Practices

Below is a basic Outline for Practice Session for new coaches in the Club:

1. Coach and player arrival - be at the field 15 minutes prior to the start of practice. As children arrive talk to them about the prior game and get them involved in an exercise while waiting for others. Start practice as scheduled.
2. Warm up - should involve 10 minutes of non-stop exercise. A proper warm up is necessary to help prevent injury. Exercises during this period should not exceed a maximum of 70% of the child's physical ability (i.e. no sprinting).
   1. Create a grid comparably large for the amount of children in attendance. Have the players constantly moving while touching the ball with all different parts of the body.
3. Briefly review the prior game and institute a theme for the practice. This should last less than 5 minutes.
4. Perform skills based on theme - develop a session that stresses the theme of the practice session. If you feel the team needs to learn better ball control, have them perform exercises to achieve that goal. Make the children aware of the reason for each specific exercise. This should last 30 minutes.
   1. Attending coaches' clinics throughout the season will help broaden your list of choices.
   2. Again, the children should almost always be in motion. Try to avoid drills or exercises that increase the amount of stationary time.
   3. While the children are taking water breaks, take the time to set up the next exercise.
5. Cool down - should involve 10 minutes of non-stop exercise (stretching included), similar to the warm-up. Again, no player should exceed 70% of his/her physical ability. Review the session and stress what you would like be accomplished in the upcoming game.
6. Dismissal - the coach is the last person to leave the field. Make certain that each player has transportation. No child should be left at the field unattended. All trash must be cleaned up and disposed of properly.