Transcript
St. Vrain Football Club U9-U10
Table of Contents Foreword - 3 Details of the basic stage - 4 Topic List - 7 Building a session - 8 Game Day Preparation - 9 Game Day Formation - 10 Training Sessions - 11
Foreword: This is a living document. It will never be completely and utterly finished. This is because the game is constantly evolving, and as coaches, we need to be flexible in the way we teach and how we teach. We are very excited to offer this document as a tool to be used to help guide the focus of every coach. The curriculum is twofold: 1) to help educate the coaches 2) to focus the coaches to ensure no steps are over-looked in the development process. The main premise is that it is impossible to over-train the technical aspects of the game. Remember, the game is meant to be fun and so is coaching. So, while the players are learning and working hard, there is still plenty of room for fun! We look forward to growing this document as the club continues to grow and evolve. Staring at a document of this size can be a bit daunting at times and can be a lot to digest. But, we are here for support, so please, ask questions and enjoy the ride. It's going to be a great time!
Go Green!
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U9/U10 (Basic Stage) Soccer for this age is a fun activity for the kids that encourages a lot of games to goals and encourages experimentation with the ball. The ratio of balls to players should be small enough that all your players are involved all the time. The focus is on developing a relationship with the ball in a joyful environment.
Games: 8 v 8 w/ GK Substitution: free GK Status: Players rotate as a goalkeeper in game. All players should experience playing all the different spots on the field during the season. Ball Size: 4 GENERAL THOUGHTS At this age, there are some children that are becoming more physically mature. Among your group, there are now some bigger and faster players whose eye-hand and eye-foot coordination is a little ahead of the majority of your players. Some of your players may also demonstrate a greater capacity to stay focused for longer periods of time. However, explanations must still be brief, concise, and purposeful. Care should be taken with players, regardless of athletic ability, to address ball skill, especially in tight spaces. The faster, stronger players should not be encouraged to use their athleticism to solve all their problems. Building comfort with the ball at ages nine and ten will provide them with a variety of crucial tools they will need as they get older, and the level of ball skill and athleticism rises. A DISCUSSION ON WINNING AND LOSING For the first time, we are playing teams and players from other clubs who may not have the same development philosophy as us. It is highly encouraged to emphasize a skillful approach, even though this may result in conceding goals or losing games in the short term. Competition is a central element in a player’s development. At the youth level, a competitive environment should not be a result-oriented environment. THE DIFFERENCES MUST BE CLEAR. The result is just one indicator of performance at this age, and it is not the most important one. Matches are important as a means to player development (enjoyment, ball skill, insight, and fitness), not as the aim. Focus on the process and performance rather than the outcome, but be prepared for the possibility that your team may lose some games in the short term with this approach. Keep in mind that it is actually easier to win games at this age group with teams that are “organized” but lack skill. Placing the more physically mature players down the middle of the field and just asking players to “kick it down the
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middle” or only allowing players to specialize at one position may lead to more victories… however, it does not effectively teach the players the game and prepare them to continue on in the sport. GOALS FOR PRACTICE, GAMES AND SEASON Building the player’s skill base continues to be the most important goal of the season. At this age, this can be done through the introduction of a few more players in the games the coach sets up. Keep in mind that even the more competent players will not be working effectively as a group once the numbers get beyond 5 v 5. In the smaller numbers, emphasis must still be on creating 1 v 1 or 2 v 1 duals on the field. PRACTICE Keep the sessions simple and player centered. Give the players simple problem solving opportunities and plenty of opportunities to score goals. It is important to be positive and to continue to create repeated opportunities for the players to express themselves through their ability with the ball, regardless of the outcome of their effort. DURATION, RATIO OF BALL: CHILD Practices should consist of no more than 60 minutes of structured, adult-directed soccer with an additional 30 minutes allotted for free play / self expression and selfimprovement. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING DURING PRACTICE As much as possible let players experience soccer through 3 v 3 to 5 v 5 games that last for no more than 10 or 15 minutes. The small numbers allow the players to gain critical practice at 1 v 1 and 2 v 1 situations, while still allowing for the fun and feel of a soccer game. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING IN MATCHES Remember, these are young children who have several more years to go before they will have all the tools needed to attempt soccer in the adult form. The best path to truly preparing them for the adult game is not have them practice at playing the adult game; rather it is by giving them repeated opportunities to experience soccer in a more manageable form for their age. SUBSTITUTION PATTERNS Players should be given the opportunity to play soccer for extended, uninterrupted periods of time. This allows them to get a better feel for the flow of a soccer game. At a minimum, players at this age should be playing 50% of every game.
