Soccer Keepaway

Soccer: Soccer Keepaway

Pat Aitken

This game encourages your players to work together by awarding points for consecutive passes as well as goals.

Organizing the Game
Mark an area of 30 x 40 yards (meters) with a goal at each end. Each team has four or more players plus a goalie. Teams wear different colored vests, and one team receives possession of the ball to start the game.

Play
Regular soccer rules apply, except that teams can score points two ways.

One is the classic method of kicking the ball into the opponent's goal. This is worth one point.
The other is by making ten consecutive passes. (Of course, both kinds of scoring could result from the same play.) This is worth two points. You can reduce the number of consecutive passes required, depending on the skill level of your students.

Teaching Points
Point out to your players that if they stay patient and maintain possession of the ball by working together and passing, sooner or later they'll see a chance to move to the goal. When they see that opening occur, they should take it.

References:
1. American Sport Education Program, Coaching Youth Soccer, 5th Ed, Human Kinetics, 2011.
2. Joe Luxbacher, Soccer Practice Games, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1995.

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