U10  Training  Sessions  and  Practical  Information  Gregor  Young,  Technical  Director  

 Here  is  the  information  and  practice  plans  I’d  mentioned  to  some  of  you  was  coming.  There’s  three  practice  plans  that  are  consistent  with  the  curriculum  I  put  together  for  our  U6  to  U10  teams  (available  as  a  pdf  in  the  coaches  section  of  the  club  website)  and  tested  on  players  this  age  this  season.    I’ve  said  to  many  of  you  that  I  consider  U10  to  be  the  most  difficult  age  group  to  coach  as  it’s  the  last  year  before  we  tier  players  as  per  the  rules  of  divisional  soccer.  Tiering  allows  you  to  coach  to  a  narrow  range  of  abilities  and  motivations.  Right  now  we  have  players  on  our  teams  that  are  new  to  the  game,  have  maybe  not  played  any  team  sport  before  and  are  unsure  as  to  whether  they  like  the  game  or  not.  Having  them  play  with  and  against  kids  who  have  been  playing  since  they  were  five  and  are  highly  motivated  to  continue  improving  because  they  love  the  game  is  very  challenging  from  a  coaching  perspective.    To  that  end,  here  are  three  practice  plans  that  follow  a  new  training  session  structure  known  as  G.A.G  (game,  activity,  game).  It’s  been  proven  to  increase  player  retention  of  what’s  being  worked  on  and  is  well  suited  to  kids  this  age  group  who  enjoy  and  are  motivated  by  game-­‐based  play.    The  way  it  works  is  that  after  a  short  warm  up  you  go  directly  to  a  game,  generally  a  conditioned  game  but  one  that  is  oppositional  and  has  goals.  After  that,  you  pull  the  players  in,  discuss  what  happened  in  the  game  and  move  to  an  activity  that  can  be  purely  technical  (no  opposition)  or  possession-­‐based  (opposed  but  no  goals  to  score  in).  Then  you  go  back  and  finish  with  a  scrimmage  type  game  that  can  have  a  condition  or  just  be  free  play.  I’ve  been  running  G.A.G.  sessions  recently  and  find  it  to  be  a  really  nice  format  that  flows  well,  keeps  the  players  focused  and  works  well  in  the  relatively  short  training  times  we’re  afforded.                  

Some  notes  on  the  importance  on  getting  young  players  to  use  width  in  attack:    Before  outlining  the  training  session,  I  just  want  to  draw  attention  to  the  idea  of  using  width  in  games.    In  last  year’s  Champions  League  final  between  Barcelona  and  Manchester  United,  Barcelona  midfielder,  and  perhaps  the  best  passer  of  the  ball  in  the  game  today,  Xavi,  completed  141  of  148  passes.  The  most  any  Manchester  United  player  made  was  40  and  that  was  by  central  defender  Rio  Ferdinand  so  it  can  be  safely  assumed  that  most  of  those  were  in  his  own  half  of  the  field.  Xavi  completed  46  of  48  passes  in  the  attacking  third  where  time  and  space  are  much  tighter.    David  Silva,  like  Xavi,  is  a  Spanish  midfielder  but  Silva  plays  for  Manchester  City  where  he  is  increasingly  being  praised  as  the  best  player  in  the  English  Premier  League.  He  has  more  assists  than  any  other  EPL  player  to  date.    Here’s  a  diagram  of  Silva’s  passes  (blue=successful;  red=unsuccessful)  in  his  last  EPL  game  vs  Norwich  on  the  left  and  Xavi’s  passes  in  the  attacking  third  in  the  Champions  League  Final  against  Manchester  United:    

     What  should  stand  out  is  both  players  excellent  use  of  width.  Far  more  balls  are  played  laterally  than  directly  towards  goal.  As  both  teams  are  dominant  in  almost  all  their  games  and  opponents  tend  to  sit  back  and  make  attacking  against  them  difficult,  it  becomes  very  important  to  effectively  use  wide  space  to  open  them  up.  Playing  wide  balls  forces  defending  to  shift  wide  and  potentially  open  up  channels  inside  if  they  don’t  stay  compact.  Quick  ball  movement  back  and  forth  through  

