Kids to have a football each and a coned off area big enough for the amount of kids, so they can dribble around comfortably. Tell the kids that this game is called 'don't crash the car'. The object of the game is not to crash your car. - "What do you think the car might be?" The kids will respond eventually with the football. - "How do you think we could crash our cars?" By dribbling in to other people or falling off the edge of the cliff (outside of coned area).
Make sure the kids use little touches and demonstrate what happens if you kick the ball too far in a game. Make sure the kids use the inside and outside of their feet whilst dribbling - not their toes. Progression There are plenty of little things you could add to make this game suitable for your own team. New skills, turns and tricks are always good. Additions - 'Honk you horn' Get the kids to sit on their ball and honk their imaginary car horn and make loads of noise! - 'Red light Turn' Foot on top of ball. The turn comes when they roll the ball behind them and follow the rolling ball. This is coaching them to do the drag-back turn. - 'wind-screen wipers' Put one foot on the ball and move the ball from left-to-right. - 'Gas station' Get the kids to dribble over to one corner of the area and on your command the kids will do toe-taps on the ball which is pumping gas into the cars. - 'Car wash' Get the kids over to another corner of the area and get them to wash their cars by knocking the soccer ball with the inside of both feet from side-to-side. - 'Police chase' The coach is the police-officer who tries to steal the kids soccer balls. The kids try to evade the coach do the red-light turn to face away from you (change direction) showing them that it could work in a game.
This practice has no coaching points
This practice has no progressions
in more ways than one
sportplan_football
Deliberate heading is now out of U11 grassroots matches. Here is how to coach chest, thigh and foot control so your players still win the ball in the air.
Long-range goals doubled at the 2026 World Cup as teams sat deep. Here is how to coach when to shoot from distance, the technique, and the follow-up.
Under FutureFit, your Under-9s stay at 5v5, your Under-11s stay at 7v7 and your Under-13s stay at 9v9. Same pitch, same numbers, one more year. Here is how to make sure that year feels like a step forward rather than a repeat.
