U7/U8 - Week 3

Warm Up

Make 2 lines, Placing cones 10 yards apart from eachother

Have players line up in 2 single-file lines with equal numbers in each. Have them start at the first cone, and work toward the second cone. Demonstrate and call out the follow: do each 2x, have next player go when player in front is half way through

• Light jog from cone 1 to 2
• High knees
• Heel kicks/ Butt kicks
• Open the gates
• Close the gates
• Kicks straight out
• Kicks across the body (swing arms and upper body opposite direction of kick)
• Touch the toes (bend down, straight leg, no bending knees and reach as far as you can. Try reaching with left hand to right foot, right hand to left foot)
• Squats (take 2-3 steps between each)
• Full sprint from cone 1 to 2

Watch this youtube clip for an idea of what it should look like, not all are in the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emw4_CV5eR8

Box work

We did this last week, but it is good to teach the players how to warm up properly and to get a good touch on the ball before working on other techniques./p>

• Start with dribbling around the box. Encourage players to change direction and not just go around in a circle
  • Remember to take lots of small touches, and not big touches. The ball should never be more than 2 feet away from you at any time
  • DO NOT use your toes, use the inside or outside of your foot
• As they get better at this, yell “stop” and have the players stop in place. Each time they are getting the hang of things, or you need to switch it up, do this and demonstrate one of the follow:
  • Turn: Place foot on ball and roll it backwards as you turn
  • Sit: Sit down on the ball until the coach says “up”
  • Cut: With the outside of your foot, wrap your foot around the ball and push it in another direction (if they struggle with this one feel free to skip it)
  • Change: Swap balls with another player by running up to them and gently passing the ball
  • Outside: leave your ball and run to a cone on the other side of the box and run back to your ball
  • Etc… Be creative. This is all about getting the players moving, and as many touches on the ball as we can.

PONG

Two players play against each other and share a ball. They place two cones anywhere from 2-8 yards apart. They choose! Players pass back and forth to each other. The rules are that the ball must never stop, must always stay on the ground and must go through the two cones without touching them. Whenever this is violated the other person receives a point. Because of the rule that the ball must never stop, players have to play 1-2 touch. The closer the two cones are the closer the pairs are probably going to be. The farther apart they are, the more they will have to move laterally and look more like the old arcade “pong” game. Play for time and see who can become the PONG Champ!

Other Physical Distancing Ideas

Here are some other ideas for covid friendly drills from the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association: (www.mayouthsoccer.org).

• U8 Session 1 -> https://www.mayouthsoccer.org/assets/61/6/2020_summer_8u_week_1_pd_plan.pdf
• U8 Session 2 -> https://www.mayouthsoccer.org/assets/61/6/2020_summer_8u_week_2_pd_plan.pdf
• U8 Session 3 -> https://www.mayouthsoccer.org/assets/61/6/2020_summer_8u_week_3_pd_plan.pdf
• U8 Session 4 -> https://www.mayouthsoccer.org/assets/61/6/2020_summer_8u_week_4_pd_plan.pdf