The following is an excerpt from the new "50 Fun and Developmental Coaching Sessions for 6 to 10 year-olds" ebook that can be found here. This ebook contains 50 of the best, fun and developmental coaching sessions for 6 to 10 year olds providing a solid foundation for you to build your players' skills. There are more than 300 pages of specific practices with diagrams, step by step instructions, objectives, coaching points and progressions. Topics covered include: setting up training sessions and small-sided games, awareness, improving touch, dribbling, shooting, passing and much more. Bring out the best in your soccer players with these fun and developmental sessions. Preview Here

RECEIVING AND TURNING RELAY EXERCISE

This practice is designed to improve the techniques of receiving and turning at speed. You can vary the number of players per line and vary the distance.

Condition the relay to one or two touches by the outside player and two touches by the inside players. Have the ball passed through the middle players to the end players and back to the starting players four times in a race. Passing the ball quickly and accurately is the key. Usual key points apply getting in a side on position to receive. Easiest way to receive and turn is to control the ball with the furthest foot keeping the ball within a couple of feet on the first touch and pass with the nearest foot to where it came from.

RELAY RACES FOR TURNING AND RUNNING WITH THE BALL

These are great to bring a competitive element to running with the ball, or dribbling with the ball and turning with the ball, all under pressure in a competitive environment.

Avoid too many players on each station as you need them to practice this as much as possible.

Better four groups of two racing than two groups of four as they get twice as much work in. You can vary the things they have to do, they can do it purely as a fitness exercise without the ball or as a skill and fitness exercise with the ball.

Using one group as an example they run to each cone and turn back, four runs in total over differing distances. Two ideas of routines above

Progressions:

1. Insist on different types of turn at each station (you may have practiced four different ones for example)

2. Vary which cones they run to it, may be 8 runs to just the first cone for a shorter and sharper more anaerobic workout. It may be too just the long one for a more longer distance aerobic workout

3. Introduce complete circle turns (twist or spin turns) half way along each run so they are getting twice as many turns in to help their co-ordination