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2019s: Win It, Keep It, Score
12 players · 2 coaches · cage · habit: lift each other
| Minutes | Block | Game |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10 | 3v3 | |
| 10 to 40 | Station 1 and Station 2, 15 minutes each | Station 1: Honey Thieves, Station 2: Stayin' Alive |
| 40 to 60 | Match | A match |
0 to 10 min 3v3
Set up two small pitches with a goal at each end. As children arrive they go straight in: 1v1, then 2v2, then 3v3. Coaches feed a spare ball in from the side the moment one goes out. No throw-ins or corners: dribble it in or pass it in, to keep it fast. The match is the warm-up.
10 to 40 min Station 1 and Station 2, 15 minutes each
Two groups of about 6. Group 1 starts on Station 1, group 2 on Station 2. Swap at 25 minutes. A coach at each station.
Station 1
Honey Thieves
Everyone raids the other hive and guards their own at the same time, dribbling honey home.
Set up
- Mark a 20 m by 15 m box with 4 cones.
- Put a hoop (the hive) in the middle of each short end.
- Put 6 balls in each hive. Give each team a bib colour and its own hive.
Stage 1: play it
- On Buzz!, everyone is a honey thief and a guard at once.
- Go to the other team's hive, take one ball and dribble it home to your own hive.
- You may win a ball off a thief who is dribbling and take it to your hive.
- Nobody stands inside a hive, and balls only move by dribbling (no carrying).
- After 90 seconds, shout Freeze! and count the honey together. Play again.
Stage 2: progress it
Guards may also steal from the other team's hive-bound dribblers near their own hive.
Stage 3: progress it
Only one ball in a hive may be touched at a time.
If it's not working: Put more balls in each hive.
Keeping everyone moving: Every child is always raiding, guarding or dribbling. Nobody is caught or out.
Three things to say
- Little touches when dribbling home.
- Heads up to spot a free ball or a thief.
- Going straight for the ball when a thief passes.
You need: hoops (2), balls (12), cones (4), bibs (2 colours)
Station 2
Stayin' Alive
Dribblers protect their balls in their half while the other team's defenders try to kick them out.
Set up
- Divide the pitch into 2 halves with a central channel.
- Each team has 5 dribblers with a ball each in their own half, and 2 defenders.
Stage 1: play it
- The dribblers stay in their own half and dribble around their grid. The defenders go into the other team's grid and try to kick the opposition's balls out.
- If a dribbler's ball is kicked out, they fetch it, do five toe taps and dribble back in.
- Play 60-second rounds, then change the defenders.
Stage 2: progress it
Defenders rotate every 20 seconds, running back to their grid on the coach's call and swapping with one of their players.
Stage 3: progress it
If a defender can win a ball rather than just kick it out, they dribble it back to their half as an extra ball for their team.
Keeping everyone moving: The booklet plays until a team has no balls left. At Colts a ball kicked out comes straight back in after five toe taps, in timed rounds.
Three things to say
- Small soft touches, keep the ball under control.
- Look around while dribbling.
- Protect the ball with your body.
You need: balls, bibs, cones
From the Irish FA Grassroots Resource Booklet
40 to 60 min Match
A match
One big pitch, 6v6 with goalkeepers. Kick-ins or dribble-ins instead of throw-ins, to keep the touches up. A spare ball comes in the moment one goes out. One coach refs, the other feeds spare balls from the side.
Equipment for the whole session
- hoops (2)
- balls (12)
- cones (4)
- bibs (2 colours)
Habit of the week: Lift each other
Say it at the start, watch for it all session, name one moment on the walk off.
Reminders
- Drinks when moving. The huddle is the walk off: one moment of the habit, with the child's name.
- A ball at every foot. Nobody stands without one for 30 seconds.
- No queues and nobody is ever out.
- Talk under 30 seconds. Show it, don't tell it.
- Every game has stages: start at stage 1 and move on when it is working.
This week at home
For parents: Interceptor, a Win It, Keep It, Score game for the garden or the park.