Mud monsters

WHY USE IT

This fun foundation phase practice covers several key skills: ball manipulation, keeping your head up while moving around, building relationships and teamwork.

SET-UP

Set up an area relative to the age and ability of your players. Apart from the two chosen ‘mud monsters’, each player has a ball. Bibs can be used to identify the ‘mud monsters’.

HOW TO DO IT

Based on the traditional ‘Stuck in the Mud’ game, two players are nominated to be the mud monsters (without a ball). In a two-minute timed period, the rest of the players dribble around the area, trying to avoid the mud monsters.

If they are tagged on their shoulder, they then stand holding their ball above their head, with their feet wide apart. A fellow player can release them by passing the ball through their legs.

If mud monsters catch everyone within two minutes, they get a point for each player they tagged. Other players get a point for each player they were able to free.

ADAPTATIONS

To make it harder for mud monsters, they can each have a ball to dribble around while trying to tag the players.

To make it harder for the other players, you can add in one or two defending players (without a ball) who are on the mud monsters’ team. Their aim is simply to stop players from releasing their team mates.

COACHING POINTS

As well as being lots of fun, this game will work on agility, balance, co-ordination and speed (ABCs). Encourage players to keep their head up while moving around, recognise when a pass needs to be made to free a team-mate, and use an accurate pass (with the inside of the foot, standing foot alongside the ball) to get it through a team-mate’s legs.

You can also encourage players to use both feet to dribble and work on controlled ball movement.