Clean Your Yard is a game that trains kicking and endurance.
Organization
- Create a playing area divided into equal halves (size will vary based on the number and ability of players).
- Separate players into 2 equal teams with each team occupying one side of the field.
- Each player begins with a ball.
Play
- On the coaches signal, players kick their ball into the other team’s side of the field.
- Players then seek out balls on their side of the field and attempt to send them to the other side of the field.
Progression
- Require players to use their weak foot when kicking.
- Use the “no man’s land” described above and extend the field.
Make it Competitive
- After a 1 minute, the coach stops play and the team with the fewer number of balls on their side wins
Notes
- Consider having kicks that go past the back boundary of the playing area remain in play, this will force players to move more as they will have to defend both soft kicks and very hard kicks. It will also prevent players from trying to over-finesse their kicks.
- Smart players, particularly at younger ages, will sometimes “camp out” on the dividing line since players often will not be able to chip the ball over. Combat this by creating a “no man’s land” between the two sides.
