Week 2

Outcomes

• ✓Players can perform a scissors with dominant foot at walking pace
• ✓Players can perform a scissors with non-dominant foot at walking pace
• ✓Players can link a scissors into an accelerating dribble
• ✓Players can identify when a scissors is an appropriate choice

Equipment

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

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: Free-roam 20×20 yd area; 1 ball each.

   How to run it: Players dribble and on whistle stop with sole, then immediately do 3 toe taps before moving again. Change the stopping foot each whistle. Encourage creative moves between whistles.

   • ›Clean stop – ball dead under the foot
   • ›Quick toe taps – light and rhythmic
   • ›Eyes scanning the space

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Two cones 12 yds apart; individual channels.

   How to run it: Players perform: heel flicks, hip circles with ball on foot, lateral shuffles across their channel, and dynamic leg swings. Two lengths of each. Finish with a 'ghost scissors' walk-through without the ball so players understand the foot path.

   • ›Full range of motion on hip circles
   • ›Land softly on shuffles
   • ›Ghost scissors: step over in an arc, not straight

3. 3. Technical Practice – Scissors Station

   15m

   Set up: Line of cones 1 yd apart, 8 cones total. Players queue, one ball each.

   How to run it: Step 1: Walk-through – step over the ball with the right foot in an arc, then push left with the outside of the left foot. Coach demonstrates. Step 2: Players perform 5 slow reps each. Step 3: Introduce a passive defender (cone) and perform scissors to beat it. Ask: 'Which direction did you end up going after the scissors?'

   • ›Step over the ball, not to the side of it
   • ›Sell the fake – lean your shoulder
   • ›Accelerate with the outside of the opposite foot immediately after
   • ›Keep the ball within one step throughout

4. 4. Skill Game – Scissors Tag

   15m

   Set up: 25×20 yd grid; 3 taggers with pinnies; all players with balls.

   How to run it: Taggers try to tag dribblers. If tagged, the dribbler stands still and must perform 3 scissors (alternating feet) before re-entering. Taggers do NOT have balls. Rotate taggers every 2 minutes.

   • ›Use the scissors to change direction away from taggers
   • ›Don't do the scissors at a wall – find space first
   • ›Three clean reps before you rejoin

5. 5. Small-Sided Game – 4v4 Scissors Bonus

   17m

   Set up: 30×22 yd pitch; two teams of 4; small goals.

   How to run it: Normal 4v4. A goal scored after a scissors move counts as 2 points. Coach freezes play twice to highlight a good example. After 10 minutes remove the bonus but ask players to keep trying the move.

   • ›Scissors works best when defender is standing still
   • ›If they don't bite, try it again – commit more
   • ›Combine scissors with a change of pace

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Circle on the ground.

   How to run it: Quad and hip-flexor stretches. Coach asks: 'What part of the scissors fooled the defender?' Listen for shoulder lean and change of direction. Summarise: the fake is the move.

   • ›Emphasise the sell – body language matters
   • ›Praise players who attempted the move in the game

Outcomes

• ✓Players can attempt a scissors against a live defender
• ✓Players can accelerate convincingly after executing the scissors
• ✓Players can read when a defender is off-balance and exploit it
• ✓Players enjoy attempting creative 1v1 moves under pressure

Equipment

• 1 ball per player
• 20 cones
• 8 pinnies
• 4 small goals

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: Free roam 20×20 yd; 1 ball each.

   How to run it: Players free-dribble, alternating between scissors and close control. Coach calls 'scissors left' or 'scissors right' every 30 seconds. Players must execute immediately.

   • ›React quickly to calls
   • ›Stay balanced after the move
   • ›Eyes up between moves

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Pairs, 1 ball per pair, 10 yd channel.

   How to run it: Player A dribbles toward Player B (who stands passive). Player A performs a scissors at 2 yds from B, then accelerates past. B gives light resistance from week 3 onward. Switch roles every 3 reps. Finish with dynamic stretching: leg swings, hip circles.

   • ›Approach at pace, slow slightly before the move
   • ›Explode after the scissors – don't jog away

3. 3. Technical Practice – 1v1 Scissors Corridor

   15m

   Set up: 5-yd-wide corridor, 15 yds long. Attacker starts at one end; defender stands at the midpoint. Cones mark the halfway and finish lines.

   How to run it: Attacker dribbles toward defender and must attempt a scissors before the halfway cone. Defender then becomes active. If attacker reaches the end line, 1 point. If defender wins ball, 1 point. Play 4 rounds each, then swap. Ask after: 'What made some scissors work and others not?'

   • ›Commit to the fake direction with your shoulders
   • ›Keep your weight over the ball
   • ›Don't slow down too early – defender reads it
   • ›Push the ball into space after the scissors

4. 4. Skill Game – 2v1 Attack

   15m

   Set up: 20×12 yd grid; two small goals at each end. One defender starts in the middle.

   How to run it: Two attackers start at one end and try to score. Defender tries to win the ball. If the ball carrier uses a scissors to beat the defender, the second attacker must hold their position for 2 seconds (making it a 1v1). This teaches players to be brave and not rely on the pass.

   • ›Dribbler: take responsibility – beat your defender
   • ›Support player: hold, give your teammate space
   • ›Celebrate the attempt win or lose

5. 5. Small-Sided Game – 5v5 to Goals

   17m

   Set up: 35×25 yd pitch; two teams of 5; two small goals each end.

   How to run it: Free play 5v5. Coach observes and freezes play only when a scissors moment is missed to ask: 'What could you have tried there?' Do not over-coach; let the game run. Swap teams at 8 minutes.

   • ›Trust your skills in a game
   • ›Risk-taking is rewarded – we learn from attempts
   • ›Look for 1v1 moments on the outside channels

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Circle, sitting.

   How to run it: Calf and groin stretches. Coach asks one player to demonstrate a scissors slowly. Group identifies the key elements together. Preview next week: the step-over.

   • ›Reinforce the move name so players own it
   • ›Positive close – praise specific players by name