Below is a list of the basic equipment that you and your team will need for a good practice. If you need equipment or have any questions about equipment email (Hugh/Andy):

• Balls - you can of course run a practice with just one ball, but aim for at least 1 ball for every 2 players. You may also want to consider a mix of ball sizes - e.g. using size 1 balls is great practice for ANY age group player.

• Cones - cones are ideal for marking out playing, skill, and drill areas. They also can serve as makeshift goals in the absence of a set of goalposts.

• Goalposts - goalposts for practicing shooting, goalkeeping, corner and freekick routines, as well as scrimmaging. Check your team’s age group rules to see what size goals you will be using on match day so you and your team become familiar. Of course using smaller and larger sized goals make good drill props. 

• Pinnies (aka Bibs) - colored pinnies to designate players to a team, position or role within a practice or scrimmage.

• Whistle - An essential item for getting the attention of your players during practice, as well as simulating refereeing during scrimmage.

For the safety and enjoyment of all your players, make sure each player wear cleats and shin guards to practice. It is also a good idea to get players into the habit of removing items of jewelry before practice- necklaces, ear rings etc - as this is expected on game day (this also reduces risk of injury or accidents at practice).

Assistance 

It is highly recommended to have another adult assist you manage and run your practice- setting up drills, playing areas, reinforcing coaching points and general support. Having additional adult support helps you keep players engaged with the session and reduces downtime between setup of each part of the practice. If you don’t yet have an assistant coach, encourage a parent to sign up as a helper or contact us for assistance. 

Planning and timings

Have a basic plan with timings in mind for how you will run your practice before you arrive at the practice field. For example, if you have a 1 hour practice then one timetable could be: 

• 10 minutes for warm up 

• 20 minutes for skills and drills, 

• 30 minutes for scrimmage. 

Remember to allow time for water breaks, and instructions. 

Below are some suggestions to help structure your practices: 

Warm ups

Start warming as soon as players arrive. Once all the players you are expecting have arrived, the warm up can become more focussed or intense. The warm up is to help players transition physically and mentally to be ready to play. Below are some ideas for warm up formats. Feel free to adapt and combine any number of the suggestion below to suit you and your group:

• Static movements - stretches, hip & arm circles, static jogging, balance 

• Running - start gentle and increase duration and/or intensity. E.g. ladder runs, train

• Incorporate running with ball control / dribbling, either solo or in pairs

• Pair passing, triangle passing

• Shooting 

Drills and Skills

Drills and Skills fall roughly into one of the following categories:

• Ball control 

• Passing 

• Shooting 

• Defending 

• Set plays (corners, throw ins, goal kicks, free kicks)

• Tactical drills and exercises e.g. positioning, pressing, counter attack

• Goalkeeping drills

Aim to address a couple of items above per practice, but don’t expect to cover all of the items above in a single session.

Scrimmage

Scrimmage is typically the players favorite part of practice, and is the time for you as the coach to make sure the ideas discussed and practiced during the drills are applied in the context of a game. Scrimmage can take various forms:

• Standard competitive format. e.g. 14 players attending practice, 7 v 7

• Attack vs Defence. E.g. scrimmage takes place within half a pitch, with players designated either an attacker or defender and a single goalkeeper. 

• Small sided games. E.g. 12 players attend practice, 3 teams of 4 play rapid games, with one team rotating in and one team rotating out every 5 minutes.

• Lopsided games. E.g. 12 players attend practice, 5 vs 7. Encourage the team with 7 players to pass around the team with less players, encourage the team with 5 players to mark and manage their shape to compensate for their numerical disadvantage. 

Below are resources coaches can use as a reference or guide during the season.

YouTube

YouTube is a treasure trove of knowledge, ideas and videos appropriate to your teams age or skill level to help you plan your soccer practices. Here are a couple of channels to check out:

• https://www.youtube.com/@yougotmojo

• https://www.youtube.com/@7mlc

What channels do you use?

Rules and Regulations

Current SYSA Rules and Regulations

SYSA Coaching Resources

https://www.sysa.org/coach-resources

We’re here to help and support coaches, so if you have any questions or concerns, or have ideas you want to share or discuss please get in touch. 

https://beaconhillsoccerclub.org/