AYSO Indoor Soccer

Our area has indoor soccer for AYSO teams starting the first week of November and going into December. Games are played at the Ogden Weber ATC. The season consists of 8 games. For a player to be eligible to play, he or she must be registered with AYSO. Divisions are U7 – U14. U14 is a coed division. Cost is $310 per team. Registration deadline is October 20, 2007. Please see the Coaches Corner web page for more details.

Attacking, Defending - U5, U6, U8 - Mad House

Divide the team into two equal groups. Place each group on opposite goal lines, with each player in one of the groups having a soccer ball.

When the coach yells “go”, the group with the balls is on the attack and the other group defends. Points are scored by shooting the ball into the goal at the opposite end of the field. If a player in the defending group gets possession of a ball, she goes on the attack and tries to score in the other teams’ goal. The group that scores the most goals wins.

Note that when a player has scored her ball, she should help the rest of her teammates score. Players without balls should get open for passes, or defend the goal. Play without boundaries so the only time a ball is out of play is when it is in a goal.

Passing – U10+ - Point Zones

Using cones, layout a 20 X 40 yard grid with a 5-yard “Point Zone” at each end. Three or four attackers start with the ball in one of the Point Zones, and three or four defenders start in the other Point Zone.

Attackers try to dribble and pass the ball into the Point Zone. Defenders try to gain possession of the ball. Points can only be scored when an attacker passes the ball to a teammate located in the Point Zone. When a point is scored, the defending team gets possession of the ball and becomes the attackers.

Variations: Play one-touch. Allow the ball to be dribbled into the Point Zone. Start the game in the center of the grid and allow either team to score in either point zone.

This is a fun game that teaches the kids to make controlled passes in order to get points. Play so that if the ball is not stopped by a player in the Point Zone, the point does not count, and the other team gets possession of the ball.

Dribbling – U5, U6, U8 – Bank Robbery

Create a grid about twenty feet by twenty feet. Put all of the balls in the middle of the grid, with the players on the outside of the grid (one or two on a side). When the coach yells "Bank Robbery", all the players run to the center to collect a ball and dribble to the spot where they started. The players continue retrieving balls one at a time, until all of the balls have been retrieved. When all of the balls have been collected, the player who has collected the most balls wins.

This is a fun game that teaches younger kids to dribble, turn while dribbling, and stop the ball.

Passing – U10+ - 4 Cone 4 Person Passing

Set up a grid that is approximately 15 X 15 yards. Divide the team into pairs. Each pair has one soccer ball. Place one player at each end of the grid. Create a 4 cone square in the center of the grid (no more than 5 yards square). The object of the game is for each pair to pass their ball between the cones in the center of the grid in each direction. The first team to complete 5 passes that go between all 8 cones is declared the winner.

Variations: Play one touch. Place a time restriction on the length of the game. Have the players pass with the left and right foot. Have the players strike the ball with the outside of the left and right foot.

This game teaches accurate passing while also impressing on the players the need for quick release of the ball.

Sept. 8 Game Location Changes

Our games on September 8th have changed location. U5, U6 and U10 games will be played at Grandview Park (3815 Jackson Ave). U8 games will be played at Lions Park (1220 23rd Street). The game times remain the same for all divisions except for U10. All remaining games will be played at Mt. Ogden Park (3144 Taylor Ave.).

Dribbling – U5, U6, U8 - Alligator

Setup the field so there are 2 end lines approximately 20 yards apart. The coach or a designated player starts in the middle as the 'Alligator'. All of the other players have a ball on one end of the field. The object of the game is for the players to dribble from one end of the field to the other without allowing the Alligator to kick their ball out of play. If a player's ball is kicked out of the field of play, he is then added to the Alligator group. Continue until all players have had their balls kicked out of the field of play.

This drill teaches dribbling while paying attention to the other players on the field. It helps the players dribble with eyes up and not constantly on the ball.

Passing – U8+ - Soccer Baseball

Setup cones in a square representing bases. One player stands at each base. The catcher kicks the ball to first base, first base traps and kicks to second base, and so on until the ball is controlled by the catcher again. The runner starts running opposite of the way the ball is being kicked as soon as the first kick is made. If the runner makes it home before the ball does, the runner gets a point; otherwise the team in the outfield gets the point. Rotate so the runner is now the catcher, catcher is first base, etc. and third base gets in line to run.

This drill teaches accurate passing and trapping because if one of the players on the bases does not make an accurate pass or receive the ball appropriately, the runner will beat the ball to home.

Passing – U10+ - Soccer Baseball

Setup cones in a square representing bases. Setup two cones between 3^rd base and home; these cones represent a goal. Divide the team into two teams – one will be playing outfield and the other will be 'batting'. The batter kicks the ball from home plate anywhere in the field of play (no foul balls), and then starts running around the bases. The outfield has to retrieve the ball, and score a goal before the runner makes it to home. If the batter makes it home, the batting team gets the point; if the outfield scores a goal before the batter makes it to home, the outfield gets the point. Let all of the batters have a turn and then have the teams switch.

This is a fun drill that teaches the kids to work as a team. They will learn after a couple of batters make it around the bases that in order to score the goal, they need to pass to one another in order to be able to be quicker than the batter. The drill also helps the batter with leg strength (best to get the ball as far from home as possible), and teaches to kick to an area (kick where the outfield isn't).

Attacking/Defense – U12+ - One-on-One Ladder

In the One-on-One Ladder many one-on-one games take place simultaneously. Create as many mini-fields as there are pairs of players. Number the pairs-these will be your divisions. As the partners play one-on-one, they keep score of the goals they make. When you call time, the winners of each division stay where they are, and the loser moves to the next lower division (except for the last division, where the winner goes up, and the loser goes down). The appeal of the One-on-One Ladder is that the games are short and intense, and there are immediate winners and losers. Let the games go for maybe a minute, a minute and a half, and then you change them over. There's always movement because as players win and lose, they move on to play other players.

The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer (Bobby Clark) Pg. 104 – One-on-One Ladder (21)

Have the players warm up to this drill by teaching "shielding" of the ball on offense, and proper positioning on defense. As the players become more comfortable with dribbling while being defended, this game will give them many good opportunities to try out their moves.

Coaches’ Meetings

We had our coaches meetings today. We had a surprisingly good turnout considering the Labor Day weekend. Thanks, coaches for taking the time to attend. I hope that you found some of the information beneficial.

One correction that needs to be made to the U8 Coaches agenda is that the U8 teams play with a size 3 ball, not size 4 as I had listed.