Under 10

7-10 YEAR OLD COACHING SYLLABUS

Ideally youngsters will already have been playing the game for at least a year beforehand. If not get them up to speed quickly!

As we discussed in the 3-6 year olds section, this is an ideal window of opportunity to work on movement patterns, running styles, coordination and agility. If young people miss out in this age group they will find it hard in later years!

Here are some sample feet pattern drills you can use with this age group and remember always use a ball when you can!

FOOTWORK DRILLS

Focus on running on balls of feet, head up, arms moving quickly, quick steps and make sure players accelerate at least 10 yards after the ladder to ensure full range of movement at the hip!

DOUBLE STEP

Similar points to single step, this time both feet in before the other foot moves out. Key is to lean back slightly to get full knee drive and emphasise arm speed.

SLIDE

Top flight players change direction about 250-300 times each game. Lateral movement is important, especially starting at this age!

The movement is carried out with the trunk facing forwards, arms in front for central balance and feet apart. The player needs to slide through the poles or markers leading off one foot with the other foot mirroring the movement. Emphasise balance, change of direction, being on balls of the feet and keeping head up.

BACKWARDS SLIDE

As above but backwards

ONE FOOT LATERAL

This is quite a difficult movement to master but worthwhile for quicker learning.

Stand at the side of the ladder and quickly move on foot in and out of the squares. At the same time move your other foot forwards outside the ladder. Perform on both sides!

BACKWARDS ON FOOT LATERAL

As above but backwards

SIDEWAYS MIRROR

Get players to move quicker laterally. Stand sideways on and move one foot at a time through the ladder with the other foot mirroring the leading foot. Emphasise high knee drive and arm speed. If the players knock the ladders or cones over dont worry - as long as foot speed is emphasises results will come!

TECHNICAL COACHING WITH 7-10 YEAR OLDS

If each player is not working with a ball each or at least a ball between two, alter your philosophy quickly! Again this age group is the main time to develop, progress and master techniques.

The main focus should be concerned with:

Dribbling/ running with the ball
Ball manipulation - turns, tricks, both feet
Kick ups - best way to develop first touch in the long term
1v1 games - let them learn attacking and defensive strategies 1v1
2v1 games - how to play with an advantage or outnumbered
Shooting - many sessions dont feature the main reason to play - scoring goals!
At this age, young players should be allowed the freedom to experiment, play and learn for themselves. Forget criticising bad first touches it only adds pressure and decreases the players thought processes!

As a coach ask yourself this:

When was the first time someone told you that what you are doing is wrong? It might have been whilst playing football or in a lesson in primary school. As soon as that word was mentioned how did it make you feel? Confident to do it again or more cautious? It's the same in football; as soon as you affect a young player in this way it has the same affect - they stop trying new things and learning the game as quickly as they should be. This therefore has a knock-on effect to the long term.

Don't overcoach - ask the right questions and use the correct words!

Which words or phrases are negative?

Thats wrong! - players will be reluctant from then on
Not good enough - players will lose confidence and fear mistakes
Lets not lose this game! - as soon as 'lose' is said players will think they might lose
Lets battle today and work hard! - adding pressure and reluctance to learn from mistakes
If in doubt kick it out! - not conducive to long term development
Dont pass the ball near your own box - not enouraging defenders to improve key skills
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GRENADES

Split the players into two teams, which will stand on opposite sides of a line of cones. The teams will have an equal number of balls (or "grenades") on their side. The players perform a correct throw-in to get the "grenade" to the other team's side. If a throw-in is performed incorrectly, they must stand still with their legs apart and stay frozen until a teammate frees them by crawling through their legs. The winning team is the one with the fewest "grenades" when time runs out.

Note: For a throw-in to be legal, the following must occur:
The ball comes from behind the head, goes directly over the head, and is thrown equally with both hands.

The player's feet must be touching the ground at the time they release the ball.
Alterations: Make two lines of cones and the area between the lines is no man's land. Players may enter the area to retrieve a ball, but must return to their own area before throwing the ball. The stronger the players are, the further apart you should move the lines of cones.