How do you know what to coach to your players and when to coach it? What might you expect a player to be able to do or understand at U12 that they couldn’t at U11?
It’s a huge question and one we get asked a lot which is why we developed our EasiCoach soccer curriculum
The EasiCoach soccer skills curriculum contains ready-made, age-appropriate, safe training activities that help grass roots coaches like you teach core soccer skills to young players.
They are called EasiCoach because they are simple and easy to follow. EasiCoach coaching activities will help you to:
Quickly understand what it is you’re trying to achieve
See what you need to do from just a few words and pictures
Grasp the key dos and don’ts at a glance
Check you have all the equipment you need (never more than basics)
Cater for more or fewer players at your session
Speak to your players with confidence
But here’s what really great about the EasiCoach approach: follow all the materials in each manual, and your players will be learning the right skills for the right age group every season, progressing their learning in the most appropriate way.
What’s more, it’s not a completely prescriptive curriculum. Cover it at your own speed and in any order you choose.
Please check out the latest sport and social distancing guidelines in your area, and follow the recommendations when planning training sessions. Return to play: Great one to get kids going. Focus is on short passing and receiving in this activity MORE
The idea of this game is to stop passes by blocking and cutting off passing routes. The aim is to pass the ball, by throwing and catching it, through the zones to score by throwing the ball through the opposition’s goal. MORE
The aim of this game is for one team to keep the ball for as long as possible while the other team blocks passing routes. Players must remember that they have to pass the ball to a team mate within their own zone before passing into the end zone. MORE
I have been looking through my curriculum for the youngest age group Under7- Under 8 to help out some parent coaches that have come to me for advise as they had volunteered to take they younger age groups next season. MORE
Signing up a sponsor can make all the difference to a team’s finances but finding one isn’t easy. Former Reading FC Commercial Director Boyd Butler offers his 10-step plan MORE
Removing goalkeepers, creating overloads in favour of the attackers and increasing pitch sizes are all used to encourage creativity in this game. MORE
Link up play in the final third is vital for teams to show creativity and ultimately create goal scoring chances MORE
In this session the player controlling the ball turns, swinging his body around ready to take a route towards the goal i.e. away from the defender, who will struggle to make a challenge if the control and turn is made skilfully enough. MORE
This activity is all about making use of the overloads in the buildup to scoring a goal. MORE
in EasiCoach, Goalkeeping
An important restart to practice... it can be difficult at this age group MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, EasiCoach
Players must concentrate on keeping the ball close. Watch for poor technique as the game puts pressure on the players. Players will learn quickly how to control the ball so they can keep running away from the taggers. MORE
in EasiCoach, Goalkeeping
The game starts with a kick from one of the goalkeepers. He puts the ball down in front of goal and kicks out as if from the edge of the penalty area. MORE
in EasiCoach, Soccer dribbling drills, Soccer drills and skills
Important players can change direction as they dribble. This session gets them doing that MORE
in EasiCoach, Goalkeeping, Soccer drills and skills
A striker goes 1v1 with the goalkeeper who must come off his line and try to smother the ball before the striker can take a shot. MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, EasiCoach
Brilliant session to put players' skills to the test in different situations MORE
in Attacking, EasiCoach, Soccer drills and skills
Great session for getting the players to perfect their first touch and look up to pass or go on a dribble. MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, EasiCoach, Soccer drills and skills
Players should try and play as quickly as possible. Watch for poor technique as the game puts pressure on the players. Lots of agility and technique in this game. MORE
in EasiCoach, Goalkeeping, Soccer drills and skills
Get your young goalkeeper used to moving to the ball and making saves. MORE
in EasiCoach, Goalkeeping
Simple skills based coaching for goalkeepers. Great to warm keepers up before matches MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, EasiCoach, Soccer drills and skills
Focus is on short passing and receiving in this activity MORE
in EasiCoach, Passing, Soccer drills and skills
The aim of the game is for players to pass the ball to the opposite colour each time so it goes red to yellow, yellow to red. MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, EasiCoach, Soccer drills and skills
When you say “go”, players pass from triangle to triangle trying to control the ball inside their own triangle – you may need to experiment with the size of the triangles if their control is poor. MORE
The players start by the goal and take it in turns to run through one side of the gate, select a ball and dribble back to the middle, then shoot at the goal from the other side of the gate. MORE
Encourages players to go through both left and right gates and practise shooting with both feet. It is a good age to try and get them to use their weaker foot, because as players progress to the next age group they will be more likely to want to use both feet. MORE
