Five and Six Year-Olds Kindergarten Program
Technical Guidelines:
Just "playing with the ball", getting the feel of it.
Becoming "friends with the ball".
Getting used to the reality of playing on one leg.
Guiding the ball straight and to the sides with the insides of both feet.
Kicking the ball accurately with the insides of the feet over 8 to 10 yards.
Tactical Guidelines:
Really simple instructions:
o "Yes! Run up and down the field!"
o "Look around a little!"
o "Shoot! Score a lot of goals!"
o "Try to win the ball - and if the other team has
the ball, get in their way!"
o "The ball should go in that goal - not this one!"
Now the game is often: "one against the other team".
Kids at this age think: "Where the ball is, that's where I want to be." It's completely against their way of thinking to move away from the ball, to spread out, or to "go wide".
Virtually no instruction in the rules - just rely on the kids' intuitions and innate sense of fair play.
Fitness Guidelines:
Turn them loose as much as possible: let them run, chase, hunt the ball, kick it all over the place, MOVE!
Nothing without the ball!
The Practice Environment:
This is their world - as much as possible should be on their terms.
Everything here is new: getting the kids used to the feeling of this soccer place is a big objective.
Kids at this age are playful, concerned with themselves, absorbed with trying to control the ball; attention spans are small.
Once your practice activities begin, the play of the kids may get chaotic. No problem!
Lots of footwork and dribbling games: the aim is a maximum number of ball touches.
for kicking: target games.
Many repetitions in skill activities.
One ball per player: "Everyone should have a toy!"
Imagination, creativity, discovery, trial and error are vital.
No "positions".
#3 ball, small goals.
The week's practice is 45 to 60 minutes long.
Games:
Informal - simplified rules.
Equal playing time.
3v3 or 4v4