Tillsonburg Soccer Club Programs
U12 Boys & Girls
“The Golden Age”
Skill development at this stage should be well structured, positive and FUN and should concentrate on developing the ABC’s of Agility, Balance and Coordination plus speed. Encourage your players to take part in unstructured play, every day, with their friends.
Learning to read the movements going on around them are critical skills to be developed at this age. Playing small-sided games, 3v3, 4v4 etc. can develop players’ ability to read what other players are going to do based on their movements. Let your players make decisions, expose them to working out problems and coming up with solutions.
The U12 age group is the third stage of soccer development that our players go through, commonly known as the “golden age of learning”.
The effect of the role model is very important at this stage. Children begin to identify with famous players and successful teams, and they want to learn imaginative skills. Skill demonstration is very important and the players learn best by “doing”.
Repetitions are important to develop technical excellence, but creating a fun and challenging environment is still essential for stimulating learning.
Format
At this age goalkeepers can be introduced although players should play in all positions including goalkeeper. Again no scores or standings are maintained. Players will play a fair amount of time in each position.
Areas of Focus
- Continue to develop ball mastery in a larger environment with more team mates and opponents
- Start to develop other surfaces to control the ball
- Develop the ability to control the ball and look
- Introduce decision-making for the next play and apply the proper technique
- Develop the ability to run with the ball towards goal and away from goal to gain space and use width
- Develop dribbling 1v1 using different fakes and changes of direction, shielding at the older ages of the stage
- Develop passing the ball using different surfaces of both feet
- Introduce combination plays with 2 or 3 players
- Develop shooting skills, at longer distances. Introduce, volleys, bent shots and chips using different surfaces
- Introduce the use of width at U9 and U10 and depth at U11 and U12
- Develop the ability to look up and read GK position to make a good decision and apply proper technique.