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF INFORMATION THAT IS COMMUNICATED TO THE PLAYERS BY THE COACH The coach should make comments that help players stay involved without giving them all the answers: “join the game,” “find the ball,” “go get the ball,” “don’t hide,” etc. The coach for this age group does not focus on positions, yet encourages everyone to take part in attacking and defending. Try to manage the amount of information or feedback your players are receiving immediately after practices or matches. BEST QUALITIES OF A COACH FOR THIS AGE Energetic and enthusiastic. Plays while facilitating practice. Stimulates ideas. Still fun oriented to make them fall in love with the game.
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Training Schedule and Topic List Week 1 ‐ Turns Week 2 ‐ 1v1 Week 3 ‐ Receiving Week 4 ‐ Passing Week 5 ‐ Ball Control Week 6 ‐ Desire Week 7 ‐ Finishing Week 8 ‐ Decision Making Week 9 ‐ Turns Week 10 ‐ 1v1 Week 11 ‐ Receiving Week 12 ‐ Passing Week 13 ‐ Ball Control Week 14 ‐ Desire Week 15 ‐ Finishing Week 16 ‐ Decision Making
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How to Build a Practice Session: U9/U10 1.
The 3 activities on each page are arranged from easy to difficult: Mild, Medium, and Spicy! They are listed from easiest to most difficult, easiest are at the top of the pages most difficult are at the bottom.
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Pick 4 activities from each session. Warm up, Technical Unopposed, Unopposed, and Final Game. Base your session on what you feel your team is ready for. Err on the side of picking an activity/exercise that is too easy.
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You, as the coach, know your team’s ability best, so you have the choice of how to challenge your players. If your U9 team is relatively new, stay with the 1st activities on each page. Conversely, if your U10 team is advanced, the bottom activity on each page may work best.
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Feel free to increase or decrease dimensions of grids. If it feels too tight for the players to achieve success, stop it and make the grid larger. If players are having too much success because the space is too big, shrink the grid.
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No matter the level of your team, a combination of the activities per topic will allow you to tailor your session to properly challenge your players, and aid in their development as soccer players.
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When coaching a topic for the 2nd time, you will have the option of running the same activities, or new ones. Some teams need to be shown new ideas in order to keep their interest. Repeating these activities is never a bad thing! You will see them improve as you run a session for the 2nd, 3rd time throughout the course of the season. You know your team best.
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Make your sessions fun! Remember this is a game. With this said, you should want to challenge your players, and have them achieve their best. Being able to show players how overcoming challenges is fun is key to successful coaching. Enjoy and Go Green!
Game Day Preparation And Setup Please be sure to have your team arrive at the field 30 minutes prior to their kick off. During this time, the players can be juggling or engaged in an exercise relating to the topic of the week. This allows the coach to warm up the team as well as reinforce the topic. This will do several things: 1) Ensure the game starts in a timely manner 2) Focus the players mentally 3) Warm the players up to prevent injury 4) Serve as extra practice 5) Prepare players, parents, and coaches for game day as players get older
Go Green!
