Week 16

Outcomes

• ✓Players can direct their first touch away from pressure
• ✓Players can use the inside or outside of the foot to redirect a pass into space
• ✓Players can read where space is before the ball arrives
• ✓Players can accelerate into the space created by their first touch

Equipment

• 12 size-4 balls
• 24 disc cones
• 4 mannequins or tall cones as defenders
• bibs

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: One ball each in open grid.

   How to run it: Players dribble and on 'space!' must push the ball 3 yards into empty space with one touch, sprint to it, and continue dribbling. Coach places cones mid-session to reduce space and force players to find openings.

   • ›Touch is angled — not straight ahead
   • ›Sprint to the ball immediately after the touch

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Pairs 6 yards apart.

   How to run it: Partner A tosses ball softly underarm. Partner B controls with first touch away from A into space, dribbles back, and swaps. Progress to A rolling the ball faster. Last 2 minutes: B must control and immediately turn 90°.

   • ›Soft touch — take the pace off the ball
   • ›Touch direction chosen before the ball arrives

3. 3. Technical Practice

   15m

   Set up: A 15×10 yd grid with a mannequin or tall cone as a passive defender in the centre. Groups of 3: passer, receiver, target.

   How to run it: Passer plays to receiver who is on one side of the mannequin. Receiver uses first touch to move the ball around the mannequin into the lane behind it, then plays to the target. Repeat from both sides. After 5 minutes, passer applies active but controlled pressure (walk-pace).

   • ›Touch goes to the side away from the mannequin
   • ›Angle your foot to redirect — don't just stop the ball
   • ›Head up after the touch to play immediately to the target

4. 4. Skill Game

   15m

   Set up: 4 small gates (1 yard wide) on the perimeter of a 12×12 yd box. Groups of 4+1 defender.

   How to run it: Attackers pass freely inside the box. To earn a point, a player must receive a pass and use their first touch to move toward one of the perimeter gates, then dribble through it. Defender tries to block. Rotate defender every 90 seconds.

   • ›First touch earns you space — use it to attack
   • ›Identify the gate before the pass comes
   • ›Defender forces attacker to be sharp and decisive

5. 5. Small-Sided Game

   17m

   Set up: 4v4 with end zones (2 yards deep) at each end instead of goals.

   How to run it: A team scores by dribbling into the end zone. To encourage first touch into space, coach awards 2 points for any goal where the scoring run was set up by a directional first touch (coach judges). Players call 'space touch!' when they do it.

   • ›First touch sets the direction of the next dribble or pass
   • ›If you take the ball on the half-turn your first touch can go forward immediately
   • ›Receive to attack, not to hold

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Circle.

   How to run it: Calf and ankle rolls plus shoulder stretches. Coach demonstrates slow-motion: bad touch (ball under foot, stop) vs. good touch (ball redirected into space, sprint). Players identify the difference.

   • ›First touch is an attacking action
   • ›The angle of your receiving foot determines where the ball goes

Outcomes

• ✓Players can turn a defensive ball into an attacking opportunity with one touch
• ✓Players can read the space available and choose the correct foot for the first touch
• ✓Players can link first touch with an immediate pass or dribble in transition
• ✓Players can support a teammate in transition with a timed run

Equipment

• 10 size-4 balls
• 24 disc cones
• 4 small goals
• bibs

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: Grid, one ball each.

   How to run it: Free dribbling. On 'go!', players stop their ball with one foot and immediately sprint 5 yards to a teammate's abandoned ball, take it with a directional first touch, and continue. Encourages touch awareness and spatial reading.

   • ›Sprint to the new ball — attack it
   • ›First touch on arrival sets direction, not just control

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Cone course: 4 cones in a 10-yard zigzag.

   How to run it: Players run the zigzag, performing a touch-and-turn at each cone: receive an imaginary ball, touch left, touch right alternating. Add a real ball the second time through. Last 2 minutes: partner feeds ball at each cone and player takes a directional first touch to the next gate.

   • ›Change of direction is quick, not slow
   • ›Soft knees on every touch and turn

3. 3. Technical Practice

   15m

   Set up: Two teams of 3 on opposite sides of a 20×10 yd channel. A neutral cone divides the channel in half.

   How to run it: Team A passes across to Team B. Team B's first receiver must take a directional first touch forward into their own half, then combine with their two teammates to score in a small goal at the far end. Team A defends after passing. Alternate attack direction every 3 minutes.

   • ›First touch forward immediately puts Team A under pressure
   • ›Receiver's teammates must start their runs the moment the pass is released
   • ›First touch should be large enough to gain a yard, not so large the defender wins it

4. 4. Skill Game

   15m

   Set up: Transition game: 3v3 in a 20×15 yd box with two small goals.

   How to run it: Normal play, but after a turnover the team winning the ball has 5 seconds to score. This forces an immediate directional first touch and quick transition attack. If they fail to shoot within 5 seconds, possession returns to the other team.

   • ›Win the ball — first touch forward — shoot or play forward
   • ›Teammates must read the transition and run immediately
   • ›Don't over-dribble; the 5-second clock rewards direct play

5. 5. Small-Sided Game

   17m

   Set up: 5v5 on 30×22 yd. Standard small goals.

   How to run it: Open play. Coach introduces a 'fast break' bonus: if a team scores within 6 seconds of winning possession, the goal counts double. This rewards fast transitions built on good first touches. Coach counts aloud from the moment of transition.

   • ›Win the ball quickly, don't dwell
   • ›First touch and first pass together create momentum
   • ›Defend well — a good first touch is dangerous

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Circle.

   How to run it: Slow jogging in place, then hip and thigh stretches. Coach asks players to demonstrate (standing still) the difference between a square, backwards, and forward directional first touch — which opens most opportunities?

   • ›First touch forward = transition momentum
   • ›The whole sequence is: win it, touch it forward, attack