Ryan Hodgson DIRECTOR OF COACHING AND PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Ryan Hodgson DIRECTOR OF COACHING AND PLAYER DEVELOPMENT COON RAPIDS SOCCER ASSOCIATION PLANNING A PRACTICE SESSION

LENGTH • Equal to the length of a game (MYSA Law 7 Duration of a match) • • • U 9 -U 10 Two-25 Minute periods-50 Minutes U 11 -U 12 Two-30 minute periods-60 Minutes U 13 -U 14 Two-35 minute periods-70 Minutes U 15 -U 16 Two-40 minute periods-80 Minutes U 17, U 18, U 19 Two 45 -minute periods-90 Minutes • Generally add another 10 -15 minutes for the halftime interval

focus • Pick a topic • What are your objectives? • Seasonal • Previous game • As players get older, observing games tells coaches what the needs are • STAY ON TOPIC!!!

Flow Do the activities flow from one to the next? • Why? • Minimizes down time

PROGRESSION • Simple to complex • Clear and Concise

Breaking the practice into sections • Warm up • Main Theme • Conclusion of activity • Warm Down

Breaking the practice into sections • Warm up-20% of practice • Prepare players physically and psychologically • Make sure they are ready for the demands of the practice • Should be related to theme/main activity of practice • Movement is key to learning skills • Keep them moving versus talking with them in length about the practice

Main theme • 50% of practice time • 2 -3 activities relating to the game will have the best success • Progression of main theme • • • Increase/decrease size of space Number of players-Adding for pressure/reducing for success Time Number of touches-1, 2, 3 touch Increase/Decrease Number of goals Balls • Size, Number of balls, placement of service

Conclusion of activity • 25 -30% of practice time • Game like-It’s what the players look forward to • Relate previous training points to the game • Should be to goals-Full size with keepers if possible • Smaller numbers give clearer coaching points, larger numbers reduce frequency of teaching points • Use restrictions to paint picture • Remove them for at least 2/3 of this activity and as soon as possible

Conclusion cont… • Observe for 2 -3 minutes • Correct if needed • Pause activity if coach see’s the coaching point the game is designed to train with reinforcing positive performance • Or correcting an individual or team mistake • Let them play, the activity can self teach and make less frequent coaching points • Pose questions to help players problem solve, involving them more in the teaching/learning process

Warm down • 5% of practice time • Stretch, including upper body • Reinforce the efforts of all players positively

Questions “Give them a ball and set them free, young footballers have a great way of working the rest out for themselves” Michael Beale-Chelsea FC