By Philip Cauchi
Question - Do you have exercises where I can train "Visual Perception" where the players will be better at scanning the area?
In Part 1, I shared some exercises. Here are some more.
Exercise 5: Four quadrant passing with spatial awareness.
Area: 16 yards x 16 yards divided into four equally quadrants.
Load: Play 4 to 6 series of 2 to 3 minutes each with one minute of rest in between.
Players: Three groups of three players each. Each group should have no more than one player in a quadrant which leaves another quadrant with no players from the same group.
Description: Each group has a ball. Players pass to another player of the same group positioned in another quadrant. After passing the ball, the players must move into the quadrant in which there is no players of the same team.
Progressions:
1 – Players must pass to a different colour than theirs.
2 – Players pass in a color-coded manner; example red to black, black to yellow and yellow to red.
Coaching points:
Continuous head movement to assess the situation.
Positioning and stance to receive the ball.
Exercise 6: Dribble into the space.
Area: 12 by 12 yards with four starting positions and five hoops scattered inside the area.
Load: 8 to 10 repetitions of 1 minute each with 30 seconds of rest in between.
Players: Four groups of players (A, B, C, and D) of not more than three players each group.
Description: Players run from their group and take a ball positioned inside any of the five hoops. The players must dribble the ball and stop it in any other hoop that doesn’t have a ball. Afterwards, the players run back to their group high fives the next player in line to take his turn. Perform as a competition of which group scores more points.
Progressions:
1 – Have only for hoops.
2 – Players from different teams may tackle each other’s ball to make them lose time.
Coaching points:
Continuous head movement to assess the situation.
Positioning: at an angle and in space to receive the ball.
Stance to have a positive oriented first touch.
Exercise 7: Play and move quickly.
Area: 20 yards x 20 yards.
Load: 12 repetitions of 1 minute each with 30 seconds of rest in between.
Players: 8 players positioned outside the area with a ball each and another 8 inside the area without the ball.
Description: The players on the inside must move from one server to another that doesn’t have the ball. They receive and pass the ball back to the server.
Progressions:
1 – Perform the exercise at speed. How many passes can each player make in 1 minute?
2 – Perform different techniques such volleying back and heading instead of passing.
3 – Players on the inside play a wall pass with a server and switch roles.
Coaching points:
Continuous head movement to scan for space and available servers.
Communication: verbal and non-verbal.
Stance to receive the ball and the quality of the first touch.
Exercise 8: Three color psychokinetic passing.
Area: 15 yards x 15 yards.
Load: 6 repetitions of 2 minutes each with 1 minute of rest in between.
Players: Three groups of three players each.
Description: The players must pass the ball to a player of a different color. We have two balls in play; one is played with the feet and the other with the hands.
Progressions:
1 – Pass the ball in a color-coded manner. Example black to red, red to yellow and yellow to black.
2 – Have two balls played with the feet and another with the hands.
Coaching points:
Continuous head movement to scan for space and available servers.
Communication: verbal and non-verbal.
Stance to receive the ball and the quality of the first touch.
By Philip Cauchi
