Oh No!! a change of direction game

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So one of the most difficult tasks for our U8 and below players is changing directions, especially turning, with the ball. They are amazing at going fast in a straight line, but it takes a lot of coordination and concentration to change direction and go the opposite way. Often, you will see a player dribbling towards their own goal and the parents/ coaches are shouting at them to "turn around." I have already described in an earlier post why this is a counter-productive behavior, but today I wanted to show you how to play a game specifically designed to get players to change directions. It has a nice progression that is appropriate for the U6 and younger crew, but it can also be scaled up to U10 as well with just a few tweaks and can even be scaled up to a small-sided or expanded small-sided activity.

Oh NO!! starts with a grid divided into three sections. The center section is narrow and the two end sections are wider. Have one coach/parent at each end of the grid. You get all the players without a ball into one end of the grid, running around until they hear a call from the coach at the other end of the grid shout Oh NO!! you are supposed to be over here. Players run as fast as they can to the other side of the grid. After a few seconds, the coach at the other end calls Oh NO!! you are supposed to be over here.

Once players are acclimated, then they dribble their balls on the Oh NO!! call across the grid. After a few repetitions, add some parent volunteers into the narrow middle part of the grid to interfere with their movement. They may gently knock a ball back into the grid if a player loses control of it to force the player to go get the ball and turn again. Never make a player go back more than once per round or else the game will get bogged down.

For older players, you can add the following progressions:

  • More defenders in the middle grid
  • Add a target to add a decision into the mix for the players "do I dribble or pass to get past the defenders?"
    • The coach can become a target to pass the ball to instead of dribbling it across the grid, the player can pass it to the coach. This action requires communication. A player cannot pass the ball to the coach unless s/he makes eye and voice contact with the coach before passing. 
    • Add 2 player targets, one at the end for a penetrating pass and one on the side for a combination pass.


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