players  like  Xavi  and  Silva  can  then  exploit  gaps  left  by  defenders  slow  to  adjust  to  lateral  play.    That’s  the  long  preamble  to  the  simple  point  that  younger  playeres  need  to  start  recognizing  the  game  is  not  about  the  quickest,  most  direct  route  to  goal.  Increasingly  that  route  becomes  blocked  by  organized  defenders  and  they  must  learn  to  use  the  width  of  the  field  to  find  ways  around  opponents  rather  than  insisting  on  going  through  them  all  the  time.    Here’s  a  picture  I  took  at  a  recent  U10  game.  It’s  irrelevant  who  the  teams  are  or  even  if  it’s  a  boys  or  a  girls  game.  The  issue  is  consistent  across  all  our  teams  at  this  age.    

   Neither  team  has  a  player  within  10  yards  of  either  sideline.      To  that  end,  I’ve  put  together  a  training  session  that  gets  our  player  to  use  the  field’s  width.  Hopefully  the  diagrams  are  helpful.  They  were  made  with  a  few  different  iPad  apps  and  some  are  more  clear  than  others.          

   Training  Session  #1:  Width      1.  Game:  Extra  wide  two  goal  game    Set  up  a  field  that  is  30-­‐40  yards  wide  and  ~20  yards  long.  Make  four  small  goals,  using  cones,  in  each  corner.    Make  two  teams  and  tell  them  they  score  goals  by  scoring  into  the  two  goals  opposite  them  and  defend  the  two  at  their  end.  Remind  them  that  if  they  go  towards  one  goal  and  find  the  other  team  all  drawn  to  defending  it  they  can  switch  play  across  the  field  and  attack  the  other  goal.  

 

   

Progression  #1:  Instead  of  shooting  the  ball  through  the  goal  to  score,  tell  players  they  have  to  dribble  the  ball  to  one  of  the  goal  lines  and  stop  it  on  the  line  to  score.  This  will  be  more  difficult  and  require  quicker  ball  movement  to  open  up  the  additional  time  and  space  to  work  the  ball  right  to  the  goal  line  rather  than  shooting  from  distance.    Progression  #2:  Same  as  above  but  now  have  the  players  need  to  complete  a  pass  through  the  goal  to  a  player  running  behind  the  goal.                

   2.  Activity:  Possession  game  encouraging  switching  play    Using  the  same  setup,  ignore  the  four  cones  in  the  corner  of  the  field  and  get  the  players  to  see  the  other  four  cones  as  a  square.  Put  four  players  on  each  side  of  the  square.  Depending  on  how  many  players  you  have  put  the  other  players  on  the  inside  and  arrange  them  so  they  are  playing  either  2v1,  2v2,  3v2  or  3v3.    

   Players  on  the  inside  are  trying  to  get  the  ball  to  a  player  on  the  outside,  receive  it  back  and  then  get  the  ball  across  the  square  to  the  outside  support  player  on  the  other  side.  They  are  allowed  to  pass  to  other  players  on  their  team  on  the  inside  before  getting  it  across  the  square.  They  can  also  decide  to  play  to  an  outside  support  player  next  to  the  one  who  gave  them  the  ball  but  they  don’t  get  a  point  for  this.  They  just  maintain  possession  and  look  to  score  a  point  in  the  future.    Instruct  players  on  the  outside  to  play  to  the  team  that  gave  them  the  ball  and  to  be  mobile  up  and  down  their  line  to  provide  angles  to  receive  passes  from  players  on  the  inside.    If  you  have  uneven  numbers  on  the  inside,  for  example  3v2,  you  can  decide  if  the  group  of  two  or  the  group  of  three  are  the  attackers  depending  on  the  level  of  play.  It  will  obviously  be  more  challenging  for  the  two  in  a  3v2  to  maintain  possession  and  work  the  ball  across  the  square.  If  you  have  even  numbers  whichever  teams  is  able  to  get  possession  and  work  it  to  the  outside  is  the  one  who  is  on  the  attack.      Change  inside  and  outside  players  every  few  minutes.        

 3.  Game:  4v4  with  wide  support      Regular  scrimmage  but  put  neutral  players  on  the  outside  (both  right  and  left)  and  make  it  a  condition  that  teams  must  move  the  ball  to  the  wide  players  (who  cannot  be  tackled  but  must  stay  outside  the  cones)  before  they  can  attack  the  goal  and  score.  (The  overlapping  blue  and  yellow  figures  are  meant  to  indicate  they  are  neutral  and  always  on  the  team  that  gives  them  the  ball).    

