Warm-Up Session — 30 Minutes
A 30-minute standalone warm-up session for any age group. Three phases: arrival game, ball familiarity, rondo.
▦Session blocks
Arrival Tag Game
Start with Sharks and Minnows for U7–U11. Use Colour Tag for U12+. The tag game starts the moment 4 players arrive — no waiting. Late arrivals join immediately. 8 minutes, full energy. No ball in this phase — pure physical warm-up. By the end, everyone is breathing hard.
Ball Familiarity — Dynamic Dribbling
Each player with a ball. Dynamic dribbling square or ball mastery circuit. Sole rolls, inside touches, outside touches, stop-and-start. 12 minutes at U7–U10. At U11+: add a rondo element — pairs dribble, then pass and follow. The goal is warm feet and confident first touches before the main session.
Rondo Warm-Down
4v1 for U8–U10. 5v2 for U11+. 10 minutes. Players should be warm, focused, and technically engaged before the main session begins. If this is a standalone session, end with a 4v4 or 5v5 SSG instead of the rondo. 'Warm up' done — hand off to the main session or end here.
◆What you'll need from yourself
Clear demonstrations and high energy. Keep the session moving with minimal queuing, and reinforce one or two key coaching points rather than overloading players with information.
!Common problems
Players standing in queues (set up enough stations to keep everyone active) and the session running too long on one activity (keep blocks tight and move on while engagement is high).