Week 3 · U6
Scanning and awareness
Objectives — what the players will do
- 1Look up while dribbling and say what they see
- 2Take a peek before the ball arrives
- 3Spot a friend, a space, or the goal before touching the ball
Play 1 — starts when the second player arrives
Traffic Dribble
Everyone dribbles anywhere in the square without bumping into anyone — that takes eyes UP. Add fun calls as players arrive: wave at a friend, high-five someone, dribble through the busiest part of the traffic.
Practice — the one taught activity of the night
Heads Up Heroes
Everyone dribbles in the square while the coach holds up fingers or colored cones. Players shout the number or color WHILE dribbling — no stopping! Then add spotting missions: "dribble to something red," "find a friend wearing blue," "point at the emptiest space." Eyes up on every touch — real heroes see everything.
Let them stop the ball first, then look up and shout.
The coach wanders while holding up fingers, or pairs pass while shouting each other's numbers.
Play 2 — always finish playing the real game
4v4 — Secret Number
Normal games, but every minute or so the coach quietly holds up fingers behind one goal. Any player who spots it and shouts the number mid-game wins a team point. Celebrate every peek before the ball arrives: "Great look, Leo!"
Key coaching points — in your own words
- ·Eyes up! What did you see?
- ·Look, then touch. Look, then touch.
- ·Take a peek before the ball gets to you.
- ·What did you spot — a friend, a space, or the goal?
More to spot and less warning — numbers, colors, and friends all at once.
Slow everything down and let players stop the ball whenever they need a look.
Game-day focus — watch for this on Saturday
Watch for peeks on Saturday — players glancing around before the ball reaches them — and name every one from the sideline. Heads up in the diamond, everyone attacks and defends, rotate positions, no booting.
Message to forward to your parents
We played heads-up games this week — dribbling while looking around like little heroes. Play "how many fingers?" while your child dribbles at home; they will love catching you out.
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.
10 Most Popular Soccer Drills on MOJO | Soccer Drills From the MOJO App
Watch the night before to understand the idea
This is your game bank for the whole month — several of these games only work if players keep their heads up, which is exactly what OBSERVE looks like at U7–U8. Watch before Week 1 and pick two games you can repeat in every Play phase so kids master the game and you can coach the looking. Praise the eyes, not just the touch.
Watch on YouTubeSoccerCoachTV - Quick Decision Drill (for all levels).
Your PRACTICE part — the one thing you teach mid-session
A simple decision drill that scales down beautifully — the word of the month lives here, because every rep forces a fast choice. Run it in the Practice phase of Weeks 2–3 and layer 'See it, Solve it, Show it' onto each rep. Shrink the space to speed the decisions up as the month goes on.
Watch on YouTube