Excellent site with easy to navigate pages.
Hi all, I've just started coaching a soccer team of 4 and 5 year olds and would like to discuss with my fellow coaches any drills which you have found to be safe, fun and valuable to the younger age group. I have my level 1 course under my belt and have difficulty in applying what I've learnt to the small kids. They get bored very quickly and are only interested in playing a match at the end of the session. They have no interest in passing the ball or shooting at goal whilst doing drills. Running with the ball is no problem as they are keeping active and all have a ball at their feet. As soon as they line up or have to share a ball, there are problems. I have a variety of drills which I run through with them, traffic lights, robin hood, alamo, sharks and fishes to name a few with variations of each but I crave more as everywhere I search caters for U6 upwards. I coach an U8 side midweek and have no problem with these lads as they are that bit older and have a greater level of concentration. (not by much mind). So I'm asking for advice from anyone who has coached 4 and 5 YOs and would like to know what has worked for you. PM replies welcome. Marc
i currently run a u13 boy footballs team. What would be a good drill to get the players to shut the ball down.Because my defenders seem to stand back and let them shoot thanks dennis
Hello,I regularly play a team that has a speed forward with a good shot. I wanted to get some opinions from anyone who has had success limiting these types of players. He is probably a step or 2 faster than my normal defenders. Regularly racks up goals by being one of the fastest players in the league.In the past we have tried a 4-4-1 with a man mark. Sticking a speed guy on him the full game. It has slowed him down but also limited us on offense. We lost each game by a goal.I was also thinking about using a 5-4-1 formation with more defenders to cut down on thru ball lanes for him.Any other thoughts?ThanksChad
Hello, I am currently coaching an u9's boys team and a majority of them are well behaved and want to play football, but the odd 1or2 tend to mess around at training which distracts the others. I have sat them out in training and spoken to the parents but still this goes on. Do I decide to kick them out of the team altogether or does anyone know the miracle cure to stop this happening?
IS THERE ANY SESSIONS THAT CAN IMPROVE STRIKERS AND DEFENDERS IN 1V1 SITUATIONS FROM CROSSES AND FROM STRAIGHT ON
Hello Coaches; I have a player who plays as a defender and he wants to start private sessions with me. Any help about the best drills that I can do for him to improve as a defender and improve on the ball (running with the ball
What is a good way of disciplining Under 6's. The characteristics of a 6 yr old means they are excitable, enthuiastic etc which is good, but i have a couple of boys that can be extremely disruptive. I have sat them all down at the end of a session and laid down some rules, but the same couple of boys break these rules week after week. How do i discipline without causing them not to want to attend the fun session?
Hello all! My kids aged 9 and 7 are very slow when compared to their peers of the same age. They don't seem to fight for the ball and get and watch others play their game. They seem to lack the urgency (heart) needed for the game. (They LOVE football). How can make them move around and react faster. Any help you are able to provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks O
Disciplining for misbehaviour? 8-11 year olds, they dont really get bored because i know that sometimes that can be the cause. How or what can i apply a bit of strictness into the team.
Hi All, Need help with training my U9s with passing during the game. I have one player (centre mid) that knows how to pass at the right time during the game. The rest of my team, meaning LM and RM and striker put their head down and just run with the ball. What can i use during training to make them think about passing during a game. Thanks in advance
Does anyone have any sessons/suggestions for coaching the kickoff, we seem to lose the ball nearly everytime which puts the team under pressure straight away, Thanks
hi im currently doing my FA level 2 badge. I have just been given my final topic on " pressing " has any one got any good technique, skill and ssg drills for this. many thanks j
How do you motivate U'8s to develop a winning mentality. I am trying to get 8 little under 8's up for a game on a weekly basis. When they go a goal up they are unstoppable, if they go a goal down they pack it in! How do you get your teams up for it before kick off?
Our under 12's have made the jump from 9 a side to 11 a side. We have entered a big city league were results are hard to come by. We play a super 1st half and lose it massively 2nd half, through heads down & fitness. Any suggestions on confidence boosting & training drills to help steady a ship. We are playing a 4 - 2 -3 - 1 formation.Yes we are getting a bit of negativity from the parents to, which does not help. Thank you in advance.
What do you think is more important the build up or wind down from a game?
âHi, looking for a drill for my team to close down the opposition especially from the midfieeld but can't seem to find one. Could you please help?
When my team attacks the near the opposing teams 18 box, we always seem to give the ball away to the other team and my midfield is never covered adequately. What is the best way to balance trying to attack but still maintaining shape from a defensive standpoint?
we Played a Under 10 tournament on Sunday. My team lost 2 - 1o. My players have good ability , but they panicked a lot , they were very nervous. i thought them the formations and the roles of their respective positions , they understood all and they answered me while i asked questions to check out how much they understood. but inside the game they forgot everything and were ball watching and chasing the ball. This was their first tournament Playing outside . how to make kids understand their positioning and take away their nervousness
Does anyone know any good defending drills not for a team but for an individual it has been hard to find any drills other than the basics of defending and some ones to do with jockeying and body positioning.
closing down shooting angles in 1v1 situation
in more ways than one
sportplan_football
Four Halloween-themed games sneak a full warm-up, finishing, rondo and small-sided game into one junior football session this week.
Deliberate heading is now out of U11 grassroots matches. Here is how to coach chest, thigh and foot control so your players still win the ball in the air.
Long-range goals doubled at the 2026 World Cup as teams sat deep. Here is how to coach when to shoot from distance, the technique, and the follow-up.
Coaches from around the world look to Sportplan for coaching confidence.
Excellent site with easy to navigate pages.
The 'My Stuff' feature is amazing! It's a coach's best friend!
Love the site, it's a fantastic learning tool!
Wow what a great website, I have found sportplan an important tool for me when planning my netball sessions with my netball team. There are alot of very helpful tips/ideas/skills that I can learn and teach to my team. Thank you sportplan I hope to continue to use your helpful tips and to learn more about improving my teams netball skills. Thanks again....keep it up....
I have been using Sportplan now for 3 years and can honestly say that I have never repeated the same session twice. My girls are always focused and are improving every year. Thanks Sportplan.
What a fantastic tool. The Chalkboard and session tools make an unbelievable difference in making training plans in both time and organization. I will be instructing all of my assistant coaches that this tool must be used for all sessions during the season, so that we may build a club coaching resource library.
I can't get enough of the Sportplan, It has given me back the enthusiasm i was starting to lose. My girls are so keen and are ready at 14 to take the next up in their game. Sportplan will help no end.
