TCYSA PRACTICE PLAN (6 – 12 YEAR OLDS): RELEASING THE BALL Objective – Teach players to pass the ball with the inside of their foot 1. Laser Tag Activity Time: 2 min or everyone has ball Recovery Time: 1 min (juggling) Duration: 15 min Intervals: 4 (followed by ABC movements) Organization: Set up a playing grid with cones. Line up extra balls around the grid. 1 player starts with a ball and tries to hit another player below the knees. When a player gets hit they get a ball from outside the grid and try to hit other players with out a ball. Coaching Points: Teach players to put their plant foot next to the ball when passing. Teach players to lock their ankle when passing. Guided Question: Where should your plant foot point when passing at a player? 2. Gate Passing Activity Time: 1 min Recovery Time: 1 min (2 touch passing) Duration: 8 min Intervals: 4 Organization: Set up numerous gates in random order. Each player has a partner and each pair has a ball. Players try to pass through as many gates as possible in 1 min. After passing through a gate they go to a new gate. Coaching Points: Teach players to make eye contact before passing. Teach players to keep their body over the ball. Guided Question: When you lean back before you pass where does the ball go? What can you do with your body to keep the ball down? 3. 3v3 Get Big Activity Time: 1 min Recovery Time: 1 min Duration: 16 min Intervals: 8 Organization: 25x15 field with mini goals. Players are divided into 2 teams. 3 players on each team enters field and the coach plays the ball into the team that makes the biggest triangle first. Each team tries to score as many goals as possible during 1 min then next group comes on. Coaching Points: Teach players to make their formation big when in possession of the ball. Teach players to step through their pass to put more pace on it. Guided Question: How does having a hard pass help your team? What can the defender do when the pass is slow? 4. Match Activity Time: 10 min Recovery Time: 2 min Duration: 22 min Intervals: 2 Organization: Create as realistic of a game environment as possible by having players in positions and playing with FIFA Laws of the Game. Coaching Points: Use this time to observe the players in a game environment and their application of releasing the ball. Teach players to pass and then run to open space. Guided Question: Where can you pass the ball so that your teammate and keep running forward with out slowing down?