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
It can be very frustrating when your midfield gets overrun by the opposition – winning the ball in these areas is key to making sure your team is not under siege from a strong opponent. MORE
Who is going to be substitute? It is a problem that affects every single coach or manager in the game at every level. How often do we see on our TV screens close ups of a Premier League player looking unhappy sitting on the bench with a whole studio of experts dumbfounded as to why he is on it. MORE
It is not only spectacular goals that you see from players volleying the ball you also see fantastic goal line clearances and defenders clearing the ball from corners or crosses – but what is a volley?
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When it comes to winning the ball back attackers, who are mainly there to score goals, are as central to the plan as any defensive player on the pitch. It is their job to win the ball back as high up the pitch as possible, gaining possession in dangerous areas where the opposition are most vulnerable. MORE
The goalkeeper is often the player that is the most neglected when it comes to training nights yet is one of the most important players on the pitch. Certainly at lots of clubs players take turns to play in goal – I have no problem with that but if that is the case you need to make sure the players have the basics covered. MORE
