Week 30

Outcomes

• ✓Players can strike through the centre of the ball with the laces.
• ✓Players can keep a laces shot on target below crossbar height.
• ✓Players can generate power without losing accuracy.
• ✓Players can follow through correctly and land on the kicking foot.

Equipment

• 10 cones
• 6 bibs
• 10 balls
• 2 full-size goals
• 2 keepers

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: 15×15 yd grid, each player with a ball.

   How to run it: Players dribble and perform laces-push dribbles at speed — long touch with the laces, sprint to catch up, repeat. On 'Shoot!', they stop the ball with the sole and mime a shooting action three times before resuming dribble.

   • ›Laces push: top of the foot, not the toe.
   • ›Lean your body slightly forward on the mime — don't lean back.
   • ›Keep the action explosive.

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Single file channel, cones at 5 and 15 yards.

   How to run it: Locomotion warmup: high knees, glute kicks, bounding, then a full sprint. Finish with three non-ball shooting stance reps: approach, plant, swing, follow-through in slow motion. Coach checks body shape.

   • ›Approach at a slight angle — 30 degrees.
   • ›Non-kicking foot beside the ball, not behind.
   • ›Follow-through lands on the kicking foot, lean forward.

3. 3. Technical Practice

   15m

   Set up: Goal with keeper. Cones mark shooting zones at 12 and 16 yards. Server rolls ball from the side so the player shoots on the move.

   How to run it: Player receives a rolling ball in the shooting zone and strikes with laces at full effort. Round 1: from 12 yards. Round 2: from 16 yards. Round 3: player calls 'low' or 'high' to the server before each delivery — server adjusts the roll speed accordingly.

   • ›Strike through the centre of the ball for a flat, dipping shot.
   • ›Hit under the centre slightly for top-spin — experiment.
   • ›Head down at contact, watch the ball not the keeper.

4. 4. Skill Game

   15m

   Set up: Teams of three compete in a shooting relay. Balls lined up 14 yards from goal. Keeper in goal. Each player takes five laces shots per round.

   How to run it: 1 point per goal, 0 for saved or miss. After all shoot, the team with the most goals wins the round. Coach adds a tiebreaker: the 'power shot of the round' — loudest clean strike that goes in earns a bonus point.

   • ›Strike the ball, don't poke it.
   • ›Keep your eyes down through contact.
   • ›Pick a corner — don't just blast at the keeper.

5. 5. Small-Sided Game

   17m

   Set up: 5v5 including keepers, 35×25 yd, full goals.

   How to run it: Standard match. Goals scored from outside the penalty area count three points. Goals from inside count one. Coach reminds players of the rule every five minutes to encourage long-range attempts.

   • ›Create space to shoot by dribbling to draw defenders.
   • ›Shoot when you have a clear sight of goal — don't force it.
   • ›Keeper: position off your line for outside-box shots.

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Pairs, seated facing each other.

   How to run it: Seated hamstring and quad stretches while partners quiz each other: 'Three things you do for a good laces shot?' Collect one answer per pair.

   • ›Approach angle, plant foot, locked ankle, follow-through.
   • ›Power without accuracy is wasted — be a scorer, not just a shooter.

Outcomes

• ✓Players can control a ball in stride and shoot first or second touch.
• ✓Players can shoot with power under pressure from a recovering defender.
• ✓Players can decide when to shoot and when to take one more touch.
• ✓Players can finish from a counter-attack scenario with limited preparation time.

Equipment

• 12 cones
• 8 bibs
• 8 balls
• 2 full-size goals
• 2 keepers

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: 15×15 yd grid, each player with a ball.

   How to run it: Players perform laces-dribble relays across the grid — three long pushes and a sprint. On 'Go!', they must sprint to a cone, receive a lobbed ball from the coach, and shoot at a pop-up target with their laces before returning.

   • ›Control first touch across your body for the best shooting angle.
   • ›Strike early — before the imaginary defender gets close.
   • ›Keep balance even when moving at speed.

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Two goals at each end, 30 yards apart. Players in two groups.

   How to run it: Each group alternates: player receives a pass from team-mate and drives at a cone 10 yards away, then takes a laces shot at the goal. Warm-up pace — emphasis on approach angle and plant foot.

   • ›Carry the ball with the laces, not the inside.
   • ›Decelerate slightly before shooting for accuracy.
   • ›Communicate with the server: 'Ready!'

3. 3. Technical Practice

   15m

   Set up: Counter-attack channel: 40×15 yd. Keeper at far end. Defender starts 10 yards behind the attacker. Attacker receives a pass from the coach and goes 1v1 with a chasing defender.

   How to run it: Attacker must shoot before the defender catches up — usually within two touches. Progress: defender starts level — attacker must decide in real time whether to carry and shoot or shoot immediately.

   • ›Look up after your first touch — where is the defender?
   • ›If the keeper is off their line, laces shot early.
   • ›Don't slow down to set up a perfect shot — accept less than perfect.

4. 4. Skill Game

   15m

   Set up: 4v4 on a 35×25 yd pitch. Goals are 'live' for laces finishes only. Side-foot goals do not count (encourage power shooting).

   How to run it: Normal possession play. Any shot that is clearly struck with the laces and scores counts. Coach judges technique and announces decisions. Players must adapt to the constraint.

   • ›Create the opportunity to shoot with laces — get your body set.
   • ›Defenders: know the rule — force side-foot opportunities.
   • ›Be creative: combine to create a shooting lane.

5. 5. Small-Sided Game

   17m

   Set up: 6v6 including keepers, 40×30 yd, full goals.

   How to run it: Free match. Coach introduces a 'Speed of Play' challenge: any team that scores within five seconds of winning the ball earns a bonus point. Encourages quick transition and early shooting.

   • ›React immediately on turnovers.
   • ›Forward runs start before the ball is won.
   • ›Shoot early from transition — keepers are rarely set.

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Group circle.

   How to run it: Easy juggling or sole rolling. Coach asks: 'When is it better to shoot first touch? When do you take an extra touch?' Collect three answers.

   • ›Shoot first touch when the keeper is off the line or unprepared.
   • ›Extra touch when you need to shift the ball for a better angle.