Here are some training drills for underage managers. Divided into Warm Ups, Carrying Drills, Passing/Receiving Drills, Scoring Drills, Tackling Drills and Games. There are different levels at each which include Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. Some activities also include Youtube clips. If you have anything to add to this please contact me. Warm Ups:
Aim: • Simple Pulse Raiser How to play:
• Give the kids an activity to do. • On the coaches whistle the kids must go back to back. • Activities that may be suitable include; – touch the ground, jump up, change direction, hit the ground, run backwards, bounce the ball. Equipment: • Cones • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim: • To develop reactions • Introducing the principals of marking. How to Play: • Players are in pairs – “cars” • One player is the driver the other is the passenger. • The ball is the steering wheel. • Use calls: Red = STOP Orange = READY TO STOP Green = GO Progression • Some of the pairs act as Trucks • They try and bump into the “cars” • The “cars” use agility to avoid a crash Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Stopwatch & Whistles
Aim: • Insures player’s are properly warmed up. • Improves running with the ball and passing. How to Play: • Mark out a large grid approx 30m x 30m. • All players are inside the grid with 1 football to every 3 players approximately. • Players move around randomly within the grid, they hop/solo the balls and exchange hand passes between one another. • Coach introduces various calls throughout the warm up e.g. high knees, heel flicks, side shuffle, high catch, pick up etc. • The warm up should also include changes in tempo & intensity e.g. jog & then lift the pace for 20-30seconds before returning to a jog. Progression • Make the grid bigger and introduce kick passing. Equipment • Cones • Footballs • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim: • Insures player’s are properly warmed up. How to Play: • Set up the warm up as shown – 3 groups each with a speed ladder, 4 small hurdles and a cone at either end. • Players move forward through the ladders then onto the hurdles and jog to the end cone. • Ensure that sideways movements are also used through the ladders and hurdles. • Increase the intensity as the warm up progresses e.g. once players pass the last hurdle they run at ¾ pace to the end cone, and then they progress to a sprint. • Use different exercises through the ladders e.g. 1 foot in each rung, 2 feet in each rung, high knees, sideways etc. Progression • Increase the difficulty of the ladder exercises • Punish mistakes through the ladders – this emphasises technique over speed. Equipment • Ladders • Cones • Hurdles • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim: • Insures players are properly warmed up How to Play: • Mark out a 20m x 20m grid • Nominate 3 “taggers”, each carries a ball. • Taggers have 30 seconds to touch as many players as possible with the ball. • Players who are tagged must jog around the outside of the grid. • Balls cannot be thrown or kicked • Rotate the taggers after every 30 second game. Equipment • Cones • Footballs • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim: • Insures players are properly warmed up. How to Play: • Set up the warm up as shown. • Players are in groups of 4. • Cones are set 10m apart, each section has a specific movement. • Players begin with heel flicks for 10m and move through all the movements before finishing with lunges. • When they have completed the lunges they split, 2 players turn left and jog back to the start, 2 turn right and do the same. • This jog should progress to ¾ pace and then onto a sprint as the warm up progresses. Equipment • Cones • Whistle • Stopwatch Carrying Drills:
Aim: • To Improve hop & solo while running How to Play • Set out cones as shown, 30m opposite each other. • 2/3 players line up behind each cone. • One ball per group. • The player hops & solos the ball and hand passes to the player opposite, who then receives the ball & does the same. Progression • Replace the hand pass with a punt pass • Increase the distance that the ball is carried Equipment • Cones • Footballs • Stopwatch & whistle
Aim: • To improve carrying the ball while on the move How to Play • Set up the drill as shown. • Player hops & solos the ball through the poles • They then take a tackle from a player holding a tackle bag • They then turn and give a diagonal kick pass to the next player who in turn hand passes to the next player to begin again. • Players follow the ball and move to the next position. Progression • Increase the number of footballs in use as this will increase the speed. Equipment • Cones • Footballs • Tackle Bags • Poles • Stopwatch & whistle
Aim: • Develops passing to space and receiving on the move. How to Play: • Set up a rectangular grid as shown – 30m x 15m • Players kick pass on the long side of the rectangle and hand pass on the short side • White arrows indicate the movement of the ball • Black arrows indicate the movement of the player • Accuracy of the passing and good handling are key • The kick pass should be angled so that the player can move onto it Progression • Increase the size of the rectangle • Increase the number of footballs in use Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Stopwatch & Whistles
Aim: • Develops passing to space and receiving on the move. How to Play: • Set up a rectangular grid as shown – 30m x 15m • Players kick pass on the long side of the rectangle and hand pass on the short side • White arrows indicate the movement of the ball • Black arrows indicate the movement of the player • Accuracy of the passing and good handling are key • The kick pass should be angled so that the player can move onto it Progression • Increase the size of the rectangle • Increase the number of footballs in use Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Stopwatch & Whistles
