U8 Practice #7

Moving onto attacking this week!  (If you have done defending.)  Please feel free to use any of the defending drills you used last week during attacking, just ensure you are coaching attacking.


Theme:  Attacking

-attack with speed
-have good first touch
-keep ball close
-attack weak side if you know it
-try and catch them flat footed
-exploit them if too close


Warm Up: 
1.  Donkey Tails
2.  Dribble grid.  Players spread out in 15X15 grid. Dribbling, toe taps/storks, fancy moves & fakes, tic-tocs, turns etc....
Play a game of shark. Mark each corner with different colored cones. Players dribbling in grid, coaches or players tries to win ball from fish. 20 toe touches or storks if shark attack is successful. To give players an opportunity to work on their offensive skills, when coach yells a specific color players must dribble to that colored corner trying to get past sharks.  Incorporate dynamic stretches within activity as needed (once everyone is in the blue lagoon corner do 20 high knees ..)  Maybe show them a few fancy moves or how to do a fake.
(I'll have some additional coloured cones in the wagon)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SreaiiTlFSM
(lots of ideas in the video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv22l8YnIFI

3.  Agility if you like.

Game:  put two arches at each end for goals.  Play no goalies and coach attacking.

Technical Session on Attacking:
(choose 2-3 drills to work on attacking)

Turn and Burn
Turn and Burn- dribbling with speed
Divide players into two teams – put them in different colored pinnis One team starts on one end of the grid with a ball each. Objective is for players with the ball to dribble towards the players without, who remain stationary. The coach shouts “Turn” and the players with the ball stop, turn and try to dribble back to their starting line. When the players without the ball here the coach shout “Turn” he players without the ball can release and try and steal the balls of the apposing team before they get back over the safe line. Take turns having both teams being attackers/defenders. Do not eliminate players who lose their ball. Let them have another go.
Variations: Introduce specific turns: big toe turn, little toe turn, pull back, etc.


1v1 attack
Grid, lots of small goals, partners, 1v1 trying to dribble through the goals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSBu9bPMp4g&feature=relmfu

1v1 attack with shots on goal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ReG0gT1qMo

Win ball drill
Two lines, one on either side of the coach a fair distance from the goal.  Coach in middle of two lines with all the balls.  Have front players lie down or face backwards etc....say go and send a ball out and they must win the ball and shoot on net.  Rotate a goalie in.

Move to a 2v1 drill like this or a version of your own.
http://www.bettersoccercoaching.com/Article-899-281-Soccer-Drills--Skills-U8-soccer-drills-Soccer-attack-drill-using-2v1#

2v2-this is a more fluid drill with lots of game like situations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU4M_D1-Okg

1v1 numbers game (can use goals or just a line that needs to be dribbled over in order to score.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHz6UCcQano
can move to calling out more players and then all the players and this just turns into your game at the end.

Game.