📋 Session Plan
U9 Wet Saturday Survival
It's pouring rain, the pitch is a swamp, half the squad is shivering, and you have 45 minutes. This is the session that keeps everyone moving, warm, and en
It's pouring rain, the pitch is a swamp, half the squad is shivering, and you have 45 minutes. This is the session that keeps everyone moving, warm, and en
Wet-weather mods: skip bear crawl and crab walk (wet hands on cold ground = misery). Stick to upright animals — frogs, kangaroos, penguins. Also add 'tall giraffes' (walk on tip-toes). Keep the heart rate UP — that's the warmth strategy. 10 minutes here, not 8.
High-energy continuation of the warm-up. Kids stay warm; engagement stays high. Run 4 rounds of 90 seconds. Generous 18×18 yard square so the ground gets churned across a wider area (less mud build-up in one spot).
Wet-weather mods: shrink the area (10×8 yards). Skip the 'wild ball' round — slippery balls + wet legs = falls. Just 2 rounds of stop-on-the-ball. Faster rotation, more touches, less standing around.
Run two parallel pitches if you have 10+ players (5 vs 5 mode). NO substitutions or rotations — wet weather means subs get cold standing on the touchline. Keep everyone playing. Shorten halves to 3 minutes each (4 halves total). End the session 3 minutes early if anyone is visibly shivering — better to send them home warm than complete the session.
30-second huddle. NO long talk, no static stretches (cold muscles + static stretches = injury risk). 'Great work today, see you Tuesday' — and let them go. Parents will love you for ending on time in pouring rain.
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.
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).
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Coaches tip: Post-session recovery nutrition matters as much as the drills themselves — MaxiNutrition's recovery range is built for exactly this.
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Building conditioning between sessions at home? DeerRun UK's home treadmills make it easy to keep up cardio work off the pitch.