Usual Session Format

The children are always divided into age/ability groups to start with.

Aprox 5 minutes is spent on a warm up at the start of each session.

The main coaching then begins. Children have a ball each for most drills. Each session will focus on a different aspect of football, with things like ball control, ball skills, dribbling and turning, passing, tackling, etc. Every child is encouraged to express themselves in all areas.

Where neccesary the children are then furthur divided by age/ability for the last half a hour or so, with each child taking part in a small sided football match.

Every session ends with one player from each group presented with a "Player of the Week" trophy.

Jonathan is player of the week!

Coaching Drills

Children learn many different football skills with us. Some of the common drills are shown, with an explanation of why these particular aspects are emphasised.

Dribbling and Turning. Most coaching sessions at some point involve dribbling the ball. This is after all the most basic of football skills. They are encouraged to use the top of the foot or 'laces' at all times, keeping the ball under close control. Dribbling is also often used as the warm-up.

Antony dribbles the ball.

• Drill...In a given area, players dribble using laces with small touches, at a walking pace, jogging, and then sprinting. Repeated using big touches (kicking the ball futher).
• Drill...In a given area, players dribble, alternately using the inside (big toe!) and outside (little toe!) of the foot. Repeated using the weaker foot.

Turns. Following basic dribbling is turning with the ball. Quick turns give good players extra time on the ball. Turns can be as simple as switching direction using the inside or outside of the foot, sending the defender the wrong way with a drop of the shoulder for example, upto things like dragback turns, inside or outside hooks and 'Cruif' turns where a player peforms a 180ø 'U' turn by kicking the ball behind the inside foot with the outside one.

Ryan turns using an 'outside hook'.

• Drill...In a given area, players zig-zag with the ball using the inside and outside of each foot and the perform one of the 180ø turns on the shout of "turn".
• Drill...Monsters. Three or four players have no ball and are the monsters, the rest dribble around the area. Monsters chase the other players trying to kick the ball away. The others dribble and turn away from the monsters to escape. When caught players hold the ball above the head and are only released when another player dribbles the ball through their legs.

Control and Passing. The other main skills are control and passing. A simple pass is easiest to control. Confidence is built contolling short passes, and children are taught passing with the inside of the foot. Longer passes are more difficult to control, harder still with a ball in the air. Eventually the older children are will be comfortable passing with either foot and controlling the ball at any height.

• Drill...In groups of three, in a straight line with ten yards between players, the first player passes using a "side foot" pass to the central player. Central player controlls the ball turns and passes to the third player who restarts the process. Each player has a turn as central player.

Advanced Skills. The older children are taught all the skills needed for football. Long passes, one touch passing, headers etc. are all taught. The most important things a child will learn though, are during the matches themselves. For the very youngest this means things as simple as what happens when the ball crosses the line and what a throw in is! At every session the biggest amount of time is taken by the matches themselves.

Joseph prepares to head the ball.

• Drill...Keep-ups. Ball is dropped, kicked once before it hits the floor and then caught. Ball must not go above head height.
• Drill...Keep-ups 2. Ball is dropped and allowed to bounce, before being kicked up. Ball can bounce between each keep-up.
• Drill...Keep-ups 3. Ball is kept up without bouncing. Players must keep-up for as many kicks as posible.

***** Page Sponsored by Crescent Windows *****