South River Youth Athletics

Practice I

• Running with speed (see speed training suggestions)
  • Pick up feet fast
  • Gravity will put them down
  • Make f aster steps not longer strides
• Dribbling
  • Use tops of feet, keep ball somewhat close
  • To dribble faster, push ball farther and run faster
  • Change direction with outside of feet
• Games to Play
  • Freeze tag: one/two players (without balls) tag other players trying to dribble away. Players who are "frozen" stand with legs apart and hands above head. Other "unfrozen" players try to dribble/pass their own ball between "frozen" players legs.
  • Relay Races
  • Sharks and Minnows: Minnows line up on sideline (with ball). Sharks start in the middle (without balls). Minnows try to dribble past sharks to the other sideline. Sharks try to steal ball and put it in the goal (or out of bounds if no goal).

Practice II

• Dribbling and Evading
  • Shield ball with body
    • Put body between defender and ball
    • Practice just staying between ball and defender without moving the ball
  • Use outside foot to move ball
    • Pull ball with bottom of foot
    • Push ball with top and outside of foot
• Defense - Individual
  • Postion (Surfer)
    • Feet shoulder width apart
    • One foot slightly forward
    • Shade player to one side and force them to the other
  • Pressure the ball but don't get beat
• Games to Play
  • Sharks and Minnows
  • Kick Out: each player starts with a ball in a confined area. Players dribble around with their ball while trying to kick other players balls out of bounds.
  • One vs. One (with multiple goals in a row): pair up players. One player starts with ball and tries to score in any of several goals in a line. Other player in pair plays defense. After scoring, the player who scores allows partner to start with the ball.

Practice III

• Passing
  • Use inside of foot with toe up and ankle locked
  • Leg should still swing back and then forward - not roundhouse style
  • Step next to ball with plant foot
  • Follow through with leg to pass ball farther
  • Use arms and body to gain even more distance
• Receiving
  • Again, use inside of foot with toe up and ankle locked
  • Catch ball and allow to bounce out in front of body
  • Don't trap ball unless in very close contact with defense
  • Having ball in front allows player to pass again without stepping back or making extra touch
• Games to Play
  • Monkey in the Middle: three to five players are on the outside and try to pass ball past player on the inside. Player on the inside tries to intercept passes. When the ball is intercepted or goes out of bounds, inside player switches with last player to pass the ball.
  • Window passing (players in center area pass to player on outside (in windows) and then receive ball back, returning to center area after each pass/receive and then passing to a different window
  • Sharks and Minnows

Practice IV

• Shooting
  • Use top of foot with toe pointed down or inside of foot with toe up and ankle locked
  • Leg should still swing back and then forward - not roundhouse style
  • Step next to ball with plant foot
  • Follow through with leg to shoot ball farther
  • Use arm swing and follow with body to gain even more distance
• Games to Play
  • Survivor: pair up players with one ball for each player. Player with ball dribbles toward goal. At a certain point, player stops or passes ball to other player who then shoots. If player scores, the team is still alive. Start with coach as a goalie. More advanced: last team to shoot becomes goalies for next team to shoot. Team must score or save to stay in.
  • Around the world: form teams of two. Use two or more balls (two less than number of pairs). Teams try to score goals by shooting past goalie. If teams don't have a ball, they're on defense to get a ball. When a team scores they stand aside. Last team to score is out. Start again with remaining teams. Play until one team left.
  • Numbers: split into two teams per goal. Have each team line up next to goal. Number players on each team. Toss ball into field of play and call out a number (or multiple numbers for advanced play). First person to touch ball is on offense. Other person is on defense. If offense scores, credit two points. If defense holds for 30 seconds, defense gets 1 point.