1. Develop players’ imagination, decision-making and enthusiasm.
2. Developing players physical literacy.
3. Develop players basic understanding of 1v1 situations.

• Drill No:               WUP1
• Age:                    7-15yrs         
• No Players:        Any Even Number
• Difficulty:            Easy
• Area/Time:         Area relative to number/age of players (20 mins) 

Mark out playing area (Approx. 20 x 20yrds).

• Players are paired up (its meant to be very light-hearted so pair them up in terms of shoe-size, team they support, boot colour etc.
• Number them ‘1’ and ‘2’
• Have bibs close-by (enough for 1 between 2)
• Have balls close-by (enough for 1 each)

Play starts with a ball played into the white goalkeeper.

The white must play out through their full-backs.

During all the instructions below, the white full-back is in possession.

1. There are no balls involved to start with. Get the players to enter the training area and “get on the move”.
2. After a minute or two, get the number 1s to be the leader. They move around the area jogging, skipping, backwards, karaoke etc. Number 2s must follow and copy their partner’s movements. After a minute, make number 2’s the leader.
3. Then get them both to lead in dynamic stretching exercises. 
4. The next part is the real fun bit so let them express themselves. Insist that the leader produces ANY MOVEMENT in the area, which the other must copy. This is great for physical literacy, especially in young players. Allow them to be creative (somersaults, rolly polley, hand stands, sprints, crawling etc – let them decide!). Change leader.
5. We now get the balls involved – 1 ball per player. Number 1 leads in dribbling around the area – number 2 must replicate what the leader does with the ball. Change leader.
6. Again encourage creativity and swap leaders as much as you feel is necessary and worthwhile. It will differ with every group. 
7. The final part of the warm-up is to sprint. Leave the footballs to one side. Number 1s are given a bib and must hang it from their shorts and number 2 ‘tags’ him by grabbing the bib. Give them 5 seconds to get away from their opponent. Each player has three goes and they keep the score to make it competitive.

1. Give players ownership in how they move and warm-up.
2. Encourage players to express themselves and be creative – just like you would be in a 1v1 coaching session.
3. Encourage the key aspects of a 1v1 session: being creative, learning quickly the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent.
4. Players are not allowed to say “I can’t do that”. If their partner is doing something difficult.

1. Do SAQ exercises using lateral movements.
2. Do SAQ exercises using backward movements.
3. Do SAQ exercises using random movements.

1. Use any size or shaped area.
2. Change area depending on what your end goal is. E.g. f you would like them to become fitter, make the area bigger so more running takes place, or have the “bib-chase” over a longer period of time. 

This drill is great for young players. Older teenagers and even pros also enjoy it! I use it mostly if my team have suffered a poor result or a mentally down. It gets chins up and enthusiasm back into a group.

Ensure you know your group. Giving free-reign is positive so long as the coach can maintain control. If there is a very indisciplined player(s) involved, it can ruin the feel good factor.