For the whole season we like to try and incorporate:
These three skills can be incorporated into pretty much all stations, by just yelling out every once in a while show me your tip taps, tic tacs, or pull backs
These three skills will set the foundation for other skills they will learn, so please have them work on them a couple times every night!
For all stations demonstrate what they need to do, this would be a good use of the youth coach and maybe a few parents. No matter how simple it seems to you it needs to be demonstrated.
Station Times: Start by 6:05 pm each week
Station 1 6:05 to 6:13 pm
Station 2 6:13 to 6:21 pm
Station 3 6:21 to 6:29 pm
Station 4 6:29 to 6:37 pm
Station 5 6:37 to 6:45 pm
As a group please keep an eye on the time and rotate at the right times. Kids just can bring their water bottles with them to each station and have a drink in between.
Each coach will adapt the stations to meet their needs which is fine, but try and follow the basic premise.
At this age it is as much about physical literacy as it is soccer skills. Kids need to learn how to run, jump, hop, skip, roll, throw, etc. As you will see some stations may not even use soccer balls rather focus on movement skills which for this group is all new for most. Using how different animals move is a fun way to do this: hop like a bunny, frog, slither like a snake, crawl like a bear, etc.
Please try and make sure you use your youth coach and encourage them to get involved as they may be shy! (If a kid does not have an adult with them ask the youth coach to join them or join your child so you can oversee the whole group at times) Bring lots of ENERGY and HAVE FUN!
Station 1 Obstacle course:
Encourage two foot jumps over the small hurdles. They can crawl under large hurdle or jump over. And when in ladder to try and not touch the yellow rungs. Can also have them try hopping through the ladder.
No line-ups, just let them go one after another it can be pretty unstructured.
Station 2 Red Light Green light:
Line them all up on sideline so they all run at once. Red light stop, yellow light walk, green light run! At some point, have them all turn around and run back to start line (can yell reverse).
Start without balls (different types of animals moves) then introduce balls. With balls they can do a pull back when it is time to turn around. After some red lights can have them do tip taps or tic tacs.
Station 3 Hoola Hoop Play:
Have parent hold hoops and players can go to any hoop they want, encourage them to move around to different hoops.
You yell out different commands: ex. hold it high and kids throw the ball through it, hold on the ground kick ball through then crawl through, just off ground try and chip ball threw. Then have kids hold and adults do the commands (kids love this)!
Can also give time for kids to just play with hoops, they enjoy it!
Station 4 Dribble and shoot:
Four pop up nets are set up with a cone about 10-15 yards in front of it. They simply dribble from behind a cone and shoot on the net.
No line-ups just have them continuously going. If you want, you can put a few cones for them to go around first. Can ask some parents to stand in the nets to pretend to try and stop their shots and get balls out for them.
Station 5 Candy Shop:
Will be a square made with cones each side will be a different color. You can use the colors or name each side a different candy. Have kids moving around the middle and you yell out a candy name (or color) they need to dribble their ball to that sideline.
Do it first without any balls and they just run, crawl, hop, skip, etc. Then have kids dribble balls. Probably have to stand on the side or point to it as they won't remember the sides at first. When they get to the side have them do a pull back and dribble back to the middle.