Aim: • Develops ability to go past a player • Practices the skill of stopping a player running at you How to Play • Set up 3 channels, each approximately 30metres and 10metres wide. • 3 defenders start at cone A at one side of the grid and 3 attackers at cone B on other side. • Each attacker has a ball. • Defenders decide amongst themselves which attacker they will follow. • On the whistle, attackers run at random into a channel (one attacker in each). • Defenders track their own man to whichever grid they run into and attempt to prevent them from getting from one end to the other by tackling, shadowing and dispossessing. • Attackers must play the ball every 4 steps. Progression • Make the channels narrower Equipment • Cones • Footballs • Whistle
• Improve support play off the shoulder How to Play • Handpass exercise involving up to 24 players & up to 4 balls included. • A rectangle 30m x 15m is set up & players are split into 8 even groups. • There is a group at each corner & another group 5m away from each corner group. • Every long hand/kick pass is followed by a short handpass. • The ball starts at one of the corner groups. The first player passes long to the corner opposite, this player then receives the ball & gives a short handpass to the player running off the group nearest. • This player then passes to the group opposite who, on receiving the ball, pops it off to the player running off the nearest corner cone. • They then play a long pass to the corner opposite them who, on receiving the pass, pops off to the on-running player from the nearest group. • The player who received the ball passes to the group opposite and they in turn pop a pass off to the player running from the original group & the drill is repeated. • All Players must join the group they passed to. Progression • Increase the number off balls. Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Whistles
Passing/Receiving Drills:
Aim: • Develop accurate passing How to Play • Cones set up 10-15m apart • 2/3 players line up behind each cone • One ball per group • For 30 seconds players hand pass the ball to the player opposite them • For the hand pass, both the passer & the receiver should be moving towards each other so as to reduce the distance of the pass • On the coaches call the hand pass become a punt pass. Progression • Increase the distance between the cones Equipment • Cones • Footballs • Stopwatch & Whistle
• Forces players to pass on the run • Improves off the ball running to receive the next pass How to play • Players line up in groups of 3 approx 5m apart. • The ball starts with the middle player. • Players move forward, the middle player hand passes either left or right. • Players move diagonally and after each pass, the player who has given the pass takes up the position of the player that he/she just passed to Progression • Increase the distance between the players Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Stopwatch & Whistle
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Aim/Focus: • Develops passing to space and receiving on the move. How to Play: • Set up a rectangular grid as shown – 30m x 15m • Players kick pass on the long side of the rectangle and hand pass on the short side • White arrows indicate the movement of the ball • Black arrows indicate the movement of the player • Accuracy of the passing and good handling are key • The kick pass should be angled so that the player can move onto it Progression • Increase the size of the rectangle • Increase the number of footballs in use Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Stopwatch & Whistles
Scoring Drills:
Aim: • Practice scoring on the move. How to Play: • Players line up in groups behind two cones – each player has a ball. • 1 player stands 5 meters in front of each group as a receiver. • The players run out give a hand pass to the receiver, get the ball back, and attempt to shoot a score. • They then retrieve their own ball and jog to the back of their group. • Rotate the receiver every 90 seconds. Progression • On the coaches whistle the player who is shooting must go for a goal • Increase the distance from the goalposts Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Goalposts • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim/Focus: • Improve receiving the ball, turning quickly and shooting on sight How to Play: • Divide players into 5 groups – 2 groups for kick passing, 2 groups for shooting, 1 group behind the goal. • The footballs start with the 2 kick passing groups. • They play a diagonal kick pass, the attacker receives the ball and turns to shoot. • The players behind the goal retrieve the footballs • Players follow their ball – i.e. kick passers become attackers, attackers move behind the goal, players behind the goal become kick passers Progression • On the coaches whistle, the attacker shoots for a goal Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Goalposts • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim/Focus: • To improve shooting on the run and under pressure How to Play: • Divide players into 4 groups – 2 groups of attackers & 2 groups of defenders as shown. • 1 Attacker in each group hops/solos the ball through the poles, when they reach their final pole 1 defender from each group leaves their cone and attempts to dispossess the attacker before they can shoot/score. • Rotate attackers & defenders after 5 minutes Progression • Attackers must shoot for goal. • Impose conditions e.g. attackers must shoot from outside a certain distance. Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Poles • Goalposts • Stopwatch & Whistle
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Tackling Drills:
• Develop tackling skills • Improves carrying under pressure How to Play: • This is a drill in individual defence. Mark out a grid as shown 30m x 10m. • Players are in pairs, with one player carrying a ball. • One player hops/solos the ball towards their end of the grid, the other player attempts to dispossess as often as they can. • When the reach the end of the grid they turn and repeat the exercise back towards the centre of the grid. • Players swap roles after 90 seconds. Progression • Increase time to 2-3 minutes • Make it competitive – count the turnovers. Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim/Focus: • Practice taking the ball past players • Improves tackling skills How to Play: • Mark out several lanes – 5m x 20m. • Assign 2 players to each lane – 1 attacker & 1 defender • The defender is aiming to dispossess the attacker as many times as possible before the attacker reaches the end of the lane, without committing a foul. • The attacker must hop/solo the ball as they progress. • Emphasis is on good body position, quick feet, and near hand tackling Progression • Make lanes wider – attacker has more space. Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Stopwatch & Whistle
