Week 7

Outcomes

• ✓Players can stop the ball and use the inside of the foot to redirect 180 degrees.
• ✓Players can perform a U-turn when dribbling toward a boundary.
• ✓Players can perform a U-turn at slow speed without losing the ball.

Equipment

• 1 size-3 ball per player
• 20 flat cones
• 4 small pop-up goals
• 1 pinnie per player

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Free Play

   5m

   Set up: 20x20 grid. Place cones as 'dead ends' — lines of cones blocking certain paths.

   How to run it: Players arrive and dribble freely. When they hit a dead end, they must turn around somehow. Coach watches how they solve it — no instruction yet.

   • ›Dead ends naturally create the problem that turns solve.
   • ›Watch the variety of solutions — some will scoop, some will kick sideways.
   • ›Greet each player and build curiosity: 'What do you do when you get stuck?'

2. 2. Warm-Up Game — Bouncy Ball Walls

   8m

   Set up: 20x20 grid. Every player has a ball. Boundary cones are the 'walls.'

   How to run it: Players dribble until they get close to a wall, then must 'bounce' off it by turning around. Coach demonstrates: dribble to wall, inside-of-foot push, and go back the other way — call it the 'Magic Turn.' Players practice the bounce off every wall they hit. Do this for a full minute without stopping.

   • ›Demonstrate slowly: stop, inside foot touches ball, push back, go.
   • ›Cue 'hook it like a fish hook' for the inside-of-foot push.
   • ›Encourage both feet over multiple rounds.

3. 3. Skill Theme Game — Astronaut U-Turn

   12m

   Set up: Set pairs of cones 8 yards apart as 'Moon Bases' (5-6 pairs in a 20x20 grid). Every player has a ball.

   How to run it: Players are astronauts going from base to base. At each base, they must perform the Magic Turn (U-turn) before going to the next base. Count how many bases you visit in 90 seconds. Repeat. Introduce a slow-motion challenge: can you do the turn SO smoothly no one sees the join?

   • ›At each turn point, cue: 'stop — hook — go.'
   • ›Do not worry about perfect technique — direction change is the goal.
   • ›Praise any deliberate turning action.

4. 4. Small-Sided Games — 3v3 with Turn Zones

   15m

   Set up: Two 15x10 pitches. Goals at each end. Mark a 'turn zone' (2x2 square of cones) near each goal.

   How to run it: Play 3v3. Any player who dribbles into the turn zone must perform a U-turn before they can shoot. This forces the skill in a game context. Rotate every 4 minutes.

   • ›Praise the attempt in the turn zone even if imperfect.
   • ›Do not penalize failed turns — encourage retry.
   • ›Point out when a U-turn creates space: 'The defender expected you to keep going!'

5. 5. Cool-Down & High-Fives

   5m

   Set up: Circle. Coach places one cone in the middle.

   How to run it: Every player takes one turn around the cone using the Magic Turn they learned today. Group cheers for each one. Hearts Cheer. Homework reminder.

   • ›No judgment — just celebration of the attempt.
   • ›Connect the turn to the theme: 'That is your Magic Turn — remember it!'
   • ›Remind parents of the homework.

Outcomes

• ✓Players attempt a U-turn when faced with a defender.
• ✓Players can string together multiple U-turns while dribbling.
• ✓Players use turning ability to keep possession in small-sided games.

Equipment

• 1 size-3 ball per player
• 24 flat cones
• 4 small pop-up goals
• 1 pinnie per player

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Free Play

   5m

   Set up: 20x20 grid. Set several dead-end corridors made of cones.

   How to run it: Players arrive and navigate the corridors, using their Magic Turn to escape dead ends. Pure exploration with a clear structure.

   • ›Corridors of cones force the U-turn situation repeatedly.
   • ›Praise any turn without prompting.
   • ›Energy should be high — this is festival day.

2. 2. Warm-Up Game — Spin-and-Go Pirates

   8m

   Set up: 20x20 grid. Two players are 'Kraken' (no balls). Everyone else is a pirate with a ball.

   How to run it: Krakens try to kick pirates' balls out. When a Kraken approaches, pirates must use a Magic Turn to escape. If your ball is kicked out, retrieve it, do a U-turn around it, and rejoin. Swap Krakens every 90 seconds.

   • ›Kraken pressure makes the turn feel urgent and real.
   • ›Call out 'MAGIC TURN!' when you see a player in trouble.
   • ›Celebrate every successful escape.

3. 3. Skill Theme Game — Turning Maze Challenge

   12m

   Set up: Build 6 small cul-de-sacs (dead ends) out of cones in a 20x20 grid. Each dead end requires a U-turn to escape.

   How to run it: Players dribble through the maze and visit each cul-de-sac, using a U-turn to escape each one. Count total turns completed in 2 minutes. Challenge: can you do 6 turns with no mistakes? Coach watches and counts with each player.

   • ›Multiple turns in sequence builds fluency.
   • ›Walk alongside a struggling player to cue 'stop — hook — go.'
   • ›Fast players can do the maze backwards for extra challenge.

4. 4. Small-Sided Games — Magic Turn Festival

   15m

   Set up: Three 12x10 mini-pitches. 3v3 round-robin, 4-minute games.

   How to run it: 3v3 mini-festival. Any Magic Turn visible during play gets a 'twist point' called out by the coach. Points are noted but do not change the scoreboard — just recognition. Rotate teams every 4 minutes.

   • ›Calling out twist points makes the skill visible and celebrated.
   • ›Do not stop play to award them — just narrate.
   • ›Keep score light — fun festival atmosphere.

5. 5. Cool-Down & High-Fives

   5m

   Set up: Circle.

   How to run it: Each player teaches the coach the Magic Turn — role reversal for laughs. Coach deliberately gets it wrong and players correct. Hearts Cheer.

   • ›Role reversal builds confidence and ownership.
   • ›Ham up the wrong technique to get corrections from the kids.
   • ›End with every player feeling like an expert.