What I love about my U9s team is that when I come out to warm them up before a match they are all ready and sitting there waiting for me… with a cheer they all descend on the bag of training balls and start warming themselves up.
Of course there is always a cheeky one who gets out the match ball and starts playing with it … until I remind them it isn’t a warm up ball! But they are ready which is a massive boost when I need them to concentrate on the match ahead. They know I will want 5 minutes of individual ball skills, then react when I ask them to get into a Rondo.
This will all take up about 20 minutes of warming up for the game. Add in a few minutes where we chat about the game, about the weather, about the pitch and that is them prepped for starting the game quickly.
Last week we played a cup game where one of my wingers scored a hat-trick in the first 7 minutes. Ready to play? You bet!
Make sure you have some warm-ups to get your players fired up for matches, like these four favourites of mine:
One of the best warm-ups for eager younger players is Bib pull-away. It’s simple to set up and great for young players who have energy to harness. Plus, it focuses young minds on individual responsibility within a team.
One of my go-to warm-ups is One touch passing. It’s ideal on match day as it gets players moving the ball quickly and with purpose as soon as they get onto the pitch.
For a more elaborate warm-up, Chase the cones is a great problem-solving activity that will energise brains and bodies. I saw this game used by Real Madrid at a training session before an important game, so I know it works. Check it out because it’s good fun for older players.
Finally, for a focused goal-scoring session, Total finishing warm-up gets pairs of strikers to combine and create chances for each other in the penalty area. It is great for technique as well as the movement. Use this warm-up to make sure your strikers are switched on in the final third of the pitch.
This warm up is a great way to get players alert to one touch play and to get them ready for playing matches and keeping possession of the ball in tight areas of the pitch like the penalty area MORE
In this set up players are racing against each other in a fun game that you can use at training or on match days. Great one to get the players alert and ready for anything MORE
Creating a way for your team to play is an important part of your season plan. I like my teams to play a fast passing game, and I am pleased that my players like this style of play MORE
Why is it that when your team has been cruising all game the last 10 minutes sees them lose shape, control and late goals? You can often be just a goal up and disaster strikes just when the final whistle is in sight. Pressure brings its own problems but there are things you can do to stop those late goals going in. MORE
Transitions are a big part of the youth game. A ‘switched on’ team that responds quickly to a change in possession will benefit enormously by taking their opponents by surprise. MORE
There are a lot of set pieces in a match no matter what level or age you are playing at. So you should make sure you practice at training and get your players to set up and take the important set pieces that could be the difference between success and failure. MORE
One of my players loves to score goals... in fact last season when he didn't score he often cried. I've worked with him all last season and at the start of this to make him realise that setting up a goal is just as good as scoring. I'm battling the professional game here because they hold up goalscorers above anyone else but I am also helped by an unusual influence! MORE
How many times do you see great moves that demand a goal but end up going lamely out of play because no one finished off the move? How frustrating is that! A lot of effort on the training ground and by the players on match days goes into building an attack that creates a goal scoring chance... that is why it must be finished off. MORE
