U6 Practice Plan - Turning

Set Up:

• Make fields of 20 x 10 yards. Place small goals on each endline.

• The players go 2 v 2 on the field. On balls put out of play, use a throw-in or kick-in to get ball back in (coach's choice).

• After a goal is scored, play is restarted with a goal kick

Coaching Points:

• None. Let the players play and make mistakes. Only intervene if it is taking too long to get ball back in play.

Set Up:

• Place 5 cones, and 5 pennies on ground spread out around grid.

• Start without a ball. Coach gives the players a task to complete which they try to get as many points as they can:

a) touch hand to cones/pennies. b) touch foot to cones/pennies c) two-footed jump over cones/pennies d) Make up new combinations. Think of gross motor movements, and make more complicated with each progression.

Coaching Points:

• Introduce different types of turns using different surfaces of the feet: Inside/outside/bottom

• Encourage little touches when dribbling up to a cone, and then larger touches after they pass it to get quickly to the next one.

• Use peripheral vision while dribbling to see where you want to go next.

Progressions:

•  Every player has a ball. Players have to dribble to a cone/pennie, touch with their foot, and then turn to go the other way for a point. Demonstrate different turns and have players perform one type at a cone, and then another type around the pennies etc. Players get points for each cone/pennie they turn at around. Make up different variations to get points.

Set Up:

• Divide players into four teams, with each team starting in a separate smaller 2 x 2 yd “hideout” in the corners. All balls start in the center zone. When the Coach says "go!", one player from each team runs to the center and dribbles a ball back to their “hideout”. Once that player returns, their partner goes and gets a ball. Repeat.

• Once all the balls are gone from the center, players can begin taking a ball from other “hideouts”. Players cannot defend their balls and can’t tackle other people. When the Coach ends game, count to see which team has the most and return to center. Repeat.

Coaching Points:

• Encourage different turns to get ball back to hideout quickly.

• Players need to take little touches in tight spaces, and longer touches when they are sprinting with speed back to their hideout.

Progressions:

• Let both partners go at the same time to collect balls and steal from other teams.

Set Up:

• Remove the endzones in the previous game, and add two 3 yard goals on each end (field is now 31x20yds)

• Let players play 4v4, coach decides how restarts happen, depending on local rules

Coaching Points:

• None. Just let them play. However, get excited when you see a player try a try a dribbling move or attempts to get a defender off balance.

• Always highlight positives you see, but don’t stop play and don’t correct their decision making. This is their time to play how they want.