the ball trying to work it back through one of the four red mini goals. The red attackers will attempt to steal ball and score on the big red goal. Play continues until it goes out of bounds or goal is scored. Restarts occur at center circle again.

Scoring/Duration: First team to 5 wins, and then restart.

Coaching:

- Correct movement off the first pass. Where do 4 and 5 move? Where are 2, 3, & 6 positioning?

- Teach 6 to avoid bringing defenders into the middle. Hang back and then exploit space as necessary. Needs to be available for pass from GK or secondary pass from 4 and 5.

- Is the keeper making panicked decisions? Work on scan, plan, and play and strong decision making.

- Teach 6 to drop into negative or postiive space for 4 and 5 as necessary

- 2 and 3 need to stay wide for outlet or switch of play