Week 6 · U4
Kicking to a friend
Objectives — what the players will do
- 1Kick the ball to a friend standing a few big steps away
- 2Look at their friend before they kick
- 3Cheer when their friend gets the ball
Play 1 — starts when the second player arrives
Knock the Castle
Scatter little cone towers (castles) everywhere. Kids kick their balls to smash the castles while coaches dramatically rebuild them and beg the kids to stop. The castles never run out — keep rebuilding, keep wailing.
Practice — the one taught activity of the night
Cannonball Pals
Pairs (a parent helper in each pair works great), two big steps apart, one ball. Kick the cannonball to your pal — when it arrives, BOTH pirates cheer. Put a cone tower between some pairs to smash on the way through. Keep the distance tiny so almost every kick succeeds.
Sit down and roll the ball with hands first, then stand and kick from even closer.
Take one giant pirate step back, or aim the kick through a little cone gate between the pals.
Play 2 — always finish playing the real game
Friends Game
Play a real 4v4 game. Any time the ball goes to a friend on purpose, cheer it as loudly as a goal — name the kicker AND the friend. Goals still count and still get the big celebration.
Key coaching points — in your own words
- ·Look at your friend… then kick!
- ·Kick with the side of your foot, like pushing a door open.
- ·Big cheer when your friend gets it!
- ·Missed? Grab it and fire again, pirate!
Move the pals one step further apart each round they succeed.
Make targets huge and close — a coach’s feet, a cone tower — so every kick hits something.
Game-day focus — watch for this on Saturday
4v4 diamond with everyone attacking and defending — rotate every child, and cheer any kick toward a friend as loud as a goal.
Message to forward to your parents
We learned to kick the ball to a friend today — look first, then kick! At home, sit a few steps apart and kick the ball back and forth; celebrate every single arrival.
This week's two videos
Every session is Play-Practice-Play: kids play from the moment they arrive, you teach ONE thing in the middle, then they play again. Watch the prep video the night before — the activity video is that middle PRACTICE part.
Simple Passing Drills — U4–U9
Watch the night before to understand the idea
Quick crash-course of passing games for the youngest players — the first 'pass to a supporting angle' habits for Weeks 3–4.
For U4: Make every pass a kick at a big funny target (cone tower, coach's feet); no accuracy standard.
Watch on YouTubeSoccerCoachTV -Try this FUN Passing Competition with your team.
Your PRACTICE part — the one thing you teach mid-session
A competitive passing game with real up-close coaching — perfect for the Develop and Challenge weeks because the scoreboard forces players to move to help the passer. Lift the competition format straight into your Practice phase. Praise the run that made the pass possible, not just the pass.
For U4: Drop the competition and the scoring — just count the passes out loud together as a team.
Watch on YouTube