Week 1

Outcomes

• ✓Players can dribble in a confined grid without losing the ball
• ✓Players can use both feet alternately when moving with the ball
• ✓Players can stop the ball cleanly with the sole on command
• ✓Players can change direction quickly while keeping the ball close

Equipment

• 1 ball per player
• 20 cones
• 4 pinnies
• 2 small pop-up goals

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: Each player has a ball in a 15×15 yd free-roam area.

   How to run it: Players dribble freely and perform sole rolls, toe taps, and ball-circles on the coach's call. Change activity every 45 seconds. Encourage players to explore both feet.

   • ›Eyes up – scan the space, not the ball
   • ›Soft touch – ball stays within one step
   • ›Use the laces and the inside of both feet

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Two lines of cones 10 yds apart; players in pairs, each pair sharing a ball.

   How to run it: Players jog between cones passing the ball back and forth, then progress to side-shuffles, high knees, and butt-kicks. On whistle, everyone freezes and performs a sole-stop. Finish with two 20-yd accelerations.

   • ›Hips square and low when shuffling
   • ›Soft landing on accelerations – stay on the balls of your feet

3. 3. Technical Practice – Sole Roll Maze

   15m

   Set up: Set 12 cones in a zigzag maze, gates 2 yds wide, maze 20 yds long. Each player has a ball; work one at a time then add concurrent runs.

   How to run it: Players sole-roll the ball through each gate, alternating feet. After two slow runs, challenge them to go faster. Ask: 'What happens to your touch when you speed up?' After answers, coach them to shorten their strides and keep the ball closer.

   • ›Sole of foot stays over the top of the ball
   • ›Alternate feet every gate
   • ›Head up between gates to see the next one
   • ›Quick small steps through each gate

4. 4. Skill Game – Ball-Mastery Bingo

   15m

   Set up: 20×20 yd grid; all players with a ball. Coach calls moves from a list on a whiteboard.

   How to run it: Coach calls a move (sole roll, inside cut, outside cut, stop-and-go). Players execute three clean reps as fast as possible and sit down. Last player sitting loses a life. Three lives lost = 5 toe-taps penalty. Keep the energy high and competitive.

   • ›Quality first, then speed
   • ›Reset your stance after each move
   • ›Challenge yourself – use your weak foot

5. 5. Small-Sided Game – 4v4 Keep the Ball

   17m

   Set up: 25×20 yd grid; two teams of 4, no goals. Team scores a point for every 5 consecutive passes.

   How to run it: Play 4v4. Emphasise dribbling out of pressure before passing. Award a bonus point if a player beats a defender 1v1 before passing. Rotate teams every 4 minutes.

   • ›Dribble away from pressure, not into it
   • ›Body between ball and defender
   • ›Support the dribbler at angles, not behind

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Players in a circle, each sitting with their ball.

   How to run it: Light static stretches – quads, hamstrings, calves. Coach asks: 'What move felt hardest today? Why?' Two players share answers. Preview next session.

   • ›Slow, controlled breathing
   • ›Listen to each other's answers

Outcomes

• ✓Players can maintain possession when a defender approaches
• ✓Players can change direction to escape a passive defender
• ✓Players can transition from dribbling to shooting in a fluid motion
• ✓Players can identify space and drive into it

Equipment

• 1 ball per player
• 20 cones
• 6 pinnies
• 4 small pop-up goals

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: 10×10 yd grid per pair; each player has a ball.

   How to run it: Shadow dribbling – one player mirrors the other's movement while dribbling their own ball. Switch leader every 60 seconds. No contact; purely movement and control.

   • ›Stay on your toes, ready to change direction
   • ›Keep the ball within one step
   • ›Watch your partner's hips, not their feet

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Open 25 yd channel; players in a line.

   How to run it: Players dribble the length, performing move on each cone: inside cut, outside cut, sole roll, stop-and-go. Two lengths slow, two lengths at 75% speed. Finish with a 1v1 race to halfway – dribbling, not sprinting without the ball.

   • ›Smooth transitions between moves
   • ›Keep head up on the race – see the space ahead

3. 3. Technical Practice – 1v1 Gates

   15m

   Set up: Six 2-yd cone gates scattered in a 20×15 yd grid. Pairs: one attacker with ball, one defender starting 2 yds away.

   How to run it: Attacker tries to dribble through as many gates as possible in 45 seconds; defender shadows and tries to steer them away (no tackling). Count gates. Switch roles. Progress to passive tackling allowed. Ask: 'How did you get past the defender?' Guide players to find the answer: angle your body, use a change of pace.

   • ›Stay between ball and defender
   • ›Fake one way, go the other
   • ›Accelerate away after the gate – don't slow down
   • ›Low centre of gravity when changing direction

4. 4. Skill Game – 1v1 Knockout

   15m

   Set up: 10×10 yd grid per pair; one ball per pair; each player defends one end line.

   How to run it: Attacker tries to dribble over the opponent's end line; defender tries to win the ball and do the same. Play 30-second rounds. Winners progress to face other winners. Losers play each other. Everyone plays every round.

   • ›Use your body to shield if the defender gets close
   • ›Change of pace is your best weapon
   • ›Stay patient – wait for the defender to commit

5. 5. Small-Sided Game – 4v4 to Goals

   17m

   Set up: 30×25 yd pitch; two teams of 4; two small goals each end.

   How to run it: Play normal 4v4. Coach constraints: a goal counts double if the scorer beats a defender 1v1 in the final third. After 8 minutes swap constraint: a team loses a goal if they give the ball away without attempting a dribble.

   • ›Be brave – take on your defender
   • ›Look for 1v1 opportunities in the final third
   • ›Support runners – give the dribbler an out

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Circle, sitting on balls.

   How to run it: Static stretches. Coach asks: 'What did you do to beat your defender?' Pair-share, then two players present. Praise effort and risk-taking.

   • ›Celebrate attempts, not just successes
   • ›Reinforce the week's key word: close control