Week 8 · U4
Exploring the ball & taking on the monster
Objectives — what the players will do
- 1Keep the ball close with hundreds of happy little touches
- 2Dribble bravely straight past a coach-monster
- 3Try a trick — a stop, a turn, or a zoom — to fool the monster
Play 1 — starts when the second player arrives
Ball Playground Safari
The moment each child arrives, hand them a ball and let them play — roll it, carry it, kick it, chase it, anything goes. Once everyone is in, call animals and everyone (coaches included) dribbles like that animal: bear stomps, bunny hops around the ball, snake wiggles, cheetah zooms. Finish each round with a big freeze — foot on top of the ball.
Practice — the one taught activity of the night
Pirate Island Ladder
Kids line the edge of the area with a ball each — their treasure. You are the pirate in the middle, and each crossing gets a little braver. Round one: the pirate snores, and everyone dribbles their treasure to the island on the far side untouched. Round two: the pirate sleepwalks in slow motion and always JUST misses, wailing dramatically. Round three: the pirate half-wakes, and kids must try a trick to get past — a sudden stop, a turn, a zoom. If the pirate ever touches a ball, the child gets it straight back and carries on — nobody is ever out.
Back to the snoring pirate — no defender at all, just happy dribbling across with little touches.
The pirate wakes a little more each crossing, and the bravest sailors must beat the pirate with a trick AND score in a tiny goal on the island.
Play 2 — always finish playing the real game
Brave Pirates Game
Play a real 4v4 game. Every time a child dribbles bravely at a defender — win or lose the ball — roar their name like a legend. Bravery gets a louder cheer than goals tonight.
Key coaching points — in your own words
- ·Little kicks, tiny toes — your ball follows you like a puppy!
- ·Be brave — dribble right past the monster!
- ·Trick the pirate: stop… then ZOOM!
- ·If they steal it, chase it back — that’s what heroes do!
Climb the ladder faster — wake the pirate a little more each round so the tricks really matter.
The pirate stays fast asleep and the island moves closer — every child escapes with their treasure every time.
Game-day focus — watch for this on Saturday
4v4 diamond, everyone attacks and defends — rotate everyone, and give the loudest cheer to brave dribbling, not the scoreboard.
Message to forward to your parents
Tonight was two favorites in one — making friends with the ball, then dribbling it bravely past a very sleepy pirate monster. Be the slow-motion monster in the living room this week — and always just miss!
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.
SoccerCoachTV - King of the Hill - Fun Ball Control Game.
Watch the night before to understand the idea
A shield-and-steal game that doubles as a dribbling and ball-protection duel. Use it in week 4 as a high-energy opener before your final Apply game. Watch how the coach keeps everyone playing — no eliminations sitting out for long.
For U4: The coach is the only monster on the hill — theatrical near-misses, and every child keeps their ball.
Watch on YouTubeInsanely Fun 1v1 Training Drill That Will Transform Players Dribbling Skills
Your PRACTICE part — the one thing you teach mid-session
A quick-hit 1v1 game design you can drop straight into weeks 3 and 4. Small area, fast turnarounds, everyone duels. Score the attempts, not just the goals — that is how we make BRAVE visible to seven-year-olds.
For U4: Make the defender a slow-moving "monster" — a coach on their knees, never another child.
Watch on YouTube