U6 game

Give each team a ball. Assign a player as driver, and one as passenger. One player stands in front, without a ball. This is the driver. One player stands behind, with a ball. This is the passenger. Instructions Blow your whistle to start the teams moving. They must keep the ball close to them at all times. As the players move around, they need to learn to avoid each other while keeping control of the ball. Once the passengers are used to the movement, switch them with the driver.

Both players should be given a chance with the ball, and a chance to lead. Variations Combine this game with the traffic light system. Shout out red to stop, green to go, and yellow to slow down. Mix things up by shouting purple to get them to change direction. Shout out instructions for the passengers to follow. For example, only using the inside of the foot, only using the left foot etc. Once the children have mastered the game, the driver can begin to give these limitations to their passenger.

Switch partnerships. Play the game in quick rounds, and change partners, so the players learn to work with everyone. The children will then need to find a new driver or passenger to work with. Tips for coaches Start slow and build up. Sharks and Minnows. What is it? Setup Mark out your field of play. Around 20 x 25 yards should do it, but adjust larger if there are more children.

Assign your sharks and minnows. The two sharks must stand in the center of the pitch. Line the minnows up along one edge of the pitch, with a ball each. Vests should be used, so the teams can tell each other apart. Have the minnows wear one color, and the sharks another.

Instructions The minnows start the game at one end of the pitch. When the whistle blows, they try to dribble the ball to the other end. A minnow without the ball becomes a shark, and starts chasing other minnows.

The game ends when only one minnow remains. This minnow is the winner! Variations There are a few variations that can be used to adapt the game for different groups.

When a minnow loses the ball, rather than having them become a shark, they have to leave the game. This makes the sharks work harder. Players who are out can practice dribbling around the edge of the pitch.

When a minnow has successfully crossed a line, they can either stop or return. Holding them at the line until every minnow has crossed or lost gives the players time to regroup. Having them attempt to cross back and forth across the field can be chaotic, but results in a fast-paced game.

Give the minnows limitations. For example, they can only dribble with their left foot. Another way to play this game is to make all players minnows. Have them try to dribble the ball and steal another player's ball at the same time. Tips for coaches The minnows need to learn to keep the ball close, or risk losing it.

Protect the Castle What is it? Setup Mark out a small grid. Divide the group into teams of four. They should wear a different vest color.

Carefully balance a soccer ball on top of the cone. This is the castle, and must be defended. The three attacking players start the game with one soccer ball. Instructions The attacking players begin by passing the ball between each other.

With each pass, they can aim to knock the ball off the castle. The defending player must try to intercept the ball, and keep the castle safe. When the ball is knocked off by a passing kick, or the cone falls down, a point is awarded to the attacking team.

A point is only awarded if the castle is toppled by a ball being passed. If the castle is knocked down with a foot or other bodily contact, no point is awarded. When the attacking team has scored 3 points, the defender is switched. Variations Change the pitch size to respond to the player's skill level. A small grid, roughly 3 x 3, is used to keep players further from the cone. This requires more passing and accuracy to score a point.

Add a rule that the ball must be passed a certain number of times before an attempt can be made on the castle. If the castle is knocked down before the passes are made, no point is given. Play the game 1 v 1 as a dribbling drill. Without the passing requirement, the focus is on ball control. Tips for Coaches Players will need to keep their heads up to find passes, rather than always watching the ball. To knock the castle down, players will need to pass the ball with weight behind it.

Bowling Soccer Balls. Play three, five-minute games. Rest and reset the soccer balls between each game. Make coaching points during breaks. The player who was scored on, rotates to the back of their team line. If the ball goes out-of-bounds at any point, the two players inside the grid go to the back of their team lines, and a new ball is started from two new players. Keep track of scores to see who wins each game!

Rest and rotate players between games as needed. Variations: Tournament — If there are more than two teams, make it a tournament. Coaching Points: Encourage the players to moves and changes of direction to unsettle the defender and get past them. Educate the players to use changes of speed to dribble past the defenders when there is an opportunity.

Remind the players to bend their knees and move their feet when defending to set up their tackle. Players should not dive in! How the Drill Works: Two teams of four players compete against each other to mini-goals. Purpose: One of the best U6 soccer drills to develop the entire player.

Setup: Set up a field 20xyards. Set up one field for every eight players if space allows. One mini-goal should be placed on each end line. Use cone gates if mini-goals are not available.

Divide the players into teams of four players. If there is an odd number, one team will play with three or five players. Have the teams in a formation. All of the soccer balls should be placed near the mini-goals. Play four, five-minute games. Adjust the duration of the activity to fit training needs. Rest and make coaching points between games. Play kick-ins if the ball goes out-of-bounds on the sidelines.

Play goal kicks and corners if the ball goes over the end lines. The team with the most goals at the end of the five-minute game wins the round. Rest between rounds and reset the soccer balls. Four rounds are suggested. Switch teams and players as needed between rounds. Make coaching points during the breaks.

Variations: Touch-limit — Give players three, two or one-touch to increase the difficulty. Coaching Points: Encourage the players to compete at game-speed.

Players will get many actions in this game and allow them to experiment as they develop. Teach the players to constantly move off of each other and provide good passing angles. Challenge the players to take defenders in 2v1 and 1v1 situations. Remind the players to constantly communicate and work together on both sides of the ball!

Dribble Knockout. Purpose: Develop dribbling , ball control, and awareness in an enjoyable activity. Setup: Use several cones to mark a playing area. The shape of the area in not important. A circle, rectangle, or square shaped playing grid is acceptable. Vary the size of the area depending on the number of players involved. All the players start inside the playing area with a ball. Play as many rounds as needed!

Players are free to move in any direction inside the box. If a player dribbles their ball out-of-bounds, then they are out for the remainder of the round as well. Players must keep their soccer balls close to them at all times.

Players are not allowed to leave their ball and run after other players without their ball. Players who do so should be warned or disqualified for the remainder of the round. The last player dribbling inside the playing area is the winner of that round. After the round is completed, all the players are back in the game and a new round is started in the same manner.

Play as many rounds as needed. It was all about dribbling and having fun. If you are a coach or thinking about coaching young kids here are the 10 activities that worked best for me:. It also allows the coach to warm up, someone who definitely needs it. Every few drills I liked to jog be an airplane! Standing in one place is not easy for little kids!

Walk the puppy Hand out pretend leashes to each child. Tell them their ball is no longer a ball, but a puppy. They need to take their puppy on a walk. They need to keep it close. Have them dribble with the inside of their feet, you may need to have them all reach down and touch the part of the foot that is used for dribbling across the field or across a set area.

Driving school This is a variation of red light, green light. I added a few extra lights. Red stop and green go are obvious, but yellow to slow down and purple to change direction add some variety. The kids also really liked the disco light which meant stop and dance! Hit the coach A big favorite. Set up a square, not too big and have all the kids dribble around inside and try to hit the coach with the ball. Whoever hits the coach gets to pick an animal for the coach to imitate. This time the coach has the ball inside the square and tries to hit the kids.