The Coaches' Room
7v7U11Player Development

No heading at U11 – what do you do with high goal kicks?

Asked by Aisha_21
664 views 2 replies
opposition keepers can send ball long and our players are unsure whether to wait for bounce, use chest or thigh, or just get underneath it. heading is not an option. what should we actually be coaching for these aerial situations?

VERIFIED COACH ANSWER

VERIFIED COACH RESPONSE

UEFA C Coach

Grassroots session design • 5v5 & 7v7 formats

Why don't we show coach names?
I’d work on dealing with the ball without heading, rather than trying to avoid every aerial ball. Players can learn to move early, judge the flight, let it bounce when there is space, or use chest, thigh and feet when the ball arrives at a manageable height. A simple practice is a small game where restarts sometimes come from a longer goalkeeper pass. Let the receiving player solve the flight with pressure nearby. You can also practise getting the body between opponent and ball if they are waiting for the bounce. I would not turn it into a line of players controlling high serves. At U11, the useful learning is reading the flight and choosing a safe legal way to deal with it. No heading does not mean no aerial football.

COMMUNITY DISCUSSION

Join the football discussion. 2 replies

O

OldWhiteboard

Community Member

We added occasional lofted keeper restarts into a normal game. Much better than serving high balls in a line because the receiver had to judge opponent, space and bounce together.
A

Aisha_14

Community Member

we work on first touch after bounce and using body to protect. no need to make every high ball a panic.