One of the problems coaches have with warm ups is that if all the players have not turned up at the start of training traditional warm ups are difficult to run when you have to add players. So I have some arrival activities up my sleeve that I use at training when I know the players will turn up in dribs and drabs ready to start training straight away.
I will often use Rondos for this and certainly a lot of my players will turn up and set up their own Rondo, but there are times when I want to use sessions where players can just slot in.
Arrival activities
Great for any age group once players have got into the swing of passing one way and running the other in Clocks. You can use any number of players and add more as they turn up for training.
As an arrival activity Changing direction works because you can add players as they turn up to training. It develops a high level of skill and movement. It is good for technique and uses both feet, working on dribbling, turning, changing direction plus advanced movements of the ball.
Two move is a great arrival activity to get players touching and turning with the ball. Pretty simple stuff but all the best possession teams in the world practise like this. It gets players used to looking for the player with the ball and combining to keep possession away from the opposition.
If you want something easy and quick to set up Locomotion is the arrival activity for you – suitable for all ages and abilities that will improve communication, passing awareness and decision-making.
Some sessions can be used for getting players to use skills that make the players think about the training they will be doing in your training session. Skills slalom encourages your players to control the ball and unleash a shot on the run. Great way to warm up and an excellent arrival activity as players turn up.
Talking of Rondos, I often use Triangle keep ball because it is a simple 5v2 keep away game made harder by having a triangle in the middle which the two defenders must protect or stay in the middle longer. It is a great arrival activity to get players’ thinking and reacting.
This arrival activity is great for any age group once players have got into the swing of passing one way and running the other. You can use any number of players and add more as they turn up for training. MORE
As an arrival activity this works because you can add players as they turn up to training. It develops a high level of skill and movement. It is good for technique and uses both feet. MORE
This is a simple 5v2 keep away game made harder by having a triangle in the middle which the two defenders must protect or stay in the middle longer MORE
This brilliant training drill will encourage your attackers to control the ball and unleash a shot on the run – makes a great arrival activity as you can add players as they turn up MORE
Great for any age group, getting brains warmed up with gentle running and getting players to concentrate and think about what they have to do. Simple but very effective. MORE
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. MORE
This simple and fun activity is perfect for use on match days, allowing you to warm up your players with a quick burst of movement and a focus on technique MORE
This is a great warm-up to get your players ready for a match or training session. Running with the ball under control, changing direction and passing MORE
This five minute warm up drill is all about first touch and anticipating the pass. Good for fitness and getting players ready for movement and passing in matches.
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