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Running and Effective
Practice
By John Sullivan, Veteran ASA Coach of Rec and All Star
Teams
Establish a routine of activities to follow for each
practice.
- As they arrive, players pair up to pass a ball
between them. This allows time for socialization and
productive activity while you wait for late arrivals.
- Five to seven minutes after practice scheduled
start time, each player gets a ball and the players
form a line side by side (for larger teams, use two
lines). This physical layout allows for simultaneous
dribbling (e.g., across the field) and practicing of
other ball handling skills.
- Next, players pair up, and form two lines with
partners facing each other. Only the partners in one
line have a ball. Many skills can be taught and
practiced in this format.
For example, suppose you are working on inside of
the foot pass. After the coach demonstrates the proper
technique, the players in one line “serve” or roll the
ball to their partner who gets control of it and
passes it back to the server. After five serves,
partners exchange roles.
- Touches on the ball are increased with small sided
scrimmages (e.g., two small sided games held
simultaneously).
With the exception of imposing one restriction
(e.g., minimum of two touches to promote dribbling OR
maximum of 3 or 4 touches to promote passing), use a
free flow format – small goals (cones), no goalie, no
assigned positions, no whistle, and minimal coaching
or correcting. This format encourages risk taking and
allows players to learn in a game-like situation.
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