Pleasant Hills Soccer Association
Summer Session, August 5 - August 10, 2002

`Simple Trapping With the Foot (U8's)`

Suggested summer session for week 6 of U8's. The theme of the summer session is "Its in the Air" and trapping air balls with the foot is within this summer theme.

`Warm-up and Skills: Passing in Pairs`

Have the players pair up with a partner and give each pair a single ball. The players will pass and receive the ball between themselves with the following progression:

Have the player pass as accurately as possible the feet of the other players. Do not work on passing technique since we are concentrating on receiving, but hopefully the passers can get close to their partner with the ball staying close to the ground. If the server cannot pass accurately, then have the server pick the ball up in their hands and roll the ball to their partner. Have the receive perform a toe-touch-stop on the on-coming ball.
Have the player attempt to do a toe-touch-stop with their non-dominate foot if the ball come to that side.
Have the servers pick up the ball with their hands and toss the ball under hand to their partner's feet. The receiving partner should attempt to trap the on-coming ball with a toe touch stop.
Now have the server roll the ball to their partner and the receiver should attempt an inside the foot wedge trap. Here the receiver placese the plant foot toward the oncoming ball, lifts the receiving foot slightly off the ground, and attempts to stop the ball with the inside of the foot over the top portion of the ball.
Have the players attempt the inside the foot wedge trap with their non-dominating foot.
If the group are working with is successful with the above, then have them attempt to receive the ball with an outside of the foot wedge trap.
Again, have the players attempt an outside the foot wedge trap with their non-dominating foot.

`Individual Skills in a Circle: Name Passing in a Circle`

Place the players so as to form a large circle and have the players do each of the following:

Start with one ball and give it to a player. Have this player call out the name of player in the circle and pass the ball to the player. This player receives the ball, calls out the name of another player, and passes the ball to the named players; etc.
Introduce another ball once the players get the hang of the name passing.
Continue as above, only now the players must call the name of a player, pass the ball to the player, and then run and take their spot in the circle. Start off with one ball.
Introduce another ball if the players are successful as above.

`Game Related: Multi-Goal Game`

Divide the players into groups of four players per team with an even number of teams. Create a field as shown below. The teams play 4 v 4 on the fiedl below. Notice that there are four goals, one at each corner. The players may shoot at any goal to score.

      ____________________________
     /                            \
    /                              \
   |                       Y        |
   |    X               X           |
   |                                |
   |                                |
   |                 o Y           |
   |    Y            Y X           |
   |                                |
    \                 X            /
     \____________________________/

`Game: The Four Goal Dutch Game`

       _____                            ______
   ___|_____|__________________________|______|___
   |                                              |
   |                                              |
   |                                     Y        |
   |    X               X                         |
   |                                              |
   |                                              |
   |                 o             Y              |
   |    Y            Y X                         |
   |                                              |
   |                                 X            |
   |______________________________________________|
      |_____|                          |______|