4-6 Mixed Skills

Aliens and Asteroids

This game can be played by 4 players or more

Benefits to football –

1. Fundamental football development movement skills
2. Coordination
3. Awareness of positioning and space

Session set up –

Map out 2 or 3 small circles to represent planets and dot cones around to represent asteroids.

The aim of the game is for “astronauts” to run from planet to planet while avoiding asteroids and without being tagged by an “alien”. An alien can run throughout the whole space without restrictions. If a player is tagged, they must stand arms and legs outstretched and can be rescued by other astronauts by being high fived. Make sure to switch astronauts and aliens around every few rounds.

The game can be progressed by limiting three astronauts to one planet. Once the kids understand the game introduce football to the astronauts.

Moving with the ball (end zone to end zone)

Suitable for any amount of players

Benefits to football –

1. Scanning skills
2. Learn techniques to deceive opponents
3. Making decisions on when to dribble or to run

Session set up –

Set up a long rectangular pitch of around 20 metres in length with four cones at the corners of the pitch. Set up the pitch so each player has around a metre space around them. Have each player dribble from one side of the pitch to the other, stopping at the opposite end.
Progress the game by adding cones in the middle and asking players to perform a skill round the cone. This can be simple moves just like dribbling round the cone but for more advanced players could include stepovers or drops of the shoulder. As well as this, you can add defenders to make the game bulldog but with footballs. This means players still try to get to the other end of the pitch but are trying to be tackled, if they are tackled this means they join the defenders until one player remains or all players are tackled.

Penguin Valley

Suitable for any amount of players

Benefits to football –

1. Variety of movement
2. Basic dribbling skills
3. Coordination

Session set up –

Make the valley for the penguins to run through by making two lines of cones with a gap between them. The wider the gap, the more room for the children to move around.
The aim of the game is to move the football through the valley and back down the outside. Ask the children to walk like the penguins through the valley. Encourage them to take lots of little touches of the ball with both feet. When they have reached the end of the valley, they can pick the ball up and carry it back to start again.

Stadium Game

Suitable for 8 to 16 players

Benefits to football –

1. Comfortability with a football
2. Teamwork
3. Directional play

Session set up –

Depending on the number of players you have, set up a rectangular pitch with four cones marking out the rectangle. Have two teams with an equal number of players with a team on either side of the pitch. Every player has a football.
On “Go” from the coach, each player tries to kick the footballs into the opponent’s half until the coach says stop. The aim is to have the fewest footballs on your side. To make the game harder, you can include hoops/upside down cones. If a football lands in these the team gets double points.

Bib throw

Suitable for any amount of players

Benefits to football –

1. Hand eye/feet coordination
2. Awareness of space

Session set up –

Set up a square pitch depending on the number of players. Give half the players a bib to hold in their hand. The aim of the game is to not be holding a bib when the round ends. Players with bibs should throw bibs at players without them. If a bib touches a player, they have to pick up the bib and go find someone else to throw the bib at. Let the rounds go on for a few minutes. Progress the session by adding in footballs.

Dribbling and passing through cones

Suitable for any amount of players

Benefits to football –

1. Awareness of space
2. Dribbling
3. Passing

Session set up –

Set up a square pitch depending on the number of players you have. In this square set up multiple sets of two cones a few feet away from each other. To start of with, each player has a football and should dribble round the pitch and dribble through the cones. Progress the session by encouraging the players to do skills through the cones.
Then progress the session again by partnering the players up. They should then in their partners pass the ball through the cones and move to pass through another set of cones. Partners should not be passing through just one set of cones.