Football: 5

Hi all, I've just started coaching a soccer team of 4 and 5 year olds and would like to discuss with my fellow coaches any drills which you have found to be safe, fun and valuable to the younger age group. I have my level 1 course under my belt and have difficulty in applying what I've learnt to the small kids. They get bored very quickly and are only interested in playing a match at the end of the session. They have no interest in passing the ball or shooting at goal whilst doing drills. Running with the ball is no problem as they are keeping active and all have a ball at their feet. As soon as they line up or have to share a ball, there are problems. I have a variety of drills which I run through with them, traffic lights, robin hood, alamo, sharks and fishes to name a few with variations of each but I crave more as everywhere I search caters for U6 upwards. I coach an U8 side midweek and have no problem with these lads as they are that bit older and have a greater level of concentration. (not by much mind). So I'm asking for advice from anyone who has coached 4 and 5 YOs and would like to know what has worked for you. PM replies welcome.  Marc

I have a group of 5 year olds and technically they're not the greatest and I'm really at wits end with what kind of games to give them that will improve them - they still have the mentality of playing games not football related.

i run a under 11s football team and they really need to work on pass and move do u know any good drills that will be able to help there young boys and girls out....many thanks gary ives - submitted via email

hello ive got a under 10s team im trying to make them pass and move and get the player who has the ball support we are playing seven a side at the moment i play 3-2-1

I am running a summer session for ages 5 - 11. The session will last for 3 hours, I am only used to doing 1 hour session. amp; lt;br / amp; gt;Has anyone got any drills / ideas to keep the children interested for this length of time? amp; lt;br / amp; gt;Thanks in advance. amp; lt;br / amp; gt;Jon.

I am a coach of a U10 girl’s team, who for the majority haven't previously played.   I'm finding that they are now shying away from the ball and moving backwards instead of closing the gap, tackling or putting the attacking team under pressure when they have the ball. Does anyone have any tips or drills that I can use to help them overcome this?

During a match, my team seem to stand back and let the other team take control. Is there anyway I can get them to be first to the ball and compete to win?

please feel free to text me or call me with your ideas %3A 07903 871542 or post a reply below

How would you encourage your players to start talking to each other during game? This lack of communication at times is a hinderance to their overall play

Does anyone have any tips / advice or good drills that can help improve first touch for under 12's age group? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Our under 12's have made the jump from 9 a side to 11 a side. We have entered a big city league were results are hard to come by. We play a super 1st half and lose it massively 2nd half, through heads down & fitness. Any suggestions on confidence boosting & training drills to help steady a ship. We are playing a 4 - 2 -3 - 1 formation.Yes we are getting a bit of negativity from the parents to, which does not help. Thank you in advance.

I think I asked once before, but I can't find the answer. On the drill pages there is a grid on field size, how big is each square? I'm thinking it is 5 yards

Hello,I regularly play a team that has a speed forward with a good shot. I wanted to get some opinions from anyone who has had success limiting these types of players. He is probably a step or 2 faster than my normal defenders. Regularly racks up goals by being one of the fastest players in the league.In the past we have tried a 4-4-1 with a man mark. Sticking a speed guy on him the full game. It has slowed him down but also limited us on offense. We lost each game by a goal.I was also thinking about using a 5-4-1 formation with more defenders to cut down on thru ball lanes for him.Any other thoughts?ThanksChad

hi Guys, i have a question about 5-6 year olds getting ready for next year when they start playing their football matches against other teams. i will use my son as an example,so i can use as a guide for some other parents in the team. average training is ball mastery and a trafficlight game and then into matches for the last half of the session. my sons ball mastery is as good as youd expect for a 5 year old and that always improves with repitition. my difficulty lies when we go into the matches. theres a lack of 'competitiveness' or confidence with my boy, compared to some of the other boys, skills-wise theyre on the same level, but the more confident boys will shine thru and theyre not nessesarily better, he has flashes in games where he will do good, drive with the ball, he is always involved, but im not sure if its confidence or maybe just not as good in the match situations. is there any advice that can be offered in terms of practice that we could work on at home?

Hi guys, I'm doing a session for nursery aged children and reception children tomorrow. Was wondering if anybody has any drills or games that work well for that age? 3-4 and 4-5 years Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

Hi has anyone got a good warm up routine for a under 18 team before a match?

Hi I have quite a large squad (11) for my U9s team. Sometimes not all of them turn up but when they do managing the substitutions can be a nightmare. Have tried planning it out and making 3 subs on a rotation every 6 or 7 minutes. This works OK, just wondered how others do it? Thanks! Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

Hi, when I take my under 12's for training, they do a warm up couple of laps of the pitch. Out of a squad of 13, I only get 7/8 doing the warm up properly, while the same 5/6 always ruin it by half running half walking. Any tips?

We have three teams of U8 that play in different leagues all with different skill levels. Is it better to train the three teams seperately so they bond and play as a team or would you swap players around each week.which could mean a league 5 player playing in league 2. Could this knock his confidence?

Hello all! My kids aged 9 and 7 are very slow when compared to their peers of the same age. They don't seem to fight for the ball and get and watch others play their game. They seem to lack the urgency (heart) needed for the game. (They LOVE football). How can make them move around and react faster. Any help you are able to provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks O