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Ball Mastery in the Foundation Phase

Cameron Moulton

Hi all hoping to get some clarification on what good ball mastery practice looks like for foundation phase players. I currently work with an U8s grassroots team and I want to help my young players to master the ball. In every training session, part of our practice is dedicated to every player having a ball and I would like some guidance on the type of practice that is effective at improving players' technical skills

Is effective ball mastery the coach showing the players different skills/moves for them to repeat and practice? Or can effective ball mastery be a playground game (tag for example) but with a football and the players being dribblers?

I have tended to use a game of tag as our ball mastery practice instead of practicing skills (turns, 1v1 moves) and I am worried that as a result, I am not achieving my goal of helping the players to master the ball.

 Any opinions on how other coaches approach ball mastery or what I should do would be really helpful

Parents
  • 0

    Sounds like you are doing great.
    In my opinion, ball mastery will be different for each child.

    Some will inherently want to try new skills and tricks, some will like to protect the ball, some will like to dribble forwards as quickly as possible.  So a variety of practices will only help. 

    Football, as we know, has some many variables that there isnt a One Way to do it. 

    Ball, Opponent, Task - if you can have those 3 present in a game then that will encourage ball mastery. 

    I dedicate 10-15 minutes 1 ball each, show them a skill and a turn but then also tell them they can make it look how they want. We then practice / turn in a 'Stadium Pitch' style practice (see pete sturgess games) 

    Keep it as small numbered as possible and you will give ball mastery the bestchance - but also know (in my experience) that not all kids want or will master the ball as you or I see it or as perfectly as your 'so called Best' player

  • 0 in reply to Darren Williams

    You make some great points Darren, thanks for replying. It's true that ball mastery looks different for each individual player and accepting that this is okay is important because that way I'm looking at the players as young children instead of little football skill projects.

    I like what you mentioned about giving the players an idea of a skill they can use in a game like the Stadium Game but also encouraging them to find their own solutions. That way I'm giving the players room to be creative and maybe find a better solution than the one I had planned. You could even reward using the practised skill with a skill point or something similar

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  • 0 in reply to Darren Williams

    You make some great points Darren, thanks for replying. It's true that ball mastery looks different for each individual player and accepting that this is okay is important because that way I'm looking at the players as young children instead of little football skill projects.

    I like what you mentioned about giving the players an idea of a skill they can use in a game like the Stadium Game but also encouraging them to find their own solutions. That way I'm giving the players room to be creative and maybe find a better solution than the one I had planned. You could even reward using the practised skill with a skill point or something similar

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