Week 1 · U6
Playing out from the back
Objectives — what the players will do
- 1Keep the ball calmly near our own goal instead of booting it
- 2Spread out big — wide, wide, deep — when we start with the ball
- 3Dribble or pass out of our end under control
Play 1 — starts when the second player arrives
Backyard Starts
4v4 free play with one twist: every restart begins with the ball controlled at the team's own end line — our "backyard." Just watch: who is brave with the ball back there, and who boots it away in a panic?
Practice — the one taught activity of the night
Escape Our Backyard
Attackers start with the ball at their own end line; one or two defenders start way up at halfway. Score a point by dribbling or passing past halfway with the ball under control. Spread out HUGE before you start: wide, wide, deep. Play in waves so everyone attacks lots.
Defenders walk, or must wait until the first pass before moving.
Defenders start closer, or add an extra defender.
Play 2 — always finish playing the real game
4v4 — Brave Builder Goals
Goals that start with a calm dribble or pass out of the team's own half count DOUBLE. The loudest cheer of the night goes to brave tries near our own goal — even the ones that go wrong.
Key coaching points — in your own words
- ·Being brave near our goal is BRILLIANT — never boot it and hope.
- ·Spread out huge: wide, wide, deep.
- ·Little touch, look up, off we go.
- ·Losing the ball while being brave is NEVER in trouble here.
Defenders press sooner in every game — bravery has to be quicker.
Give the team with the ball a five-second head start before anyone can chase.
Game-day focus — watch for this on Saturday
When the ball is near our goal on Saturday, stay calm on the sideline — no shouts of "kick it!" Praise every controlled dribble or pass out of our half. Wide players get wide, everyone helps, rotate spots.
Message to forward to your parents
This week we learned to be brave with the ball near our own goal instead of booting it away. Biggest help on Saturday: cheer the calm dribbles, and never shout "kick it!"
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.
Youth Soccer 4v4 Formation
Watch the night before to understand the idea
Three-minute animated walkthrough of the 4v4 diamond — an option behind, beside, and ahead of every ball carrier. Watch before your first session and replay it at a team/parent meeting; it is the fastest way to teach 'make a triangle with the ball.'
Watch on YouTubeBuild Out Breakdown Games
Your PRACTICE part — the one thing you teach mid-session
2v1 → 3v2 → 4v3 breakout games that teach the spare-man idea years before the build-out line formalizes it. Lift these straight into your Session 3–4 practice blocks.
Watch on YouTube