Football (Close control) / Blindfolded Obstacle Course

Today's session we got to split into two groups. In our groups we were told we could devise a session on whatever we wanted, and was to deliver it to the other group. Our group chose to focus on close control in football. We had two distinct but different sessions on how to develop close control.

 

Myself, Ash and Jarred took one session whilst the other coaches ran the other session. Our session was 4 mini squares in one big square. The aim was that we had two teams in one square with a square between the two teams (see image below).

 

The aims of the session were to complete 10 passes in each square then move in to the next one. There was a slightly competitive edge to this drill as the second aim was to catch the other team or to avoid being caught.

 

At first one team was struggling and one seemed to be doing okay. So at this point we froze the session for some Question and Answers. We asked the teams what they could do differently to make it easier, and the answers given were;

 

- Communicate more

- Create better angles

- Take a little weight off the pass

 

After taking them answers into consideration, it was time to set the ball rolling again. By using the coaching points discussed, it seemed that it had worked and both teams were keeping the ball better. After another few minutes, we brought the session to an end before they swapped over. Our small debrief allowed us to ask what the participants thought of the session, what they thought it was looking to develop and whether they achieved that. The players found it clear we was looking at close control and felt that the coaching points we made were effective in order for them achieve that!

 

When we swapped over to take part in the other group’s session, it was a little... different. They had chosen to do an obstacle course for there's. The obstacle course started off and I hope I am right in thinking the aim of the session was to develop and encourage team work as we were blindfolded for it and had to have people guide us through it. As a way to develop team work (if that's what it was) then it was a good way to do so, however if this was aimed at younger children, who aren't as physically and fundamentally devolved as we are as students, then I could see that being a little bit of risk, as children could get confused with too many people giving them directions.

 

However they allowed us to change the other team’s obstacle course to make it harder for them. I thought this was quite clever, as it can develop a participant’s creative side in thinking of challenging tasks to develop themselves.