Here’s a structured and clearer version of the football drills and activities program:
Football Drills Programme
Overview: This program is designed for 10 kids, focusing on repetition and skill development. It will take place after school on a school field or at a football club, with the time to be announced. Children are encouraged to bring their own football; a few will be provided, along with a football pump.
Drills:
- Dribbling:
- Activity: Dribble the length of the field and back.
- Purpose: Build dribbling skills and endurance.
- Stretching:
- Activity: Perform proper stretching exercises.
- Purpose: Increase flexibility, range of motion, and performance.
- Target Kick:
- Activity: In two groups of five, players take turns naming their favorite football team, then kick their ball to try to hit a target in the center of the circle.
- Purpose: Improve aim and accuracy.
- Passing Through Legs:
- Activity: In groups of three, one player stands with legs apart in the middle. The other two pass a ball between the middle player’s legs, then switch roles.
- Purpose: Enhance passing accuracy and teamwork.
- Juggling Skills:
- Activity: Practice juggling the ball. Limit to 10 juggles to maintain motivation.
- Purpose: Improve ball control and coordination.
- Throw-ins:
- Activity: Practice correct throw-ins aimed at different body parts (feet, thighs, chest, head).
- Purpose: Develop proper throwing technique and accuracy.
- Tackling:
- Activity: Use a tackle bag to practice tackles with both legs.
- Purpose: Improve tackling technique and strength.
- Cone Dribbling Course:
- Activity: Navigate through a curved cone dribbling course with partners. Dribble with eyes up to avoid collisions.
- Purpose: Enhance dribbling skills and spatial awareness.
- Chip Shot Practice:
- Activity: Chip the ball into a flat hoop or pass the ball to roll into the hoop.
- Purpose: Improve passing accuracy and ball control.
- Ball Collision Game:
- Activity: Two players kick their balls to try to hit each other’s ball mid-air.
- Purpose: Develop kicking power and accuracy.
- Game and Shoot-Out:
- Activity: Play a game with Mark on the side of the team in possession. Conclude with a shoot-out into an empty goal.
- Purpose: Apply skills in a game scenario and practice shooting.
- Feedback Session:
- Activity: Sit down as a group to discuss what was enjoyed and areas for improvement.
- Purpose: Reflect on the session and set goals for future drills.
Special Notes:
- After Goal Partying: Consider celebrating with playful interactions like jumping on the back of a goal scorer.
- Non-Stop Football: If time permits, play a continuous game to practice skills in a fun, unstructured format.
Mark’s Football CV Highlights:
- Trained with VfB Stuttgart and various clubs in the UK.
- Played for North City, Rangitoto College, and Auckland Under 19s.
- Trialed with multiple teams including Barnet, Copenhagen, and Central United FC.
- Retired in 2002 after notable trials and performances.
After School, Drills Programme. We’ll trial it but it will be based at a School field, with Children from that School.
Or at a Football Club.
Time TBA.
Bring your own football.
I’ll have a few with me.
I’ll provide a Football pump.
Each ball, dribbling the length of the field and back.
Stretches.
Stretching in the proper way will loosen your muscles and tendons. This will increase flexibility and range of motion during your workout. Improved performance. Stretching beforehand increases blood flow, flexibility, and range of motion, which will in turn improve overall performance.
Two groups of five, in two circles, say one child at a time, your favorite football team then kick your ball and try to hit,
in the centre of the circle.
In 3’s one person stands with their legs apart in the middle, the other two players with a ball between two pass the ball with the aim of passing the ball between the player in the middle legs. So one child then the middle child, then the third child on the other side of the middle child. If you have a few goes then swap around to be the child in the middle.
Juggling skills.
At Drills we don’t count more than 10 juggles at a time as we don’t want to take away the self-esteem of other children who can’t juggle as well ( yet ).
Kick the ball as far as you can.
Learn the correct throw for the throw and that works with children who stand next to each other and throw. Start with throw ins aimed at the feet, control for your friend, throw on the thighs, then chest then head.
Having a tackle bag will have goes to tackling the bag, tackling it to the boot, leg.
Use right leg and left leg.
Maybe practicing headering it too.
Two of them, two groups of five.
12 cones one meter apart curved cone dribbling course.
Children on either end, no competition.
A dribbler on each end starts the course at the same time, the fun part is that you have to dribble eyes up like you want the dribblers to dribble past each other on the course.
Boys and girls in two circles of five, chip the ball into a hoop that lies flat on the field. Or just pass the soccer ball and aim it rolling into the flat hoop on the ground. Ball pass practice & aim.
I’ll hold the hoop upright & you can pass the ball through it or chip it through the hoop.
Say against each other 12 yards apart, say go then kick your balls, the goal is to kick and hit one another’s ball mid way, or wherever. Or maybe aim to kick in the air, aim to hit your friend’s ball in the air.
Finish with a game playing with Mark but he’s on the side that has possession of the football. We don’t count the goals, the children know if you’ve scored goals. At drills after a game we have a shoot out, shooting into an empty goal.
Hey kids, what are your thoughts on after goal partying. Jumping on the back of a goal scorer also takes a bit of energy off a professional’s legs.
At the end of all the exercises and the game as a group, we all sit down and share what we have enjoyed the most and what we want to improve next time.
2018.
Best moment in Stuttgart, training with Vfb Stuttgart Professional player’s.
Marks Football CV.
Midget’s.
I use to train with Kevin Fallon, Sean Fallon & Rory Fallon before School.
I received my Bronze, Silver & Gold Award’s at the old New Zealand Soccer Holiday Programme.
North City Rep, three years in a row.
I was selected for the School’s of Excellence training squad with Jason Batty in goal too.
I use to play half a game for Rangitioto College second 11, then a full game for the first team in the afternoon.
Auckland Under 19’s.
Played at Mount Smart.
I was offered $50 a game to play for Forrest Hill Milford in my late teens.
I made various appearance’s for Glenfield Rovers off the bench, for the 1st team, with the odd start, in 1997.
Then on October the 9th 1997 I moved to Halifax & trained with the YT’s that had time off school to train, under the guidance of Bernard Alison.
I moved back to London, the first game I watched was with my sister at the Hendon ground.
I trialed with Hampton & Richmond & also played off the bench at the Police Headquarters in London, whilst making other starts for them too.
I trialed in Copenhagen.
I trialed with Barnet, but walked part of the way to get there & didn’t perform very well.
I was Scouted playing for a Sunday League Football Team Brookers, a Pub team in Kent. Sent to Stuttgart to train under an agent with his players, under his Agency.
I trialed with Lincoln City at Notts County ground Reserve’s. I played for the first half.
I retired in Auckland in 2002, after a good few trials & a run of 13km’s, the longest run in my life.
Mark is right footed & left footed.
2002.
Trialed with Central United FC.
Scored two goals from right Fullback in both pre-season games.
Won the West Auckland Forrest run.
Not signed.
I texted him a few days ago 2023 January,
I asked him why he didn’t sign me,
this was his reply.
From the 2002 Trial.
I wanted to, but I knew we didn’t have enough in the budget for a player of your quality. 2023. ( I waited 21 years later to ask him this ).