• Time Allocation for a session
• Skills Training segment
• Soccer Match segment
• Our Rules & Regulations
The aim of the league is to teach the children how to play the game (ie the rules and regulations of soccer).
However, beyond just playing the game, the real challenge is to (a) develop their ball-control skills, (b) help them learn about field-positions, and (c) instil teamwork. These are the elements needed for building an effective team. It's not about winning; it's about team-building!
But above and beyond that, we should always nurture a culture based on (a) safety, (b) fair play and (c) sportmanship. Think of this as a code of conduct. We're not just making better players: We're developing better people!
Sessions are organised into 2 groups: Years 1&2, and, Years 3&4. Each group is allocated one hour and this is basically broken into 2 separate 30 minute segments:
· 30 mins. - Skills Training
· 30 mins. - Soccer Match
The Year 3&4 group have their skills training during the Year 1&2 group soccer match. So as not to delay the Year 3&4 group matches, it is important for the Year 1&2 group to finish their sessions in a reasonably timely manner.
The format for Skills Training is not rigid and is determined by the coach. However, here is a recommended guide:
· 2 mins - warm-up exercises
· 5 mins - Exercise 1 : Close Control - Dribbling, Stopping, Turning
· 5 mins - Exercise 2 : Passing - Distance, Accuracy
· 2 mins - ---break---
· 3 mins - Discussion on Field Positions and Teamwork
· 6 mins - Team Interaction : Fun & Games
· 5 mins - Exercise 3 : Other Skills - Power, Scoring, Heading, Corners, Throw-Ins... etc
· 2 mins - ---break---
Warm Up Exercises :
This is really just stretching exercises which help to avoid injury. Simple stretches are best like touching-your-toes, swinging your arms and standing-on-one-leg.
Close Control :
Dribbling is basically "jogging" with the ball. Using the inside foot sections, just tap the ball from left foot to right foot and back while walking. When they can dribble quite quickly, we move to "dribble & stop" and "dribble & turn". Teach them to stop the ball with their foot on top of the ball. Next, teach them to do a full turn-around by stopping the ball, pulling the ball behind them, and then turning around.
80% of the time, they should dribble using the inside foot section. For some variation, 10% of the time, they should use the front of the foot and, 10% of the time, they should use the outside foot-section.
Passing :
Basically, arrange the children into 2 lines about 3 - 6 metres apart, and make them pass the ball to their counterpart on the other line. The important aspect here is accuracy. Start off at a close distance between the lines but, as they become more comfortable, increase the distance.
Let them experiment using the inside foot section or the front of the foot to kick the ball. Both are just as effective so let the children develop their own preferance. For variation, make them use the other foot as well.
Discussion on Field Positions and Teamwork :
Basically we want the children to become accustomed to the names of the different field positions and what each player is supposed to do.
The best tool for this is a pen and a sheet of paper. Draw a rectangle (the field), draw the goal posts at the top and bottom and your goal post is always the bottom. From bottom to top, mark out the goalkeeper, the defenders, the mid-fielders and the strikers. From left to right, explain the area called the left-wing, the centre and the right-wing.
If you have 10 players, you might want to spread them out evenly into a 3-by-3 grid plus goalkeeper.
As a discussion, I like to do something like this : Ask them how to we score a goal, and draw an arrow from the centre-striker into the opposition-goal. Then ask them how that centre-striker got the ball, and draw an arrow from the right-striker to the centre-striker (and draw the same from the left side too). Next, ask then how the right-striker (or left) got the ball, and draw an arrow from the right-midfielder to the right-striker. Then ask then how the right-midfielder got the ball, and draw an arrow from the right-defender to the right-midfielder. Next, ask then how the right-defender got the ball, and draw an arrow from the goalkeeper to the right-defender.
I know this is very simplistic but you are instilling the concept of a game plan. Explain that every player has a role to play, and together this is how a team works. It is important to keep explaining this every session.
Fun & Games :
The league has a few copies of the "National Curriculum : Major League Soccer Camps - Coaches Edition : Munchkins Program" available for coaches to borrow. In it, there are many mini-games you can use to develop soccer skills.
I have made my own game, Soccer Piggy, based on "pig in the middle" or "monkey" which is similar to "catch". Every game needs 3 - 4 players so split the children into groups accordingly. Every game has a "piggy". The object of the game is to pass the ball around without "piggy" getting it. The person who accidentally gave the ball to "piggy" usually becomes the next "piggy". There are special rules for soccer piggy : (a) "piggy" can only walk and can't run, and (b) when a player gets the ball, he/ she can only touch the ball 5 times and then he/ she must pass it.
In the beginning, try to slow the game so that everyone has time to think. Keep reminding them that it is not just up to the player with the ball. The players without the ball really have to make themselves "available" if they want to get the ball.
Other Skills :
This part is really the leftover stuff not covered earlier. This includes skills like throw-ins, corners, tackling. There are a few basic skills to teach like how to kick a ball low and how to kick a ball high and perhaps a using your chest or head on the ball. But beyond that, this part should cover weaknesses you (the coach) sees during the practice games.
You might, for example, find that your players can smoothly dribble and pass the ball all the way to the strikers but discover that they don't know how to score a goal. In this case, just have a few sessions of "scoring a goal" by getting them to kick the ball as hard as they can into a fence. This one always seems to be a favourite.
There are 2 types of matches : (1) Practice Matches, and, (2) League Matches.
Practice Matches
In a practice match, we basically split the field into 3 zones: defender zone, midfielder zone and striker zone. Obviously, your team's striker zone is the other team's defender zone. During the game, the players must stay within their zone until reassigned. Assign different players to different zones to get a feel for what is required from them. Goalkeepers should also be rotated.
Most important is to get the players to spread out within their zone and not clump together.
League Matches
League matches are matches that count toward a team's ranking. Each team will play against every team twice. So if there are 4 teams, there will be 6 league matches (ie your team plays against the other 3 teams twice).
The "ranking" will be decided on the number of wins by each team. If there is a tie, then the tied teams will be ranked by the number of draws. If there is still a tie, then the tied teams will be ranked by goal difference amounts.
For example, team-A and team-B both have 4 wins each while team-C and team-D have only 1 win. There are 2 ties. Team-A and team-B both have 1 draw each while team-C has 2 draws and team-D has none. At this point, team-A & team-B are still tied while team-C is 3rd and team-D is 4th. Looking at goal differences, team-A has a value of 3 (they scored 8 goals and let in 5 goals) while team-B has a value of 5 (they scored 8 goals and let in 3 goals). In this case, team-A is 2nd and team-B is 1st.
By the way, there are no losers in Little League... everyone is a winner. The team ranking also has appropriate awards (given at the awards ceremony):
Rank - Award Name
· 1 - Champion Award
· 2 - Teamwork Award
· 3 - Skills Award
· 4 - Sportsmanship Award
