Team Philosophy: FUNdamentals

Whether or not this is your first season playing soccer, the focus in this age group is having fun while learning the basics.

As coaches we strive to:

• USE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
• BE CREATIVE
• MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Be motivational and inspirational. Enthusiasm and being energetic are contagious.
• KEEP PLAYERS ENGAGED AND EXCITED
• REMEMBER THAT EACH PLAYER IS AN INDIVIDUAL
• REINFORCE CORRECT TECHNIQUE: In all drills and games we will continually emphasize the use of correct techniques.
• ENCOURAGE PLAYER MOVEMENT: At all times. We will make players aware of the importance of readiness. Emphasizing weight forward on toes and bouncing instead of flat footed-ness.
• ROTATE POSITIONS: All players should be active as servers, assistants.
• DEVELOP PLAYER RESPECT: We will continually get players to support one another. To show good sportsmanship towards all players including opponents, and respect for others attempts and effort.
• FUN AND ENJOYMENT: Players will respond and want to continue if practice is fun.

Practice

• Each player should bring a ball, water, shin guards, and proper footwear to each practice.
• Parents are encouraged to stay and be involved during practices. If you need to leave, please be sure we have the proper emergency contact number.
• Several times during the season, we hope to have parent - player scrimmages during practice.
• Please help your player do something "soccer" everyday. Even if it is a five minute game - it will help keep them interested and reinforce the skills learned at practice.

Typical Practice Plan

WARM-UP "Soccernastics" activities for example: stretches, rolling the ball with the bottom of their feet, with their elbows, backwards, with the back of their neck while holding on to it; throwing it up and catching it; keeping it up with their feet while sitting.

DRILLS: Drills that focus on basic dribbling, passing, and trapping. As the season progress, we will incorporate more drills that highlight control and turning.

BREAK: 3-5 minutes for water and rest.

PLAY THE GAME: Scrimmage a game. This will be creative play that allows the players to practice skills within the scope of an actual game setting while also allowing us to stop, start, and refocus as many times as needed.

WARM-DOWN & HOMEWORK: Review what we are working on that day and give them some homework so that they practice on their own.

JUST FOR THE PARENTS

Your input and participation is welcome and needed. We want this season to be fun for everyone. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, we ask that you follow our team's Parental Code of Conduct.

• Be encouraging, supportive, & affirmative in regard to your child's play on the field

• Respect officials & accept their decisions

• Support the coaches, the team, & the club

• Volunteer your services & talents to the club when possible

• Comply with rules, policies, & procedures of the team & Union Soccer Club

• Respect the team as a whole.

• Discuss your player with the coach at practice or another time outside of game day.

• Please do not:

  • engage in dissent directed toward an official

  • engage in any kind or type of unsportsmanlike conduct with any official, coach, player, or parent

  • interfere at any time with the duties and responsibilities of the coach

  • act in any manner which is detrimental to the team

From the Union Soccer Club website

Here are the major highlights of the differences of U6 versus FIFA.

• The ball is a size 3.

• 3 players on the field.

• 1 adult per team allowed on the field.

• Uniform:

  • Jersey (provided by USC)

  • Shorts

  • Socks Must cover shinguards completely

  • Shinguards A child can not play without shinguards

  • Shoes Do not need to be cleats, can not have a toe cleat

• Home team provides the ball

• Game length is 32 minutes

• Each player must play at least 1/2 the game.

• Fill in game forms after the game.

• No direct kicks Ball can not go into the goal from a free kick

We allow throwins. Allow the child several attempts at a throwin if they can not do it perfectly. I.e., work on getting the basic concept down first.

You can have 2 team events a week. This means 2 practices a week until the season starts. At that time, you can have 1 practice and 1 game.

We will schedule 3 games before the start of the season. After the third game, we will league teams by team playing ability. We want to make the games enjoyable for everyone.

Web Address is http://www.unionsoccerclub.com/ .

Game Day

Please make sure that your player has rested, hydrated, and eaten prior to the game.

Please arrive 20 minutes prior to game time.

Snack Schedule

Snacks are provided at halftime and end of game.

For halftime - Water and Fruit only, please.

End of game - Parent's choice.

A snack schedule will be provided with the game schedule.

Contact information

Here are some examples of drills and games that will we be using at practice

"Keep Your Yard Clean"

Here is a game that involves kicking and is a good example of parallel play in that it involves all players on the team at one time, but, they are all acting as individuals during the game. This allows for individual differences in skill. The game is simple, fun, and easy to adapt to account for team size and experience.

THE GAME: Create a 'neutral area' between the two teams where no player is allowed into. Each player starts with a ball at his / her feet. On command, each team tries to keep their side of the game free of balls by kicking their ball over to the other team's side. After an appropriate amount of time (when the balls become too scattered, or, the players are loosing focus), call the game and count which side has the most balls on their side. After players have found some success with this basic game, we will add these variations: Players can only use their left foot, Throw the ball back, Dribble the ball around a cone that has been set up in the middle of their "yard", then, kick the ball back.

"Red Light...Green Light"

Here is a game that should be familiar to most U-6's. Again, the game is fun, simple to set up, and has direct application to the game. The skill that it is targeted is dribbling.

THE GAME: Each player has a ball, except the one player that is designated as the "light". Players start from the line opposite the "light". The "light" then turns away from the group shouting out "GREEN LIGHT". At this signal, the players start to dribble towards the "light". When the "light" turns back around, calling out "RED LIGHT", players must freeze their bodies and their ball. The first player to cross the line where the "light" is standing is the winner and becomes the new "light".

Training Games U-6 Players

Into The Well

Skill: Throw-In

Organization: Circle the players (5 yard diameter circle) around a target (trashcan) with soccer ball in hand.

How The Game Is Played: The players attempt to throw the balls into the trashcan all at once. The object is to improve the number of balls that go into the trashcan, not to have a winner. Have the teamwork on improving the number of balls in the target.

Variations: Increase the circumference of the circle. Allow a parent to move around the circle carrying the target.

The Mosquito

Skill: Passing

Organization: Create a 15 X 15 yard grid marked with cones. Place all players (Exterminators) on one end of the grid with a ball at their feet. Coach (the Mosquito) will center himself at a mid-point of the grid.

How The Game Is Played: The Mosquito will dash (as best he can) across the grid trying to avoid being hit with the balls that the exterminators are shooting at him. Before heading back to the starting point the coach will allow the players to collect their ball and line up on the other side of the grid for one more go at the Mosquito.

One Pin Bowling

Skill: Passing/Shooting

Organization: Create a 10 X 10 yard grid marked with cones. Place each player across from a cone with a ball placed on the cone located at the mid point of the grid.

How The Game Is Played: One at a time each player tries to knock the ball off the cone directly in line with her. Let each player try it once before you start over from player 1. After each player has attempted five shots, the player who has knocked the most balls off the cone is the winner.

Variations: Have players strike the ball with the left and right foot. Change the distance that the balls are away from the players. Try to get all five balls at the end of the grid by the end of the training session.