The following is an excerpt from The Ultimate Youth Coaches Training Guide; A Complete 6 to 10 Year Old Developmental Coaching and Training Program.

This program is perfect for youth coaches wanting practices to start their soccer coaching education and it is also for those more advanced and experienced coaches wanting to train their players as best they can at these wonderful open minded ages for development and education of both the mind and body. Our plan is to help all coaches at whatever level of experience they are at. Find Out More

1. Working with three teams

2. Within each numbered team each player is numbered off. Teams (1) and (2) work together (with two balls) and team (3) works alone (with one ball).

3. Players must pass in sequence i.e. with teams (1) and (2) working together 1 passes to 2; 2 passes to 3; 3 to 4 and so on up to 8 who passes to 1 and we begin again whilst team (3) players pass 1 to 4.

4. A Player receives from the same person and passes to the same person each time. This develops great awareness of time, space and player positions. There is continuous work on and off the ball.

5. Awareness of: where the player you receive from is and where the player you pass to is. Because of this players begin to anticipate the pass to them and where it is coming from.

6. Also they must look to where it is going to (where is the player they are passing to?). We are trying to create a situation where players are looking two moves ahead not just one.

7. For instance as (1) is about to pass to (2), (3) should be looking to support (2) for the next pass already, looking two moves ahead before the ball leaves (1). Peripheral Vision Development results from this.

8. Develop: Reduce the number of touches players are allowed each time they receive a pass, all in to begin, then three touch, then two touch then one touch if it is on to do so. This speeds up the decision making process and forces them to look earlier as to where they are passing to.