Player Zone

Swarner Park

5:15 PM – 6:45 PM

We’ll keep building on the same foundation passing, awareness, and confidence in attacking situations. This week we’re adding a new piece: checking your shoulder and using a quick turn to create a scoring chance.

---

Arrival Activity – Partner Passing

As players arrive, they’ll jump into partner passing.

• Two-touch
• One-touch

Focus on clean passes, good first touch, and staying active.

---

Foot Skills Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Quick work in a grid:

• Toe taps
• In & out
• Fake pass to 180 turn (we’ll demonstrate)
• Change of speed

Keep it short and sharp.

---

Multi-Directional Possession

Split the group:

Group 1 (max 10 players):
Multi-Directional Possession

• Movement, spacing, quick decisions

Group 2:
Rondo – Rotate stronger players into separate Rondo.

• Quick passing
• Supporting angles
• Staying active

---

Basico Passing with Dummies

8 players needed

Players pass using dummies as defenders.

• Scan before receiving
• Scan again after receiving
• Play quickly
• Move immediately to next spot

Focus: look, receive, play, move

---

1v1 Fields (10–12 minutes)

Two fields with small goals, grouped by skill level.

Focus on:

Defending

• Close space quickly
• Stay balanced

Attacking

• Be patient
• Small touches
• Head up
• Explode when defender commits

---

2v1 Gauntlet (10–12 minutes)

Same setup as last week.

• Attackers go 2v1
• Defender can step up but cannot cross a set line

Focus on:

• Passing to beat pressure
• Timing runs
• Decision-making

---

Shoulder Check + Turn to Finish (10 minutes) 🔄

Setup:

• Small gate with cones
• Coach plays ball to attacker
• Attacker checks to the ball and receives through the gate
• Defender starts behind and chases

As the ball comes in:

• Attacker checks their shoulder
• Defender applies pressure
• Attacker can use 180 turn to create space
• Finish on goal

Coaching points:

• Check shoulder early
• Use your arm to feel and protect space
• Go the opposite way of the defender
• Be quick once you turn

---

Final Scrimmage (20 minutes) ⚽

Let them play.

Encourage:

• Spacing
• Movement
• Confidence
• Trying the turn or moves we worked on

---

Focus for the Day

• Check your shoulder before receiving
• Play quickly after the first touch
• Use turns to escape pressure
• Be patient, then explode

Swarner Park – Shawnee, KS
5:15 PM – 6:45 PM

We’ll keep this one moving with a good mix of passing, decision-making, and attacking. A lot of the focus will be on playing quicker, working together, and making smart choices under pressure.

---

Arrival Activity – Partner Passing (Start as players arrive)

As players show up, they’ll jump right into partner passing.

Players will get in groups of two and work on:

• Two-touch passing
• One-touch passing (as they get comfortable)

This is a good way to get everyone involved right away while we wait for the full group to arrive.

Focus on:

• Clean passes
• Good first touch
• Staying ready for the next ball

---

Ball Control Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Players will move into a small grid with a ball.

We’ll work through:

• Toe taps
• Tik toks
• Inside/outside touches
• Change of speed
• Change of direction

This is quick, high-touch work to get comfortable on the ball.

---

Through the Gate Passing (10 minutes)

Set up multiple cone gates around the grid.

Players stay with their partner and must:

• Pass the ball through a gate
• Move to a new gate
• Keep the ball under control

Players will compete to see which pair can complete the most passes through gates.

Coaching points:

• Pass with purpose
• Communicate
• Move after the pass
• Find open space

---

Water Break

This weeks focus will be to Always Do Your Best. It’s okay to have a bad game or to not be where other players are skill level. The most important thing is that we always give our best effort and work to improve with every practice and game.

---

Multi-Directional Possession Battle (15 minutes)

We’ll set up the same game from last week.

Two teams inside a grid with target players on the outside.

Focus on:

• Quick passing
• Movement off the ball
• Finding space
• Playing with awareness

This continues to be one of the best activities for getting everyone involved.

---

1v1 Battles (10–12 minutes)

Set up two small fields using the mini goals.

Players will rotate through quick 1v1 matchups.

Focus on:

• Attacking with confidence
• Using moves
• Defending with effort

---

2v1 Gauntlet (10–12 minutes)

Using the same setup, we’ll transition into a 2v1 gauntlet.

Setup:

• Two defenders positioned in a line about 10 yards apart
• Attackers go 2v1 against the first defender, then immediately 2v1 against the second

Once they beat both defenders, they finish by dribbling the ball in.

Focus on:

• Passing to beat defenders
• Using a fake pass to open space
• Knowing when to pass vs dribble

This is a great way to build teamwork and decision-making.

---

Water Break

Talk about Staying on your line and when a player can break off their line. Also focus on recognizing quickly when we go from attacking to defense and vise versa.

---

Final Scrimmage – 4 Goal Game (20 minutes)

We’ll set up a scrimmage with two goals on each end line.

Before we start, we’ll talk briefly about:

• Staying in your position
• Spacing out
• Not crowding the ball

Let them play with minimal interruptions.

---

Our first practice last week got cut short by rain, but in some ways that turned out to be helpful. It gave us a chance to watch the group and get a better feel for where everyone is at right now.

Tuesday’s normal practice has been cancelled due to the temperature. Thursday will be much nicer so we are holding a makeup practice at Quivira Glen Park.

• 13388 W 51st St, Shawnee, KS 66216
• 5:30-6:30

---

For this week’s session, we’ll focus on passing, attacking defenders, and playing with awareness. We’ll also bring back one of the drills from last practice that worked really well.

Practice will run about 60 minutes.

Please RSVP on the app so we know who will be there.

---

Passing Challenge

Next we’ll work on passing. Players can partner up and compete for how many times they can pass the ball back in forth.

We’ll run a few different rounds:

• Two-touch passing
• One-touch passing
• Pass and move

---

Warm Up – Freestyle Dribbling

We’ll start with a ball at each player’s feet and let them move freely in the grid.

The focus here is simple:

• Change speed
• Change direction
• Use your favorite move
• Dribble into open space

Players will get a lot of touches on the ball and work on staying comfortable while moving around other players.

---

---

1v1 Battles

After that we’ll move into 1v1 battles.

Players will compete in small fields with a goal on each end. One player attacks while the other defends. If the defender wins the ball, they immediately try to score on the opposite goal.

This is one of the best ways for players to develop confidence on the ball.

Players will be encouraged to:

• Attack quickly
• Use moves
• Protect the ball
• Chase down attackers when defending

---

Multi-Directional Possession Battle

We’ll bring back the Multi-Directional Possession Battle, which worked really well for the first practice.

Two teams will play inside a grid while using outside target players. Teams try to keep possession and connect passes with the target players around the field.

This game encourages:

• Moving without the ball
• Quick passing decisions
• Finding open space

Everyone stays active and involved, which makes it a great learning game.

---

Final Scrimmage – Four Goal Game

To finish practice we’ll run a scrimmage using four small goals.

There will be two goals on each end of the field, which means teams can attack either side. This setup encourages players to look up, switch the field, and find open space.

We’ll try to keep coaching interruptions minimal here so the players can just play and make decisions.

---

Focus for the Week

The main things we want players thinking about this week are:

• Dribble into open space
• Keep your head up to see the field
• Make quick passes when pressure comes
• Be confident attacking defenders

Looking forward to a great practice.

Please remember to RSVP in the app so we can plan teams and drills accordingly. ⚽