How to Plan Football Sessions for Children?

Planning a football session for kids can seem daunting but it doesn’t have to be. The following article will provide a simple framework to help you plan a fun and engaging football session in no time.

Warm Up

Any good football session starts with a thorough warm-up. This isn’t anyone’s favourite part of football training but it is vital to avoid unnecessary injuries.

Some stretching is a good starting point to make sure muscles are ready before any more vigorous exercise. Alongside this, light jogging is a good idea to loosen up.

This doesn’t have to be as boring as it sounds, though. This can be incorporated into games to keep kids engaged in what they’re doing. A ball can also be incorporated into exercises like the rondo to make warming up that bit more interesting.

Drills

The main part of a football session will be made up from various drills. You’ll want a wide variety of drills focussing on different aspects of the game to keep children focused and interested.

Try to incorporate a mixture of passing, dribbling, positioning, shooting, tackling, and endurance where possible.

Like warm-ups, drills don’t have to be boring and can be based on kids’ favourite games like stuck in the mud and bulldog. If you’re running regular football sessions, make sure to vary which drills you’re doing each week to keep things fresh.

Match Situation

It’s a good idea to end most sessions with some form of match situation. Kids love playing competitive matches and this gives them something to look forward to each time.

This can be anything from 3v3 to 7v7, attack vs defence, or even a mini 1v1 tournament. Again, it’s worth mixing this up each week but there is no need to go overboard. Making sure the teams are different or awarding extra points for team goals is enough to keep things new and fun.

Awards

Man of the match awards are a great way to incentivize kids but they don’t have to be reserved exclusively for match days. If you have a group of kids, consider handing out regular awards for effort and commitment.

These awards don’t necessarily have to go to the best player, instead, reward those who try the hardest. This encourages children to put in as much effort as possible and will help you get the most out of your football sessions.

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