Here is an aerobic activity incorporated into a small sided scrimmage.
This is a 5 v 5 game plus keepers on a field 36 yards lone and 44 yards wide. There is a full sized goal on each endline. There are 3 cones 5 yards outside of each sideline.
A server starts with balls around midfield and calls “go”. Upon hearing “go” each field player must sprint around the nearest cone and returns to the field of play.
The team that gets all of their players on the field first receives a pass from the server and tries to score. This turns into a regular scrimmage. The big difference is that every 30 to 45 seconds the server yells “go” again and they start their sprint again.
The key to this game is that it goes on for 5 minutes straight and the coach must push the players to go at full speed. It’s not only the sprinting that is done at full speed but also once they get on the field they must push themselves and go hard the entire time.
After the 5 minute period is over the players get a 2 minute break and then play a second 5 minute period.
In this second period, it’s even more important to encourage the players to go faster, work harder and play quicker. They are going to want to slow down (just like they will want to slow down in a game) and this is where they need to really be encouraged to push things hard.
These short sprints built into small sided games are a great way to work on fitness and soccer at the same time.
Have a great day!
Lawrence