     

Progression:  Get  rid  of  the  neutral  players  but  keep  the  rule  that  teams  must  move  the  ball  to  the  wide  areas  outside  the  cones  before  attacking.  Now  anyone  from  their  team  can  move  to  this  wide  position  to  receive  the  ball  (or  they  can  dribble  it  there)  and  attack  from  there.      

Training  Session  #2:  Passing  and  Moving      1.  Game:  Four  Goal  Soccer  (attack  and  defend  all  four  goals)    Set  up  a  field  that  is  ~  30x30  or  40x40  yards.  Put  four  goals  in  each  corner  so  that  they  are  all  facing  into  the  middle  of  the  square.  Leave  at  least  6m  behind  each  goal.    Make  two  teams.  30x30  yards  for  this  age  is  suitable  for  4v4  or  5v5.  If  you  need  to  play  6v6,  make  the  field  a  bit  bigger.    The  rules  are  simple.  Teams  can  score  in  any  of  the  four  goals  and  they  score  by  completing  a  pass,  either  way,  through  the  goal  to  a  teammate.    This  diagram  was  done  on  an  older  app  and  isn’t  as  clear  as  I’d  like  but  you  can  see  the  four  goals  facing  the  middle  with  a  blue  player  passing  to  a  teammate  through  one  of  the  goals.  Yes,  it  says  40x40  and  it’s  only  5v5  but  this  is  what  older  divisional  players  would  play.  Best  to  stick  with  the  recommendation  above  for  U10’s.    

   

2.  Activity:  Passing  and  Moving  in  Grids    

   Red  lines  indicate  path  of  ball.  Blue  lines  indicate  movement  of  players    I  made  this  one  up  years  ago  and  have  added  various  progressions  to  it  since.  I  use  it  for  younger  players  to  teach  spacing,  spatial  awareness  and  appropriate  passing  distances  as  you  force  spacing  on  them  by  defining  areas  as  grids  and  can  manipulate  the  size  of  the  grids  based  on  the  age/ability  of  the  players.  Players  are  not  able  to  cluster  around  balls  as  only  one  player  per  grid  at  any  given  time  is  permitted.  You  also  are  able  to  enforce  a  minimal  passing  distance  that  way  as  well.      Use  cones  to  set  up  a  series  of  connected  squares  about  8-­‐10  yards  across.  Make  approximately  50%  more  squares  than  you  have  players  (eg.  If  you  have  10  players  make  16  squares  in  a  4x4  set  up  as  per  the  diagram).    Have  each  players  stand  in  the  middle  of  their  own  square  and  give  half  the  players,  minus  one,  a  ball  (eg.  If  you  have  ten  players,  use  four  balls).    Start  by  having  players  without  a  ball  receive  passes  from  those  who  do  by  moving  to  an  empty  square  and  asking  for  a  pass.  Once  those  with  a  ball  have  passed  to  someone  they  then  look  to  get  a  different  ball  from  someone  else  by  also  moving  to  an  empty  square  and  asking  for  a  pass.  Forcing  them  to  ask  for  a  pass  each  time  just  gets  them  used  to  communicating  with  each  other  on  the  field.    

Progression  #1:  Player  making  pass  must  immediately  move  to  a  new  (empty)  square.  Once  there  they  then  make  a  second  run  when  they  are  able  to  connect  with  a  teammate  and  receive  a  pass.  Forces  immediate  movement  once  they’ve  released  the  ball.    Progression  #2:  Player  receiving  the  pass  must  make  a  specific  type  of  first  touch  (turn,  change  of  direction,  use  particular  part  of  the  foot,  use  weak  foot,  etc)    Progression  #3:  Player  receiving  the  ball  in  the  square  they  are  moving  into  must  take  a  directed  first  touch  towards  another  square  that  has  already  been  identified  as  empty  and  dribble  quickly  to  that  square.    Progression  #4:  Players  cannot  move  to  an  adjacent  square.  Their  runs  must  be  longer  and  see  them  pass  through  at  least  two  squares  when  they  are  making  a  run.        3.  Game:  End  Zone  Soccer    Set  up  an  appropriately  sized  field  for  a  scrimmage  but  instead  of  goals  create  6  yard  end  zones  at  each  end.  Teams  score  goals  by  passing  to  a  teammate  in  the  end  zone.  Goals  do  not  count  if  player  is  standing  still  in  the  end  zone  when  pass  is  received.    Progression  #1:  Play  two  or  three  touch  max    Progression  #2:  Put  a  half  way  line  in  and  tell  players  that  goals  will  only  count  if  all  players  on  the  team  or  in  the  attacking  half  (forces  movement  and  support  of  the  ball  in  attack  because  ‘defenders’  cannot  stay  back  and  watch  once  the  ball  moves  forward).    Progression  #3:  Passes  into  the  end  zone  must  be  made  with  first  touch                                

