Making a Soccer Lesson Plan

Design your soccer practice sessions by making sure the drills you use makes sense and follow the topic of the skill you are teaching

Design, Diagram and Make Sense

When making a lesson plan remember the following points:

• Design your session for no the number of players on the team.
• Make sure your drills and activities are age specific.
• Design activities to flow from simple to complex – add elements of the game as you progress.
• Design session to include:
  1. Warm-up.
  2. Small-sided activity (e.g. 4v2 keep away).
  3. Expanded small-sided activity, with discretion.
  4. 6v6 (5v5 plus keepers) to two large goals.
• Use progression for teaching techniques or tactics as a guide for planning session.
• Use the appropriate space on the lesson plan to diagram your activity, describe the organization and list the key coaching points.
• Include the objectives of the game or exercise and the method of scoring.
• If using restrictions, make sure they are applicable to your objective and topic.
• Include the general dimensions for the playing area – you should be prepared to adjust the size during your session if needed.
• Use the area of the field that is most applicable to your topic if possible to provide a clearer reference for your players.
• Make sure your activities are realistic to the game.

When diagramming, remember the following points:

• Keep diagrams simple.
• Use a straight line for a pass – a dotted line for a run – a scribbled line for a dribble.
• Indicate size of the area on lesson plan next to diagram.
• Indicate neutral players with an N.

Make sure your practice makes sense:

• Does it look like soccer?
• Will your players understand where the practice fits in the game?
• Are the objectives you set for the players to achieve realistic?
• Are your instructions clear and to the point?
• Does the activity or practice bring out the actual elements of the game?