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The ice monsters
A fun practice to boost youngsters’ confidence on the ball and increase spatial awareness.
WHY USE IT
This fun practice allows players to develop ball control, spatial awareness and confidence on the ball.
Set-up
Mark out an area relative to the age, ability and numbers of your players. Each player needs a ball to start with. Place a number of cones randomly around the area.
HOW TO play
Begin with players dribbling around the area. If they crash into a cone (or ‘Ice Monster’) they must ‘unfreeze’ by doing a particular skill - for example, five toe-taps.
Progressions: To progress this practice, introduce a ‘Mega Ice Monster’ – a player without a ball who aims to tag other players by ‘stopping and squashing’ their ball (putting studs on it).
The Mega Ice Monster starts by only being allowed to walk - this can be progressed so they can run, or by adding multiple Mega Ice Monsters.
If a player crashes into an Ice Monster, they still carry out the designated skill to unfreeze. However, if caught by a Mega Ice Monster, they must hold their ball above their head, with legs apart - to enable them to be unfrozen, another player must pass a ball through their legs.
COACHING POINTS
Encourage players to dribble with their heads up to avoid Ice Monsters.
Players can work on close control in tight areas (small touches with different parts of their feet), escaping into space (bigger touches), and changing direction and speed to escape Mega Ice Monsters.
1. Place a number of cones (‘ice monsters’) around the area
2. Players dribble around the area. If they crash into an ice monster’ they carry out a skill to unfreeze, e.g. five toe-taps
3. Progress by adding a ‘mega ice monster’ - a player who, to start, can only walk and aims to tag the dribbling players
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Victoria Bull
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