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Appendices A. The Theory Behind a Curriculum B. The Importance of Juggling and Introduction to Training C. Speed, Agility, Quickness (SAQ) D. Fast Footwork Exercises E. Skill Moves F. Different Ways to Manipulate an Exercise H. Rondo
Glossary
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Appendix A: Theory Behind a Curriculum A curriculum should work like an instruction manual. It is important to keep in mind that the “now” of a developmental process, should not skip to the “future”. Each age group, or stage of development as we have it broken up, builds upon the last. Therefore, it is very easy to push players forward or back in a stage to meet their needs. Each stage has its own topics and own set-up for teaching them. This creates uniformity throughout the entire club so that regardless of what coach, team or age group, each team is being prepared for the next phase of development. It is important to remember that we are preparing them for the next level, whatever that may be. If we teach players how to “beat the game” instead of how to “play the game” we may be offering knowledge that helps them now, but hinders them in the future. A simple example of this would be a U7 coach telling their players where to stand on the field, so the game looks more like the adult game. However, since the following year, there will be a different field size and more players on the field, those previous instructions are no longer valid. The Technical Pyramid
FUN Fun – We must keep in mind that fun is the reason that this game is played. Passion must drive our focus, not results. When players lose the passion and they lose the desire to train and get better. Individual Technique – Individual Technique is the foundation for every topic that is discussed as each player gets older. If players cannot make the ball do what they want, the rest of the picture falls apart before it can even be taught. Individual Decision Making – After a player knows “how” to manipulate a ball, we can then teach them “when” and “why” a decision can and should occur.
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Technique Involving Others – After the individual is able to manipulate the ball, we can then begin to instruct the players how to react to their surroundings based on the movement of other players Decision Making Involving Others – After a player has learned how to manipulate the ball and the players around them have begun to manipulate their surroundings, we can now instruct the players on how to improvise together. Small Group Tactics – Once the players have begun to improvise together, we can then instruct them how to incorporate that into small groups. Team Dynamic – The big picture, adult game and the final product on the field. This chart describes the above topic guidelines and what is valued at each age group: Team Dynamic Small Group Tactics Partner Decision Making Partner Technique Indiv. Decision Making Individual Technique Fun Age Group
U4
U5
U6
U7
U8
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U9
U10
U11
U12
U13
U14
U15
U16+
Appendix B: Juggling Juggling a soccer ball has massive impact on a player’s first touch. The first touch is what defines a player’s skill. Mastery of the first touch allows players to control the ball quickly, so the ball goes exactly where you want it to go. Juggling is a great way to improve touch, have fun, and challenge oneself away from practice and games. Good jugglers tend to play with a lot of confidence toward their control of the ball. In order to improve as a juggler, a player must juggle away from practice and games. This requires training on your own, and when no one is watching. KEEP UP No matter your age and skill level, you can become a better juggler. When first starting to improve juggling skills, try playing “Keep Up.” By this we mean trying to keep the ball up by using any “legal” body part (foot, thigh, head, chest, etc.). Let the ball bounce in between touches. Start with a touch, bounce, touch, bounce, etc. Build to 2 touches, bounce, 2 touches, etc. Eventually 3 touches, bounce, 4 touches, bounce, and so on. For younger ages (U4-6), using a balloon, beach ball, volleyball, or some other ball that is lighter than a soccer ball, can help bring success. With practice and patience, juggling and first touch will improve. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have instant success. Persistence pays off. MOSTLY FEET After a player gets comfortable with any sort of touch and a bounce, try “Mostly Feet.” By this we mean aim to use your feet, but ultimately use a body part if that is the best option. Sequences may be foot, foot, thigh, foot, thigh, foot, foot, foot. Like in “Keep Up,” alternate feet, bounce, feet, bounce while building the number of touches in between bounces as confidence grows. FEET ONLY In “Feet Only,” use both feet. Use your laces, the inside, and outside of the foot. Don’t be afraid of the weaker foot. This is a great way to gain confidence with the nondominant foot. ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES Once a player is successful at juggling the ball, the progressions are endless. Creativity is a major part of soccer, and being creative with how to take juggling further is a great way to enhance a player’s soccer creativity. Some examples are: 1) Around The World: L foot, L thigh, chest, head, R thigh, R foot, repeat 2) Left foot, right foot 2X, left foot 3X, right foot 4X, left foot 5X, etc. 3) Juggle with just the head 4) Juggle with feet only keeping the ball below the knee 5) Right foot only 6) Left foot only 7) No spin 8) Only spin
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9) Juggle with the ball always going above the head The more touches on the ball, the better the control. Encouraging players to juggle will help them tremendously as soccer players. Ask them to do it for 10 minutes, 20, or an hour a few times a week, and you’ll see their progress on the field immediately. Whether you encourage them to achieve a personal best, or make a competition out of juggling, a coach can help players discover a fun, new way to see the game and improve. Below are a few examples of how to introduce juggling to your players at training. Having players juggle before practice while the team is showing up, and after while waiting for rides is an excellent introduction to juggling. Players can juggle with friends or by themselves in the backyard. The goal is to get better with the ball, and juggling is an integral part of complete, successful soccer training.
