Academy 3 - Session 1
Put your players into pairs, try to put players of similar ability together. One of the pair will start inside the rectangle with a ball the other player will start on the outside of the rectangle without a ball. The objective of the exercise is for those players who do not have a ball to win a ball from their partner and then keep it away from their partner. Players who have a ball at the end of 60 seconds are the winners. Switch who starts with the ball and play again.
If a player dribbles the ball outside of the area they must give the ball to their partner, this simulates what happens in a game when you dribble off the pitch you loose possession Likewise if the defender tries to get the ball and just kicks it out of the area the player who had the ball retains the ball.
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Put your players into several teams you will need at least 2 players per team but 3 or 4 is optimal. The teams start in one endzone with one ball between the team. Each team must get their ball from the starting endzone to the end zone at the opposite end of the playing grid. The goal of this activity os to give all players lots of repetitions of passing and receiving the ball and moving the ball from one area to another.
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The four players on the sides of the square must pass the ball between themselves and avoid hitting the dribbling defender or their ball. The dribbling defender in the middle of the rondo has to dribble around the rondo trying to get in the way and block the 4 players passes. The four players on the sides of the square can move up and down their side of the square and should look to move to become open for their team mate who has the ball. If a player makes a pass that hits the dribbling defender or their ball they switch spots with the dribbling defender. Each pass is a point see if they can get to 10 points.
Size of your square is key. For beginners you want to make the square large enough to give the players some time and space to have success, you want to be careful not to make the square too big that they players are struggling with making a long pass across the Rondo.
Finish up your sessions with two 3v3 games. Make your 4 teams balanced and have them all play each other once rotation the teams every 5 minutes. You should be coaching the players on:
Don’t Kick The Ball Away When It Comes To You – Tell players they must take at least 2 touches or more every time they get the ball
Encourage Players To Get Away From Their Team Mates when they have the ball let them have space to play. Find your own space