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• Develops ability to go past a player • Practices the skill of stopping a player running at you How to Play • Set up 3 channels, each approximately 30metres and 10metres wide. • 3 defenders start at cone A at one side of the grid and 3 attackers at cone B on other side. • Each attacker has a ball. • Defenders decide amongst themselves which attacker they will follow. • On the whistle, attackers run at random into a channel (one attacker in each). • Defenders track their own man to whichever grid they run into and attempt to prevent them from getting from one end to the other by tackling, shadowing and dispossessing. • Attackers must play the ball every 4 steps. Progression • Make the channels narrower Equipment • Cones • Footballs • Whistle
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Aim: • Develops under pressure • Also attackers practice scoring consistently How to Play: • Two teams of 5v5 in an area with two goals. • Full rules apply, however the aim of the teams is to try and get 3 scores consecutively without the opposition scoring • If a team is 1-0 or 2-0 up and the opposition scores then their lead is “wiped out” and the game is 0-0 again. • The aim is to prevent the opposition getting to 3-0 by successfully turning over possession and it also promotes clinical attacking play. Progression: • Increase the pitch size to make turnovers more difficult to achieve Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Bibs • Poles • Portable Goals • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim: • Gets attackers to move to create space • Defenders practice cutting off space How to Play: • Put players in groups of 5 (1 defender & 4 attackers) • Use grids (10m x 10m) • Attackers stay outside the area, defender stays inside. • Attackers score a point when they make a successful pass to another attacker. • Defenders score two points for a block/intercept. • Change the defender every 30 seconds. Progression: • Increase the time • Increase/reduce the grid size Equipment • Cones • Bibs • Footballs • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim/Focus: • Improves accuracy • Get used to hitting under pressure How to Play: • Mark out a circle approx 30m wide. • 4 objects are set up as targets within a large circle. • Players are not allowed to enter the circle. • One team defends the targets while the attacking team tries to knock down the targets using kicking skills (more than one ball is being used at a time). • Once all the objects are knocked down the teams switch roles. Progression: • Reduce the size and/or number of targets Equipment • Cones • Bibs • Footballs • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim/Focus: • Attackers practice shooting in good positions. • Defenders learn not to Give away frees in easy positions. How to Play: • Players are split into 2 teams, attackers and defenders • A large circle is marked out, 20m past each post and extended 30m in front of the goals • Forwards attack the goals, only points count • A score from outside the circle is worth 1 point, a score from inside the circle is worth 2 points and a “free” from inside the circle is worth 3 points. • Defenders could also win points by winning the ball and working it past the 45m line. Also a clean tackle inside the circle resulting in a dispossession should be awarded 3 points Progression: • Increase the number of defenders or attackers. Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Bibs • Goals • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim: • Improves decision making • Make’s players think about runs off the ball How to Play: • Mark out a grid approximately 40m x 40m • Divide players into two teams – 4v4/5v5/6v6 • Set up 3 – 4 goals within the grid. • Players score by completing a pass through one of the goals to a team mate. • Players cannot score through the same goal twice in a row Progression: • Narrow the goals • Impose conditions on the game, e.g. no hop/solo Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Bibs • Poles • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim/Focus: • Develops accurate passing • Helps improve positional movement How to Play: • Mark out a grid approximately 40m x 40m • Divide players into two teams – 4v4/5v5/6v6 • Players attempt to complete 5 consecutive foot passes in order to score • The opposition must aim to turnover possession before 5 passes are complete • If a team does complete 5 passes consecutively, the possession is turned over and the opposition attempt to score Progression: • Increase the number of passes needed to score • Reduce the size of the grid so that passes must be more accurate Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Bibs • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim/Focus: • Develops catching and kicking skills. • Makes players look when kicking the ball. How to Play: • A grid 50m x 20m is marked out with a space of 10m x 20m in the centre. • Players are spilt into 2 teams. • They must punt kick “over the river” into the opposition’s area. • The team receiving the punt kick are aiming to complete a clean catch. • Implement a scoring system for catches i.e. 2 points for overhead catch, 1 point for standard catch, -1 point for a ball that hits the ground Progression: • Increase the size of the playing area including the river. Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Bibs • Stopwatch & Whistle
Aim/Focus: • Gets players to pass ball before the tackle How to Play: • Mark out a grid 30m x 20m • 3 players start the drill by moving forward while passing a ball to one another. • 6 players with tackle bags assigned to 6 cones of 3 different colours • The Coach calls a colour & the players at the cone of that colour must react and enter the grid to make a hit on any one player. • Players with the ball must maintain control of it and reach the end of the grid. Progression: • Coach calls more than 1 colour. Equipment • Footballs • Cones • Bibs • Tackle Bags • Stopwatch & Whistle |
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