Nightly Plan: Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Tonight's Announcements

• Tonight's theme: Perspective
• Tonight's skill: Dribbling
• Special guests: The Boston Breakers 
• Please review your time slot: Logistics = 4:30pm, Registration & Lead Staff = 5pm, All other volunteers = 5:30pm
• WEATHER: the weather is still not looking great. Please check back later for cancellations. We will post by 5:30.
• After Hours Tonight: Flatbread: Tonight night we'll keep our debrief short and then head down to Flatbread Pizza Co. & Sacco's Bowl Haven on Day St. in Davis Square for food, drinks, and bowling! Bring money for food & bowling shoes - bowling is covered! IF WE HAVE TO CANCEL DUE TO RAIN, WE WILL GO EARLIER.
• Assignment changes: I know we had to switch a few of you around last night due to some coaching holes, so thank you for being flexible. We will be making a few more changes tonight to ensure that each team is well-staffed and no coach is left by him/herself. If you have to move teams tonight, I apologize!

• If you're having trouble: If you have any concerns regarding managing kids, coaching points, volunteer assignments, or anything, please touch base with your division leader and they can help you or touch base with Brian, Terry, or me to help you figure things out. Your division leaders are there to help you so don't hesitate to ask!
• Black Shirts: Just a friendly reminder that people in black soccer nights shirts are lead volunteers and are available to help answer any questions you might have throughout the night. And if they don't know the answer, they know someone who does!
• Pens! Clipboards! 1st aid! All can be found in your division bins. 
• Whistles - if you are a coach OR an assistant coach you can pick up a whistle at the volunteer check-in table.
• Snacks - there will be some snacks at the volunteer check-in table today. Make sure you grab something so you don't go hungry!

Tonight's Schedule

Nightly Schedule:
5:30 – 6:00 Check in, directed to teams
6:15 – 6:25 Large group welcome, intro theme & skill of the night
6:25 – 6:45 Warm ups in division, skill demonstration
6:45 – 6:55 Team time #1: review team name, learn new names, set goal for the night
6:55 – 7:20 Team Drill work
7:20 – 7:25 Team time #2: check in on team goal, prep for scrimmage
7:30 – 8:05 Scrimmages
8:05 – 8:10 Team time #3: check in, debrief scrimmage and team goal
8:10 – 8:25 Large group closing
8:25 – 8:30 Snack in teams, check out

Tonight's Skill: Dribbling

Soccer Nights, Day 2: Dribbling from vineyardcommunityofferings on Vimeo.

See also pages 9-12 of Soccer Curriculum Packet.

***NOTE TO COACHES: Feel free to modify this and/or do something totally different- as long as the kids are having fun and learning how to dribble the ball correctly that is all we care about***

Coaching Skills to focus on:
1) Confidence
2) Keep the ball close to your feet: Only kick ball 3-5 yds each time, touch ball every 2nd/3rd step
3) Use inside of foot for control dribbles, and laces and outside of foot for speed dribbles
4) Head up - need to have awareness of what is around you, use peripheral vision to see ball

Exercises/Drills:
1) DRIBBLE IN LINES (SHUTTLES)
set up: place a cone 15-20 yards in front of each pair of players
         -Players dribble down to the cone, around the cone, and back to their partner, then their partner goes.  Make sure to remind players to keep ball close to them, and only hit the ball 3-5 yards each dribble.  Touch ball every 2nd or 3rd step.
Progressions: a) use non-dominant foot, b) up with one foot, back with the other foot, c) do a ‘move’ at the cone (ie- cut ball back behind legs), d) put cones further away and do speed dribbling, e) make it a relay race!, f) hold up a number and have kids yell it out (head up!)

2) COLORS (or NUMBERS)
set up: give two coaches two different colored shirts, (if no shirts/pennies just use numbers and hold up fingers)
         -Players dribble around in a designated area and when coach #1 holds up the ______ colored shirt, the players have to stop.  Then they go again, when coach #2 holds up the _______ colored shirt, the players have to turn and go the other way.

Progressions: Make the shirts mean different things: they have to sit down, they have to switch to opposite foot only, they have to touch the ball with their forehead, they have to do 3 jumping jacks, they have to perform a move. 

Games
1) CRABS
set up: make a designated area with lines on the field, or cones (circle or rectangle work)
         -Select 2-4 players to be “crabs” who will walk around on 4 legs with their tummies in the air. The rest of the players each have a ball and dribble around in the designated area while the crabs walk around and kick away the balls form the players.  When your ball gets kicked outside of the area, you are ‘out’ and have to wait until the next round.

Progressions: Have ‘crabs’ be upright and run around (this is called ‘sharks and minnows’), have everyone have a ball, and everyone is also a crab (this is called ‘knockout’), have coach hold up colored shirt and they have to ‘stop’ last person to stop is ‘out’, have the colored shirt stand for different moves.

*** Make up your own variations on any game- and as always HAVE FUN WITH IT!!***

Tonight's Value: Perspective (Instructions for Team Time)


Each night during team time, your team should set a goal pertaining to the theme and/or skill of the night. Below you will find suggested goals each evening, but please feel free to have your team come up with an original goal each night - the suggestions are there to help if you have trouble.

Suggestions for setting team goals: Try to set a goal that includes both the soccer skill and value of the night. E.g. Tuesday’s skill/theme combo is dribbling/perspective. A good goal might be “Tonight we are to work hard to keep our heads up while we dribble so we can see the field and look for open passes.” This goal encompasses both dribbling and perspective. Feel to add bonus goals throughout the night to challenge your team.

Tuesday: Perspective & Dribbling

Team Time #1 (Before drill work)

○ Review names, welcome new players
○ Recap last night’s goal
○ Set goal for the night!

    possible goals:

         ■ Tonight we’ll all keep our heads up while we dribble so we can see the field and look for open passes
         ■ Tonight we’ll graciously and cheerfully take turns playing positions we don’t want to play so everyone can have a chance to play the position they want.
         ■  Review Hero of the Night: Boston Breakers
         ■  Talk about skit
         ■  How do BOSTON BREAKERS show PERSPECTIVE?
         ■  How does our team show PERSPECTIVE?

Team Time #2 (before scrimmage)

○ Check in on team goal for the night:

         ■ How are we doing so far?
         ■ What could we do to improve?
         ■ If we’ve already reached it, what could we add to challenge ourselves?
         ■ Who has shown the value of PERSPECTIVE like BOSTON BREAKERS?  when?


Team Time: #3 (after scrimmage)

○ Check in on team goal for the night:
         ■ how did we do?
         ■ what could we do to improve as a team for tomorrow?

○ What did you learn tonight about dribbling? (1-2 ppl share)
○ What did you learn tonight about perspective? (1-2 ppl share)
○ What did you learn tonight about our heroes? (1-2 ppl share)