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BLACKJACK Organization: x Open area x Player divided into pairs, one ball per pair Procedure: x The first player juggles as many times as they can and keeps count. After the first player loses the ball, the second player goes. Alternate players and keep a running count of where they left off the last turn. For instance, if a player gets five juggles on the first turn, their second turn would start at six. The first player to get to 21 juggles (Blackjack) wins. Variations: x Restrict the juggling to certain body parts (feet only, thighs only, etc). x As another option, you can play HORSE. Very similar to the basketball game of the same name. The first player juggles one, and the second player has to match. Then, the first player juggles two, and the second player has to match. When a player misses they get a letter. The game is over when one player spells H-O-RS-E. Coaching Emphasis: x Fun x Ball control
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JUGGLE, JUGGLE Organization: x Open area, 1 ball per player Procedure: x Have players juggle the ball (keep the ball in the air), using all soccer specific body parts, such as the feet, thighs, shoulders, and head. Time them for 60 to 90 seconds. Ask the players how many total touches they had, then let them do it once or twice more, encouraging the players to beat their personal score from the first time. Variations: x If this activity is too difficult for some players, allow them to have one bounce between touches. Coaching Emphasis: x Fun x Ball Control x This is a good “homework” activity for players to do on their own.
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SELF-RECEIVING GRID Organization: x A grid approximately 20 x 20 yards, 1 ball per player Procedure: x The activity begins with all players dribbling their ball inside the grid. The coach then yells a body part, and the players pick the ball up, and throws it up in the air to himself, and tries to receive it with the body part that the coach yelled. Once the have brought the ball back under control, they continue to dribble until the coach yells out another body part. Variations: x The coach can ask the players to receive the ball with their laces, thigh, chest, or he can ask the players to “wedge” the ball against the ground receive it and bring it under control. x Also, coach can specify which foot or thigh (left or right) it needs to be received with. Coaching Emphasis: x Fun x Ball control/receiving x Dribbling
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Appendix C: Speed, Agility and Quickness
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Appendix D: FAST FOOTWORK EXERCISES 1) Foundations—Step up and down to pass the ball 6-10 inches between the feet. The ball is passed between the feet with very soft, light touches. Be sure the weight is forward on the balls of the feet. Keep knees slightly bent. 2) Toe Taps—Lightly tap the top of the ball using the front sole of the foot, alternating taps with either foot. Try to keep the ball from moving by tapping gently from the top. When the ball can be kept still, try going “around the world” by taking slightly larger steps as you come down so that you manage to circle the ball 3) Inside Roll—Roll the ball across your body from outside to inside with the inside and the sole of the foot and stop the ball with the inside of the other foot. 4) Outside Roll—Roll the ball across your body from inside to outside with the outside and sole of the foot and stop the ball with the inside of the same foot. 5) Side to Side Push-Pull—Tap the ball back and forth with inside of feet, push ball forward with one foot and pull it back with the sole of the opposite foot. 6) Side to Side Step-On—Roll ball to outside with the sole by stepping lightly on the ball, then tap ball back to the inside with the inside of the foot. 7) Side to Side Front Roll—Tap ball back and forth with inside of feet, push ball slightly forward, then pull the ball across your body with the front part of the sole. 8) Pull Instep Push—Push ball forward and pull it back with the sole, then tap ball forward with the instep of the same foot. 9) The Vee—Push the ball forward and pull it back with the sole of the foot while turning and then take the ball away with the inside of the same foot. 10) Pull and Take with Outside of Foot—Push the ball forward and pull the ball back with the sole, then push the ball diagonally forward with the outside of the foot. 11) Pull and Roll Behind—Push the ball forward and pull the ball back with the sole of the foot, then pass the ball behind the standing leg with the inside of the foot. Control the ball with the sole of the other foot.
