All sessions About, safety and notes Goalside Plus Account
U5 · Me and my ball block · Week 2 of 6 · New games
Rolling and parking
Touch Counter to start, a shrinking pond, sole rolls, counting your rolls, a race with the coach, slow motion and free play with bibs out.
- Little touchesKeep the ball close, with a touch every step or two.
- Both feetUse the left foot as much as the right.
- Sole on topTo stop the ball, put the sole of your foot on top of it.
The session in five lines
ArriveTouch Counter. Beat last week's count. (7 min)
Shrinking pondLittle touches in a smaller space. (7 min)
Sole rollsRoll the ball side to side under the sole. (7 min)
Roll counterHow many rolls in a row? (7 min)
Race the coachRace to the line and stop on it. (7 min)
Slow motionDribble as slowly as you can. (7 min)
Free playBalls and bibs out. No score. (12 min)
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Minutes per stage. The last block is the conditioned game or the closing game. The dashed block is for changeovers and water.
Kit
8 conesFor gates, zones and lines. A ball eachOne for every child, plus a spare, from the bag.
Different numbers?
| Players | Groups | Who plays |
|---|
| 6 | 1 | One group of six with one adult. The other adult helps. |
| 7 | 2 | 4 and 3, one adult with each |
| 8 | 2 | 4 and 4 |
| 9 | 2 | 5 and 4 |
| 10 | 2 | 5 and 5 |
| 11 | 2 | 6 and 5 |
| 12 | 2 | 6 and 6 |
No more than six children per adult. Every child has a ball, so nobody waits for a turn. With one adult and more than six children, ask a parent to take the second group. Stages are short on purpose: five-year-olds change activity every six or seven minutes.
1Arrive
Touch Counter while you set up
7 min
KitA ball each4 lines or 8 cones
As each child arrives, they take a ball and count their touches in a row without the ball going more than a stride away. They played this last week, so just say its name. Beat last week's number.
While the children play, the second adult sets out the four-cone area beside the pitch for the next game.
Ask: Who beat their number?
2Shrinking pond
Technical · little touches in less space
7 min
Kit4 cones for the corners of the areaA ball each
Everyone dribbles inside the cones with little touches. About every minute the second adult moves two cones in, so the pond gets smaller. Children keep the touches little so they do not bump anyone.
Keep calling the same three points: little touches, both feet, sole on top.
Ask: What did you do when the pond got small?
3Sole rolls
Technical · roll, roll, stop
7 min
Roll leftRoll rightStop
KitA ball each
Stand still. Roll the ball from side to side under the sole of one foot. Then the other foot. Then stop it still on top. Show it once, slowly.
Wobbling is fine. Children learn to feel the ball under the sole.
Ask: Which foot rolls it better?
4Roll counter
Challenge · how many rolls in a row?
7 min
Roll leftRoll rightStop
KitA ball each
Each child counts their own rolls from side to side without the ball escaping. When it does, stop it and start again. Beat your own number. There is no timer.
Easier: count in twos. Harder: roll with the weaker foot.
Ask: Who got to ten?
5Race the coach
Chase game · race to the line, stop on it
7 min
RaceStop on the lineBack
Kit4 cones for the corners of the areaA ball eachA bib for the adult
Everyone, including the adult, starts on one line with a ball. Race slowly to the far line and stop the ball dead on the line under the sole. Then race back. The adult sometimes loses.
Keep calling the same three points: little touches, both feet, sole on top.
Ask: Who stopped exactly on the line?
6Slow motion
Game · as slowly as you can
7 min
KitA ball each
Everyone dribbles in slow motion, like astronauts, without stopping. The slowest ball wins. Tiny touches, both feet.
Ask: How slow can you go?
7Free play
Balls and bibs out · no score
12 min
KitA ball eachBibs
Balls and bibs out. Let the children invent: dribble round the bibs, park on them, make a course. The only rule: everyone gets a touch, and nobody keeps a score.
Look for sole rolls and sole stops, and say them out loud when you see them.
Ask: Show me a game you made.
Go deeper
Optional. The detail behind the three coaching points, for when you want more. Draft 1: starting points for a coach to adjust, not rules.
Dribbling: close and head up
Keep the ball within a stride and look up between touches.
Most useful in stages 2, 6, 7.
What good looks like
- The ball stays close, with a touch every step or two.
- The head comes up between touches to find space.
- Both feet get used, and different parts of the foot.
If you see this, try this
- Big kicks and the ball runs awayAsk for tiny touches, like tickling the ball.
- Eyes stuck on the ballCall "heads up", hold up some fingers and ask how many.
- Only the strong foot is usedPlay a round with the weaker foot only.
More detail
- Start with the inside of the foot and the sole. Add the outside and the laces later.
- Stopping and starting matter as much as running with the ball.
Ask the players
- Where is the biggest space?
- Which part of your foot kept it closest?
Change it
Easier: Walk first. Use a bigger area, or fewer players moving at once.
Harder: Smaller area, a weaker-foot round, or a defender who only shadows.
Stopping and receiving
Take the ball under control so the next action is easy.
Most useful in stages 3, 4, 5.
What good looks like
- Sole on top of the ball, toes up, and the ball is stopped.
- Knees soft, body ready, eyes on the ball.
If you see this, try this
- The ball bounces off the footAsk for a softer pass, and "give" with the foot like catching an egg.
- A stiff leg reaches for the ballBend the knee and take a small step to it.
More detail
- Sole stop first. As players grow steady, move on to receiving with the inside of the foot.
- Stopping the ball is how a player makes it theirs.
Ask the players
- Was the ball under your foot or did it get away?
Change it
Easier: Roll the ball very slowly, from close.
Harder: Add a second ball to the next player, or receive while walking.