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Practice games

Wall Shield

Wall game for protecting the ball with your body in a tight space.

At home 5 min 2 players Wall Garden With a grown-up With brothers, sisters or friends 2016 to 2021

Me and My Ball Brave 1v1 Be brave

At a glance

  • Mark a 2 m by 3 m zone against a wall. Your child stands in it with the ball, side-on to you. You start 2 m away, outside the zone.
  • Step in and try to touch the ball with your foot. Be gentle, no pushing.
  • Your child keeps the ball in the zone with their body, sole rolls and turns.
  • Count the seconds out loud until you touch it. Do three goes, and your child tries to beat their best time.
  • Progress 1: Come in from the left, right or front, so your child has to watch you.
  • Progress 2: Your child moves the ball with the practice foot only.

If it's not working: Make the zone bigger, 3 m by 4 m.

Wall Shield: set-upwallG121 you step in for the ball,2 your child shields it.
  • your child
  • Ggrown-up
  • run
  • 1in this order

A 2 m by 3 m zone against a solid wall, the 3 m side along the wall and the two outer corners marked with shoes or cones. You step in and try to touch the ball with a foot, gently. Your child keeps their body between you and the ball, using sole rolls and turns to keep it in the zone.

Full details: set up, how to play, tips

Set up

  • The child stands inside the zone with the ball at their feet, side-on to the grown-up.
  • The grown-up starts 2 m away, facing the child, outside the zone.

A 2 m by 3 m zone in front of a solid garden, yard or garage wall (the wall is one long side). Mark the two outer corners with shoes or cones.

How to play

  • The grown-up steps in and tries to touch the ball with their foot, gently and with no pushing.
  • The child keeps the ball inside the zone using their body, sole rolls and turns.
  • The grown-up counts the seconds out loud until they touch the ball, then gives it back.
  • Three goes, and the child tries to beat their own best time.

Make it easier

  • A bigger zone (3 m by 4 m).
  • The grown-up counts to 3 before stepping in.

Make it harder, step by step

  1. Come in from the left, right or front each time, so your child has to watch where you are.
  2. Your child moves the ball with the practice foot only.
  3. A smaller zone, 1.5 m by 2 m.

Three things to say

  • Get your body between the ball and the grown-up.
  • Bend your knees and keep the ball on your far foot.
  • Keep trying, even when it gets tricky.

Colts habit

Be brave: keep trying when it gets tricky.

Both feet

Practice foot only round.

Heads up

Feel where the grown-up is.

For your birth year

Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.

2020 to 2021
The grown-up only uses one foot and moves slowly.
2016 to 2017
The zone shrinks to 1.5 m by 2 m.

Safety: Solid wall with no windows. Gentle touches from the grown-up, no pushing.

My best

Seconds before the grown-up touches the ball. Best of three, last time and this time. Only ever compared with their own earlier go, never with anyone else's. Saved on this device only.