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Appendix : Skill Moves Learning and practicing skill moves is an important part of a player’s development. Not only does it give them different ways to break down an opponent, but it builds control and confidence on the ball, as well as speed and agility. Teaching skill moves is done the same way as the rest of the game, start small and gradually build upon the last step. Here we have listed skill moves in two categories, 1v1 attack (around the opponent) and turns (away from the opponent), and included a verbal explanation of each move. We have given each move a specific name so that everybody is talking about the same skill move when we have a discussion. They are listed in order from simple to complex. There are plenty other choices out there, but these are the basics that each player should be able to execute. Every skill move has 3 parts: 1. The Set Up – determining the speed and angle at which to take on an opponent and deciding what move to use and what direction to go 2. The Move – performing the move 3. The Getaway – Accelerate into the space behind the opponent and getting away from them as fast as possible 1v1 Attack *These are described using only one foot to be as specific as possible, be sure to teach the exact opposite so that both feet are being worked.
Side Step – Starting behind the ball, take a big step to the left so that your entire body is to the left of the ball. Take the ball to the right, using the outside of your right foot. Another way to look at this is a “big step to the left, take it away with the right”. The Scissor – Starting behind the ball, Take a quick step to the right of the ball with the right foot, take the left foot all the way around the ball so that the outside of the foot is the surface closest to the ball at the beginning, and ends with the foot to the left of the ball. Take the ball away with the outside of the right. The Step-Over – Starting behind the ball, take the right foot and step over the ball so that it lands to the left of the ball. Bring the left foot forward to be even with the right so that the player is now standing to the left of the ball. Take the ball away with the outside of the right. The Rake – Using the under-side of the right foot, roll the ball across your body to the left. Do not cross the legs. The Flip-Flop – Using the inside of the right foot, drag the ball to the left. Hop to the left so that the player stays behind the ball as it moves. Without putting the right foot down after the drag, push the ball to the right, using the outside of the right. This can also be described as a quick inside-outside touch without putting the foot down. The “L” Touch inside – Using the under-side of the right foot, pull the ball back to where the foot was previously on the ground. Open the hips so that the ball hits the inside of the right foot as it is rolling back to the player. Take it away to the right at an “L” angle.
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The “L” Touch Outside - Using the under-side of the right foot, pull the ball back to where the foot was previously on the ground. Close the hips so that the ball hits the outside of the right foot as it is rolling back to the player. Take it away to the right at an “L” angle. Pull Touch – Starting the ball to the right of the players body, use the under-side of the right foot to pull the ball back across the front of the player. As the ball comes to center, the right foot comes down and the ball is taken away with the outside of the left foot. Hip Swivel – While running at full speed, stand to one side of the ball, open the hips to make feign a pass or a change of direction 90 degrees to one side or the other, then reverse the direction Stop Start – While running at full speed, stop the ball using any surface of the foot as rapidly as possible. Then, continue forward as rapidly as possible.
Turns - 180° *These are described using only one foot to be as specific as possible, be sure to teach the exact opposite instructions as well so that both feet are being worked.
Outside of the Foot – Place both feet to the left of the ball. Using the outside of the right foot, chop down on the ball and accelerate away. Inside of the Foot – Place both feet to the right of the ball. Pick up the right foot and pivot around to where the inside of the right foot comes through the middle of the ball, and accelerate away. Squash and Turn – Squash the ball using the underside of the right foot. The momentum will carry the player past the ball and remove line of site. Look over the left shoulder and turn that direction so that the player can carry the ball away with the outside of the left foot and accelerate away. Pull/Touch – Similar to the skill move, but the player turns their body sideways once they put their foot on top of the ball. Use the under-side of the right foot to pull the ball back across the front of the player. As the ball comes to center, the right foot comes down and the ball is taken away with the outside of the left foot. Cryuff – Starting behind the ball, take the left foot level with the ball, but turn the foot so that the toe points out. This should turn the player to the left slightly. As this occurs, take the right foot and chop down on the ball so that it travels behind the standing leg, take away with the left. Pull/Push behind the standing leg – Starting behind the ball, place the left foot level with the ball and turn the foot so that the toe points out. Using the right foot, pull the ball back slightly to where the right foot had started. As the ball is traveling, quickly place the right foot in the balls bath so that it can now guide the ball behind the standing leg with the inside of the foot. Accelerate away. Step-Over Outside – Standing behind the ball, take the left foot forward so it is even with the ball. Take the right foot and step over the ball so that it is in the way of the path of the ball. As the ball rolls into the outside of the right foot, take it away. Step-Over Inside - Starting behind the ball, take the left foot and step over the ball so that it lands to the right. As the right foot comes forward, pivot the left foot so that the right foot can swing around and carry the ball away with the inside of the foot.
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Appendix F: Different Ways to Manipulate an Exercise Changing the space - By changing the dimensions of the training area we are able to either 1) make an exercise more successful by giving players more space, and therefore increased the amount of time they have on the ball OR 2) restricting space so that the players have to think quicker under pressure sooner. In a technical exercise, making the space between a starting position and a point of reference means that a player may get more reps over a period of time or more touches between a point further away. Changing the Number of Players – Adding a player may artificially restrict the space or pulling off a defender may give the attackers an advantage by providing a numbers up situation. Be careful that adding or subtracting players does not give players a chance to stand still or not be involved because they don’t have enough chances to be on the ball. Adding Neutral – Similar to changing the number of players, a neutral provides a twoway attacking player so that whichever team has the ball, they are always numbers up. This is handy for teaching attacking topics. Changing the defenders/Numbers up/down – Numbers up or numbers down is a difficult situation to recognize in a game, but in training, it can be used to recreate situations that you wish to train for the game. I.e. how do two players defend against three? Or how does our team formations strength capitalize on the other team’s weakness? And sometimes it’s a way to balance two teams in an exercise. Playing for Time - Sometimes, adding the element of a time constraint will inject a bit of life into an exercise. I.e. a shooting exercise that has become stale can become a pressure situation if the group must ‘score 10 goals in 2 minutes. This is also a great transition between no pressure, and adding a defender A certain number of passes = point – many exercises do not have an actual goal to score on, and this can be the end product. However, there are times when players gain “tunnel vision” when a goal is added, and forget about the rest of the day’s topic. Similarly, there are times where it is too difficult for the attacking team to score a goal, because the defense is sitting in front of the goal and not applying pressure on the ball. When players can string a number of passes together to also score, it forces the defenders away from the goal to pressure the ball, and creates space in front of the actual goal. Touch limitation – Players who take too many touches can develop a habit of dribbling into pressure. This can force them to pass the ball artificially. In game situations, allow them to play. There are many players who are frightened of having the ball at their feet, forcing them to take extra touches makes them dribble and does not allow them to just kick it away. Relay – Turning a simple skills exercise into a race can once again, add pressure without an actual defender.
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Appendix H: Rondo
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Glossary
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