Training  Session  #3:  Shooting    As  per  the  VUFC  Curriculum  for  U6  to  U10  players,  shooting  is  the  last  of  the  technical  skills  that  time  should  be  devoted  to  and  should  really  only  have  significant  portions  of  the  practice  devoted  to  it  once  you  get  to  U10.  Before  you  can  shoot  the  ball,  you  need  to  be  able  to  control  it,  move  with  it  and  pass  it  so  you  can  create  shooting  opportunities.  Spending  valuable  time  at  U7  and  U8  working  on  this  is  definitely  putting  the  cart  before  the  horse.        1.  Game:  2v2  Shooting/Transition    

     Set  up:  18  yard  (long)  by  15  yard  (wide)  area  with  a  goal  at  each  end.  Make  two  teams.  You  need  a  minimum  of  ten  players  for  this  game  to  work.  Have  a  goalie  in  each  net  and  two  players  from  each  team  playing  against  each  other.  Have  a  coach  on  each  side  line  with  a  couple  of  balls  at  their  feet  to  feed  in  quickly  if  the  ball  goes  out  on  the  side.  All  other  balls  are  dispersed  equally  behind  each  goal.    Play:  Players  try  to  score  on  opposing  goal.  Because  field  is  very  small  they  are  almost  always  within  shooting  distance  and  should  be  encouraged  to  look  for  opportunities  to  shoot  and  do  so  whenever  possible.  If  the  ball  goes  in  or  goes  wide  (ie.  Crosses  any  part  of  the  opposition  end  line),  the  team  defending  that  end  goes  

off  and  is  replaced  by  two  teammates  who  bring  a  new  ball  on  with  them.  It  is  to  their  advantage  to  be  ready  to  spring  into  action  as  soon  as  the  ball  crosses  their  end  line  to  take  advantage  of  their  opponents  who  have  just  been  attacking  and  shot  the  ball  over  the  end  line.  This  is  the  transition  aspect  of  the  game.  Goalies  cannot  score.    The  two  man  teams  stay  on  until  a  ball  crosses  their  end  line.  They  then  go  off,  make  sure  they  have  a  ball  and  await  their  turn  to  go  back  on.  If  balls  go  off  on  the  side,  coaches  throw  a  ball  on  to  the  team  that  didn’t  kick  it  out.    Coaching  points:    

• Encourage  quickness  in  decision-­‐making  and  actions.  This  should  be  anaerobic  work  in  nature  and  shifts  should  be  short.    

• Emphasize  the  importance  of  the  approach  to  the  ball  before  striking  it  and  the  placement  of  the  non-­‐kicking  foot.  

• Emphasize  quick  ball  movement  and  the  incorporation  of  their  own  keeper  to  create  3v2  situations  that  can  open  up  scoring  opportunities.  

 Progression:  Allow  the  keepers  to  score  but  only  if  they  shoot  with  their  first  touch      2.  Activity:  Manchester  United  Shooting  Drill    Set  up:  Same  as  the  2v2  game  above  so  transition  to  this  drill  is  very  quick.    Split  players  in  half  and  have  them  stand  as  per  the  diagram  below.  

