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 These Practice Plans are designed to make the role of the coach much simpler and more enjoyable.
The main emphasis surrounds the playing of the game outdoors ? small-sided soccer for the younger players, ultimately progressing to the 11 vs. 11 game when players enter their teens.
However, there is an Indoor Practice section for the many teams that because of weather in the winter months need to (or choose to) practice indoors. The Indoor Practice sessions work on improving the skills for outdoors, but are structured on the basis that the practice area may be a small school gymnasium.
When using these practice plans...don’t be afraid of inserting your own ideas to make the practices and games more fun, more difficult, or simpler depending on the progress of your players. Feel free to explore practice plans of older and younger age groups to build your base of ideas. Even professional teams still perform some of the practices in the U7 plans because they are simple and provide a change of pace from more complicated activities. This keeps the training environment in a state of constant change, which in turn keeps players tuned in.
Beware of any activities that keep players in lines or waiting for their turn. If you have an assistant coach or two, get a couple of practice areas going at the same time. Or have players waiting do something different on the side. Try to use every minute of your practice time to the maximum.
These plans cover all aspects of the fundamentals of the game and should provide you with a good base of ideas to work from. They should help you in your preparation for your team’s practices and consequently play a positive role in your team’s preparation for games. We hope this program goes even farther than that and facilitates the development of your own ideas and training methods.
I was very pleased to have been able to work with former Canadian National Team Coach, Tony Waiters, in the preparation and delivery of this program to the coaches at the South Okanagan Youth Soccer Association.
Thanks,
The Coach
Learn to play... play to learn!
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