Under 8 coaching drill

Tama KeaneCoach, England

My first tip would be dropping the session to an hour, at most. 1.5 hrs for under 8`s is too long. Keep it to an hour, put in loads of ball handling drills and maybe some evasive running drills. Keep each drill short and sharp but obviously not forgetting to put the point of each drill across to your players, as best you can, as we all know it`s difficult with under 8s.
That`s it really, short sharp session, with loads of handling drills and maybe a few evasive running drills.
At that age, it should be all about handling.

Rob HCoach, England

I`d agree on the handling aspect 100%. Try to follow drills with games to employ what`s been learnt previously - whole/part/whole.

I`d also suggest some decision making games to compliment the handling drills/games. Many youngsters will make a pass but not look where it`s going or think why it`s going there.

I`d disagree on the time limit. 1h per week isn`t enough for them to learn much in my view so we run sessions for up to 2h with lots of breaks. If they seem like they`re struggling we shorten it, if they are having fun we keep going.

I`d also like to add that it should always be fun at this age. As soon as it starts to dry out, move on to something else.

There are many drills in the passing and decision making session that will work excellently for U8`s and adults alike. you can use tag, touch or tackle as appropriate.