From: The Myers Family [myer@sgi.net]
Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 5:13 PM
To: board@pleasanthillssoccer.org; Myers, Crystal; Antonelli, Sally
Subject: Second indoor session for U9 and up
Pleasant Hills Soccer Association
Winter Session 2, January 13 - 19, 2003

`Dribbling Introduction (Under 9 and up)`

Suggested Winter session for week 2 of U9 and up. The theme of the Winter session is dribbling and shooting as described in the introduction. As with all the Winter sessions, we will begin with the introductory dribbling skills associated with this session. This is our second session indoors. The material may be a little ambitious. If you do not get through everything in a timely fashion, just omit one or two items and push them into next week's session.

`Warm-up: Introductory Dribbling Session with Musical Soccer Balls`

Go over each of the dribbling skills with the players having their own ball. Keep track of your time as indicated in the above comments.

After a brief introduction, start off with each player having a ball at their feet. Instruct the players to dribble around the open area with their ball. Upon the coach's command of "Leave", the players are to "toe touch stop" their balls, yet continue on jogging around the open space, leaving their ball behind. Upon the coach's next command of "Get a Ball", the players are to quickly go after any soccer ball and continue dribbling again as before.

With each "Leave" command, the coach is to remove one or two balls from the set of standing balls in the playing area. This means there are now fewer balls then players and some players will not be able to get a ball after the "Get a Ball" command. With each "Get a Ball" command, the coach is to determine which players were not able to get possession of a ball. Make these players do something silly or funny as punishment. The players without a ball are instructed to just jog around the open area in the same manner as the players with a ball.

Continue the game as described above, removing additional balls. The player(s) who is able to get the last remaining ball or two are determine the winners.

`Square Coarse Relay Race`

Set up a number of squares with cones and divide the group of players into the same number of teams. Try to keep the number of members on each team as low as possible, say 4. Each square is about three to four yards on a side.

Line up the teams at one corner with one ball at the feet of the first player. Each team is to race around the sides of the square, one player at a time. Once the player reaches the last cone, they may pass the ball to next player in the line. The winner of the race is the first team to get everyone around the square. Consider the following variations related to current dribbling techniques:

Each player is instructed to top roll the ball down each side followed by a chop or "shooting the gap" to make directional changes at each cone,
Have the race in the reverse direction,
Have the players move the ball down each side of the square any way they desire, but now they must do an inside stepover turn at each corner,
Have the race with the above technique in the reverse direction,
Have the players move the ball down each side of the square any way they desire, but now they must perform an "inside stepover - outside chop" turn at each corner.

`Glob and Team Glob Attack`

Each player is to have a ball at their feet except for two players. These designated two players must hold hands and they are refereed to as the "Glob". The Glob is instructed to chase (without a ball) after the players with balls attempting to tag them. The players with a ball must try to escape being tagged with their ball at their feet at all times. If the player gets tagged, they remove their ball from the playing area and become part of the "Glob" by attaching themselves by the hand to the other players of the "Glob".

The game continues as described above. If the "Glob" is not successful, you may restrict the space of the players with the ball to a rectangular area.
If the "Glob" is not successful once it gets large, allow the "Glob" to divide at a number which makes the "Glob" more successful, say three players.
If the "Glob" is overly successful or after the players get the hang of playing together, require the "Glob" to kick the ball of the players out of bounds instead of just tagging them.

In team Glob, divide the players up into any number of teams from 2 to 4. Designate one team as the first team to be the team "Glob". This will be a timed competition between teams, so every team will be given the chance of becoming the "Glob".

Make sure the area is appropriate for the team "Glob" to be successful. All players not on the team "Glob" have a ball at their feet. Just as above, the "Glob" will chase players with a ball at their feet and attempting to tag the players. With each tagged player, the player is eliminated from the area. Keep time and see how long it takes the team to eliminate all the players.
A variation on the above is to allow the eliminated players to rejoin the game in the playing area if they perform some type of exercise with the soccer ball.
Again, as above, once the "Glob" is successful enough, require them to kick the ball away from the players in order to eliminate them from the area.

`Game: Line Soccer Game`

Line soccer is player on a field very similar to a regular soccer field. Line soccer does not have any goals. The teams score by working the ball across the end line under control. Any ball kicked over the end line is not a score and the other team gains possession. Keep the number on a team to about 4. Rotate the teams onto the field or set up separate playing fields if the number of players is large.

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Warn Down: Homework Dribbling

Review the inside stepover turn and the inside stepover - outside side chop. See if anyone can juggle the ball three times without the ball hitting the ground. Show them how they may use their thighs to potentially make it easier.