Week 1
Passing
“At these young ages, the primary goal is to make the player’s experience with soccer so
enjoyable that when he or she has a choice of activities, he or she choose to play soccer
on his or her own.”
– U.S. Soccer
Equipment
1. Balls (one per player)
2. Red pinnies (enough for half of the players)
3. Yellow pinnies (enough for half of the players)
4. Cones
Coaching Points: Passing
 Plant foot: step next to the ball
 Plant foot: point your toe at your target
 Kicking foot: use the inside of your foot
 Kicking foot: keep your toe up
 Kicking foot: keep your ankle locked
 Kicking foot: follow through (foot in the air, legs do not cross)
Helpful Hint: Have players pretend there is a camera on the inside of their kicking foot
and “take a picture” of their partner after passing the ball. Players should hold that pose
for one second.
Pre-Practice: Scrimmage (5 Minutes)
Game 1: Follow the Leader (10 Minutes)
Each player finds a partner. One partner gets a pinnie and puts it on. The other partner
gets a soccer ball. For the first round, the player wearing the pinnie is the leader. The
player with the ball is the follower and attempts to follow the leader while dribbling the
ball. After one minute, the coach yells, “FREEZE!” The leader spreads his or her feet
apart to create a gate. The follower attempts to pass his or her ball through the legs of
the leader. Switch roles and repeat until both partners have gone several times.
Helpful Hint: Use the “freeze” moments to address proper passing technique.
Game 2: Escape from the Zoo (10 Minutes)
Each player gets a soccer ball. The coaches are zoo animals who just escaped from the
zoo. The players are zookeepers attempting to capture the escaped animals. Zookeepers
capture the animals by passing their ball into the animals’ feet. When an animal is hit,
he or she makes the sound of the animal he or she is pretending to be and continues to
run away. Play for two or three minutes, then allow the players (two or three at a time)
to be the animals. Have them pick their animal before beginning the game and show off
their best animal sound. Repeat until every player has had a chance to be an animal.
Helpful Hint: Before each new round, review proper passing technique.
Game 3: Monkey in the Middle (10 Minutes)
With each team, select one player to be the monkey. He or she holds on to a pinnie (but
does not put it on). The other players spread out around the monkey and attempt to
pass the ball amongst themselves while keeping it away from the monkey. If the
monkey wins the ball, select a new player to be the monkey and play again. Repeat until
every player has had a chance to be the monkey.
Helpful Hint: Before each new round, review proper passing technique. Encourage
players to pass the ball away from the monkey.
Scrimmage (20 Minutes)
Review: Passing
 Plant foot: step next to the ball
 Plant foot: point your toe at your target
 Kicking foot: use the inside of your foot
 Kicking foot: keep your toe up
 Kicking foot: keep your ankle locked
 Kicking foot: follow through (foot in the air, legs do not cross)