Activity One - Kangaroo Jack
All players except two or three begin with a ball. Players without balls are kangaroo jacks and must hop like a kangaroo and try to tag players. If a player gets tagged, he/she becomes a kangaroo as well until all players are turned into kangaroos.
Activity Two - Red light/Green light
All players have a ball and dribble in a limited space (or towards the coach). When coach says “red light”, players must stop ball and put foot on top of ball. When coach says “yellow light”, players must dribble very slowly. When coach says “green light”, players dribble fast. Coach controls this game with frequency of “light changes” and variety of changes. Once players catch on to this game, add light of other colors and affix different actions to them. (i.e. purple light = hop back and forth over ball, orange light = run around the ball, black light = dance, blue light = hide behind the ball etc. etc.).
Activity Three - Shrek/Spiderman/Spongebob
Place a couple players in pennies and have everyone else get a soccer ball. Set up a 20 yd x 15 yd grid and have the players with soccer balls dribble around in the space. The players in pennies are Shrek (or Spiderman or SpongeBob, etc.) and try to tag the players who have soccer balls. When players are tagged they go to into the goal (castle, spidernet etc. etc.) and can only get back out if a teammate with a ball tags them or the coach uses his/her magic powers to let everyone free. Use any character or images you like for this and make sure all players get a chance to be one of the special characters at some point during every practice.
Activity Four - Cops and Robbers
Coach sets up 8-10 stand-up cones in a 15yd x 15yd space. Robbers all have soccer balls and knock over the cones (banks) by kicking their balls into the cones and knocking them over. Cops (have 2 or 3 cops for each game) do not have soccer balls and need to stand the cones back up (before all the banks are robbed). Rotate who gets to be cops. Variation (If don’t have stand- up cones): ½ group (cops) take soccer balls and put on top of disc cones. Other ½ of group (robbers) try to knock over those soccer balls by kicking their soccer balls at them. Cops must replace the soccer balls on the cones as quickly as possible.
Activity Five - 3v3 or 4v4 Game
Separate players into two teams and play a game of 3 against 3 or 4 against 4 without goalkeepers. Let the players play and give plenty of positive feedback to them as they compete. REINFORCE the GOOD STUFF!
All players except two or three begin with a ball. Players without balls are kangaroo jacks and must hop like a kangaroo and try to tag players. If a player gets tagged, he/she becomes a kangaroo as well until all players are turned into kangaroos.
Activity Two - Red light/Green light
All players have a ball and dribble in a limited space (or towards the coach). When coach says “red light”, players must stop ball and put foot on top of ball. When coach says “yellow light”, players must dribble very slowly. When coach says “green light”, players dribble fast. Coach controls this game with frequency of “light changes” and variety of changes. Once players catch on to this game, add light of other colors and affix different actions to them. (i.e. purple light = hop back and forth over ball, orange light = run around the ball, black light = dance, blue light = hide behind the ball etc. etc.).
Activity Three - Shrek/Spiderman/Spongebob
Place a couple players in pennies and have everyone else get a soccer ball. Set up a 20 yd x 15 yd grid and have the players with soccer balls dribble around in the space. The players in pennies are Shrek (or Spiderman or SpongeBob, etc.) and try to tag the players who have soccer balls. When players are tagged they go to into the goal (castle, spidernet etc. etc.) and can only get back out if a teammate with a ball tags them or the coach uses his/her magic powers to let everyone free. Use any character or images you like for this and make sure all players get a chance to be one of the special characters at some point during every practice.
Activity Four - Cops and Robbers
Coach sets up 8-10 stand-up cones in a 15yd x 15yd space. Robbers all have soccer balls and knock over the cones (banks) by kicking their balls into the cones and knocking them over. Cops (have 2 or 3 cops for each game) do not have soccer balls and need to stand the cones back up (before all the banks are robbed). Rotate who gets to be cops. Variation (If don’t have stand- up cones): ½ group (cops) take soccer balls and put on top of disc cones. Other ½ of group (robbers) try to knock over those soccer balls by kicking their soccer balls at them. Cops must replace the soccer balls on the cones as quickly as possible.
Activity Five - 3v3 or 4v4 Game
Separate players into two teams and play a game of 3 against 3 or 4 against 4 without goalkeepers. Let the players play and give plenty of positive feedback to them as they compete. REINFORCE the GOOD STUFF!