 

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Manchester*United*Shooting*Drill*#1*!Set!up:!20*25!yards!by!15!yards!with!a!goal!at!each!end.!Players!line!up!to!the!right!of!each!goal!(half!each)!with!balls.!!Instructions:!Players!take!specified!touches!on!ball!before!shooting!on!goal!opposite!them!(gk!in!each!goal)!with!their!right!foot.!They!then!collect!their!ball!and!join!the!other!line,!repeating!the!exercise!going!back!the!other!way.!!Vary!the!approach!to!the!shot!every!few!minutes!and!have!the!players!switch!over!to!the!left!side!of!the!goal!so!they!duplicate!the!exercises!but!are!now!shooting!with!their!left!foot.!!Coaching*points:**!1.!This!is!an!unopposed!technique!shooting!drill!(no!defenders)!so!position!yourself!so!you!can!get!a!close!view!of!the!shooting!action!and!suggest!adjustments!right!after!each!shot!to!the!players.!!2.!Have!players!concentrate!just!as!much!on!movements!that!will!enable!them!to!get!their!shots!away!as!the!actual!shot!(quick!inside*outside!moves,!stop*starts)!!3.!Insist!on!players!doing!this!(and!all!technique!work)!with!both!feet.!!!!

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There  are  no  defenders  in  this  drill  so  players  can  focus  entirely  on  technique.  Players  start  in  two  lines  opposite  each  other  to  the  right  of  each  goal.  Start  with  having  them  simply  push  the  ball  forward  a  few  steps  and  then  shoot  it  with  their  next  touch  at  the  opposite  goal.  They  then  collect  their  ball  and  join  the  line  at  the  opposite  end  and  repeat  the  action  coming  back  the  other  way.  Players  continue  to  move  round  like  this.    Progression  #1  (shown  in  diagram):  Have  players  start  their  movement  by  pushing  the  ball  inside  and  then  quickly  outside  before  shooting  the  ball.  It  should  be  three  touches  in  total:  inside,  outside,  shot.  The  inside-­‐outside  move  is  designed  to  unbalance  the  defender  and  create  a  shooting  angle  without  actually  having  to  beat  and  go  past  the  defender.    Progression  #2:  (diagram  below):    

     Players  now  pass  their  ball  to  the  player  opposite  them  at  the  front  of  the  other  line.  They  must  then  quickly  adjust  to  receive  the  ball  being  played  to  them  (at  the  same  time),  control  it  and  then  shoot.  Instruct  players  to  make  sure  they  do  not  pass  the  ball  behind  their  teammate  but  rather  lead  them  with  the  pass  so  it  is  easier  to  control  and  shoot.  

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Manchester*United*Shooting*Drill*#2*!Set!up:!20*25!yards!by!15!yards!with!a!goal!at!each!end.!Players!line!up!to!the!right!of!each!goal!(half!each)!with!balls.!!Instructions:!Players!pass!to!the!player!opposite!them!in!the!other!line.!Passes!should!be!placed!in!the!path!of!the!goal!being!attacked,!not!right!at!their!feet.!Players!take!a!touch!to!control!and!then!shoot.!They!then!collect!their!ball!and!join!the!other!line,!repeating!the!exercise!going!back!the!other!way.!!Have!the!players!switch!over!to!the!left!side!of!the!goal!so!they!duplicate!the!exercises!but!are!now!shooting!with!their!left!foot.!!Coaching*points:**!1.!Focus!on!quick!movement!to!the!ball!and!a!first!touch!that!allows!for!a!quick!release!after!a!2*3!step!run!up!to!the!ball.!!2.!Players!need!to!be!explosive!in!their!last!step!to!the!ball!and!strike!through!the!ball.!This!is!facilitated!by!precise!placement!of!the!non*kicking!foot!next!to!the!ball.!!3.!Allow!players!one!quick!look!at!goal!and!then!full!concentration!on!the!ball.!!!!

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3.  Game:  Four  Goal  Shooting    Set  up  a  30  x  30  yard  field  with  goals  in  each  corner  facing  back  into  the  middle  of  the  field.  Make  three  teams  of  4  and  have  one  team  be  the  goalies  in  each  goal  and  the  other  two  play  4v4  against  each  other.  Teams  can  score  on  any  goal  so  this  opens  up  lots  of  shooting  opportunities.    Rotate  teams  every  five  minutes  so  all  have  a  turn  in  goal.    Progression  #1:  Specify  that  goals  must  be  scored  with  first  or  second  touch  only    Progression  #2:  Count  goals  scored  with  weaker  foot  worth  triple.