Pre-season fitness and warm-up routines can be very demanding on young players, so amongst all the hard work it’s important to remember to add some elements of fun into your sessions. A bit of fun can transform the attitude of your players when they turn up for pre-season – it can make the difference between them just coasting and really putting the effort in.
For younger age groups, fun games are an ideal way of getting players to repeat techniques and skills that will be needed when they start playing matches. My two favourite at Under 7 and Under 8 are Star Gates, which gets teams working on passing and forward play with first touch and possession skills to the fore, and Bumper Cars, which covers dribbling the ball and running with it while keeping it under control.
Another excellent source of games for pre-season can be found in the EasiCoach Curriculum sessions for different age groups. Games like Dribble the ball 5 yards and turn are great fun and help develop your players as they get ready to start the season.
For the older age groups, I play games like Shrinking goal, which creates equality between teams no matter who you pick on each side. It is a game that focuses on skill and accuracy, which is vital for pre-season.
Finally one of the games that professional teams use with their players to get their skills up to speed is Soccer Tennis. I love this game and so do my players, we play it long after the training session is over because it is such fun and it develops skills, so it’s a win-win situation!
This is a great game since it provides a natural handicap that makes even the most unequal of teams (in terms of player skill) equal. So let your players choose their own teams, if necessary, and enjoy the game’s effect! MORE
Get those soccer brains ticking over with this great game that covers dribbling, running with the ball, accurate passing, changeovers, first touch into space. MORE
In this game when you say “go”, each dribbler aims to dribble his ball from the big square into one of the smaller squares. The three middle players must try to win the balls from the dribblers. MORE
A soccer tennis drill is an excellent way of developing juggling skills and first-touch for your young players - and the big bonus is that it’s great fun to play as well. MORE
The basics have been taken care of with passing, possession and fitness, and there has been plenty of small-sided game-play thrown into the mix as well, but now you want to delve down into what your players are going to produce this coming season on the pitch. MORE
Don't just dig out your boot bag the day before training is due to start and polish your boots... there's more to getting ready for the new season than that. Map out your pre-season fitness blueprint for you and your players. MORE
The second week of pre-season is a lot more than just shaking off the cobwebs. Now it's the real thing! Some of your players may not be ready to move up the gears so it is up to you to motivate them using the activities and advice in the Soccer Coach Weekly Pre-season Guide. MORE
You don't have to be on a football pitch to start your pre-season – players and coaches alike can be a bit creative at the beach and set themselves some targets for the holidays. So put sunbathing on hold get yourself in shape for the coming season! MORE
Set pieces are a vital part of your match day experience... often they present your team with a good chance to score a goal, and they are the key link to restarting the game when the ball goes out of play. They deserve to be practised! MORE
The first week of Soccer Coach Weekly's pre-season guide is all about getting moving and getting some focus on what it is we are aiming to achieve by the time the whistle blows in anger for the first time in the new season. MORE
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