Blast your players to top-level fitness and excellent technique with this circuit session. Designed to sharpen skills, it will also help players returning to training from injury or illness.
What this session is about
Individual player development.
Improving technique.
Improving fitness and game sharpness.
Use the whole pitch with five stations for 1) passing, 2) dribbling, 3) first touch, 4) crossing and 5) shooting.
What to think about
A football training session should improve individual players through a variety of games, technical and fitness drills. If you can improve individuals, the team becomes stronger.
Each station ideally has two players working on it at the same time. But this can be a one-on-one with a player and you.
While a maximum of 10 players work on the circuits, any others should take part in a possession game (maybe 4v4 keep ball) in the centre circle while waiting to take part in a circuit exercise.
It is difficult to oversee all areas so use assistant coaches and/or parents. • Goalkeepers are optional.
Set-up
Using a full-size pitch, set up the five stations as shown in the top picture.
Passing – mark out a six-yard wide area with cones at 10-yard intervals.
Dribbling – use cones in a zigzag shape.
First touch – use two cones 10 yards apart with a mannequin/pole placed between the cones.
Crossing – place a cone 30 yards from goal in a wide area and another cone on the touchline.
Shooting – place a cone either side of the “D” on the edge of the penalty box. A mannequin/ pole is placed at the centre of the “D”.
Warm up
Session
Developments
Game Situation
Warm Down
10 minutes
15 minutes
15 minutes
15 minutes
5 minutes
What you get your players to do
Passing – the players practise one-touch passing at 10 yards, two-touch at 20 yards, and low driven passes and lofted passes (straight and curled) at 30 yards.
Dribbling – players complete various skills using both feet to go through the zigzag circuit. These can include: Dribble to the first cone using his best foot, next cone with his weaker foot and go round the end cone using the inside or outside of either foot. Complete skills such as stepovers, chops of the ball behind the standing foot and sole drags.
First touch – players on either side of the mannequin/pole pass to each other after going around the pole. Such as: Take a touch and pass back with his other foot (inside or outside). Play an inside-of-the-foot volley back from an aerial serve and a half volley back from a bounced serve. Head the ball over the mannequin/pole from an aerial serve.
Crossing – players work as servers and crossers: One player makes a one-two (from cone 1) and runs down the line to cross the ball in. This player turns and passes a ball from the touchline to the other player and runs inside to receive a pass and cross with his other foot.
Shooting – one player serves to the other to take shots at goal: One player starts at cone 1 and receives a pass, turns past the mannequin/pole and shoots at goal. He does the same from cone 2 but shoots with the other foot. Swap places.
Use the whole pitch with five stations for 1) passing, 2) dribbling, 3) first touch, 4) crossing and 5) shooting.
Development
Players practise 1) passing, 2) dribbling and 3) first touch.
Game situation
The final two stations work on crossing and shooting.
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