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Practice games

Crocodile Snap

Also called Feed the Crocodile

Everyone passes their ball into four pop-up goals from behind a disc line, and the coach turns one goal round on Snap!

Practice 10 min 8 to 12 players Cage Half pitch Hall 2020 to 2021

Pass, Receive, Heads Up Be brave Lift each other

At a glance

  • 15 m square, with a pop-up goal (crocodile) in the middle of each side and a disc line 3 m in front. Everyone has a ball.
  • Pass your ball into a crocodile from behind its disc line. Fetch it, then feed a different crocodile.
  • On Snap! the coach turns one goal round to face out. That crocodile is asleep: feed one of the other three.
  • Play 60 to 90 seconds, rest, then go again.
  • Progress 1: Two crocodiles sleep at once, so only two are awake.
  • Progress 2: Move the disc line out to 5 m and feed with your practice foot only.

If it's not working: Bring the disc line in to 2 m from each crocodile.

Crocodile Snap: set-upCasleep1231 feed from the bank, 2 fetch and go, 3 Snap! one sleeps15 m by 15 m
  • players
  • Ccoach
  • dribble
  • pass
  • 1in this order

Everyone dribbles at once, four children drawn here. A pop-up goal in the middle of each side is a crocodile, with a riverbank of three discs 3 m in front of it. One child feeds the top crocodile with a pass from behind the bank. Another has collected their ball from the right crocodile and dribbles off to feed a different one. The coach has called Snap! and turned the left crocodile to face out, so it is asleep.

Full details: set up, how to play, tips and age tweaks

Set up

  • Mark a 15 m by 15 m square with a disc on each corner.
  • Put one pop-up goal in the middle of each side, facing inwards.
  • Put a riverbank of three discs in a line 3 m in front of each goal.
  • Every child starts in the middle with a ball.

8 to 12 children, 1 to 2 adults. 15 m by 15 m.

How to play

  • Children dribble around the river.
  • Feed any hungry crocodile by passing into its mouth from outside its riverbank.
  • Collect your ball and go and feed a different crocodile.
  • The coach calls Snap! and turns one goal to face out. That crocodile is asleep, so find another.
  • Play 60 to 90 seconds, rest, then go again.

Keeping everyone moving

Every child has a ball and there are four targets. Nobody waits and nobody is ever out.

Make it easier

  • Bring the disc line in to 2 m from each crocodile.
  • Keep all crocodiles awake.

Make it harder, step by step

  1. Two crocodiles sleep at once, so only two are awake.
  2. Move the disc line out to 5 m and feed with your practice foot only.

Three things to say

  • Ball close before the pass.
  • Look up for an awake crocodile.
  • Push the ball with the inside of the foot.

Words that work: "Brave choice, new crocodile!", "Great looking up!", "You helped a friend find a hungry one!"

Colts habit

Point to a hungry crocodile for a friend.

Both feet

A practice-foot feed makes the crocodile extra full (double cheer).

Heads up

Sleeping crocodiles force looking up.

For your birth year

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

2020 to 2021
As written.
2018 to 2019
Try Swap Shop instead.

A young leader can run this one, with an adult coach beside them.

Safety: Children kick only towards goals, never at others. Anchor the pop-up goals.

Keeping score: Each child counts their own feeds in one round and tries to beat it next round.