(Using the bottom of the foot to pullback and steal the ball)
Teaches:
This teaches pull backs and gives the kids the courage to steal the ball. The idea is to take a ball (for U4 or U6, a “Dragon’s egg”) from the “dragons” (i.e. the coaches or parents). This also teaches kids to not be afraid of bumping other kids, chaos, to get a foot on the ball, and using the bottom of the foot to move the ball. If you are coaching U8 and your players are too old for Dragons, then just Steal the Ball from the coaches.
Setup:
- Create a circle of cones about 10 Steps in diameter.
- You need at least one ball per kid (if you have more than one per kid, that is even better).
- Collect all the balls (with your feet only) and put them in the center of the circle. The kids are outside the circle and the coaches are in the middle with the balls. The coaches are Dragons who are protecting their dragon eggs from the kids who are trying to steal them.
Playing:
- On “Go” the kids run up to the Dragon’s Keep (i.e., the balls) and steal a ball from the coaches (or parents) and dribble it outside the circle.
- Give the kids a hint and say “a great way to steal an egg is to pull it back, like this” and demonstrate the pull back. The coaches can snarl and stomp their feet (be playful, not scary). Let the kids Steal the Balls – don’t try to stop them – this is a teaching game.
- If you have a lot of balls, let each kid steal as many as they can.
Once all the eggs are stolen from the Dragon’s Keep, have the kids bring them back to the circle and go through the exercise again.
How to Do a Pull Back:
A Pull Back is done by putting the bottom of the foot on top of the ball and pull the ball toward you. It is a great way to get a ball put of a pile of balls.