Drills for Minis (U7-U8)

Pinnacles Football Club's drills designed to allow players to development their movement ABCs, -Agility, Balance, Coordination & Speed- learn the basics of the game while emphasizing fun, cooperation, and maximum time on the ball.

 

Dribbling Gates

Materials:

  • Lots of different colour cones
  • One ball per player

Instructions:

Place down many coloured sets of cones in an area the size of the box or the centre circle depending on how many players there are. Have the players begin by dribbling through the cones and then the coach can limit which gates players can dribble through; the coach can say "only green and red gates" at the point the players are only able to dribble through those coloured gates to get points. Dribbling though one set of cones is one point, the player with the most points at the end is the winner.

Objective:

Be the player who has dribbled through the most gates when coach calls the drill off.

Progression:

Coaches will slowly collect gates off the field and it will become a dribbling variation of musical chairs with the coach calling out "stop or freeze" as the players go to find an open gate. If the players fail to find an open gate in time with a ball they will have to do an exercise set by the coach (EX: 5 jumping jacks) 

Focus:

Dribbling, awareness, and change of direction.

 

 

Pirates

Materials:

  • 2+ hula-hoops (Preferably different colours)
  • Lots of balls
  • Pinnies (optional)

Instructions:

Set up two or more hula-hoops evenly spaced apart with a large pile of balls in the middle. The hula-hoops become the pirate ships, the players become the pirates, the balls become the gold coins, and the space between the hula-hoops becomes the ocean. Coaches can join in as pirates or as sea-monsters who steal gold coins from all of the pirate ships and bring them back to the ocean. Divide players evenly into groups of 3 or more. Players start at their team hula-hoop, and all race to the middle to collect one ball at a time, dribbling it back to their team's hoop. Players can also steal from other teams' hoops and bring one ball back at a time. Each round can go for any set length of time (recommended length 1-3 minutes long).

Objective:

Be the team with the most balls at the end of the time limit.

Focus:

Dribbling, teamwork, and strategy.

King of the Ring

Materials:

  • 10-14 cones
  • One ball per player

Instructions:

Set up a grid using cones. All players start with a ball in the grid dribbling around. Players then try to protect their ball from being kicked out while attempting to kick other players' balls out of the grid. If a player's ball is kicked out or they dribble their own ball out they must do 5 jumping jacks then they can rejoin the game.

Objective:

Kick the most balls out.

Progression/ Alteration:

Play the elimination version. In this version if your ball is kicked out you may not return to the grid. Slowly make the grid smaller as players get eliminated. Be the last one with a ball in the grid to win.

Tip! Have players work on an individual skill when eliminated (EX: juggling)

Focus:

Dribbling, awareness, and shielding.